The Golden Argosy: Tom Gale's Ride — page 15: what you’re looking at

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542 gling, until several of the Katendis came up and secured the zebra. ‘* Meanwhile Griswold had succeeded in capturing a second zebra, getting his lasso over its head, and nearly strangling. the poor creature betore it could be released. A third had been killed by the spears of but Carter’s efforts had the Katendis, proved ineffectual. ‘<¢T eouldn’t do anything with that heavy ‘The zebras got out of range while I was getting ready to throw it. I wouldn’t take either of your rifles,’ he added, as Dick expressed his willingness to surrender the weapon he had so long carried; ‘but I wish we could manage to get hold of spear,’ he said. two or three more guns.’ ‘‘Dick told him of the one that the Katendis treasured up as a fetish, which might perhaps prove of service to the trav- elers, if they could get possession of it. ‘‘While the zebra hunt had been in progress the native army had marched for- ward, only leaving about a hundred war- riors to take part in the chase. They were a part of Angol’s followers, and the chief- tain himself was among them. ‘““The two captured zebras were pre- sented by Dick and Griswold to Angol, who accepted them with evident delight. The day was now far advanced, and at the Katendi chief's suggestion it was decided to camp for the night on the scene of the hunt; on the morrow, he added, by start- ing early, they could reach his village, the principal one of those belonging to the tribe, before nightfall. ‘A quantity of brushwood was gathered and heaped together, and as the sun went down a roaring camp fire was started. At this the flesh of the slain zebra was roasted. Some of it was presented to the white men, who found it coarse and unpalatable, though the natives ate it eagerly, and, of eourse, in the good old style which pre- were invented. **Bnt roast zebra was not the only food _ proeurable. Some of the hunters had upo shes grag ee and killed it with s, and its flesh proved to be far erior to the zebra’s, to the travelers’ e. Atany rate they managed to make le but hearty meal, and then, stretched ground, they fell into the deep Hh ; seg Gla =e ima oe . **As the first rays of the sun crept over the hills to the eastward, they were aroused by Jingo, and found that the natives were ng to resume their journey. And , with brief intervals, the march eadily continued. 1e country through which the trav- elers were now passing was as beautiful as iry land, The river, constantly increasing in size as brooks flowed from the mountains to join it, wound through a level valley of about a mile in width, and evidently of great fertility. On either side rose wooded slopes, crowned with bare granite peaks that towered upward in places to a height of several thousand feet. ‘‘Tt was not until the middle of the af- ternoon that the tr.velers saw any sign of human babitation, and they thought it strange that such a desirable piece of coun- try should be without tenants, while in other parts of Africa teeming tribes were strugs ing for the possession of sandy tracts of desert. And the few villages which they did at Jength see were built, not in the level and fertile valley, but high on the mountain slopes, in rocky and uncultivated spots. “Jingo was instructed to ask Angol why the Ketendis did not descend from these inaccessible dwellings and occupy the plain below. In reply to his questions, the travelers learned that the existence of the tribe was not a peaceful or a prosperous one. ‘‘The Inganis were not their only ene- mies. The Katendis wefe hemmed in be- tween them on the south, and the powerful and warlike tribe of the Kabangos on the north. Bengula, the fierce despot who ruled over the Kabangos, hated the Ka- tendis, and made constant raids upon their territory. He had a special grudge ainst Angol, the Katendi chief went on, whose father had slain the predecessor of Bengula, and the Kabango monarch had sworn to be revenged sooner or later. ‘*It was for security against their unre- lenting foes that the Katendis had perched their dwellings among the mountain fast- nesses, driving their cattle down into the valley by day only. ‘‘Angol was evidently disquieted as he talked on this subject. A guard was al- ways left to defend his village, he said, in case of sudden attack, but on this occasion every man of fighting age had been sum- S “a THE GOLDEN ARGOSY. ———- moned to join the expedition against the Inganis, and none except the boys and old men left behind to protect the village. “The old chief seemed to have a pre- sentiment that some disaster had occurred during his absence; and the feeling was soon and startlingly verified. CHAPTER XXXtI. A SAVAGE CONFLICT. ; HE white men and the native war- ri riors who accompanied them did not make a halt at any of the Katendi settlements, but pushed onward as rapidly as possible toward Angol’s village. ‘*To reach this, it was necessary to pass through a long and deep defile, where the valley narrowed, and lofty granite cliffs rose on either side of the river. The ravine was wide enough, however, to offer no ob- stacle to the travelers’ progress, and the Katendis hud constructed a tolerably good road along it. ‘‘About half the length of this narrow defile had been traversed, when a native appeared coming along the road in the op- posite direction, and running at the top of his speed. As soon as he saw the return- ing hunters, he began to shout and wave his arms excitedly, still running onward. ‘‘Neither Jingo por any of the nativos could understand the meaning of his cries and signals, till he reached them, breath- less