The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-31

G O1AS1 1iAAii- IIt lOOk6Q at Tiara, anC
 Hana looked back at him, thenltakina
 each others hand they slunk ayay to. \ wards the wall. staggering iblindly
 through the sunshine towards the
 shade.
 CHAPTER xXIII.
 The Dream in the Norta
 \ Richard Darrien rememb ber61 drink N ing a bowl of milk in the huthn which
 he was imprisoned at Mafooti and in-
 stantly feeling a cold chill rim to his
 heart and brain. after whicl he re-
 membered no more for mary a day.
 At length, however, by slow degrees and with Sundry slips back into un- lconsciousness. life and some share ot his reason and memory -rsturned to him. He awoke to find himself lying tln hut roughly fashioned pf branch
 les. and attended by a KafYir woman of | middle age.
 Who are your" he asked
 ''I am named Mami," sha answered III Miami, Mani! I know lthe name, and I know the voice. Saj were you
 lone of the wives of Ibubebi. she who 1 spoke with me through thefence?' and | he ktrove to raise himself lon his arm to look at her, but fell back from weak ness.
 .Yess Inkoos, was one ok his wives WasE Then where is THubesi now?'' Dead. Inkoos. The f1rd has burned him up with his kraal Mdfootf"
 With the kraal Mafobti! Where, then, is the InkosaxaIh? Answer,
 woman. and be swift" lie cried in a hollow voice. Alas! Inkos. alas! shd is dead also. for she was in the kraalI when the fire swept it. and was seen sf fanding on the
 top of a hut where she had taken re- 4uge. and after that sh& was seen no ra1ore."
 "Then let me die and ko to her., ex- claimed Richard with ! groan. as he fell back upon his bedf where he lay | o1n10qf inzonSiI,lo frv. <Tlp0o Yet he did not die. fo.s he was young and very strong. and Mami poured milk down his throat to keep the life in him. Indeed little by little some thing Of his strength came back, so that at last he was able to think and talk with her again, and learned all the dreadful story.
 He learned how the people of Ma fOotl, fearing the vengeance of Din gaal1, had fled away from their kraal carrying what they thought to be his body with them. lest it should remain il, evidence against them. and taking Every one of them had fled that could travel, only Ibubesi and a few sick. and certain folk who chanced to be
 outside the walls. remaining behind It was from two of these. who escaped during the burning of the kraal by the Zulus, or by fire from the Heavens, they knew not which. that they had heard of the awful end of Ibubesi, and O1 ms prisoner, the lnkcSaZdna- AS for themselves. they had travelled night and day. till they reached cer-
 tain secret and almost inaccessible place in the great Quathlamba Noun tains. in which people had lived whom Chaka wiped out. and there hidden themselves In this place they remain ed, hoping that Dingaan would not care to follow them so far. and pur- posing to make it their home. since here they found good mea1ie lands, and fortunately the most of their cattle re- mafned alive. That was all the story there was nothing more to tell.
 4 day or two later Richard was able tos creep out of the hut and see the place. It was as Mani had said very strong.a kind of tableland ringed round with precipices that could only be climbed through 2 single narrow nek, and overshadowed by the great Qua. h. lamba range. The people, who were engaged in planting their corn, gather ed round him. staring at him as though he were one risen from the dead. and greeted him with respectful words. He spoke to several of them. including the two men who had seen the burning of Mafooti, though from q little distance. But they could tell no more than Miami had done, except that they were sure that the Inkosa- xaIla had perished in the flames. as had many of the Zulus. who broke in- to the town. Richard was sure of it also-who would not have been?-and crept back broken-hearted to his hut, he who had lost all. and longed that he might die. V
 But he did not die, he grew strong again, and when he was well and fit to travel, went to the headmen of the people. saying that now he desired to leave them and return to his own place in the Cape Colony. The headmen said No, he must not leave. for in their go, not to the Cape Colony, but to Zululand. there to discover all he could as to the death of the Inkosazana. So they told him that with them he must them out they would be able to pro- =duce him, who otherwise would be put to the spear, every man of them. as his lnurderers. The sin of Ibubesi, them, and they knew well what Din gaan and Tamboosa had sworn should | happen to those who harmed the white l chief. Dario. who was under the man. tie of their InkosaZana-
 Richard reasoned with them, but it | was of no use, they would not let him | go. Therefore in the end he appeared | to fall in with their humour, and l meanwhile began to plan escape. One | dark night he tried it indeed. only to | be seized in the mouth of the nek. and 1 drought back to his hut. Next morn l ing the headmen spoke with him, tell 1 ing him that he should only depart | their dead bodies, and that | they watched him night and day; that | the nek moreover, was always guard | ed. Then they made an offer to him. | He was a white man, they said, and | ct,vercr than they were; let them come | under his wing, let him be their chief, ! for he would know how to protect them | from the Zulus and any other enemies. l Ha could take over the wives of Ibu- | besi Cat this proposition Richard shud- | dered), and they would obey him in all | things. only he must not attempt to | ieave them-which he should never do | alive. !
 Richard put the proposal by. but in | the end, not because he wished it, but | by the mere weight of his white mans | blood, and for the lack of anything else | to do, drffted into some such position. l Only at the wives of Ibubesi, or any other wives. he would not so much as |