OCR Text |
Show II '(Continued from Preceding Page) shlt thou reach thy home, for all 1b prepared to take thee hence, and thy companions with thee. Safe shalt thou live tor many a year, till i thy time comes, and then, per chance, thou wilt find those whom thou hast lost more kind than to-J to-J night they seemed to be." She roso and drawing herself up to the full ol her height, stood i there majestic. Then she beckoned to me to come near, for I, too, hau j risen and left the dais. I obeyed, i and bending down she held her hands over me as though in bless-' bless-' ing, as a mother might, then with out a word pointed toward the curtains, cur-tains, which at this moment mo-ment were drawn, by whom I do not know. " j I wont, and when I 1 reached them turned to $ look my last on her. There she yet stood, but now her eyes were fixed ( upon the ground and her M'ipw face once more was r brooding as though r'ip fiS forgot that such' a mau as I had erer been. mi Christians can bear the heat for long.' ' "That finished me, Baas. I just answered that I handed you, the Baas Allan, his son, over to his care, hoping that ho would sec that you did not burn in that oven, whatever happened to Umslopo-gaan. Umslopo-gaan. Then T shut my eyes and mouth and held my nose and wriggled wrig-gled beneath those curtains as a fqlt as though I were thrown through the air like a stone cast from his sling by a boy who is set upon n stago to scare the birds out of a mealic garden. Further than any stone I went, aye, further than a rifle bullet? till I reached a wonderful place. It does not much matter what it was like, either, and, Indeed, 1 am already beginning begin-ning to forget, but there- I met ovoryono I have ovor known. "1. met the Lion of iho Zulus, the Black One, the Earth-Shaker, he who have killed. So I left them and went on, seeking for Mopo, my foster-father, and a certain man, my blood-brother, by whoso sido I hunted with tho wolves, yes, for t'hem, and for another." "Well, and did you find them?" I asked. "Mopo I found not, which makes me think, Macuruazahn, that ho whom I thought long dead perchance per-chance still lingers on the earth. But the others I did find)" and ho ceased, brooding. Now, I knew enough of Umslopo-gaas's Umslopo-gaas's history to bo aware that ho had loved this man and woman of whom he spoke more than any others on the earth. The "blood-brothpr," "blood-brothpr," whose name he would not mention, by which he did Dot mean' yi- v. mWmmm lne- lndeed' he-dId- Shc-who-coromands. she laughed at Umslopogaas " 1 : H ' - more, for. stooping me as she did at you, and said that Ho went, and I, too, went to sea B . - V " - d0WD' he Salhered a 1L was a e00d Iesson for m' that she was fast asleep, but In a . H I ' ?ym. ' ''''tfPWff 'ho ,n that PrIde Quite different sleep to that into 1 mgmi..- 'mWM Wmm 'SMlM&Si thedeadonly plunged her. Now it was abso. " ' JmSm-' 5 v MMihlf&-w " MWJ thought of the llv- lutely natural, and looking at he -v. jMmW . iWW0WW. r wWBW . Ine. But I think that lying there upon the bed I thought . .fl.' Wi w . mmiimA ' , M gMjv- - from her who wished appearance. ' CHAPTER XXIIE. X .sJB W. ivSl , . .. ' K II : . What UmBiopoffaas Saw. T IKE one who dreams I passed I down the outer hall, where stood the silent guards as i statues might, and out through the 1 archway. Here I paused for a mo- ; ment, partly to calm my mind in , the familiar surroundings of the !s night, and partly because I thought that I heard some one approaching j me through the gloom, and in such j a place where I might have many ' enemies, It was well to -bo pre- pared. As it turned out, however, my imagined assailant was only i Hans, who emerged from some I place where ho had been hiding, a " ' very disturbed and frightened Hans. "Ohl Baas," he said, in a low and shaky whisper, "I am glad to see you again, and standing on your , feet, not being carried with them I. sticking straight in front of you I as I exp'ected." J - "Why?" I asked. ' j "Oh, Baas, because of the things J that happened in that place where the tall vrouw, with her head tied up as. though she had toothache, sits like a spider In a web." I o "Well, what happened. Hans?" I f asked as we walked forward. : "This, Baas. The doctoress talked ' and talked at you and Umslopo- gaas, and as she talked your faces t began to look as though you had I drunk half a flask too much of l the best gin, such as I wish I had ' some of here to-night, at once wise i and foolish and full and empty, . ' Baas. ' "Then you both rolled over and lay