WILL HI"WIN HER?

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 44, 2 June 1880, Page 4

WILL HI"WIN HER?

P 'm l \ JAMESr<xRANT.

-' Dbtiglas stiggßstedthit the discovery j oE tke precious relic need not add to; our ajiprejiension^ as_ it y?as probable! enough^ the two hapless' prisoners would ' be plundered of all their ornaments, per- ; haps even of tkeir clothing. ' j 'Af tj«.r marching -almost continuously] f or two-hundred and 'fifty j miles, we j Halted one evening on the bank of .the j (Juesana River, and pitched our tents ■ at last m sight of the beautiful Amatolaj mountains, the " Gibralcar of the; jGaikasi'^which arose m dark and. pur-: <i>ie masses; aguMstfthe sky> as the -hot • sun of southern Africa, sank behind! them m a flood of-crimson light. I Now i:he headquarters of Sandillij were. I^foi&iis. . - " ifo. ■", \ : My eyes^wandered .in.keen. interieat; from vpeafc^tp peak. . ; J)id those of' Ola-' rice Hay wood and. Fanny Carysfprt .see •thejsanle mountainyajilgo on which we] were looking new, or had death sealed! their beautiful eyes for ever? A; death of sliame and x of torture, too, per-; haps. ." ■--— -. •- ~ ■. . I I gazed again and again on the slen-i der gold chain that had once encircled 1 i the adorable nieck; of <h'ef I loved, and! my heart seemed. 'l to sicken, and my i eyes,; aetually t ,to fill with' tears. ;of ;ra'ge: and apprehension. But alas ! before] long ; I was tpliaye the of: Clarice brought moj'e ,yividly, strongly,' and evea tangibly ocf are me, than even! that slender necklet could do it. ■ Next forenooD, several Caffres were killed m an- encounter Tf ith the MountellSifles, and their huts and kraals were set m flames and destroyed. Jhat' night Douglas and I^rere seated . ted m hit-teiifc-'sbntevrHiifc ? mdbdily. talk- ! ing at intervals-Over the subject onj which we nerar, -W£sW~ * ne : chances of our lost lbVe's'b'eing' safe and . rccaptiu'ed* . 3?he .da^kiiess and gathered; densely round pur^guarded damp. 'On j /the slope of a. gloomy' .anjd distant hill j the flames' were ' turning" redly and ! brightlyy wlier s the Gape Rifles had set on fire the kraals of the Gaikas, and the--h6wling— of~the-»wolves and jackals grew louder and louder every moment. . to, lop wounded, and 'eft m 4heV"Tiar r 6£;*adv i an ; cing' troops, with animals, howling' about the field?' said ©ouglas, "liisten to the howling drtuosVnbrrible^beggaTSj'Dick.' 1 ■■'■'■■ "Do iypu mean' the fellows' in the Sj'exV'tdnt.'or the jackal^ akmei?" I askod, sullenly, for the merriment of Others nettled me. •:.. -' " J Fait\v, I might say the' same of both," rejoined Douglas, l "for there r is a jolly noise m Bonteine's tent; certainly ; but Jai-l^whoe.njoys'a perpetual' r- w can hardly kee^p silent, even when underarms." " „ '!■•■*".... The tent of that jovial officers' adjpirjed .purs.jand t\xqve f ,by the light of a spluttering tallow candle, plnced m the socket of a bayonet,, which was impror|§^d as ;^ t jeandiesti(i .with.its blade stockin the turf, he was -entertaining a par^y s pf gjiesfcs, : each .p£j • whom brought with lijih liis"o\vn tiH-tofc, can sund biscuitsj and- during a pause m the morriment^ the mellow* voice oi Archy

