The evening world. Newspaper, March 25, 1915, Page 21

An Allan Quatermain Story } Of South African Adventure H. RIDER HAGGARD LEAS ASERIERR oe . . . 1 had to tear : . Again and again t erne birds with oem, The King onions thew put wots At end, Buddenly To heard eoutt ‘ emditon Wet pound. Dropping my glance | saw the wing Alls leame that the party e capture |" be Whole moh of « were rushing in upon Hans, he wee dm Wo (he Unectey ul Hereus —_—--— neclves forward by Mapp ' % CHAPTER X eat Ik IA AP wh Wad tia (Comtamuad.) ' instant Mane 4 1 ! F The Rehearsal. from the centre of ve ry, nme LOOKED at ber and ehe Ay 4 ma fn ve T found looked at me ‘Thon f took ytierward, th iiture had f the do arvellod piatol tone te nub nose, while > out of my pocket and BAVe Ygreadtul companions ving 1 it to her other portion ne ' “It ls Joaded and on the hat | maid. fa ' ta Bho nodded and hid it in her dress 1 morsel. Hana 5 ! and PF beneath her apron, Then without goreamed, and | rus h more words we kissd and parted, for causing: thom to vl ate A 7? both of us feured to prolong Wat ping choud that presently 1 eo this way and t W " Followed by Hans 1 clinbed the tiey jad all kone. and (ie Mottentot barren bili whose crest was white with bones. An wo went J explained to Hans @ plan | had Then, at the summit, we wens through a very eri MOM LING, Proceeding to the f the arens and 1 were lef “That is #O yed wel mod. jood! baas.” he answered, “and I with two cuts in my nose lay my finger, and bites at my in which mire ae | like space, 1 lifted the gun and AP* geag where wa the rt Look st 4 peared to dash out Hanes brains with my nose. G Played well! Yt is Ite butt, He fell upon his back and ii \verdoinde — aasvogela that Kicked about a little and lay ate a ont baos, if you had would not , One ThOre Hue | This finished act 1. Act 2 was that, ¢ brute of a Zulu ¢ from my victita yon the edge of forty y » infin reel und smeit them you that it was good, Si ond and 1, who have two hould have had four.” Never mind, Hans," 1 only a serateh, and | will make you @ present of gome new trousers, A he for yot, Come to the ering ike a ecutioner, [ retired and hid myself in a plateau ata © arch of blue do a speck no dust. ‘The there far above me 1 larger than a mote ¢ Vogel on wateh v is tobu bush; let Mt of so we went, and When Hans was a the range of man's vision bad seen ji coinpoxed 4 tokd him all that L the deed, and, by sinking downwards oy Cuverved about the habits of the signaled it to his companions that ee oes iu the uli, and he told me were quartering the sky for Atty eee id observed about their miles round, for these birds prey UY | ig on the ground, which, ax T Down he down, and long before he had cached the neighborhood of earth gether specks appeared in the distant ame tight not shoot them sitting, did not interest ine, Still, he agreed with me that the right moment to tire would be just before they pounced ue. Now he was not more than Whilst we were # talking we pur or five hundred yards above mo) 00.4 4. und of slouts, and ivoking nd began to wheel, floating round 1a. the brow of the iili that faced Pthe place upon his wide wings, 4nd toward Uingungundhlovu we saw a @inking ux he wheeled. So he sank softly and slowly until he was about 60 feet above Hans. Then suddenly Paused, hung quite steady for a few seconds, shut his wings and fell like a bolt, only opening them again t before he reached the earth. Here he settied, tilting forward in at odd way which vultures hay nd scrambling a fow awkward paces nti he gained his balance. ‘Then he melancholy sight. Being driven up the slope toward us by tloners and a guard of seven or elght soldiers, their hands tled bebind the backs, were three men, one very old one, one of bout fifty years of age, and one a lad, who did not look more than eighteen, As I soon heard, they were of a single famly, the grand- futher, the father, and the eldest who had been seized apon some ridies into immobility, gazing With 42 uious charge of Witchcraft, but really I, stony glare at the prostrate jy order that th king might take who lay within about fifteen their cattle tt of him. Scarcely was this aas- Maving been tried and condemned 1 down, when others, summoned by the Nyangas, or witeh-doctors, p the depths of the sky, did us he these poor wretches were now doomed Heed done. They