there quite dead, and while I waa wondering what I should do f; , and how I should get out your m bodies to bury them the doctoress ( j came down oh her platform and " bent over, first you and then over Umslopogaas, whispering Into tho , cars of both of you. Then she took off a snake that looked a.s though it wore made of gold with .green eyes, which she wear3 about her middle beneath the long dishcloth, Baas, and held It to your lips and then to those of Umslopogaas. "After that all sorts of things . happened and I felt as though the whole house were travelling , through the air, Baas, twice as fast as a bullet does from a rifle. Sud-1 Sud-1 denly, too, the room became filled with fire 30 hot that it scorched me, and so bright that It made my ,!' eyes water, although they can look at' the sun without winking, and, Baas, the fire was full of spooks , which walked about; yes. I saw some of them standing on your head and stomach, Baas, also on i that of Umslopogaas. while others went and talked to thc whlto doc-: doc-: toress as quietly as though they i- had met her In the market-place and wanted to sell her eggs or but-;l but-;l ter. - p "Then, Baas, suddenly I saw ' your reverend father, the Predl- kant, who looked as though ho j were red-hot, as doubtless he is in- the Place of Fires. I thought he came up to me, Baas, acd said, !.! 'Get out of this. Hans. This Is no place for a good Hottentot like you, fi Hans, for here only the very besL I 14 snake doos, Baas, and ran down the h,all and across the kraal yard and through the archway out into the night, where I have been sitting sit-ting cooling myself ever since, waiting for you to be carried away, Baas. "And now you have come alive and with not even your hair burnt off, which shows how wonderful must bo the Great Medicine, of Zikali, Baas, since nothing else could have saved you in that fire, no, not even your reverend father, the Predikant." "Hans," I said when ho had finished, fin-ished, "you arc a A'ery wonderful fellow, for you can get drunk on nothing at all. Please remember, Hans, that you have been drunk to-night, yes, very drunk, indeed, and never dare to repeat anything that you thought you saw while you were drunk." "Yes, Baas, I understand that I was drank, and already I have forgotten for-gotten everything. But, Baas, there Is still a bottle full of brandy, and if I could have just one tot I should forget so much better." By now we had reached our camp and here I found Umslopogaas Umslopo-gaas sitting in the doorway and staring at the sky. "Good ovonlng to you, Umslopo-gaas," Umslopo-gaas," 1 said In my most unconcerned uncon-cerned manner, and walled. "Good evening, Watcher -by -Night, who I thought was lost In the night, since In the end the night Is stronger than any of Its watchers " At this cryptic remark I looked bewildered, but said nothing. At length Umslopogaas. whose nature, for a Zulu, was impulsive and lacking lack-ing In the ordinary native patience, asked: "Did you make a journey this evening. Macumazahn, and If so, what did you see?" "Did you have a dream this evening, eve-ning, Umslopogaas?" I inquired by way of answer, "and If so, what was it about? I thought that I saw you shut your eyes in the House of the White One yonder, doubtless because you were weary of talk which you did not understand." "Aye, Macumazahn, as you suppose, sup-pose, I grew weary of that talk which flowed from the lips of the White Witch like the music that comes from a little stream bab-'bling bab-'bling over stones when the sun Is hot. and being weary I fell asleep a 'd dreamed. "What I dreamed does not much matter. It is enough to say that I had a 'sister' named Baleka. which 'sister' " here he dropped his voice and looked about him suspiciously "bore a child, which child was fostered by one Mopo, that Mopo who afterward slew the Black One with the Princes. Now, Macumazahn, Macuma-zahn, I had a, score to settle with this Black One; aye, even though our blood be much of the same color, I had a score to settle with him, because of the slaying of this sister of his. Baleka. together with the Langeni tribe. So I walked up to him and took him by the head-ring head-ring and spat in his face and bade him find a spear and shield and meet me as man to man. Yes, I did this." "And what happened then, Umslopogaas?" Um-slopogaas?" I said when he paused In his narrative. "Macumazahn, nothing happened at all. My hand seemed to go through his head-ring and the skull beneath, and to shut upon itself while he went on talking to someone some-one