and panting. Then followed a hurried colloquy between Angol and the new ar- rival. The tidings he brought were evi- dently disastrous, for they evoked shouts of dismay and rage from the warriors who crowded around him. ‘* Jingo interpreted as much as he could make out of the confused snd broken words. of the messenger. ‘It appeared that when the army of the Katendis returned from the abandoned ex- pedition against the Inganis, those warriors who dwelt in the villages by which the travelers had already passed, had left their comrades and returned home; while the main body, who belonged to Angol’s village and the country around it, had marched on- ward through the ravine. ‘had passed beyond this, and were | the village in question, when tte “warrio whom they recognized their enemies the Kabangos. Surprised and out- numbered, the Katendis were soon worsted in the sharp fighting that ensued ; many of them were killed, and the rest had fled back to the ravine. ‘At the lower end of the defile they had rallied, and were now, assisted by the natural advantages of their position, hold- ing it against the Kabangos, The mes- senger had been despatched in hot haste to summon the assistance of the Katendis who lived further up the valley ; and when he had given a brief account of the situation to Angol and his companions he hurried on- ward to accomplish his mission. ‘‘This was terrible news indeed to the Katendis. ‘Their enemies had penetrated into the heart of their country, and although Angol could not be certain as to the fate of his village there could be but little doubt that it had been captured and razed to the ground. ‘*He urged his followers onward with frantic eagerness, and the whole party pushed on at their best speed, the white men having abandoned their litters to march on foot. They had gone a very short distance further when the sounds of battle began to reach their ears. ‘A fierce struggle was in progress at the mouth of the ravine, where it suddenly opened out into the broad and level plain beyond. As they drew near to the scene of hostilities, the natives rnshed forward with loud shouts to join in the defense against the invaders, and even the white travelers could not help sharing their eagerness in a measure. ‘The situation was an exciting one, The Katendis had recovered from the surprise of the first attack, and were making a stout resistance. They had thrown a rongh barricade of tree trunks across the mouth of the ravine, and behind this they stood in close order, steadily maintaining their position ainst the Kabangos, who were striving desperately to break through the obstacle. Others of the defenders had climbed the rocks on either side, and were rolling down stones and boulders upon the assailants, every time they charged against the barricade. ‘‘The Kabangos possessed a few old- fashioned flintlock muskets, but the guns were so poor and their marksmanship so defective that they had cast the fire-arms aside, and were relying upon their short | for another job, spears, which were deadly weapons in hand to hand fighting. In spite of heavy losses they were pressing on so recklessly, and in such superior numbers, that the Katendis began to waver. ‘Just as the travelers came upon the scene, two or three of the Kabangos suc- ceeded in climbing the barricade, and from it they sprang down among the Katendis. Their ranks wavered, and it seemed as if they must be conquered, for their enemies began to swarm over the defenses at the same point. ‘¢The situation was a critical one for the white men too. They could not hope to escape or be spured in case the fierce Kabangos succeeded in overcoming their poo allies. Both policy and inclination ed them to aid the defenders to the utmost of their powers. ‘*Dick Broadhead rushed to the spot where the attackers had surmounted the barricade. He fired his rifle once, and then rushed into the thick of the fight, where fire-arms were of little use, with a short assegai which he took from a fallen warrior. ‘‘ Griswold, Carter, and Norman Vincent were with him, and the relief they brought proved timely. The rifle shot, and the sudden appearance of the four whites, took the Kabangos by surprise, and created almost a panic among them, while it cheered and encouraged the Katendis. ‘*The bold assailants who had _ sur- mounted the barricade were now attacked on every side, and most of them were mown down, while the others escaped only by scrambling over the tree trunks again. Among these Dick Broadhead especially noticed a young warrior apparently of about sixteen years, whose richly decorated dress and arms showed that he mest be the son of some great chief among the Kaban- gos. He had been prominent among the assailants of the barricade, but at the sud- den onslaught of the white men his courage failed him and he retreated hastily. ‘The young Kabango must have ob- served Dick, too, as the result proved. ‘*The imminent danger to the defend- ers was now over, for the moment at least, and the vigor of the attack diminished. In 1g0Os. rew to a little distance | from the barricade. They had not aban- doned the strugyle, for they kept in close order, with their faces to the Katendis, who were too much exhausted to attempt pursuit. ‘“Were the attackers gathering them- selves together for a final charge, or what new move did they intend? The matter was not long in doubt. ‘*A Kabango stepped forward from the ranks, holding up his unarmed hands as a sign of truce. When midway between the two armies, he shouted some words aloud in the Katendi dialect, which caused aston- ishment among the defenders. Jingo translated them thus: ‘**Khama, son of Bengula, the king of the Kabangos, will fight in single combat the young white chieftain who is among the Katendis. If he slays him, then shall the Katendis be the servants of the Ka- bangos; but if Khama is slain, then shall the Kabangos serve the Katendis.’ The meaning of this was clear: the youthful leader of the Kabangos, whom Dick had already encountered, challenged him to asingle combat, on which the issue of the struggle was to depend! (To be continued \ ur newsdealer for THE GOLDEN AR- e can get you any number youmay want. ae see IT AMUSES THE KING. THE people of Bavaria are peculiarly unfor- tunate with their kings. Everybody has heard of the wild extravagance and un- seemly eccentricities of the late Ludwig, who capped the climax of his odd career by com- mitting suicide; but he was a mild lunatic compared with his suecessor, Otto, The latter is wholly mad, and is kept in close confinement, where peasant shooting is his favorite amusement. But the Sun as- sures us that no peasants are killed, althoug his = ang fancies that he has brought ieee several, he way they manage the royal sport is very simple. A fine hunting rifle is handed to the king, and he immediately places himself in one of the windows of his castle. The rifle is loaded with a blank cartridge. A man is hired to post himself in a thieket and to emerge from it at a given signal. Immedi- ately on his appearance a royal bead is rawn upon him. The king fires, the man alls, and the servants put him upon a stretcher and carry him off, while his maj- esty rubs his hands indelight. The peasant receives his pay, and puts in his application Te JX Ask GOSY. (elo. lience to orders from their leaders, the | JULY 23, 1887. SUMMER NOON. BY CLINTON SCOLLARD. THE air is fullof soothing sounds. ‘The bee, Within the waxen lily’s honeyed cells, In monotone of mellow measure tells His yet unsated joyance; drowsily The swallows spill their liquid melody As down the sky they drop, and faintly swells ‘The tremulous tinkle of the far sheep bells, While wind-harps sigh in every crowned tree. Beneath the beechen shade the reapers lie, Upon their lips a merry harvest tune ; Knee-deep within a neighboring stream the kine : Stand blioking idly in the clear sunshine ; And like a dream of olden Arcady Seems the sweet languor of the summer noon. ——_——-- 0 @ —-—___ [This story commenced in No. 239.] THE HAUNTED ENGINE ; JACK MARVIN’S RUN. By EDWARD 8S. ELLIS, Author of “The Great River Series.” ‘‘Luog Cabin Se- ries,’ ‘** Deerfoot Series,”’ etc,, ete. CHAPTER X, JACK MARVIN'S RUN. I am quite sure you have suspected the explanation of the supposed appearance of His Satanic Majesty on Forty-Nine. You remember that Jack Marvin had ridden to Calumet, for the purpose of buy- ing some presents for Christmas, which was the following day. Among these pur- chases was one of the most hideous false faces you ever saw. Almost any one of these monstrosities is enough to scare a timid person out of his wits, and the one bought by Jack, with its horrible features, its inky color and the scarlet rings around the eyes, was so repul- sive that his father was on the point of flinging it out of the car window. He con- sented, however, that the boy might keep it, under his promise that he wouid not wear it on the street. Well, after Jack was tucked away in the box on top of which his father sat, he found himself so cramped among the play- things and his father’s overcoat and the cotton waste, that he could not sleep. Nevertheless he'found his quarters so warm that he decided to stay where he was, at any rate, as long as he could bear it. There was just enough air coming through the opening near his head to pre- vent the confinement from being uncom- fortable. Jack was wide awake when his father clambered over the tender to warn the treasure guards of their danger, but hs supposed he was merely raking down the coal, so as to have it more convenient to shovel into the furnace. = fe When the whistle sounded he knew it meant danger, though he was far from sus- pecting its nature. He was on the point of forcing his way out of the box, when he heard the gruff voices of the two outlaws who had entered the cab. The words uttered by them, together with some of the exclamations of the others, told Jack, young as he was, the nature of the peri], and he concluded that the best thing to do was to stay where he was, Of course he heard what his father said, and the fact that his parent made no refer- ence to him, convinced the youngster that Re “hig doing precisely what he wished him o do. With his ears wide open, he kept the run of incidents. He knew that two men were guarding the engine and that no one else was near him. All at once came the thought of the false face at bis elbow. Why could he not seare away these fellows and give the rest such a fright that he could run Forty-Nine into Rapidan? With a recklessness that perhaps was not strange in one of his years, he re- solved to make the effort Removing his cap, he slipped the elastic mask over the crown of his head to his ears Then the false face was in position, He gently raised the lid of the box. The men were looking back toward the ex ress car. Forty-Nine had ceased for a few minutes to blow off steam, and he expected he would be heard. But as noiselessly as possible he stepped out, softly let down the lid of the box and sat onit, Then turning his dreadful countenance toward the two men, he chuckled. They looked lie gat Ms be shoved the reversing rod o the first fo dh rward notch and let on Jack had no.thought that the engi disconnected from the train, and apse much astonished as any one when it leaped so suddenly away from the cars, He wag Gboo Af