appeared, they sank, to die. Indeed, not content with thus hey. wheeled, always from east to destroying the heads of the tribe, , the way the sun travels. They present and to come, for three gen- three execu. overed for a few seconds, then fet erations, all their descendants and ke stones, pitched on to their beaks, collaterals had already been wiped overed themselves, waddled for- out by Dingaan, so that he might as sole heir to the family cuttle wore the dreadful cruelties Zululand in those rd into linc, ns. Soon there wus a great ring them about him, all immovable, ail ing, all waiting for something. Presently that something appeared, Mm the shape of an aasvogel which was nearly twice as big us any of the others. This was what the Boers and the natives call the “king vultur one of which goes with very flock, f it t@ who rules the roost and also the i carcass, which without his presence end permission none dare to attack. Lj Whether this vile fowl is of a differ- ent species from the others, or Dinga hethér he is a bird of more vigorous who w wth and constitution that has out- * and sat gazing at po such that happened in days. CHAPTER XI. The Play HED execution over, I was called forward to where Dingaao and his chiefs sat waiting for the the king had ordained. n called to the lad Halstead, with him, aud id oh, Tho-mas kK your bre spectacle er own the rest and thus become their Macumagitin, ne is ready to try erlord, is more than I can tell, At to choot the vultures. If not, as 1 t it 1s certain, as I cau testify wish to be fair, 1 will give him a om a long and constant observation, t almost every fock of vultures its king. When this particular royalty had ived, the other aasvogels, of which little more time to make his magic medicine.’ L replied sulkily that I was us ready as I was ever likely to be, The moment, that dreadful moment haps there were now fifty or sixty of trial, had como at list; and oh! thered round Hans, began to show the suspense of the waiting was hard of interested animation, They to bear, It seemed an age before the oked at the king bird, they looked first speck, that 1 knew to be a vul- Hans, stretching out their naked tuye, appeared thousi «i: of feet above d necks and winking their brilliant me and began to cescend in wide es, 1, however, did not pay partics circles, r attention to those upon the earth, “Oh, buae,” said poor Hans, “this is ing amply occupied in watehing worse than shooting at the gee: their fellows in the air, the Groote Kloof, Then you With delight 1 observed that the oniy lose your horse, but now vulture 43 @ very conservative crea- “Be silent," 1b hiv “and give me ure, They all did what doubtless the rifle.” they have done since the days of The vulture wh eled and sank, sank jam or earlier—wheeled, and then and wheeled. 1 need toward the ng that little space of time before Boers and saw they were all of them '¥ dropped to the ground like lead. on their knees. I 7innced toward the ‘would be the moment at Zulus and saw that trey were waton- ein could for to them ent. Then t fixed my eyes upon the bird watehed any in Was a new Its lust cirete was accomplished. Before it pouneed it hung on wide, itstreched wings, ow the others had ne, its head toward me, 1 drew ath, lifted the rifle, got t dead won its breast, and i the hair-trigger, As the chatge exploded usvogel sive a kind of b, Next it 1 heard a clap, and a ‘ of joy went through me, for T thought that the builet had found {ts tAllet, But alas! it was not so, The clap was that of the air din- urbed by the passing of the ball and the striking this alr against the sti feathers of the wings, Any one who has shot at birds on the wing With @ Dullet will be acquainted with the sound. Instead of falling the vulture recovered itself. Not know- ing the meaning of this unaccustom- ed noise, it dropped quietly to earth and sat down near the bodies, piteh- ing forward in the natural way and running a few paces, as the others had d that after Lvidently Was quite unhurt, "Missed!" gasped Hans as he grasped the rifle to load It. By now other vultures w Being desperately ¢ axlous to get the thing over one way or another, at the proper monient 1 took the first of them, Again I covered it dead ind pressed. Again as the gun ex- ploded I suw that backward lureh of the bird, and heard the clip of the Vit Upon ite