Show we ca 0 a iiii 0 11 a sit Bs I 1 a BY 0 NV N V E N H HALL r 1 author of the track of a storm 2 2 j a copyright ml IS by tile tl batcheller I syndicate a S W 1110 M ill fiats I 1 I 1 TW ill friend traver J 0 1 iw jt sf an 11 U 1 rp 1 rl ron ther Ss a 91 bering dithmer tire r 0 rea 9 1 hey y bacal tt out ailt ii IN t on at bu sped rat 11 inc well tile via w I 1 fart there van little room 0 on to trough t hugal INC c n cl w with th vo doubt III he alas as I 1 i for w iho return or 0 the hear plain 1 lit e could I 1 urial a was tile the buntt c att allic r be time land d I 1 c e 0 V out at tile IR ia alit 13 idt t froll froin the entrance cl ibe iba 11 signal ei land and 0 siept ept u the store slope towal toward d the elie ahtty nty for r u tile 1110 ight flight trgve 9 eap exp fience on WINE loll ili exactly take to avol avoid ob 10 0 o I 1 WV lr I 1 alad 1111 my in lat laell ll W elpe acting evcic molit C chril h oc C some gen VM prove fatal to our ou tnie me a and nd t illy stooping low na is we ve I 1 ditore bare slope all till ve me had ellie bacety OL 01 thi the for tt the elpe an fn is had managed to sea repenting rifles 3 1 no t e T had ad c ivied 3 and fi now 0 w he e 8 antly sa share or of the necess al y I 1 awe a tt 61 tor or a moment knonk nt giladi ri ladi of the bank the nip I 1 est la Is a 9 eod one and 21 reach to our knees as crossed cro sd the and liter br tuck bank this indoe sal W point ruid luid obeying amal to aal be bc in nd d low 1 I aol alone aig the track bd ad coale a few hours beki billy for lr a few min mikulos ulos ourselves out b isaly ex il that As were bens of ct recall it I 1 was as too me I 1 fack eulth any degree but we felt thet thai E we 1 0 tr 1 11 tar 1 11 ro rong n g as we had biad 1 1 aig the rugged line which ath loomed up black tt the dai daik li ilosky 10 N alch we had observed observe c d j uie the cou country try in day rf the lit principal landmarks bwl us ua in good stead rm inn seemed hardly ever alit til ray nay toward the I 1 sas u the object of 0 our agress was wag slow f it t Is nimbler over the elie rough II 11 i boats and made our lee la low law scrubby growths s aib but at lait la it we iSmil der tr of the kopje kopie the lie of filch we ine were just I 1 tit at in the itt dark darkness neRs and mi horard tile the stream which we KC could hear coin f the deeper shadows smi sure lire that we lie had will it at the right spot of ali the character it if th alic 1 its ibe banks and the out that rose roee overhead t F T certain that we berei were rl S la 10 willy or of time for wr ably tt at the hie sky we could BM of the expected moon ila re 0 good st spot I 1 hall I 1 all II 11 I 1 to me its as wei we UA at al the foot ot of a huse huge ift f halt half sunk in tile hie I 1 NIT mi lipar the wilier water disi dis I I 1 alean Tl I 1 can ean malic make on out t t the hei il reflected down there rock rack TI 10 in ill make a good pt more cuore light I 1 1 I helep red in reply 1 I I 1 ayou M ida you I 1 a 1 hi fat the alic nights young W ili chyll ok begin to come grows lighter anit 1 I t all 11 ll if I 1 should gay 1 acs fork va wall I 1 ng wt we 11 ll durst k 1 venture luro to the ST maht 11 ll ali t the mK ht beare ta night wan 8 dark lk there 1 to air 0 ass in not t it a HM a caf 11 and not t Us but tile 11 i loft tnie 4 ft low blow dinall 1 ill I it oddy 11 icat i past tw 1 it foht till 1 ali er of na it 1 e 0 41 r would if had 11 happened ha L t v b d offs but to 0 and M or r the elleu arg 1 w in is tb more 10 try all rf illi ting half liala SQ bf passed CAU in alm att t lot in i I 1 1 I an 8 excited min 1 l for f i r your life and I 1 lly ay still 1111 lk S and curl S buil sound nl ant ne latter att alii cl tip II IF another icv fc ell it 11 lh IN hyper ou t of lad 1 isamell i 4 ra it if 2 ort it bru hing it i n ell till es I 1 the ht tru tram neth illic Pul hd i s Y yes ii i lly ily fall 1 I ay Y A could other ys peter into tho fk asee or t bedows billat illat th 4 arl 1111 v sa s1 illic Ill lc e G floo 0 f forward r wd in the hollow and more than I 1 once e a little told some animal had stepped into the stream my aly CI companions t alno land hand upon my arm warn cd me to control arol my fly excitement and again I 1 contrived contrived to wall wait jiow long lone it as I 1 ea cannot illicit tell but I 1 know it seemed to anit me c like k hoi honra ra be lieford ore thale came a 1 I gradual chailee e gra u ally very gradually th the shadows srem od cd to biow thinner and lois legs I lack black in lie hollow divilow below and as I 1 ani anxiously asly u tat d I 1 could nee kee that