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' t i &. !i ttfc!l' it' ' '.( V!t '! -' ' ' ; ! it OeRT A STORY CF THE 51 I 5 ,,J!, " - - IN NATaLa."V !ff -' VFS OT r f-- s; ; , ; ; !tijO(W ; n , Vf OliApi 1.11 V -(Continued ) It was i bright rnoonllfiht night, and tliO palo silvery light fall on tlio Ions rowt of gun trceet nail notttlee, glv- 1 Ins a strange white sheen on tbclr B leaves, and tracing a curloui cheekortd I ' pattern on the path Mow Ruddcnly, E as Dluebell looked, n horseman Hhot I Into vlew-n hone riding straight up I towarda the home Even at Hlucbell, with a tudden little gasping cry drew back, the aw the rlCv pitise Ho turned his hone round and waved something It loooked Ilka a platol in the air, ni If to lomo one behind him: then, tuntnr nraln, rodo straight up tho ovenuc Hlucbell only waited to tc another-and another-and yet another horseman shoot Into view, then, turning iiulckly to her door, she opened It and flow nlong tha pataago to her father's room She Knocked furiously In a monrnt .her father's tolco demanded sleepily, Who Ii there?" "rather, father"' she cried, her voleo rinsing out dear and strong, though 1 cr heart aeonitd almost bursting and her tongue ptrchad and dry ' Mm quickly and Bet your revolver! The Jloers, they nro coming up the avenue' They nro almost on us!" Bho could hear her father nutter n wild oath At that moment It sent a ahudder through her. Thera were only women In the house Ueildes her nunt and horcetf there was Marie, tho girl they had had as sen ant for two years, and twa half-catte Zulu girls, who slept downstairs down-stairs Tho natlvo "bo) a" slept In an outsldo shed Adam Leslie and Illue-tell Illue-tell herself were tho only two who could dofend themaelres against an ni attacking party, for Illuebcll had long T ' " slnco learned to line firearms 1 , ' I am ready!" cried her father In a t i moment. ' Ict the villains como on! ) . I'm mora than a match for a score of r Boer dogs!" "I'athcr, father, oh, don't r-pcak like that!" cried tho girl as Leslie flung open tbo room door "Lot us epoak pleasantly to them Perhaps, after all, they bavo no unfriendly Intentions ' Why should they? We havo never done them any barm. Wo havo always al-ways " 'Hilt!" exclaimed her father. A , , horrible spasm had passed ovor bit. I face; but at that moment the scuffle cf r what teemed a score of horses' hoofs y , i, sounded under the "tJJJP 2Ullljl8, w. 'rm -jniandialoud exclamation" warTittcrcd l ''Kceep back, girl! I shall go to tho j window raj self," said Islle, In a low toIco. Ulucbcll stood back a little At tho I name moment a sound of shrieks be- 1 hind to'd her that tho servants had 1 teen roused from their slumbers. Bno turned and saw Mln Elizabeth, palo end horror-stricken, In her blua dtiiTIo (Uresatng-gown, her head cohered with tho ugly white cap which she always woro during tho night, burning towards her, followed by tho shrieking shriek-ing Mario and tht howling intlvo girls. I "Keep them quiet It will be all I right, auntie. They can't me-tn us harm It Is tho Ilocrs." niuebell said. ' In short wfclipers, for sho was listen- I Ing nt the same time to what went on II at tho window. II Her father had flung It open. A I olco from below called out' J I ' Open tho door to us, Adam Leslie, V ' and surrender yourself as our prisoner, 1 or wo shall burn your bouse about 1 your ears!" 1 Ulucbcll did not recognize the voleo, which, though Dutch In accont, spoko excellent English Her father an- , swered, In a voice that trembled with 1 , passion: Ii "I will not open tho door to you, you J Doer dogsl What do you want with JW' mo?" r "Hotter speak clvlly, for the saka II ot your own life!" retorted tho voleo a In answer. "You're a bnio Informer, 3 nnd, but for tha kindness of Almlgthy j aoj, wo should havo been without our 1 leaders through you! Surrender your- 2 , self prisoner, or we'll hang you to the "ff "" nearest treco and burn your houso nnd . all It contains! That's tho best courso with villains llko jou!" ' n ! . "1 refuse to surrender!" shouted Leslie, besldo himself with rage. Ho turned to niuebell, ' tiring mo my revolver loodedl" he cried, bo-tweon bo-tweon his teeth. Ilut, Instead of obojlng, Illuebcll ' sprang forward, nnd, pushing her father aside, Interposed hericlf between be-tween him nnd the window. With o)03 thst hardly seemed to see sho K looked down on tha men below nn army they teemed to her excited mind tall, stalwart fellows In 1 hnkl nnd wide Ilocr hats, each man armed, and each with stern and rclontltss gaze on the window In front on n flno, high-4 high-4 stepping horse, sit