WILL HE WIN HER ?

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 48, 16 June 1880, Page 4

WILL HE WIN HER ?

BY JAMES GRANT.

Chapter XXX. i " What mercy had old Halbert Had-' . donoatjmjß wjieit he dfoye me ; out of the ; country io liiveipbol; Where' £■*•%»« deprived of my ticket-of-ieave, and sen.teneoi to ten years' transportation? Te-| years ! ten years ! - How it maddened* jn© to see 'ten j ears ' painted on my] cell 4oor, , 'ten years. ' brafcded, on^iny right arm; ;-' ten years 'were ever- -in* *my! heart and on my dry lips, till, with the! help of the devil, I suppose, I niade myj escape and'Came'heVe^how matters no- i thing. One thing is certain Iliave you; fast enough, aud mean to^keepfyouj «©•" ' ■ : -- ;/ - '-■■ -.- • w- " ; ■•■■'; Clarice was pale as' a'Kly ; her eyes i ■were dilajbad and her lips parted withi terror. Sfa r d r was trembling and on tkej Te^e, of, fainting, yet out of very fear of j that'^ven she gathered a false courage j and resisted witli all her strength, when; Sharkeigh threw arms round her, j and pressed his horrid fetid mouth? agjain and again, on lier jbeautvfutjneckj aiid face. : * j Her loneliness |and perfect helpless- \ ness, instead of winning, a ;gralti of pityj for her, only Berved to increase the! tempest of evil and desire tUat glowed] m her captor's heart He daringly! ran his coarse hands over her neck and; bosom ; her-hair soon beeaine more di«-! hevelled than ever, and hung over.her| shoulders. She writhed, panted, and! resisted, but as yet dared not to shriek! lest she mightf bring; t-he same terrors, upon her sister, or- perhaps summon from; among the; sleepers un* thel vSraJfi-! dah those who would not only wituessj bufr assistant' the eonsuirimaiion* 6flhei| disgrace with exultation and flen<iish ; ph?asute. • J - -'-A -^ -.{ Seized thu3, and by such merciless 1 hands, she could not falter out. [ Oh, n^are^^bTTSerciful™"to me, a" ginner !" I "Meroiful*! well, it is more than 1 will be to you, my faii:,ladyp-more than 1 youT-precious L l)ick Haddoit was when ho Veil nitjh drove -iu the roof of my skull for knocking over, a fewr miserable ■ birds."-. ;■■ ■- • '■ j,;^ ■-■••■■■•■•' ; Eiuding that she repelled him with a sti-ength that astonished Sharkeigh and surpris'^-evenThersglf^iie.releascd Cla;- --' rice for a moment, and gloomily, whil^ standing between her and the door, so as to preclude escape. ■ . I . Olarice moaned and-cevered her eyes with her hands, as though she would ■hut out her situation like some horrid unreality. ';..■•-. . | S^"Goihe,"my beauty, this is ;.all. bosh, 'f said Sharkeigh. 1 " Are you like the.os,triche» on the karroo, that think if they hide their heads m the sands they can't be^B«en?" '■', :- .\:\" : -'; .;-'•■ '. ■ .j; Suddbnly she looked upon him .with her hands clasped, and wild entreat; m ter eyes; ' ---. -:--'.' ■,■■■■•/-. £:•;,. ' \ "Kill me if you,- will, MarkSharkL eigh,".she exclaimed, " but for:Jb,eaven's sake, and your own soul, degrade me mot!"-- ". -„■■■■> \- . ".:^.v ■■•■■ ' • '•This is all stuff," yelled JSharkeighy ■ gnashing his' ;.teeth ; m a wild .wajs peeu.liar to himself ; leave . such twaddle to. . pirious arid thoge-wiholtelieve iiii them;. I have been past redemption long since.";. ■ :^ v^' ; r.--:-- 1 -.^-. 't-i-i j • .'-' I &ir. orilyja woman' wWak and feeble, '■ see, here i^ my throat, place j^ur; knife m that and end rayf misery.'* '■ :~'l. I " And what aboui about your sister, eh?"v . " ■;-, „ ,^;-. T . „.,, t ': " Oh Fanny, niy. love ! ray " darling j! piy sweet littU sister !." ,said% Clarice m .a- sudden- gust of, keener misery and grief, as the loneliness and. future misery ' oi : Fnn.nycame m fancy before her ; bpt Shavkeigh hA,d -again seized her, .and thrust her furiously aniong the' !be:uril'dering heaps of, Vmaizo and Indiai 'There was a rushing sound m her ear^ a numbness of the heart, a sickness oj£ the soul seemed to come suddenly upon 1 her, and all her strength passed away but at that moment there rang m hey ears a yell or rather a succession ofyells, that shook the rafters of the barii j musket shots were heard, the glow of | flames rose m the kraal without, and

