Evening star., 1909-03-10
and fevers of the lungs which killed

and fevers Of the lungs which killed
number Of them.
In the morning when the storm was past
and the sun shone hotly Tamboosa called
the council Of the captains together. ana
consulted with them as to whether they
should follow after the people OF MalooU
who had fed and destroy them. or return
straight to Zululand. Most of the cap
talns answered that of Mafooti ana US
people they had seen enough. 1bubesi was
dead, slain by the vengeance OF heaven
the Inkosazana they had rescued. alive.
though filled with madness: the white
lord. Dario, had been murdered by lbu-
besi it was said with poison. and DOUBT
less his body was burned In the IRE. AS
for the people OF Mafooti themselves, II
would seem that most of them were inno-
cent as they had fled the place, deserving
their CHIEF. To these arguments other
captains answered thattthe people or Ma
footi were not innocent. inasmuch as they
had helped Ibubesi to carry off the 1nko-
sazana and the white lord. Dario, from
Ramah, and consented to their imprisoh-
ment and to the death OF one OF them'
only flying when they had tidings that the
impi was on the way. Moreover the COM
mand was that every one of these dogs
should be killed, whereas they had killed
none OF them, but only taken those cat
tie which were left behind in their flight
captains being unable to come to an
agreement. decided that they would lay
the matter before the Inkosaz zana. and be
guided by the words that fell from her. If
they could understand them.
So TamboOsa went into the cave Win
one man. and talked to Rachel. who sat
staring at him with stony eyes as though
she understood nothing. When at length
he ceased however, she cried
Lead me to Noie at the great place
Lead me to Noie," nor would she say
any more.
So. as the people Of Mafooti had fled
they knew not where, and they had Sc
cured some of the cattle, and as many
Of the soldiers were sick from the cold
and of burns received in the fire, Tam
boOsa told the regiment that it was the
will of the Inkosazana that they should
return to Zululand.
A while later they started, those of
them who were SO badly burned that they
could not travel being carried on shields
But Rachel would not be carried, choos-
ing to walk alone surrounded at dis
tance by a ring of soldiers who guarded
her For hours she walked thus, showing
no sign of WEAKNESS, but now and again
bursting out into shrill laughter, as
though she saw things that moved her
to merriment. Only the regiment that
listened was not merry. for 1t had heard
the words that the InkosaZana spoke
in the town Of Mafooti. foreteling evil
TO the Zulus because of the blood that
was between them and her. They thought
that she laughed over the misfortunes
that were to come. and over those that
had already befallen them in the fire and
in the rain.
About midday they halted to eat, and
as before Rachel took food in plenty, for
now that her mind was wandering her
body seemed to call for sustenance. When
their meal was finished they moved down
to the banks of the Buffalo river, which
ran nearby to find that it was in great
flood after the heavy rain and that 1t was
not safe to try the ford. So they de-
H.
murmuring among themselves that all
went i'll with them upon this Journey as
was to be expected. and that they would
have done better If they had spent the
| time in hunting down the people of Ma
footi, instead of sitting idle like tired
storks upon the banks of a river. Yet
bad things might seem. they We're des-
tined to be worse. for while some OF
them We're cutting boughs and grass to
make a hut for the Inkosazana, Rachel.
who stood watching them with empty
eyes. of sudden laughed in her mad
fashion, and sped like swallow to the
lip Of the foaming ford Here, before
they they could come up with her. she
threw off the outer cloak she wore and
rushed into the water till the current
bore her from her feet. Then while the
whole regiment shouted In dismay, she
began to SWIM striking out for the fur
ther bank. and being swept downward by
the stream. Now Tamboosa. who was
almost crazed with fear lest she should
drown. called out that where the Inkosa-
zana went. they must follow, even to
their deaths.
'It is So" answered the soldiers, as
each man locking his arms round the
middle of him who stood in front. COM
pany by company, they plunged into the
water in fourfold chain. hoping thus to
bridge it from bank to bank.
Meanwhile Rachel swan on In the
strength of her madness as a woman has
seldom swum before. Again and again
the muddy waters broke over her head
and the soldiers groaned, thinking that
she was drowned. But always that golden
hair reappeared above them. A great tree
swept down upon her. but she dived
beneath it. She was dashed against a
tall rock. but she warded herself away
from it with her hands and still swan
on. till at length with a shout of joy the
Zuus saw her find her feet and struggle
slowly to the further bank. Yes. and up
it till she reached it's crest, where she
stood and watched them idly as though
unconscious Of the danger she had passed
and Of the water that ran from her hair
and breast
CTo be continued tomorrow