Year: 1875

impossible. An ape is not accustomed
to walk on two legs, and the creature
that pursued me was SO accustomed
there was regularity and iirmness in
what may call the accentuation of the
tread, however gentle, light and aerial
that tread might be, which left no room
for doubt.


When / first became conscious that /
was being pursued of set purpose by a
football was startled, but scarcely
terrified. A savage beast was out of the
question, and Maritzburg was entirely
free from crimes of violence; the white
inhabitants were too well off to become
highway robbers; while to attack one of
the superior race was quite alien from
| the habits and ideas of the Crolie or
Kafr population. began, then, by be-
ing more curious than alarmed. But as
the strangeness of the circumstance
forced itself more and more on my atten-
tion my curiosity soon passed through
fear to horror. tried in vain to con-
vince myself that l was mistaken. ]
stopped short at least half dozen times,
and then walked on with quick i'm
pulse. I walked as fast as l could; /
took short strides-long strides; I
sauntered slowly (this was very diff
cult; but all to NO purpose. Exactly rs
I did SO did the football; stopping when
stopped, and keeping perfect time with
my varied PAGES. Only one thing !
noticed, and that was q slight hesitation
when | suddenly changed my steps from
fast to slow, from long to short, or pice
versa; as if the thing that followed me
could not instantaneously accommodate
itself to the change. But this hesitation
was only momentary. Indeed, the ver-
satile quickness with which its gait was
made to correspond with mine through
every mode Of puzzling alienation was
something marvellous. No um-major
ever had such command over the rhythm
of motion.


In the surprise and terror now gradu-
ally stealing over me it will easily be
imagined how difficult it was to keep q
footing on the raised causeway. More
than once / all but slipped into the sluyt,
and whenever did stumble feeling of
unsurmOuntable alarm came over me
that, if fell, something would be on me
and at me. twas better to be upright on
two shaky legs, which might be called
on for instant flight, than prone in q
ditch, helpless, and with I knew not
what stalking jauntily around. No; I
was sure could walk no longer on the
causeway. With sudden resolution
jumped foundering, stumbling, head
long jump from the path, over the sluyt
that ran on the roadway side, and got on
the broad road ITSELF Having gained
the middle of the road, l stood still and
listened. At first there was a silence
Then heard my own jump exactly re-
peated in faint, ethereal mimicry. /
heard the same stumbling jump, the
same long strides, the same little run of
recovery on the road. could bear it no
longer. "WhoAs there?" l shouted.
!, The only certain il tRaeqQddFe tRReQdFe -attw at which,
o,,oi u1lIgt STUDY of Mrs. Grove and
other approved writer's, / have been able
to arrive is that it is bad, fatally bad,
policy to speak to anything un-
canny-a ghost, for instance. If
ever you meet with a companion
who seems likely to turn round the
corner of bogeydom, remember that
"Silence is golden" and that speech is
exceedingly base metal = BY
speaking you personify, where it is
for the interest of your sanity that per
sonality should be out of the question.
Treat, then, ghost with the insular
pride of an Englishman. Consider him
a foreigner and therefore suspicious
character, of whose social status you can
not be sure. Domineer over him by not
saying "How dye do?" If you SO much
as "pass the time of day" with him
your acquaintance ripens with awful
rapldity into intimacy of the closet.


l had made shocking blunder in
speaking. And yet almost think /
should have been relieved by an answer.
But not so much as Hem! was vOuch-
safed in reply; there was not the faintest
whisper of voice; it was nil, ct pre-
terea nil-absolute nothingness, made
sensible by football. There was moth
ing for it but to talk on. But now had
not the smallest remnant of reason left
that diuine 4,articula aur0 had quite de-
serted me- now pursued my way, as
Coleridge says:


Like one that on lonesome road


Doth walk in fear and dread,


And having once turned round, walks on,


And turns no more his head,


Because he knows frightful fend


Doth close behind him tread


Just so walked, and the football pat.
tered softly behind me.


The question What is it," had by
this time tenfold horrors. 1t may, per-
haps, be suggested that l was no longer
able to follow out any inquiry; but
was; only, by my insensate rashness of
speech, had sent myself out from any
natural explanation The thing that
dogged me was, was compelled to
think, either, first, visitor from supe-
rior regions; or, secondly, a visitor from
the inferior (oery inferior) regions; or
thirdly, no visitor at all, but lingerer
who ought to be elsewhere when the
cock crew. Oh, for the welcome sum
mons of an ear-spli.ting ceck-a-doodle.
doc! Oh, for steam-fre-engine fed by
river of holy-water! = ! was
thus reduced to the last hypothesis,
namely, that ghost was dogging me.
do not mean, of course, to assert that in
the rush of excited surmises which
passed through my mind / actually rea
soned as consecutively as l am now set
ting down my thoughts. l only wish il
to be understood that, after taking leave
of my scientific senses by the unpardon'
able folly Of speaking, came finally to
some such conclusion by some such
method.


Twas now walking with all my speed
but my utmost speed though have al
ways been reputed pretty good step