felled like an ox by a blow from a knobkerrie, Mark. Sharkeigh Jumbled prone byherSide. •• ; T * r / r ? ' hands now seized^Glfcricei She was iwiftly .borne out into the courtyard of the JioW; flapoing?kraal,-^to find herself it prisoner^n tl£e lof the Caffret. So,, severe f wa» -th.» f blow I had receiVed 'ifom-the ? o^ musketbutt of the savage concealed m the tree, that even jfter consciousness returned to m» gome "miriuTles elapsed before I quita realized all the terrors ofiiHy-situatidnvahdtitis strange Ttbat during that- time I eeemedi to, .hear .m my, -drqwisy ear, ; with; -vfonderful^,distinctness,, a -,f a ncied/voice-7-the ypice : of Clarice— cheering -"m c,' and .urging me to take .courage for her sake.. • ■ "I'JVasi a' pfuioribr^rri tlie hands; of the Caffres. Cpnsequwtly, I was' a doomed^ manias.; they invariably, put their captives' to 1 ; a^slow'^ahd' mghtful de'athj 'after craelly and inortjillyOniutir ilating them. Surrpunded on all hands, weak, exhausted, •' and? defenceleas, I could but stagger up, and gaze, despairingly about-flfe — T^ith _ all . the , rapjd^ity n .of , thought there flashed upon J mx ; mind much -that I had heard 'bf-fheyfpriure— the fearfully ingenious torture — of prisoners by the Caff re^the'lingerin'g 'flinee^day's crucifixion of many a helpless boor, and worse even than" that, the fate of Colonel Mackinnon's party of the 45th Eegiment, and 'of " Mi. Hartung, the German bandmaster of the :i 74th.Highlanders, who fell into {their Hands near Fort Beaufort. riM ( " j All the memory of these horrbrVnow made my blood run ;col(li; ]j, '..''. '."X Morning was stealing through the tops bfith© f oi'est lireesii {a£ the tro- 1 pica! sun mounted skyward fast the] tide -of • light 'fell' graaually from the ! highest Jeayes to the lower branches; "of th ! e' giant' tiniber, and all thajoncej wood became filled with radi-j ance. , The suikar-vQgelM, or .sugar-} 'birdsj W^pmen cucldoli i and flaming6'eß^fleW J gEylyVf rom branch j to branch, while baboons, and monkey s| sprang f rojci_tree '^9.. Jree'j.^ 'chatterin g, j grinning, and ciaieking nuts, or swing-! ing by their tails, with heads downward! m the air. " lf ■"-' ■ fTMpst r .of s the-,r.trees J -he.re .werejof ..the: miniSsa^speci"ei,"ii'ght v and graceful m | form, with,; featheryTifoiiage of the; brightest green, and golden clusters; of gioblilar- blpsspfis.'twhichjltfaded the air with delightful perfume ; but it is! a tree rendered singular- by the mul ti- ! tudeyofrjsnpw-whitf ;thprnsj, each six' inches^ long, .^ha6 y .st ( i;d." every "branch! and twig, * - : .. } '.'■'•' : ~ ■ Three or four assegais were launched; •afc ,me K , but; luckily ': -missed, /f and,.'; these; javjelingy^wlnch are ..wilih the| Which the poors' ] 'used '"of .old ; 'm battle ' struck: qiiivering" m the 'green, ! Tturf l at 'Mp feit •; ' but? th'e : v Cafi^re who j had -found^me waS-a-'chief-, and evidehrty | considering me as' i His tpfopeyty if or the time, to keep'>or_ kill at leisure, he] gave. r e^chjpf > ith.os§f,yi)o|;al;t§mpted to' mojfe^ ; nio;a the head with his: knobterrie, niaking^a soun^on,, their; thick skulls like. "tWt "produceel' by i a hard bowler'sballon a ci*icket-bat. ! . vi;_» was idragge,d; r^oward ;. to- a 4 place , whi>i'e, ■undera largVr\.tree,, ,w,ith v " their skins' 4 well ''Smeared' ;i with 'red-ochre cicatrized, for prnamont^ and shining ( in j greasy for' ntility.-inHvar,; the"' Inkosi aiid Aihapataki^-f.e.v.- the and .c'ounpillors-4bf the 'who' -.were -arraTi'gitig' the division' 7 of a quantity^ ;6f amazim.ba, or Caffre -corri, - wliich h'aa ; b%fen'¥etaken : f rom apai-ty of the Fitgo levies. , , . ./' ' I , ;iEn J fhe ceiiiie^of'these, 'with- !; his face! tied-up J> byl a blpod'y tilolh, 'showing 1 sided •a ;c Caffry/ i ah < ayed i ''witli shield 'aiid | sword; < the : k'arpgs^alid ! Cranes' feathers,; •an d n ! 