the change elow haq only the ie or 0 that overhead the deep violet blue of oc the elie sky had faded ir to a lighter tint of 0 grayish grayl sli blue and the stars that had phorn phone so RO brightly ila biad grown faint and sm pincky n ky of pi ai 1 grov scorned to shift I 1 f t and wander and each 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 nil I 1 i v V 11 ai I 1 3 t 1 I 1 TT I 1 i I 1 I 1 1 I 1 I 1 i I 1 I 1 I 1 t 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 V 4 I 1 I 1 1 t I 1 I 1 t Z what the tha lai up travelers ersal change reflected itself on the sensitive shadows below it was gro growing xing light I 1 could make out tom bom something ething at last little by little the phantom 9 shadows I 1 bad imagined rather than seen moving in the cla akness grew substantial and resolved themselves into antelopes and other animals some of which were strange to me eno in spite of my three months hunting bunting in south africa I 1 looked eagerly tor for bignis of 0 larger game but except a fine specimen c linen or of a 3 black antelope there was nothing pat pai ticul arly attractive atti active e not much hope or oc a lion 1101 im im a afraid I 1 whispered to travers ti avers as aa my 0 yes cyca ran eagerly over the game e that was in 1 n sight a 1 gb L for a bit he whispered hack back laying its ills hand on oil my arm in the very cry act he paused his head half in the attitude of of listening thil that hall he raid fald at last in a low tied tone dont you hear something my aly bead was close to the elie ground resting on my arm and suddenly pa he spoke I 1 he headd fit d something could it be the distant sound of 0 a SL lion lions a prowl growl the idea hashed flashed on in my y mind but it was lor for a moment on only ly no it was not a grom grol whatever it was it was waa not loud but it seemed to creep along the ground low and threatening the sound was regular wid boat on tho ear alth the orderly vibrations of 0 a pulse I 1 malsed lil seil my head and looked at travels in tile the dim gray light his eyes looking into into min alno and its his grip had closed a I 1 little tile more tightly on my arm but ills his every energy sporn seemed ell to be abijoh be 1 I in the effort aror to hear almost involuntarily I 1 glanced aed once more into tho the shadowy hollow below clort li unit anil I 1 could see ce at a glance that we were not alone in our surprise it was evident that the game I 1 harl all heard the sound and it seemed equally clear that like ourselves they were at a loss to understand it lach head was hated arted as it if to listen each onT ial paused as it if in the effort to comprehend like ourselves they were at a loss like ourselves they waited the not colne grew louder find and moie frolic distinct yet to me at any rate it was as unaccountable as ever the ground deemed to tremble tile with strange et st iange short spume pulsations such as I 1 biad is never felt before fore could it bean earthquake iwas I 1 about to argest burgest ur gest it when travers raised his hand as ag it if to warn me not to speak and so we waited for some sec 1 s 1 I 1 I 1 t k I 1 0 O V P r af 4 4 I 1 E 1 1 i ax ic 4 1 I 1 7 11 af 51 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 1 1 I 1 I 1 1 R W V 1 74 r P lf 1 I 1 r I 1 AN S I 1 t I 1 NV I 1 I 1 I 1 tl A 1 i 1 I 1 1 ec 1 r 11 t t I 1 q c f I 1 ti I 1 I 1 k mi md Z I 1 1 A 1 I 1 I 1 k I 1 i I 1 1 I I 1 t I 1 iii T ji J I 1 I 1 ii 1 I ni I 1 i V J I 1 I 1 1 nj 1 N it A 1 II 11 V I 1 11 ll I 1 I 1 11 I 1 i 11 N bior gods saito keep quiet bonds facing ono another each kiestin resting g on oil his elbow each gabing fo questioning ly IY into tile the face all ali Trai ers whispered at lat lait leti ing his hl bund drop to ills his alile 1 I 1 have hare it an A he spoke there vas mas L sudden u adden movement below us the L had bad bpck b cn as a billt as my compan yin lon 0 lf they alao alai had made up theft inada it was like a transformation acene even bevc n as aa I 1 looked nt itt them they vanished and tho iho aler gorge aa gray ray and silent ellent and in a moment mom en 1 it would have been startling ittai ling at any other time but at the moment I 1 barely noticed it what is in it ll liv ivers avers in the naino of all hats puzz puzzling lin I 1 asked my companion I 1 spoke in al a louila tone lone than I 1 hod had yet used and it evidently a planned foe lie replied la in a low tint hut impre impressive salve voice volca for kodsi sake he keep 1 quiet hau flau 1 I ills Is serious Ber lous man eifle llo down and keep cloo suiting tho iho action to the word he dror drew