the man who was evidently tho leader a young man, dressed llko tho others, but with nl face not unhandsomo though It was I whoso merciless determination struck j 1 a cold chill through niilbell ' "ou make a mistake," sho stld, and her olco rang out clear and sweet after tho men's hovso ang-y voices ' "My father Is no Informor Some one has been telling )ou n wicked He Wo wcro always friendly with any Doors I that we knew " 1 Tho joung man looked behind him i Trio next In ' "t b h M'-n n In tho background " f r n'd iml came alongside th r -r leader Ulucbe.1 : 7i r, i , , ., ;,t ;s . -., i.i , ni,i koto a faint ro, a must ttngseilni, bnckwarJ4nil sue hsnrd a fearful oath burst tram her father si he. too, recognised the man It was Gerald Monro CIIAI'TIIll vr. In tha moonlight bin mocking. i'ark faco hud n look Upon It that teemed to llluvbell's cc us malevolent tin I wicked as that ot an Mend could be, lta was looking stralgth up at tho Win dow "Thcro la no necessity for undeceiving undeceiv-ing jour daughter, Mr Utile," he aid, "but, ou we, t hero's absolutely no uto In ic.liti.ncc all It known now' If you don't surrinlrr yourself, i prisoner It will be worso for ourslf Tho commando hoe orders to shoot you If ou icsltt" A shriek broke from Miss Elizabeth's Eliza-beth's lips behind Itluehell, but tho girl uttered neither word nor cry as her horrified oes looking dark and Itrio In the midst of her ghastly white face, strained tbcmieltM tp catch n glauco from her fatber. lie gavo her none. Ills own face wa,s contorted and convulsed with some terrible omo-tlcn. omo-tlcn. tho M'lns In his for cue d were swelling to Imrs lug Vat n momrnt ur two lie could not spoalc, though his lips t wilt bed conulaltcly Ihcn suddenly his o!c brol.o from hint, low nnd hoarse a olco that mado Ulucbe'l shudder "You traitor!" he tald, and Ida toto was tcrrlblo to heir, so that even tho Doer leader shrank nwny a .little. glancing at Moore doubtlngly. ' I tea our gamo now! ou urged mo tu give Information, and then oj jour-self jour-self turned and Informed on mot You aro a Judas Iscarlot! And I would hao sold my child Into your bands tor gold! Ma) God Almighty forglto mcl M " The words wcro strangled In his throat. Ho modo a wild movement, us If he would have leaped out of tho window upon Moore, then a sudden, strango convulsion shook him from head to toot, and ho fell back against Illuebcll, rolled from her grasp, anJ, falling to the floor, lay there, after ono or two convutslva motions, perfectly per-fectly still. Miss Elizabeth gao another cry, and moving forward, bent oor him. He lay on bis side, his faco still a deep, almost a purpk, rod In hue, his eyes half open but glazed nnd unsto-lnrlhlsf'JawTtropp?ar"I)lucboll, unsto-lnrlhlsf'JawTtropp?ar"I)lucboll, stricken strick-en dumb ami motionless, ttood betide him, unable to ninko any attempt to ralto him from tho ground, Meantlmo a rapid consultation was colliK ou be tween tho leader of tho commando and Gerald Muorc "You can act flro to the houso and do as j ou like with the old man!" said Moore, saagcl). "I hato somcthUg else to do Tho girl Is my property and I claim her" To as jou like," replied the youns loader coldly Ho ejed M0010 with cold contempt Notwithstanding the tiso that they had mado of Moaro, his was not u character which commended com-mended Itself to the Doer loaders, who knew moro about him than did most Englishmen "I hao nothing to do with any dirty prUato work My duty Is to tako Adam tattle, dead or nlho, and I mean to conllno myself to that." In a few minutes the word of command com-mand had been ghen to tho commando, com-mando, who proceeded to break dawn tha door, and also tu for;o their way Into the houro by moins ot the glass door of a b:droom which opened onto tha stoop The women upstairs heard tho nolle, and Miss Elizabeth uttered a terrified exclamation, whllo tho frightened servants bowled and shrieked In concert. ' I shall go to them and demand their right to force themselves Into any ones houie Ilka this!" said Illuebcll, Illue-bcll, suddenly starting as If from a horrible dream lleforo Miss Elizabeth Eliza-beth could prevent her she had moved from the room and out to tho heal ot tho stairs All was dark below, only sho coull sco that the outer door had been opened, and a flood ot moonlight streamed In upon the floor. In I's light tlio saw tho Hoc ri. In their sandy-colored sandy-colored clothes, striding through that beam of light nut tho had no time to speak, no time even to think, Ilcfore she knew what was about tu happen sho was seized In a strong, almost vlre-lll 0 grip, something dark, cloto