The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-02-19
li'i''iinipi'iinl''iN''iiiNYsWaf,NfN,iNvssvrNnis E THE LADY OF THE HEAVENS.
Copyright, 1908, by H. Rider Haggard

(CUntinued.l


 But Rachel had other friends. IT l truth she was Natures child, if in 2
 better and purer sense than Byron uses 1 that description. The sea, the veld | the sky, the forest and the river, these were her companions, for among then
 she dwelt solitary. Their denizens 1 too, knew her well, for unless she were
 driven to it, never would she lift hel | hand against anything that drew the
 breath of life. The buck would lei
 her pass quite close to them, nor al
 her coming did the birds stir from off 1 their trees Often she stood and watch
 ed the great elephants feeding or al
 rest, and even dared ito wander among the herds of savage buffalo. Of only two living things was she afraid-the snake and the crocodile, that are cursed above all cattleT and above every beast of the field, because being cursed they have no sympathy or gen. tleness. She feared nothing else, she who was always fearless, nor brute or bird, did they fear her.
 After Rachel's adventure in the flooded river she and her parents pur- sued their journey by slow and tedious marches, and at length, though in those days this was strange enough, reached Natal unharmed. At first they went to live where the city of Durban now stands, which at that time had but just received it's name. It was inhabited by a few rough men who made a living by trading and hunting. and surrounded themselves with natives, refugees for the most part from the Zulu country. Amongst these people and their servants MT. Dove commenced his labours, but ere long bitter quarrel grew up between him and them.
 These dwellers in the midst of bar barism led strange lives, and MT. Dove who rightly held it to be his duty to denounce wrong-doing of every sort, attacked them and their vices in no measured terms, and upon all occa- sions. ssiFor long years he kept up the fight, until at length he found him. self ostracised. If they could avoid it. no white men would speak to him, nor would they allow him to instruct their Kaffirs. Thus his work came to an end in Durban as it had done in Oth- CT places. Now again his wife and daughter hoped that he would leave South Africa for good, and return home. But it was not to be- for once more he announced that it was laid upon him to follow the example of his divine Master, and that the Spirit drove him into the wilderness. So, with a few attendants, they trekked away from Durban.
 On this occasion it was his wild de-
 
 ka, the great king, being dead, Din gaan, his brother and murderer, ruled in his place-and there devote himself to the conversion of the Zulus. In deed it is probable that he would have carried out this plan had he not been prevented by an accident. One night when they were about forty miles from Durban they camped on a stream, a tributary of the Tugela River, which ran close by, and formed the boundary of the Zulu country. It was a singu- larly beautiful spot, for to the east of them, about a mile away stretched the placid Indian Ocean, while to the west, overshadowing them almost, rose towering cliff, over which the stream poured itself, looking like a line of smoke against it's rocky face They had outspanned upon rising hillock at the foot of which this little river wound away like a silver snake till it joined the great Tugela. In it's gen. eral aspect the country was like an English park, dotted here and there with timber, around which grazed or rested great elands and other buck, and amongst them a huge rhinoceros.
 When the wagon had creaked to the top of the rise, for of course there was no road, and the Kaffirs were be- ginning to- unyoke the hungry oxen, Rachel, who was riding with her fa- ther, sprang from her horse and ran to it to help her mother to descend. She was now a, tall young woman, full of health and vigour, strong and straight ly shaped Mrs. Dove, frail, delicate, grey haired, placed her foot upon the disselboom and hesitated, for to her the ground seemed far off, and the heels of the cattle very near.
 Jump" said Rachel in her clear, laughing voice, as she smacked the near after-ox to make it turn round, which it did obeddently, for all the team knew her. "I'll catch you"
 But her mother still hesitated, so thrusting her way between the OK and the front wheel Rachel stretched out her arms and lifted her bodily to the ground.
 How strong you are, my love!'' said her mother with a sort of wondering and a sad little smile; cit seems strange to think that I ever car ried you"
 "One had need to be in this country, dear,' replied Rachel cheerfully. Come and walk a little way. you must wa ggon,'' and she led her quite to the top of the knoll There she added, isn't the view lovely? I never saw such a pretty place in all Africa. And oh! look at those buck, and yes-that is rhinoceros. I hope it won't clar&6 us.
 Mrs. Dove obeyed, gazing first at the l glorious sea, then at the plain and the trees, and lastly behind her at the tow ering cliff steeped in shadow-for the sun was westering-down the face of which the waterfall seemed to hang | like silver rope.
 As her eyes fell upon tl1is cliff Mrs. | Dove's face changed
 "I know tf1is spot,'' she said in a ! hrrriedi voice CT have seen it be- fore"
 Nonsense, mother" answered Ra- chel. we have never trekked here, l so how could your"
 "I. can't say, love, but I have. remember that cliff and the waterfall; yes, and those three trees, and the | buck standing under them.''
 'One often feels Nike that, about ha.v7I ing seen places, I mean. mother, but of course it is all nonsense, because it Is impossible, unless one dreams of