The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-08-27

nar an hour later the little column rode down the heights into Sgwa Pass Beneath them the panorama oE the bush country stretched in liitless nes of ndla ing plans the length of the defe unroIled before discern the shadowy depths Overhead the moon Dlazed brilliantly; there sound anywhere save Tor the murmurng trees and the etaccato bark of an old dog baboon from among the rocks Conceainent was no longer necessary, for if the enemy were their watchful scouts must long ago fEe approach of the soldiers At the command dron ffeTr of1cer the men took open order and rode atfulspceA down the precipitous slopes of the mountainscasns. through shrubs and trees, evading bouders and auY cactus that opposed them. their hearts beatingssdT fear and eagerness: Now they had gained tkegaa5-s suddenly sprang from their barricades asildIx There lay the coach, overturned 1tssdead Eodes Sf twisted eorpses with stfa hands a @s and broken shields: he spraaeS zaom bia Eos knd he s'ie saw her osa confronting ro him tSso increduous eyes They dreNc4ogvzrd uneanoksez with an exultant cry he eaughtsheri shiserms.
 They knew their love bOundlesshan9kiufu did not heed at all the danges and imminent parting. I knew that you would cone shewt6srend 9aapdzsa T knew that should see uagzn weEaiedh Died?' he muttersd stupidSy. Her words xrezfnds him to his duty. He glanced hastily round Esra. cRs the six who had been in the coach. whoseacenrxtzDe4 mad tor the time beaten back that wave Of cnszHght two lay dead under the bodies of the blacks <usked flat by the sheer weight of the numbers Kftat eyhad slain, each forming the base of little -pyrzmL Of the rest one with gaping wound in the he'd sze propped Up against stone and looked vacantv npon the scene round him He wouldsnever stir from that position again. Of the rest.not one but orehe marks
  troopers having tethered their horses were lighting res to boil water for their coffee The leader of the defense stawart elderly colonial up to the lieutenant
 What are you going to doT he asked
 Put the wounded in the supply wagon and hght our way out"
 There are hundreds of Kafirs upon the heiRts He answered. You couldn't get mule horse alive to their custom" He pointed to the east, where a saffron streak lay low against the sky. Ride of while wounded alone" n
 Churchill called his sergeant to him. 'Buid strong barricade he ordered Then he turned back to the girl and placed one arm round her.
 "You understand" he asked.
 She nodded and laughed happily. At her disdain of death the hope of life was renewed in him He looked round him desperately It growing quite light and the heights, upon three sides of them, made figures toward focus the hither entrance to the pzsg Lieutenant Churchill knew that country well. Two mounted fast horses, could yet manage to win the plains behind and the natives had no horses. The girl divned his thoughts.
 Come" she said, "let us help in the work"
 "But there's a chance" he cried eagerly thouRh he knew well how slender one. "Murchison-
 It was the first time that he had spoken his name ence with the natives There's just the hope thst-"
 Then, as he paused for moment, he figure that rode toward them between the precpitous walls of ro bareheaded, spurring aded roan which he seemed to uphold by the tug of the bridle hand Ii was Mnrchl- son; he halted fifteen paces outside the fast rising baTi cade, and Churchill went forward to meet him.
 "N'Konb will talk with you" he gasped. He wants But you must meet him unarmed, in that shall show you ,.,.-s,
 "Supoose there's treachery--" said Churchill
 You fool" said Murchison bitterly self there is her"
 Churchill went back and took her by the hand. She went with him. questioning, completely trustfuL Murchison looked at her hxedy. but did not speak to her.
 pony. There is time to be lost NKombi's afraid of his young men. Their taste for blood has been aroused We must slip through their lines unseen: He guarantees to hold them back for hour and m an hour you and swing the chiefs into line ComeI
 He led the way back toward the entrance to Sigwa Pass then mounting great boulder he showed where natural passage almost concealed by creeping plants and ferns led through the cliff into the hollow heart of fly: then reaching pinnacle they looked back The pass lay under them Quite clearly they could discern the little figures of the soldiers the tethered horses the heaps of the dead and round these the rising fortress In the east the rim of the showed over the hills
 ''We must hurryp Murchison gaspedL, Ten msusses longer and we shall be too late. Come!' ~~e ~c-s
 Again he started away. along forest trail with Churchill panting behind him. one arm round the fa opposed them. Then they turned inward under huge arch of living rock into the recesses of great cave At the far end shone tiny gleam of light Murchson There is the road southwark he said; and looking through they the vast plains of the lower Ponde country outstretched in the sunlight They had pierced through the heart of the hills.
 Wait here" said Murchison. "NKomb and his cannot be far away. Be ready to meet them. And he Silence, profound and impenetrabe, ensued They waited.
 At last the lieutenant walked to the entrance to the cave and looked into the bush. There no sign of sound of humanity the little track that through the scrub forest bore no mark of footsteps.
 As he stood there he heard very fany and far away the crackle of n1usketry and mingled with and conquer ing it the dull of distant multitude He turned; the girl stood at his side
 Co back! he urged her. and still she stood by him In vain he ordered and pleaded at last seeing that she could not be persuaded he started running along the trail by which they had Painting and stumbling, length he gained the pinnacle which he had stood and gazed down into the pass beneath.
 Right in its heart he tiny ring of men in khakf, like some little yellow shoal and round them hizrk of naked warriors, whose foay tops their white bul-hide shields. Twice he 1t dash iself against the defenders and twice reco Then sur9ed forward again stopped for upon the top oE the barrcade, and swept onward and Its eenter agtated and confused, at length grew calm Jast ae the last he saw tall figure gray that sprang from falling and upthrust itself into the heart Of the black sea- like lone rock opposing submerg.ng tide Then 1t went down.
 Churchill would have plunged forward alone but two arms caught him from behind and held hnlsa tzstiy