6'leVs ? ' than' t hre'e" r ows ; '-6E- ti gar's ; ' ; teefh J ''r£)und-i his : neck|;togeth6r ■ with; ! sb'tnejo'f the vbrass i-brnauyeatSj •■■ f of- t the ! military "hriclie of ; English^ Gill's: horse ' ;^liiolr* liad ; been shot under htm 'm the Jscca ! ¥alle;yr ivhen cpnyeying'the Cape ; : -town' ? -mail%i'tU^tt-Tifl"e- : esco'r'Kr' l '' > . r . ' ;'d <> JMy poor" Claricei" thought % with a giish of agony^, " we shall'neyer 'know ''- - : > h } ? ! - ; ';; "• I thought inine would' f sopn teiealedt a'nd : ijazed and wisfulJy at : the hGrdes that-gathered round ane r in> greedy anticipation of a seen of torture 'and bloodshed. „'Jm; • -;••,,;* i j recent blowj arttMsick at tid&ii^ the whole scene appeared like; ia ..phan fcasniagf ria- .-. r - A ware -that pur. -troops had retired , past- the stormed position to, the valley '"bilbSvyth'»'Cafee.<^.-liafdf"nd : -fVar 'of; molestation at that time 7 ,' aiad m the crowds that s.wai^pe£|,ai;p 4 und me. thei;e appeared sQnxetli(ng^ah^ii64 J i^^ e^ ferocity of aspect, their blo6'd'smeared,.visages, their F UirgfewKiV(?.^e?fi/''tUiao^Jsfr;yiiic-h they hissed like snakes, wjiilo s'onie who were m excellent jiUnior afc 'the" prospect of . mating mincSnil?U^6f 'me, ; sangtd themselves a guttural chant,, and danced with>a sjow, jerkinff 'step* : fa l ffcs- m,onok ton^pug.' notes,- ■fia^iifg'/the'.'; trhile ,with their^glit'tering a'sse'g'ais^ori th^ir'shieldjs. n ;";: .v v . r; ! ' V -Befpre t my4ate came tb.Mbe 'known %' had the horror^of Deholding that 01 another sealed- j - ( : "DrrHa*ifs c -.Bruine!EJaste"elV ? df Cfadpck, ' the ij^meJqiri.d-clld.'Butbh^medical mai who.hadattendgd me in.)my strange il]|. ness' tnere, somehow fiad been taken." prisonSr "; i:i a'nd having failed to cure onfe of the" many "dali^ter-s "of "Sanrdilli~ of ; sbj^e niy steTiousskilmen^fwasj^no'vi: fac- ' cused lay wifch doctors qf'having cajit a spell upon her.- - ..-- [ ii:JiiMein;;Gott,;t mein G^tiJAti^nimel, iMynhe,er I'Vexclajm^dthe poojr dpjctoj;, handa ak he recognized me, though.<inf the. bush,-, fighting uniform of the 74th High]-. Jand:erfi;;-:b,ut weTwere helple.ss.jfcq assist ;.each^pther. ;.;•:■ ,-x h^! !;Vk, ' " " ''; He. gave me i-a glance -th^t, like my ; own, was expressiv«-ohly of hopelessness ; :o^(&e^pairii^iid .tuiine.dlto , ifche .presiding Inkosi, whose head.an,d;fac,e; were partially hidden, or- mufli«d m, a bloodstaiAfd^lptJi^) n/ .°i;b')niUA:n\LJ* ' I Like the other. chiefs about him tha't< kpejsQriagei.Tta]fcw.a,ted;;crp.ssleg^^ so; lemnly smoking pipe — a kind . of primitive hool^-ahj-naade of bullock'isiho?n], filled Wfithi^ fß^eci(es r of' rhjßJiip iii water, like the maddening^and intoxi-t eating bang of-the-Hindpstanee. Thi^ .theyrimbibe'd^thj'oughr a r stemir of reed/: let into the side, of the horn; ].< The halpless Dutchman, who spoke tUe'^omewhat^musicajl^^ larigiJage"' oi the i

Caffres with fluency, now began to repeat again and again with solemn earnestness that he had, done nothing to bewitch Mari qua, the "daughter of the great chief, Sandilli, but that he had successfully cured her of a fever, while in^dread' of his own life ; that : she was now perfectly well, and as a reward therefore he now prayed for his liberty. ' X listened to all this - anxiously, and w.hi]e doing so could little forsee the trouble this identical damsel, jMariqua, was to prove :to me, m the form 'of a — wife. ;. n He urged his innocence aiid his claims to-gratitude m vain ; the witch doctors of the -tribe, 'i who had been jealous of his skill m the. cure of one or two musket shot wounds, were all powerful with the chiefs and councillors, so the work — the pleasure they deemed it—^of torture and death, speedily began. (To he continued.)