Gampbell was heard, singing a weljlknpwn military -song.'; j ? ■'/; I -■- Just as it was concluded, ■ wje were about to join this party, ?or one of the many groups -of-ofllcers, who, m peajackets or ; blanket ,\ co^Sj ,weTe gathered round the camp fifes; where' they lounged ori the grass,C smoking and watching-the steaming camp -kettles of hot coffee, the servant of Douglas, a grave and- sombre Scot, namedjvllobert firuee; appeared at the triangular door of the tent and presented » m*) with a packet sealed up m a half sheet of an old Cape Argus. It was directed to "Captain Haddon," andi;he wax bore as seal the unpleasant impression of a large and coarse thumb. .The packet felt, softand. pulpy, and I paused before opening it. "Bruce, from whom came this ?" I asked. .; :'■' " Ireceivd it, sir,; from the corporal of the- outlying picquet." "And who gave it: to him?" "One "of the advanced sentries, sir, to whom it given by a man. m the uniform of ? the Qape Mounted Eifles, andlwhom'he strongly suspects to be ai deserter." . "A deserter? Why?" ••- "'Because he had no other arms than a couple, of assegais, , and after speaking heimmediateiy disappeared by plunging into the bush." „ . | " Suspicious, certainly." This was all strange, but I tore the packet open. "Hair! Human hair, by heaven the hair of plarice !'* .1 exclaimed, as a. quantity of that bright chesnut hair— those soft and silky tresses which which. I had kissed and caressed before me. ■ .. ■ • •■.- • ■ ••■ • " Good heaven 1 oh, what caa this mean, Gerard ?"} / j "Perhaps this-iletter will explain," replied^Douglas, m a voice that," like jmyown,- 'was. hoarse and weak, with apprehension, as he stopped to picksomething 'from; the ground' "It fell out as you bpened "the packet,' :arid^ it is addressed to you, Dick !'' .'-••Open'itjjGerard,'/and''readi n said I, trembling^ m e>eryilij±ib,. wliile a .dimness :carae Over my sight. -„.'"• Douglas knelt.on the grassy floor of the tent, close ly our candle^ which was -'spiittering^ away in 1 the. socket; ■df'Bfuce's" bayoncj;, 'and read as follows:— ■•"■' '.;■', "This Here hair enclosed is for you, iCapiain Haddon.i You knows well eniiffiwhose head I cut it off, 'and the head itself shall follow, and the bodjy too, j'iht by j 'int>. . perhaps, unless yoii pay .over to me the sum of two thousandspounds, in^ good . rix-dollavs?, or English gold, to be/delivered to a Gaika! woman- as 'l shall send for. the- ransom. Ihave iyouivtwo f riehds ? safe emiff , and ■ far'eriuff m rear ; of Sandilli's army to keep them out of your reacli for ever, if ; I choose. So no more' at present, but remains, as, you deserve,'. : J."; Mark ShaeS:ei(JH, alias Gbaav." ' :" The scoundrel 1" I exclaimod, m a voico, the hollowness|of which I st ar led even, , ; myself. ."The., • dyod, scroundrei I He is, quite capable of; I putting his threat: :in execution. Oh, [Clarice, :, Clarice, P'r-Jwadcled^ kissing,; the. hair, :a.Ad stroking it with a tendtT-, ness -that was almest fatuous: " I would give . twenty thousand -^ yes, every-fafthiug/ 1; have m the woi'ld to ensure your safety, -my darling P'' /'•Perhapsi they "are safer with this man's gang than, if with Sandilli,"' suggestedi'Dou^laS. - -'■ ; r : - .- "CanyouthinklsoKa£tor.all the hor-. lible crimesthis half, lunatic : h as committed 'sincoihe escaped to the bush, whfire.he ;; hasiibeen known under the colonial name of Mark Graff?" " Truei", .said D.ouglasrmqunifully. "An outrage Move ov\ less — a I'fe1 ' f e taken more or ■ lejas— are as ji.Qthing to ! him ; 'and then" Clarice and Fanny are so lovely —s,Q lovely* Douglas, and so helpless." . . ,• . We must seize tlie Gaika woman, 1 said"l)ou£las, twisting" his mousta-i-hes, and' grinding his ■, teeth. "Seize her, andjforce her under terror of death lo confess^ all.she.krio.wsy, and j)erh.a,ps we roay'get ' a .•"'. party -of a- the :]?ingd l levy guided -to the spot where iho girls are • detained: But see, there is a postscript widtten pn the other side of that dirty piece of paper." ' ... . "True— so there is.";. ; Itraii'thUs— • ... '; . ; . ■.' ■ " P.S^r-If my messenger, the Gai ka i woman is took, or. detainedjOr followed ; wors^e will hefal old rHaywood's; daugh-ters-than what has befallen them yet, i so look ojat Captain Haddoh. Ihav'n'ti forgbt 1 that tap on the head you gave; me on that :. day I was poachin' m; -Teviptdale^v ; .' v ;jcvv':-K:~ "-■/', . " ■ The' postscript ;,a : d%^ to .the horror and"'at)p^eh«nsi:pn^ w¥! had J tha]b'.".sjo.mething' tertfible 'must" ! ,have bieen Undergone;,by Clarice and Fanny.. And that eventhe slender hope r ;of turning the enptufe of^i the- Gaika woman to account was jbaffle^ now, He took his measures to tojture sine we11... : ; ; - }. •; - I sat stricken and m and almost stupifiea'conditibn, staring^ at the tresses ses pf hair, and twisting "them lovingly round my fingers, , while they brought her. soft face, her gentle presence, her thrilling voice more vividly to memory than even the gold necklet had done yesterday... . ' v■■.■■;u ■■.■■- ; i-WJien these had beencut from hor h^ad^rwas: she dead or . alive P. ; I often asked myself this, \fdr .my mind was perplexed by intense horror. She might already be dead, and abandoned by those wretches to the jackals. Al 1 her sorrows and suffering 'might bs over— things of the past - while her beautif uliiair! was only sent to me by the infamous' bushranger as a lure, a taunt, ;or means of extortion. n Amid these, thoughts I was roused by the voice of Burns, who was on duty as orderly Sergeant, and who said respectfully as^ he appeared at the tent door — .'^ All light and fires out at seven this eyening; Captain Douglas. At five m the morning the division will get under : arms.'without sound of music of bUgie, i or any noise whatever" , "Very good ; that will do." He raised his h'a^d to the peak of Ivis cap, ■ and Wheeled off to the next tent iii succession to repeat his order». , - . : ;Whiie 'in every other tent the anticipated attack was the subject of deepest 'interest and animated discussion, Doug:lai? and I had a tropic nearer our hearts ,aiid far into the' dark hours of the long inigjit we talked of it, at we lay on our {pallets j with bur uniforms on.

Sl'^ep or utter I " weariness was at. last just orerpowering^ine, when Bruce, the captain's servant, appeared m heavy . marching order, .with. Ins, .greatcoat rolled' bit the.top of his knapsack, his*: kettle strapped thereto, and .wooden banteenby his aide, "armed and accoutred for the, march, to make . the welcome ydt iriexbrable airihoun cement— (To be continued.)