wings. ‘Then--oh horror! this aasvogel turned quictiy, and began to mount the ladder of the sky in the same fashion as it had deseend- ed. | had missed once more. Hans began to whisper to me. “Baas,” he said, “those aasvogels see the flash of the gun and shy at It like a horse, Bass, you are shooting their faces, for they all hang their beaks toward you before they drop. You must get behind them and fire into backs, for even an ausvogel cannot see with its back." l fall my hands and stared at him, Surely the poor fellow had been 4 ired from on high! L understood it all now. While thelr beaks were towards me I might fire at fifty vul- a deep for saw the kward twist, oud ppear- tnto tures and never hit one, for each tlie they would swerve from the flash, causing the bullet to miss them, though but by @ little, “Come,” [ gasped and began to walk quickly round the edge of the depression to a rock which | saw op- posite about a hundred yards away. Snatching the rifle from Hans, I loaded it myself; nothing must be trusted to another, As I put on the vulture nade its last cirele, It hung in the air just as the other had done, and, oh! its tail was towards me, I lifted, I aimed between the kathered-up legs, 1 pressed and shut ny eyes, for L did not dare to look J heard the bullet strike, or seem to strike, and a few seconds later I heard something else-the nolse of a heavy thud upon the ground, I looked and there with outstretched wings lay the foul bird dead, stone dead, eight or ten paces from the bodies, Mlemachte! that's better," said Hans, The Zulus grew excited and the odds cap thelr white and laugh, “Hans, load the rif_e, toad ft J} saw them out of the quick. Kefore they die there shall be corner of my eye as 1 i 1 again, another king In Zululand Another vultur its companions on the @ somewhat unnatural @ hapa it thought that t Ing to fear, 1 leaned k, wimed and fired, alm sure was L of the i did not shut my watched to what happen The bullet struck the its thighs, raked it fr and down it came like a upon the top of its fellow “Good, good!" suid guttural chuckio delight ba. make no mistake third, Gull shall be weil) Yes," 1 answered; “it mistake with the third.” 1 loaded the rifte being very powder well and to se Moreover, I cloared the into It, so ay to of @ miss-tire 1 waited ng the Boers or the not hnow. In th fates L never looked, upon my own part in ybv Late Suen 1 set What 4 lust er By now the vultures Was in progress, which danger to them. At though hy In hundreds from east, w and south, Wenn y heavens above in tu circles, none of thei to descend to prey upon the 1 watched, number was that great he was so others, much The king began to dé probably to spy out he came in ever-narrowing turns, tl! nted spot for th ording to the ime indy, while before he pounced with b to the south and his great, spr he reached the plunge, and, ac orial custom of pp tall toward me This was my cnar in having so large sight upon him and pulled thudded, some feathers ft his belly, showing that home, and I looked to srr the others had done, But not fall. eirel which narrow, till he appeared almost straight into the stared and stared tll that enormous bird b mere blot upon the blue, but a speck, Then it var gether into regions far sight of man Hans "Ja, baas, between his chattering t there powder, dead." ehoot them, when forfour or ing @a I think, they had never oni down @ Uttle, The Boers “Not quite,” 1 said with » byt came; seeing one of kround, could bey bird between ne almost Hans with w “Now, and ‘als sail racht kommen’ make no inyselt, careful to ram down the again bullet that fitted perfectly true to the by with a thorn, and shook a litle tne powder chances lve on the cap as far as it was wing Loo sntent appeared have realized that something unusual any this time they had Vast, majesi eemed and saw that among their bird which had bitten Hans in the face, it was easy to distinguish him, because larger end he lar deputed Down hung a ve, and, rejc a mark, | go The bullet from gone n fall as he did rocked For a faw seconds to and fro upon his great wings, then commenced to travel upwards grew gradual tol n vast 2 flying 41 empyrean, 1 Everybody sta , first a tne and at length is an end,” [ said answered the Hottentot “there the is an end, You did not put in enough Presently we shall 1, good!" he exclaimed