Show THE RrAtEDY s ON JIHE i f h rfooi v l J E l BYFHILItoBI1g0 c I hd t j j I m J Jo et 4 uwKafirrJoe sat at his post the ferry over the Mooi river whittling at anew a-new knobkerry Ahoy I there ahoy I came Iii voice from a thorn bush on the other aide and Kafir Joe Sprang to his feet Inkos Umnyatalata 1 said he to himself raising his arms in the salute sal-ute of a respectful attention and went bounding after the manner of the Kafir whether wild or tame down to the river side He was soon in the boat and pulling the rope quickly gained the other aide Now Jnkes Umnyatalata being translated means VoiceofHoney Esquire for VoiceofHoney was the name which the Kafirs who nickname every European they meet had given to Mr Hugh Bentinok of the Farm on the Mooi With him on the farm was staying just now and had been for three monthsan old schoolfellow and college chum the Inkos Kaluongo or Dare Devil Esquire This was the Kafir equiv alent for Mr Alan Cumnor late of Grey Town a young gentleman who had made a complete failure of his colonial carrer and having Bold his land and stock for what they would fetch was reported to be returning to England where prospects it was said had suddenly opened to him I Now Hugh Bentinok was married to one of the prettiest most heartlesa women Chat ever wore a wedding ring But he thought her absolute perfection Once only in his life bad Hugh seen a fault in her and that was when ehe insisted on riding a sick horse rather than forego a visit Ito I-to a Boer pedlers cart that was halted some five miles aft in a thorn push The horse died the same night But all Florry sail was tact she was D0t > altogether sorry as she thought the hcfso had taken to shying shy-ing at water of late J Oumnor who was at the farm at tbe time rose over the next morning to Gray Town and brought back Pearl the best horse in Natal as a present for hh charming hostess a parting present For I must really be off to England Eng-land he eaid I cams for a day and have been hare three month and more But not a day too long old 1 man said Bentick I wish you could stay here altogether For the husband was the only man in the colony who did not know that Alan Cumnor was in lovo with his wife Even the Kafirs about tha farms knew it She used to be called the flowerbird but now was the Inkosikasa Ulamithe lady with two husbands But at las even Bentinck knew itand this is how the truth came oat It was the day before Alan Cum nors going He had been absent for four dayshaving ridden to the landrosts office on the Transvaal border to make arrangements as he wished to travel by land for conveyance con-veyance by way of the Free State down into the Cape Colony Hugh also had ben away on biB friends business to purchase some horse gear that was needed But aa he was riding down through tha thorn biB horae strained itself and he loft it at the Kafir post lodge and walked home the last three miles on foot I It was already darkening when he reached home but seeing the light in his dining room he walked across the garden making a short out and was in the act of stepping on to the veranda when he saw his wife Florry with her arma round Alan Cumnorfl neck The shock was more than he could bear and he staggered a step < r two and sank to the ground l The noise startled the lovers for Fiorry came to the door Oumnor jllowed her It was only your fancy darling I There was nothing there Oh said she with a sob of relief re-lief Itr could have sworn I heard Hughs voice It sounded to me as If he was dying and cried Good Gad Nonsense was the reply And they remained where they were in the full light At the Mooi then said he I will wait at the ferry till you come HAt the Mooi she replied and then continued How much did you say Uncle Foster had died worthAbout About twelve thousand and with that my darling we can be happy together for all our lives in America or Australia or anywhere II I will go anywhere with you U she said but I shall bring my dowry with me And then she laughed low thai her lovers blood should not curdle at that laugh For those diamonds that Hugh always calls mine ere worth he eays some thousands I And Hugh lying there on the ground at their very feet in the shadow of the veranda steps felt the words burning one by one into his brain like drops of melting lead And then they went inside again The shutters were closed and Hugh lay there At last on his hands and knees he crawled away like some wounded thing His dog saw him and rushed at him thinking he was some wild beast but he murmured its name and it went along by his side licking his face and whimpering whimper-ing its poorpathetic sympathy Then Hugh raised himself on his knee and after awhile got on his feet and with his dog beside him walked round to the front of the hones and called out to hie servants Doge be I s gun to j birk Kafirs ihnat dia re ponse g The front door Watthrown i pea and there r stood his wife adiarit with smiles of welcome Good gracious said sheJWhat is the matter with you Yon are all duct and look so pale Its nothing 1 he said I got a fall at the Slipbnt Ill go to bed Dead or alive I hava to be at that ale tomorrow at Thompsons Inllo Alan tie broke off as Cum nor approached Im sorry to be like this the last night yoare here but Im a bit shaken and as I must be over at Thompsons by noon tomorrow to-morrow I must be off to bedbut Florry will look after youand Ill see yeu befoie