else, a captain whom I recognized, recog-nized, yes, one Faku, whom, in the days of DIngaan, thc Black One's brother, I myself slow upon the Ghost Mountain. Yes, Macumazahn, Macuma-zahn, and Faku was telling him the tale of how I killed him. and of the fight that I and my brother and the wolves made, there on the knees of the old witch who sits aloft on the Ghost Mountain waiting wait-ing for the world to die, for I could, not understand their talk, though mine went by them like the wind. "Macumazahn, thoy passed away and hcre camo others. Dingaan among them, aye, Dingaan, who also knows something of the Witch Mountain, soeing that there Mopo and I hurled him to his death. With him also I would have had words, but it was thc same story, only presently he caught sight of the Black One, yes, of Chaka whom ho slew, stabbing him with the little lit-tle red assegai, and turned and fled, because in that land I think he still fears Chaka, Macumazahn, or so the dream told. "I went on and met others, men I haa fought In my day, most of them, among them was he who ruled the People of the Axe before me, whom I slew with his own aie-I aie-I lifted the axe and made me ready to fight again, but not one of them took any note of me. Thero they walked about, or sat drinking beer or taking snuff, but never a sup of the beer or a pinch of the snuff did they offer to me. no. not even thoso among them whom 1 chanced not to (C) m-'O. InlxrniKont thit he was his brother In blood-but blood-but ono with whom he had made a. pact of eternal friendship by the interchange of blood or some such ceremony, had, according to report, dwelt with him on the Witch Mountain, where legend told, though this I could scarcely believe, be-lieve, that they hunted with a pack, of hyenas. . There It said also they fought a great fight with a band sent out by Dingaan. the king under the command com-mand of that Faku whom Umslopogaas Um-slopogaas had mentioned, in which fight tho "Blood-Brother," wieldor of a famous club known as Watch-er-of-the-Fords, got his death after doing mighty deeds. There also, as I had heard. Nada the Lily, whose beauty was still famous in tho land, dleil under circumstances strange as they were sad. Now, naturally, remembering my own experiences. or, rather, what seemed to be my experiences, for already I had made up my mind that thoy were but a dreamr I was most anxious to learn whether these two who had been so dear to this fierce Zulu had recognized him. "Well, and what did they say to you, Umslopogaas?" I asked. "Macumazahn, they said nothing at all. Hearken. There stood this ' pair, or"somctimes they moved to and fro, my brother, and even greater man than he used to be, with the wolfskin girt about him and the club. Watcher-of-the-Fords, which he alone could wield, upon his shoulder, and Nada grown lovelier even than she was of old, .so lovely. Macumazahn. that my heart roso Into my throat when I saw 1 and stopped my breath. Yes. Macumazahn. there they stood or walked about arm In arm as lovers might bo and looked into each ' other's eyes and talked of how they had known each other on the earth, for I could understand their words or thoughts, and now It was good to be at rest together where they were." "You see, they were old friends, Umslopogaas," I said. "Yea, Macumazahn, very old friends as I thought. So much so that they had never a word to say of me. who also was the old friend of both of them. Aye. my brother, whose name I am sworn not to speak, the woman-hater, who vowed he loved nothing save mo end the wolves, could smile Into, the face of Nada the Lily, Nada-the Nada-the bride oC my youtli, and novcr a word of mc, while she could smile back and tell Mm how great a warrior war-rior ho had been and never a word of me whoso deeds she was wont to praise, who saved her In tho Halakazl caves and from Dingaan; no, never a word of me, although I stood there staring at them." "I suppose that they did not see you, Umslopogaas." "That Is so, Macumazahn, 1 am suro that they did not see me, for it thoy had they would not hava been so much at case. But I saw them, and as they would not take heed when I shouted I ran up calling call-ing to my brother to defend him-solf him-solf with his club. Then, as he still took no noto, I lifted tho as Inkosikaas, making it circle in the light, and smote with all my strength." "And what happened, Umslopogaas.?" "Only this, Macuma- zahn, that my axe went straight Ui r o u g h ray ''-if.,; ; brother from the crown of Jiis head to thc groin, cutting him In