Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1906-11-03 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

NORTHERN WEEKLY GAZETTE. ,  the murderer of a white main? You would hang efome sundown, and you knew it." I was 6tartled at the change in his face; ii becalm almost fierce in its intense earnestness.  "31a-pei-a-pell," he said, and I stared to hear him use the native name my KALffir boys had given me—how did he know it? " pell—you could on, troo Kaffirlarnd, all ober Afrik, an' de black boys would lay done' necks under your foot if you wanted! You tink de black boys not know who's dere friend? If all de white men was like you, de Peace-an'-good-will' Kingdom would arrive in a brace o' shakes. All de Zulus knows you, boss." "Pam," I said., holding out my hand, "we'd better get out of here." "I waits fur you, boss," he said, cheerfully. "Die bullet is out your shoulder, but de biaidin' up aint extry. Up we is—now—you're hoisted." Ho had really got me into the saddle for my good steed had contenteclly cropped the grass beside us. I looked at the , chasm with a shudder, and Tarn perceived it. Yis, boss'," he said, gravely, "dere's wino men am' black men in dem rifts of de reeks till de angels wakes 'em up for de judgment." "Without Christian burial," I sighed, remorsefully. " Dey isn't Christians," said Tam, contemptuously. "Die Christians will tab de gob e crowns am' wile robes on, an' march into de city wit music afore dose is woke up at all." Yon seem to know all about it, Tam," I said, ,with an involuntary smile. "And now I think of it—how did you know who I was? Not from ' Ma-pel-a-pell,' for sonic of those men at the hotel are worse freckled than I am." "Your letters told me, boss—an' your faße." "You rascal! Did you dare to read my letters?" "1 is a book-Learned darkey," he gritumed; "and how would your faithful Tambourine hab 'known where to sabe you from dat troehius veelan widout seiein F" "Tam, I will have the truth." I lowered my tone. "What sent you to my rooms at two o'clock in the morning? Was it the diamonds F" "No, sax; but I had forgot clean that J had been brushin' your grey obercoat, an' de troof is we has a lot of tieves in dat hotel among de waiters—dere'S good an' bad—but your coat was safer in your room, boss."  . . I was not satisfied, but we had come in sight of the farm, and the kindly old Boer was looking out for me. He was not at all astonished to hear that I had been shot at. He had had the same experience himself twice since the gold had been discovered on his land. Tam told the story most effectively, and I dared not contra diet him. I stayed at Eric's Mooff to rest and recruit, sending Tam back to Johannesburg to pay my bill and bring back my effects, which he did with scrupulous ex.actness. He begged so hard that I would take him as my personal attendant that I yielded at last, to my own exceeding comfort and benefit. Some six months after in Cape Town, just after an English Royal Mail steamer had sailed for home I disooverd to my horror and anger that I had been travelling about all the time— I—with the valuable illicit diamonds sewn firmly under the buttons of my good grey topcoat. I , told Tam 'I had a good mind to tie him up for fifteen lashes, and his humble, terrified, and most humorous penitienee disarmed me as the rogue knew it would. He told me (wild I believe the story) that he worked under cruel conditions for " dat man in de rift" for the best part of a year, and not only got no wages, but was whipped when he asked for them and illtreated. But Tam's deepest motive for vialgoance lay in the deliberate ruin and casting-off after, of a young liaffi.r girl whom Tarn intended to marry when he could offer her father a handsome bullook team for her. There was some inquiry made, of counse, by the detectives and others; but the chasm keeps its dread secret, land I was never associated at all with the man's disappearance, so there be lies among rocks and roots and snakes and wild creatures; even WS iiiill aibid—" "Coal the Judgment Dej."  p44,104r NOtceteatn, 3, Ism