as he TN Jonded desperately, “Let us take that + Er far pig of Dingaan with us, Bhoot vim in the mach, baas; shoot him NY in the ach, #o that he too may Jearn what It is to die slowly en TMS Cur iny throat, here is my big: knife, but and atterwa ur own, If you not t J the gun again and shoot yourself, which t# ease Ws cut y have ne to lot L nodded, for it was in my mind to do these things er could [ stand Hill and see those poor Boers killed, and T Knew that Marie would look nerselt, Meanwhile, the Zul the were coming toward ine, and the soldiers who had charge of them were driving up rais's people, making pretense to thrust them through with thelr ase egals, and shouting at then as men do at cattle, Well, little Son of Geor puffed lost your bet, for you did but k vultures out of with your magic, which was od wont, but not good ow enough. Now you must p st I have paid had you won." nohe str “out his hand and issued the dreadful order of “Bulata amajongu!” KIL the white peop to “KUL them one by one, that | may see whether know to die, all except Macuimazatin and the tall girk” Dingaan, “you have Hotw out they how Some of th and seize a dash who soldiers made the Vrouw Prinsioo, hurth, was standing in front of the purty ne Wait a little, King,” she calied out ® the assogais were lifted over he 19 Ca'® “How do you know that the bet is bodies. joxt? He whom you call Macuma- yo hit that last vulture, It should be searched for before you kill us.” “What does the old woman say?” asked Dingaan, and Halstead trans- the jated slowly. “True, said Dingaan. “Well, now I will send her to search for the vul ture in the sky. Come back thence, Mat One, and tell us if you find It.” The soldiers lifted their assegais, ne waiting the King's word, I pretended to look at the ground, and cocked my ‘Trifle, being determined tat if he 1N8 spoke it, it should be his last. Hans 4 upward- 10M sight of dea 1 suppose to avold the then suddenly uttered 4 Wild yell, which caused every one, even the doomed people, to turn their eyes to him. He waa pointing to the heavens, and they looked to see at what he pointed This Was what they saw. Far, far above in that infinite sea of blue the appeared 4 tiny speck, which his arp sight had already discerned, a ok that grew larger and larger as terrific descended growing sp with 1. It was the king vi nd ever Ming from heavens: ad! Down it came between the Vrouw Ht Prinsioo and the slayers, smashing the the lifted sexal of one of them and huriio him to the earth, Down it to cane, and lay there a mere muss of pulp and feathers “O Dingaan." | waid i midat of intense silence that followed, “it seems that tt is 1 who have won the be bet, not you. I killed this king of birds, but being a king it chose to die high up and alone, that ts all” “ ; B ee ro. . ne «By Robert Minor stirs countit mvt i Tet CVG WMD Dingaan hesitated, for he did not wish to spare the Hoers, and I, not ing his hesitation, lifted my rifle « Httle, Perhaps he saw it, or perhaps his Kenge of honor, as he understood the word, overcame bis wish for their blood, At any rate, he aaid to one of his councillors “Search the care and sce if there Is The man yed, mane of brok good fortune ss of that vulture bullet hole tn it.” feeling at th A bones and flesh, Hy he found, not the hole, in th eral de tissues, but the ball having plerced the thick from below for that was lost struction of the itmelf, which body upwards, had re 4 fast in the tough skin just by kbone where the long, red neck erges from between the wings. He picked it out, for it was only hanging in the akin, and held it up for all to ee “Macumazahn has won his) bet said Dingaan, “His magic has © quered, though by but a very little Macumazahn, take these Boers, they are yours, and begone with them out of my country.” CHAPTER X11. Retief Asks a Favor. HUS it came about that by the help of Providence 1 y was enabled to rescue all these worthy folks from miserable and bloody death, We = forth on our Journey and in time renohed @ river bank where we met a Dutch caravan, headed by P ‘tetlef, who was on his way to Dingaan's Kraal upon a diplomat mission, With him was Pereira, whom he had met by chance An Pereira’s eyes fell on me, I do not think I saw a man's face change more completely. His Jaw dropped, the color left his cheeks, leaving them of the yellow whjch ts common to persons of Portugues descent; his outstretched hand fell to ever hin side. “Allan Quatermain!" he ejaculated, Why, [thought that you were dead.” As I should Mynheer Pereira, twice over if you could have had your way,” I replied “What do you mean, Allan?” broke in Retief, and { told him our story. have been, Allemachte!” said Retief when I had fifished, “this ls a strange story, the strangest that ever heard If tt ia true, Hernan Pereira, you deserve to have your back set against a tree and to be shot.’ Florcely Pereira dented his guilt, swearing by heaven that he was inno- cent. And at the last Retief parsed Judgment “Hernan Pereira,” said Retief, rub- bing bis broad forehead, “L don't quite Know why it is, but n9 one seems to want you 4§ a companion. Indeed, to speak truth, Todi myself, still, 1 think you would be safer with me than with these others whom you em to have offended. Therefore I that you come on with us. b he man," he added sternly, “iff find you pl us among the Zulus, that hie are dead. Do you understand” On the morrow of this meeting we forded the Tugela and entered the territory that is now called Natal. Later I beard that Retief, serifying x you The Evening World Daily Magazine. Thursday: March 25. 1915 Fish and Fowl. 090000004 BROADWAY , ' CHAPTER NUN The Council ETHOY wee going axein t ' ‘ ‘ ‘ " Adi wut § res pieds Marie show me of . tor our wed and be t We asked ; fe oa «reer oe + wedding day dawned, and the Je vamp Rocked war J a soft wh J trust, ‘They daraied and 1 Good mornin broke into @ roar except: Vrouw Prinatoo, sclalmed Jany one ever see such @ te 1 Marie amiled Het HKetief appeared trom “ Jressed in tall boots and eh riding clot auch as the aye Handin, vrrying to one after much fumbling he prayer book from his nh which the place was A piece of eranm. and young woman,’ he began, “wugt are your names” willy queations, coms mandant,” broke in Vrouw Prinatoa; “you know thelr names well enough.” ‘Of course [ do, aunt," he answered; “but for this purpose T must pretend not to know them, Are you better ac- quainted with the law than Tam? Hut stay, where is the futher, Henrt Marais Some one thrust Marais forward, and there he stood quite silent, staring at nn those of bin a produce narked by “Young man ‘Don't ask us With @ queer look upon bin fac nd hia gun in bis hand, for he, too, was ready to ride “Take away that gun,” sald Retlet; “it might go off and cause disturb- nee or perhaps accidents,” and some- body ob ow, Henri Marats, you give your daughter to be mar- ried to this man?” No," said Marais softly Very well, that is just but it doe matter, for like she you, is of age and can give hereelf. Is she not of age, Henrl Marais? Don't stand there like a horse with the staggers, but tell me; is #he not of age?” I believe so," he anawered in the same soft volee. Then take notice, people all, that this woman is of age, and gives her- cif to be married to this man, don't you, my dear?” “Yen,” answered Marte, All right, now for it," and, open- Ing the book, he held it up to the light, and began to read, or, rather, ty stumble, through the marriage At last it was finished; and an and wife. a Retief, wiping his brow with the sleeve of his coat, "you are the lant couple that ever I mean to we were marry. The work is too hard for a layman who has bad sight for print, Now kiss € b other; it is the right thing to do. So we kissed and the congregation cheered, “Allan,” went on the commandant, pulling out a silver watch like @ ture nip, “you have just half an hour be- fore we ride, and the Vrouw Prinsloo says that she has made you a wed- ding meal in that tent there, so you had best go eat it” To the tent we went accordingly, to find a simple but bounteous feast pre- pared, of which we partook, helping h other to food, is, OF was, the custom with new wedded folk. Also, many Boers came in and drank our healths, But Henri Marais did not ome or drink our healths. half-hour went all too nd not a word did we got alone, At last in despair, seeing that Hans was already waiting with the horses, | drew Marie aside, motioning to every one to stand back, “Dearest wife,” I said tn broken “this is a strange beginning married life, but you see it "tbe he ‘0, Allan, Thus the swiftly, words, she answered, “it can't be helped; but oh! I wish my heart were happler about your journey