Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-06-30


ing confidence as l progressed. Pres
entity The skeleton quickened Its move
ments, and / did, likewise. when sud-
denly the. ground gave way under my
feet and l fell hoadong into a void.
/ landed with@a crash on hard rock.
my gun slipped out of my hard and
went off and. half stunned and bleed
ing, lay where ! had fallen, semi-un
conscious. a moment later, as though
foatirg in the darkness, there appear
ed above that Notwithstanding appari-
ton.
lnstinctiyely | felt for my gun, which
Law beside me. AS very painfully, l
ssrasped il. the speeter bent down ana
then raised both arms on high The
action was a menaee-it seemed as II
the thing were about to hurl something
Gown upon me- With a great effort
rointed the gun and pulled both trig-
gers, trusting To luck that one bariei
remarked undiseharged. Then, amidst
an eehoing roar and the flashing OF
thousand lights, sank into oblivion
When consciousness returned found
myself lying in a semi-recumbent posi-
ton, with my head resting on coia.
damp stone My arms were lacerated
and my neck and legs SO eralnped ana
sorelas Il make the least movement a
torture. Dense blackness. deeper thah
ANYTHING | had ever encountered be-
fore, surrounded me-, and. having pam
fnlly ascertained that no homes were
broken | felt for my matches. IuckliS
they were safe, and the first glow prov
cd a positive relief to my senses IL re-
yealed the duh gray walls OF Il narrow
pit. which / later reekoned 20 De ~
feet deep. Ii WAS nearly circular III
shape, about five and a half feet from
wall to wall, and the sides Were very
rough and uneven.
Ny next effort was to get my iiask
from an inner pocket, and, fndihg II
fortunately uninjured. a pull dld me d
world of good. 1t then occurred W me
that | might have been lying there ioi
many hours, or perhaps even Tor DAYS.
Int 7 was unable to make any etiouia
ton. as my watch was smashed oeyoiid
repair. \ second match showed me
some objects in the pit Mhlch, Oh III
vestigation. proved To be Two si ,,,
stabbing assegais and SKIN sHiea. -.
blades of the former were biaek WIN
rust. but the shafts were OF tough iroi'
wood and unaffected by time, Whiie
The shield also was good, thous'i
smothered with Shiny kind Oh ors ro''
T also found two blackened mons claMs
ON a leather ring, and these piaeeu al
my pocket.
next took the precautien. To reaoaa
nv gun. though my feeling OF irisn'
had nassed, and / only cherished
deem resentment against the spec'ra'
cause of my present plight. True IL
might appear again at any lhstais'
h,,t my thoughts were more penl Oh
Getting out of the pit and out OF the
smothering darkness of my suffouhu-
;nps which | felt would soon upset my
nerves again, than on the possioiiits
Of the specter's return.
Painfully | got to my feet, but 1ouilo
that, though l could stretch my hanus
across the pit, l could not get sum
cient foothold to enable me to chfhp
nut unaided. 1t was then that the as
segals came in useful. / bouho tiehi
together with some strips ripped from
nv shirt. and lodged the stan thus
formed across the hole. Then, clam
herring ND the side by their aid, / sue
ceeded in fixing them once more aooVe
me and so. by degrees, was able 10
drag myself to the top.
The possible solution of the mystery
then dawned upon me as, unsilhsihs
NV gun from my back, l lit mort
matches and traced splash ai'er
cnlash of blood on the damp rock. 1T
had been no specter that had .lurea
me on. / decided, but simply a man
of f,esh and blood-probably kafhr,
black and barefooted. who by the ana
of nhosphorus or some luminous pain.
had kent I'D the ancient SUPERSTITION
for some secret purpose. This man
who had sought to destroy me haa
wounded, mortally perhaps. rea-
soned further that the bioou iiafhs
might lead me out of the caVe-uii'eos
/ came first upon his BODY. Slowly
lighting matches at almost every STEP
7 followed the red trail till suddenly a
breath of air famed my cheek
heard the rustic of leaves, and there
before me through the bushes saw
the stars cleaning, and with intense
relief emerged on to the hillside uhaer
the brilliant sky of an African sum
mer night.
NY personal danger had been mo-
mentarily forgotten when suddenly
low moan again Slditieu my
wrought nerves. and quickly l faced IN
the direction of the sound. Straihins
INV eyes, / saw in the bushes but a
few feet away from me a glimpse oil
the same eerie skeleton form, now IN
n recumbent position. The next mo-
ment my theory was confirmed, sfof
there, huddled up on the ground. Jay
a Kaffir, covered with blood, with
loin cloth drawn round his waist ana
a coat slung across his shoulders. a
glance showed me that he was capable
of no more harm, as he was soreiy
wounded on the left side just above
the hip. where the buckshot from my
gun had struck him in solid mass.
Some European clothing lay beside
him. and the bones of his. body were
roughly marked out with some phos-
phorescent substance in order to re-
-sembie a skeleton--all except the head.
The poor wretch seemed in a sorry
plight, and rendered what assistance
L could, succeeding in bringing back
a little life with the aid of the remain
ing contents of my flask.
/ at once looked out for my GUIDE.
but he was not to be found, so l
reused the young induna, and after