you go The wretched wife did not even act her part She forgot to condole and sympathize Her heart such as it was was full of her lover and tomorrows tomor-rows elopement Later on she remembered re-membered her duty but on coins to him found her husband with his eyes closed fast evidently asleep so she tripped back to her lover Next morning Hugh was the first astir be had dressed and breakfasted seen the colt galloped by his Kafir jockey given the orders for the day and was ready to start for Thompsons some twelve miles off befor Oumnore ap peared Florry came out soon after and they exchanged goodbyes in the veranda We shall meet againsome = where said Alan laughingly ObI certain too was Hughs reply were bound to meet again I I butAnd And then the colt reared and then it kicked and then it swung around and made a savage grab at the riders rid-ers foot and finally it bolted And the lovers watched the headlong head-long career of the unbrokeu brute till horse and rider were lost to sight ia i the tush and then they turned back into the house Meanwhile the colt war dashing along through the thorn and Hugh to take the devil out of it had his spurs home But at last it gave in and as they turned behind the Kop pie the horse was beaten It would never try t to bolt with Hugh Bsntinok on its back again The road to Thompsons lay due east but Hugh pulled the colt round due west and passing behind the Koppie came down by a Kafir path through the bush back to the river again Ahoy there ahoy he oriel and Kafir Joe jumped up from his whittling and brought the boat over and in ten minutes they were back again on the other side Now take my horse up to the house and stay there with its I have got to wait for a friend and will look after the ferry for you and look here Joe lend me your has u And away wont Joe giggling mightily at seeing the Inkos in his hat with all the cooks feathers in it and the scarlet band When Joe was out of sight Hugh got into the boat and waited An hour passed whenAhoy there ahoy oame a familiar voles ringing across the river and with his back to the newcomer new-comer Hugh took the rope in hand and began pulling the boat across As he neared the bank he gave a pull with all his might and then as the ferryboat glided up to land he turned around and faced as he had expected Alan Cumnor Neither spoke Hugh was as grim as J death 4 j Alan speeohlea with amazement But Hugh leaped out and taking hold of the horse with one hand and his friend with the other led them to the boat Alan stepped in mechanically and Hugh began to pull the rope Half way across he stopped Its a short distance he said pulling ou two revolvers but so much the better for both of us U Then he gave Alan one Stand up said he on that end thereclear of the horse I shall stand up at thia end and hold the boat steady And listen a plover was complaining with his monotonous monoton-ous cry upon the riverside count that birds cries I shall fire at the fifthAlan Alan said never a word and the plover cried peeweet One said Hugh And there they stood the outraged out-raged husband and the lover flloi gone g-one another while the bird wailed out the measure of their lives Twice three timesfour times came the desolate cry along the water The two men raised their pistols Peeweetl The reports were simultaneous and then on a sudden Alan shot through the forehead reeled back and fell into the swiftrunning river And Hugb throwing the revolvers into the water took the rope again and pulled across He led the horse out and took it up to the store From the saddlebags he took some papers addressed to himself and read them As he had expected they were his Uncle Fosters will in his Hugh Bentincks favorfand the title deeds of his property on the Transvaal border He put them into his nooket and sat down while Joe went down to the riverMy wife is coming over Enid be to Joe but dons say I am here And Joe giggled prodigiously at being a partner in a joke with the Inko They had not long to wait Ahoy there ahoy it was Florry Hugh watched her from the door she rode up flushed with excitement and more beautiful than he had ever seen her so he thought end all his love came to his lips again My darling he murmured and now she was at the door Alan she cried out and lol in answer to her voice there stepped out her husband But for his arm he would have fallen from her addle A8i it was she bent her head npon her horse neck and fainted II was only for theminute however and her husband gave ° her brandy and water and ttien L before she knew it she found herself out with him alone upon the veldtthe horses like familiars in the stable pacing along side by side with mutual recognition recog-nition Good heavens she suddenly cried where did you get that horaefHngh was riding Alans And where is he I will tell you by and by said he in a voice so stern that she trembled trem-bled with a sudden fear You are not going to kill me are you Hugh No Florry I am quite unarmed tVe are going to land reals to prove Uncle Fosters will and with that twelve thousand poundswhich Alan Cumnor meant to rob me of knowing that the landroet does not know me by eight and the diamonds you have with yon you shall go anywhere you will But Florry he added wherever you go remember If you are in trouble that you have a loving husband in the Farm on the Mooi And after that they never spoke but rode along side by side At night