I fear Dingaan, and if anything should chance to you f shall die of grief. Why = should Marie? We ned party, and anything chance, @ strong and weil Dingaan looks on us peacefu | don't know, husband, but they iy Hernan Pereira is with the Zulus, and he hates you." “Then he had better mind his man- ners or he will not be here long to hate anybody,” | answered grimly, for my gorgp rose at the thought of thie man hie treacheries, { BUCCANEERS By HOWARD FITZALAN Vrouw Prins wot sond yeu - a . . ot Mave 4 » “ Aud a © A , eur 6 goed head on » wd will @ . st t ‘ yous why y Ww ave any message te ant ques, Look! They are You must go. Come om, © (hem off to where the commin fathered on horseback, Just ¥ Wetiet addres the peor or, rather, the laét of bie ride Friends.” he said “we mo upon es Inportant business from whieh g hape we shall return happily within & very wide oi) thie ise rough ‘ry, and we have to deal with vie, Therefore my adviee of you who atay behind ie that you should not seattor, but keep tex gother any trouble (he men who are left may be at hand to defend thin camp, For if they are here y have hing to fear from ail the savages in Africa, And now God be with you, and goodby, Come, trek, brothers, trek!” that in cane ¢ Then followed a few moments of confusion while men kissed their wiv children and sistere in fare. well, of shook each other by the hand 1, too, kissed Marie, and, tumbling on to my horse somehow, rode away, my eyes blind with tears, for (this parting was bitter, @he looked back at the camp, which was now at some distan It seemed ® peaceful place indeed, for although the storm of the morning was return- ing and @ pall of dark cloud bung over it, the sun still shone upon the white wagon caps and the people who went to and fro among them, = / Who could have thought that within « little time it would be but & feld of blood, that those wagons would be riddied with assegais, and that the women and children who were moving there must most of them lle upon the veld mutilated corpses dreadful to behold? Alas! the Boers, always impatient of authority and confident that thelr own individual Judgment was the best, did not obey their commandmant’s order to keep together. They went off this way and that, to shoot game which was then #o plentiful, leaving their fam- ‘lies almost without protection. Thus the Zulus found and slew them, CHAPTER XIV. The Treaty. UR journey to Dingaaa at Umgungundblovu wae prosperous and without in- eldent, There the preliminary steps of our treaty were arranged With no great difficulty, One of the first people to greet me was Pereira, who was @ nelf-invited guest at the camp of the Zulu king. Dingaan ha@ Just warned me, as a fine joke, thas “Two Faces" (aa he called Pereira) was forever begging him to find @ way to put me to death, “Good day to you, Allan,” eald Poreira, effusively, ae we met. “Z ave just heard from my uncle that I have to congratulate you, about Marie I mean, and, believe me, I do so with all my heart.” Now, as he spoke these words, ree membering what I had just beard, my blood boiled in me, but I thought it wie to control myself, and theres fore only answered: “Thank you." “Of course,” he went on, “we have both striven for this prize, but aa have won it, why, I am not one bear matte: 1 am glad to hear it,” I replied. “1 thought that perhaps you might be, Now tell me, to change the subject, how long will Dingaan keep us here?” "Oh! two or three days at most You see, Allan, luckily I have been able to persuade him to sign the treaty about the land without further trouble. So as soon as that is done you can ail go home. “The commandant grateful to you," I are you going to do “1 do not know, Allan, You see, I am not a lucky fellow like yourself with a wife waiting for me. I see a way of making a great deal of money out of these Zuius; and hav- ing lost everything upon that Delagoa Bay trek, | want money,” “We all do," I answered, “espect- ally if we are starting tn life, So when \t 1s Convenient to you to settle your debts I shall be glad.” “Oh! I have no fear,” he exclaimed with a sudden lighting up of his dark. face, “I will pay you what I owe you, every farthing, with good Interest thrown tn," “The king has just told me that te your intention,” I remarked quietly, looking him fm the eyes. ‘ q. ContinnédQ will be very id, “But what |