Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1917-06-05
Just MISSED DEATH
MISSIONARIES FEARFUL EXPERT.
ENcE IN OLD VAULT.
cowardloe Of His Two Zulu "7oys"
Nearly Led to pIsaster-Wlfe
Helped Rescue Him In the
Nick Of Time.

"A IOlSSlOnHTy nus 10 DC u JHCk-OI~
all-trades," remarked Rev. Yandel
Collins, who was home on a furlough
after twenty years In South Africa.
There was an underground room,
about eight feet deep by eight square,
walled with brick and plastered with
tarred cement, beneath the children's
bedroom in our mission house at Mu-
pola II was for storing corn, or mealie,
as they call IL In Natal. didn't like
to use IL because IL was so damp, and
for year had been using galvanized
iron tanks that riveted and soldered
myself. l had almost forgotten the
existence of the old corn cellar when,
toward the close Of the next rainy sea-
son, we noticed strange, sickening
odor pervading the house. When /
removed the square wooden lid over
one end Of the old vault, the stencil
was enough to knock you down. A
few quarts of nodded mealie had
been left on the cellar floor; rats had
enlarged a crack In one corner in or
der to get at this provender, and the
heavy rains had seeped through the
rat hole and left about six inches of
water, wherein some of the rats had
drowned themselves. You can i'm
agine what the smell was like.
y 81 ordered Malusi and Mutyani, two
gigantic Zulus, to clean out that
vault; but they refused, unless
would go down first. They firmly be-
lieved that O demon dwelt in that
black holel
$50 got the two boys to stand over
the trapdoor while l prepared to de-
scend the short ladder that leaned
against the wall foot from the open
ing. 1 lowered a pail on the end of
stout rope, which l made Malusi
take hold of, and then, with a lighted
candle in one hand and a shovel in
the Gther, / swung down on my elbows
until my feet found the ladder.
tested 1t, found it apparently firm,
took another step downward; and then
with one last, long breath l let go my
hold on the floor and trusted my whole
weight to the ladder
"The ladder was as rotten as every
! thing else in that pit. had not taken
more than one step when it gave way
with a soft, bending squash; my can
die flickered out, and sat down with
mighty splash in six inches of muck !
81 felt sick all over, and when
tried to rise could hardly stagger tc
my knees. l touched the rope tied tC
the pail, and grasped it firmly.
"'Pull on the roper l cried, and
gave the cord an anxious jerk. Malusi,
Mutyani, pullr The whole length of
rope slipped and splashed down beside
me. The two boys had run off in a
panic.
~HIary, get some help quick! I am
being poisoned = l cried to my wife /;
but l got no answer.
! "My temples throbbed as If they
would burst, my ears rOared, strange
tights danced before my eyes and a
( powerful hand seemed to be construct
ing my throat and chest so that /
could not breathe. l was being poi
soned by the nOxious gases. With a
tremendous effort dragged myself ia
my feet; just then l heard my wife's
voice above me. Can't you get OutT
she called.
'The absurdity of the question had
a stimulating effect upon me.
mo, of course nOtr / roared an
grily. The ladder is broken / felt
my knees giving away, and ended
! with q cry like that of q sick child.
-Helpp
"Don't get mad she soothed. 4
have been after those boys. Here's
Nalusi. Where's the roper She had
persuaded that big Zulu baby TO re-
turn. He was as strong as an OK, but
had dropped the rope when l had
struggled TO my feet -Its here at my
feet, but don't dare to go after it.
Sewer gas > called
'"'WhatH my wife gasped:; then she
called out eheerfully, Wen, never
mind; keep up your cOurasel I'll
fetch another roper
~T-Pm afraid i can't last much
longer faltered.
Ky wife answered promptly, Here,
VIA nONn HIS uunu.
MaluHi, reach down your handl Grab
hOldr
"As'she spoke felt the hand of the
native touch my hair. 1 elutched it
cOnvulsively, and then went limp all
over; hut l felt him get his other
hand in the collar OF my shirt. When
i came 10, was lying outdoors on the
grass, and the world never seemed SO
bright and fair as II did then. You
see, as soon as ,Malusi had got his
enormous paws on me was safe; but
it's a mystery to- me how he ever
dragged me out of that hole. strong
as he is. Ny wife Isays she helped,
too, which, OF course, explains every
thing
THAT afternoon, with n new ladder
and plenty of ropes, the Zulus cleaned
out the vault, and the next day went