himself more losely under und r the huto huc rock that overhung the spot and cro u 0 hect low in the gram eras I 1 followed ollow cd his hl example instinctively but even as aa I 1 lid did so ao I 1 asked him in an all impatient Whis whisper pr but what tho the devil Is 11 it man I 1 vant cant make anything of it can all your you travels caned over toward mo MI a and d IN ll perel almost into my ear car the one noid biggers Nig gers lie clotio close tor for your life Nig biggers gers I 1 could hardly belleve believe it but yet my compi companion ninin steer ned in earnest X did aa c he be adelaed adv laed and crept closer to him where lie id lay Y stretched out in the dark shadow of oe the boulder I 1 lay alth ich my tsu ear to thu tho ground mid and I 1 could hear the sound c re epling illy hy nearer yes now I 1 could belie believe v e ill that at trave travers ra was I 1 ight chere was comet something h that 1 must 1111 IN be e human in ili ill t quick yet Orl orderly ry lr tramp that hint pulsed along the ground nearer and nearer suddenly within A dozen baj adida da of the spot AN where here we lay idy they came into inlo right anti and streamed past us its nt at it a quick charging trot hank after rank gray misty and ghostlike ghost like in II 1 tile iho dim shadows eha dows but so close that 1 I could u III hear their quick breathing and catch the glimmer glimm c r of the light as it fell ell on oil alio ill e b vad heads 0 of their spears rank otter after lank a break without ditl out a word with seal ara cely icely a bound but the lull dull tramp 0 of their naked feet acet they passed ua its by and plunged into the hollow hullom hul loi wo we saw them stream up ill the opposite bank and pass sil nily cutly out of 0 sight sis they mounted the shoulder of the kopje kopie bekolo either cither ot of us moved when last fast gray line had vanished into the sh shadows adous Ira travels vols to big hi teet feet its about time we were getting hack back hall he said the booner we tan can report rt this the better tor for us all I 1 suspect you think they were on the war path I 1 asked as 1 I too loo regained my feel acet looked like it they was te averis pilm gilm reply as s lie turned away a and lid began tu to I 1 ett ace ills his steps I 1 followed him feeling a little ashamed of my question the vision of the see ried ranks dinks of these U aas altti till me 1110 st stilt and it se LIned to answer tall i my v cities 0 once cloar clear of the elie dark shadow ot of our rok rock Is was lighter and we could even tiace the path made by ill the marching lanill over the hie glass class and through the undergrowth of 0 dwart dwarf shrubs without we followed it tor for some boine distance in in hl bl glenve anre iu lut E A w bell A we e bleached leached tile the angle anele of the kopje kopie it suddenly olt off to the eight my companion paused for a a moment as aa ills eyes followed the direction of the track then theft he turned to tho iho left by the track wo ue had haa taken be before f 0 P with fill the remark 1 I thought so bo well it was nas lucky we broke bounds after all though I 1 suspect the doctor wont mont glee us much credit for that ten tell minutes more of hard walking and we canie came tit in sight of oc the Maka lest river and the elie post on oil the elie rising ground beyond it both were now bathed in ili the first level light ot of the using moon and it was alli a sudden feeling ot if unreasonable relief that I 1 saw liow how peaceful and arall b the place I 1 looked oo 00 ked the sight appeared to affect tin act T travers ra ers differently tor for lie quickened its his pace pace almost to it a run and in loss less than five minutes we is had forded corded tile the river and ascended the bank on oil tile the side next the post in another minute we were t ere challenged by the sentry who N ho added with a laugh what have ou been up to travers Tr overs Is the old man about or thompson mas lias Trav erss i aply what the mis chiefs up trav travers er 4 exclaimed the astonished sentry the le less ss you see of the old man or thomp ton bon either tonight the healthier it its 3 likely to be for you do you want to spend christmas us in limbo there morris dont be a cooil you tou dont suppose weve been racing ij for fun tonight do you its serious tills this time weve just st stalked a aked live five hundred or of these matabele devil 4 and it we dont look alive therell be more of us in by christmas than we b bargain ar for the sent rys rejoinder was very cry nn cm phalle as ho he wheeled and led the way into the enclosure to be concluded |