and stifling was fastened tightly nro.ind her face, so that sho could not utter a sound e-no a low stifled moan, nnd she felt hcrrclf llf'ed oft hei feet and carried as eatlly as If she was a child downstairs down-stairs She s rugg od violently, making mak-ing wild efforts to free htr bands and nrrrs, wlilir were bound to her aide ty n doth, b tt It was uselott A3 well I might n fly hae itrugglod to escupo rom an Imprlsinlng web I She could not feel tho change from the warmth ot the air Inside to tho I chilly atmosphere without, but sho I Ruesseil that hrr captor had Immediate Immedi-ate y ptssod outside with her, and In n few tnlnutej ol.o could (eel the Jolt-Irg Jolt-Irg of his stepi as he pissed oer the luigh and uneven pith outside tho hone 1 e c j. 1 A tleadlj des-nlr succeeded the first w lid 1 It ' T" " Ml's snses 3ho coul I 11 e 11 s to who her ptor wu 1 1 b e 1 cirrlod oft mmmmmmmm ' j 1 as truly as was cvcr'mald ot tin eighteenth eight-eenth century by the man woo ton stuso reason of his own Dluebell Ud ttfrtr thought ItToAt- wtfhed to make tier Ms wlO Sho was In the snare of the fowler, as powerless to free herself her-self its nny poor, Mutlermg, uroUea winged bird Tho ttfcutilit of what tb was loav-, lug bthli.l was terrible to her as ner unknown fate Her father had ,'oemoil dead rts sho looked upon htm Was he lailly to" It almost seemed tu Ilttct bull s shuddering heart that it wobld I e lietter for him If ho were She had been stupefied ct first by tho fearful accusation made against her father, but In the momen's that (lapsed between his seizure by the visitation of God nnd her seizure b man's Mllslny Illuebcll had sdowly been coming out of her stupor, to :ea-llte :ea-llte (bat It might be trtie It It wore so If her father, I'm cd by the traitorous villainy ot tho man whom he had called n Judas lanarlot, had committed nils' tnse deed, though-Ulucbcll though-Ulucbcll could not find It In her heart, tn call It n crime, thin tho punishment meted out to him might bo so terrible Ibnt natural I'rath would bo a thousand thou-sand times preferable And then poor Mitt Elizabeth, left to face thcto tarrlblo men, with perhaps, per-haps, tho dead boJy of lrr brother In tie house' llluebell felt her heart torn with uigulsh and nnzlot) as the thought of It Again the made Molent ttruct cs to free herself Alas' thty weW- wor than useless Tie strong arms held her as In n vice. At this tlroo no word had been uttered ut-tered Suddtiii) lllut bell's capu paused, the next tnjnient D.ue e 1 heard n long, peculiar call rising nn the night nlr, It wat like the mio-on!" mio-on!" of tho Australian bush. After a momentary pause It was answered Then Uracbells captor continued hit walk, Jolting and stumbling at cvoiy ttep. l'roscntly liicro was another pause Then llluebell fancied sho hoard tho sound of horse' hoflft, but her hearing hear-ing wat to deafened by tbo tb'ck cloth that she rould not bo euro In a few minutes, bowel cr, tho know the had been correct She felt herself lifted up and placed on tho tlJe-saddlo of somo animal, which she guested, from tho height and from tlio uio ot the 11 de-saddle, to bo a horse Then a lolco spoko ilose tu her ear the lolco that wns so hateful to llluebell, and with such good reason "Thcro Is no use In resistance, )ou aro wholly In m power, and I am determined )ou shall not escape, me now You aro on hortsback I am going to releaso your urmi so that you may hold on with all your might, for wo are going ocr a bad bit ot ground It you don't makn any reslstocco 1 will tako oft that head-drcaa presently, but tha moro resistance ),ou mqko tjm. worse jou will bo treated And IctTae tell jou It Is porfcctlj useless, nothing noth-ing but death can sao you from me." Ot courso Illuebcll could mako no attempt at moving Her bands were rc'eiaed from tbo cloth that had pinioned pin-ioned them to her side, reins were placed lu her band, a whip was flicked In tho air and tho animal beneath moved forward Tor Iho next hour Dlucocll fojad thinking Impossible The horse Jolted, Jolt-ed, stumbled and bumped at every step, sometimes putting his fore-feet Into holes from which ho had to be extricated by mnln force, tl.en pluming plum-ing over loose clumps ot gratt or shrubs with tuah suddcrncst as almost al-most to unseat her Illuebcll was ac-cuttomed ac-cuttomed to the difficulties r' riding on tho iclilt, bat now, disabled by the want of algbt, MifTccatcd as t'-o wat by tho cloth over her head nnd mouth tho was utterly unabla to keep steady, and several times her guldo had to telzo her cs sho was falllnc from tho hcrio, (To bo continued ) |