two, and ho- just went on talk-Ing. talk-Ing. Indeed, he did. s more, for, stooping down, he gathered a "Then she took off a snake - " ...21 '' Sj that looked as though it ' V ' - 'SP0&9S . ' h Hl were made of gold with ; -.N J JH green eyes, and held it to ' 'yif' ' ' f' ' white lily-bloom which grew there and gave it to Nada, who smelt at it, smiled aad thanked him, and then thrust in into her girdle, still thanking him all the while. Yes, she did this, for I saw it with my eyes, Macumazahn." Here the Zulu's voice broke and I think that he wept, for in the faint light I saw him draw his long hand across his eyes, whereon I took the opportunity to turn my back and light a pipe. "Macumazahn," he went on presently, pres-ently, "it seems that madness tqok hold of me for a while, for I shouted shout-ed and raved at them, thinking that words and rage might hurt where good steel could not, and as I did so they faded away and disappeared, disap-peared, still smiling and talking, Nada smelling at the lily which, having a long stalk, roso up above her breast. After this I rushed away and suddenly met that savago king, Rezu, whom I slew a reit days gone. At him 1 went with the axe, wondering whether he wduld put up a better fight this second time." "Mid did he. Umslopogaas?" "Nay, 'but I think he felt me, for he turned and fled, and when I tried, to follow I could not see him. So I ran on and presently who should I find but Baleka, Baleka, Chaka's 'sister,' who repeat it not, Macumazahn was my mother, and, Macumazahn, she saw me. Yes, though I was but little when last she looked on me, who now am great and grim, she saw and knew me. for she floated up to me and smiled at me and seemed to press her lips upon my forehead, though I could feel no kiss, and to draw the soreness out of my heart. Then she, too. was gone and of a sudden I fell down through space, having, as I suppose, stepped into some deep hole, or, perchance, a well. "The next I knew was that I awoke In the house of the. White Witch and saw you sleeping at my side and the Witch leaning back upon her bed and smiling at mc through the thin blanket with which she covers herself up, for I could see the. laughter in her eyes. "Now I grew mad with her be- tiln Rlrhts neefirrtd. cause of the things that I had seen in the Place of Dreams, and it camo Into my heart that it would be well to kill her, that the world might be rid of her and her evil magic which can show lies to men. So, 'being distraught, I sprang up and lifted the axe and stepped toward her, whereon she rose and stood beforo me, laughing out loud. Then she said something In the tongue I can not understand and pointed with her finger, and lo, next moment it was as If giants had seized 'mo and were whirling mc. away, till presently I found myself my-self breathless and unharmed beyond be-yond the arch and what does It all mean, Macumazahn?" "Very little, as I think, Umslopogaas, Umslopo-gaas, except that this queen has powers to which those of Zlkall are as nothing, and can cause visions to float before the eyes of men. For know that such things as you saw, I saw, and in them thoso whom I have loved also scorned to take no thoughts of men, but only to be concerned with each other. Moreover, when I awoke and told this to the queen who Is called She-who-commands. she laughed at me as she did at you, and said that It was a good lesson for my pride, who in that pride had believed that the dead only thought of the living. liv-ing. But I think that tho lesson camo . ,-' from her who wished to humble, us, Umslopogaas, and that it was her mind that shaped these visions which we saw." "I think so, too. Macumazahn. How she knew of all the matters of your life and mine, I do not know, unless perchance Zikali told them to her. speaking in thc night-watches night-watches as wizards can." "Nay, Umslopogaas, I believe that by her magic she drew our stories out of our own hearts and then set them forth to us afresh, putting her" own color on them. Also it may be that she drew something some-thing from Hans and from Goroko and the other Zulus with you, and thus paid us the fee that she had promised for our service, but in lung-oxen and barren cows, not in good cattle, Umslopogaas." He nodded and said: ' "Though at the timo I seemed to go mad. and though I know that women are false and men follow where they lead them, never will I believe that my brother, the woman-hater, and Nada are lovers in thc land below, and have there forgotten for-gotten me. the comrade of one of them and the husband of