they stayed at Carsons farm and next day reached the landrosts Oar aon went with them to be witness to the deed and to swear to Hughs identity and it took but little time to have the deeds transferred for the Boers wanted Richard Fosters lands and buildings and Hugh was very glad to sell them and so the land rost himself paid the money over there and then in a check on Pieter maritzburg and the business was over Husband and wife were alone again Florry said he give me those diamonds aDd she took them out and then Hugh made them up into a parcel with the check for twel S thousand pounds and his watoh and chain and the ring she had given him three years before when they were married and he tied them all up tightly together in a leather bag and gave it he And now he said slowly and with a sadness in his voice that pierced her liks a sword you can take his conveyance I find he has made everythiug ready for the journey II jour-ney overland to Capetown I will go with you for the first three days and After that you will find mail coaches and companions all the wayu Hugh she said every sentence broken with sobs from the heart do not send me away I am not sc bad yet as that would make me If you will take me back to the Mooi I will work with your Kaflrs on yonr farm for you But this has killed me I shall not live long Save me from being any worse than I am for the short time I have to live No one can do this now but you Oh Hugh she cried and with such an utter anguish an-guish that the mans heart in him broke down and she sobbed herself asleep in his arms but knowing she was forgiven And he carried her to the bed and I laid her down and went out into the air The night passed she in the stupor of exhaust on he awake with the fever of his thoughts and in the morning there was s springwagon waiting at the door and with a Kafir i driving Florry Hugh rode Pearl Alans horse was left in the stable You can sell it said Hugh for what it will fetch and give the money to the Mission And so they went lodging at Carsons that night and reaching the blooi the next day Joe the Kafir was whittling at his eternal knobkerry when he saw the party come up and made haste to tell them that the rope had broken and the ferry was therefore useless Bat I will shew you the drift the ford said hEj it i ia only two miles down the river So the colt was sadd ei and Fbrry mounted on Pearl I again and they walked their horses along Hugh was glad the ferry was broken he could not even bear to look towards it and thinking over that wretched mornings work when Alan had faced him pistol in hand he hardly gave a thought to Florry Her voice startled him Hugh she said very quietly if you are not sorry for having forgiven me kiss me once before we go into the river Joe had bounded on ahead tte hors 3 were side by side and Hugh leant over andputiing his arm round his wifes waist kissed her Really forgiven she sad to herself > her-self yet aloud without an effjrt a t returning the kiss II Hugh you have made me happier this minute than even when you asked me to marry you And God knows said Fiorry in a voice in which she had never spoken before in all her life how good you are Hu h and have always been to ms and J Herel InkosI I shouted Joe with his arms working like semaphores and the horses pricked up their eara and quickened their pace They were soon at the drift Keep this side of all that wood and stuff In 4 kos said Joe There ia only three feet of water at the deepest and good bottom All right sad Hugh and the horses stepped into the river And Joe stood matching them and all of a sudden he saw the colt shy Hugh brought its head round and then Joe saw him staring into the water as if he had seen a ghoat And then Florry came ap to her husband and Joe heard her give a scream and saw her fall as if shot from her saddle Pearl plunged lost his footing and fell For a second both horse and l I i rider were under water and then the horse got up Hugh had dismounted i r and seised Pearls bridle but the tar i 1 y rifled horse was kicking frantically f 1 i AndFlorry Her skirt in falling tad h t-ad s caught the saddle and when t Hugh ° raised her head above water I the cruel hoof had already struck r he sweet fair head and Florry was dying t J j t 1 i t I Joe came floundering across the I fiver to give his help rand while a Hugh raised his wife in his arms the 1 Kafir held the horses and then they r r I turned to go on And all of a sudden j I Joes eye caught sight of that which J i The T-he had not yet seen In the midst of J F the driftwood was a mans corpse t t fft j entangled And the face was above 1 t it I water The eyes were wide open r f I and in the centre of the pale forehead fore-head was a round black mark Joe t yelled and fled still clutching the i I horses and Hugh strode after him > f through the tide carrying his dead wife t I wifeUp the bank and into the thorn E I bush and there they laid her all i 4 dripping on Pearls back and led the horse with its burden to the 8 t farm That night she was buried in J a grove of young trees that Hugh i 1 had himself planted Aj three i days afterwards his farm and stock > sold Hugh was on his way down to i r the sea Soon after reaching England ct Eng-land he joined a mission to West iL 1 j Africa and it was some ten years after when coming home invalided i dying in factthat he told me this 1Jt story of the Tragedy on the Mooi l |