the other. Moreover, I hold, Macumazahn. that you and I have met with a just reward for our folly. We have sought to look through the bottom of the grave at things which the Great-Great in Hoaven 'above did not mean that men should see, and now that wc have seen we aro un-happler un-happler than wc were, since such dreams burn themselves upon the heart as a red-hot iron burns tho hide of an ox. so that the hair will never grow again where it has been and tho hide Is marred. "To you, Watcher-by-Night, I say, 'Content yourself with your watching watch-ing and whatever it may bring to you In fame and wealth.' And to myself I say, 'Holder of the Axe. content yourself with thc axe and what It may bring to you in fair fight and glory.' and both of us I say, 'Let the Dead sleop unawak-cned unawak-cned until wc go to Join them, which surely will be soon enough.' " "Good wordB, Umslopogaas, but they should have been spoken ere ver we set out on this journey." "Not so, Macumazahn, since that Journey we were fated to make to save one who lies yonder, the lad7 IH Sad-Eyes, and, as they tell me, la ,-vell again. Also Zlkall willed, it, sud who can resist the will of tho Opener of Roads? So it is made and we have seen many strango things and won some glory and ( come to know how deep is the pool of our own foolishness, who thought that we could search out how it fared with Inez. I found c the secrets of Death, and there RP have only found those of a witch's B mind and venom reflected, as In If water. And now, having dlscov- Ml ered all these things, I wish 'to(bo gono from this flaunted land. k When do we '.march, Mauma , sf "To-morrow morning, I believe, Jk if the lady Sad-Eyes and tho others are well enough, as She-who-com-mands says they will be." "Good. Then I would sleep, who nm more weary that I was after 1 had killed Rezu in the battle on the mountain.'' i k "Yes," I answered, "since It 13 harder to fight ghosts than men, JCH and dreams aro more dreadful than tH deeds, if they be bad. Good nlghtt jjH Umslopogaas." Ho went, and I, too, went to sea 9 that she was fast asleep, but In a '"flHB quite different sleep to that into IB which Ayesha seemed to have IHfl plunged her. Now it was abso H lutely natural, and looking at hei BH lying there upon the bed I thought Hl how young and healthy was hot appearance. il The women in charge of her also 'Br told me that she had awakened at WKf- the hour appointed by She-who- - 1 K commands, as it seemed, quite well jBI and very hungry, although she ap- il Tt peared to be puzzled by her sur- -w roundings. After she had eaten, ' t"-VB: thoy added that she had "sung a- 1 af- tiBl song," which waB probably a hymn,. 'mi and prayed upon her knees, "mak- V OB ing signs upon her breast," and' . fHl then gone quietly to bed. . h jJSB" My anxiety relieved as regards ' LJB Inez, I returned to my own quar- 1 IBB ters with the same object, but not IB feeling inclined for slumber sat i tHml awhile in the doorway contemplat- ; Hu ing- the beauty of the night while IU I watched the countless fireflies HB that seemed to dust the air with K sparks of burning gold; also the 1 JHl great owls and other fowl that IDI haunt the dark which had coin a ; tHli out from their hiding-places among IHU the ruins and sailed to and fro; HQ like white-winged spirits, now seen' Br and now lost in the gloom. IHIj While I sat thus many' reflec- IHrB tions came to me as to tho ex- K' traordlnary. nature of my experl- Ih ences during the past few days. Bv Had any man ever known tho Ri like. I wondered? What could they lfl mean and what could this marvel- , HH lous woman Ayesha be? Waa she, KBh perhaps, a personification of na- 3 Etftf turo itself, as, indeed, to some ex- jRxi tent all women are? Was she IGM human at all, or was she somo IHk' spirit symbolizing a doparted peo- Hn pic, faith and civilization, and haunting the ruins where once aho 1 reigned as queen? HPH No, the idea was ridiculous, Ewll since such beings do not exist, WitlH though it was Impossible to doubt BrWl that she possessed power beyond BjtiV those of common humanity, as she KflH possessed beauty and fascination M' greater than aro given to any other jB Of one thing I was certain, how- , H: ever, that the Shades I bad seemed Ki to visit lay in the circle of her own H imagination and Intelligence. Thero IK Umslopogaas was right; wo had K'- seen no dead, wo had only seen JB- plctures and images that she drew IK and fashioned. IHS To Se Continued Next Sunday. IHK Copjrlcbt. bj- Sir n. nidtr Ujcfird- Rl Hi . ; H - B |