Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 March 1889 — KING SOLOMON’S MINES. [ARTICLE]

KING SOLOMON’S MINES.

BY H. RIDER HAGGARD, CHAPTER XIII. •* THK ATTACK. Slowly, and withttfit the slightest appearance of haste or excitement, the three columns crept on. When within about five hundred yards of us the main or center column halted at the root of a tongue of open plain which ran up into the hill to enable the other two to circumvent our position, which was shaped more or less in the form of a horse-shoe, the two points being toward the town of Loo. their object being, no doubt, that the threefold assaultshould be delivered simultaneously. “Oh,for a Gatling gun! "groaned Good, as he contemplated the serried phalanxes beneath us. A“I would clear the plain in.twentv minutes.”’-;' “We have not got ode, so it is no use yearning for it; but suppose.you try a shot. Quatermain. Sees how near you can go to that tell fellow who appears to be in command. Two to one you miss him, and an even sovereign, to be honestly paid if ever we get out of this, that you don’t drop the ball within ten yards.” wish my Wend walked some ten yards oat from his force, in order to get a better view of our position, accompanied only _,by an orderly, and then, lying downimd resting the express noon a lock, T covered him. The rifle, like all expresses, was onlv sighted to three hundred and fifty vards, so to allow for the drop ib< trajectory I took him half-way down the neck, which ought, I calculated; to find him in the chest. He stood quite still and gave me every opportunity, but whether it was the excitement or the wind, or the fact of the man being a long shot I don’t Know, but this was what happened. Getting dead on. as I thought, a fine sight, I pressed, and whepjthe puff of smoke had cleared away, I, to my disgust saw my man standing unharmed, whilst his orderly, who was at least three paces to the left,"was stretched upon the • ground, apparently dead. Turning swiftly, the officer I had aimed at began to ran toward his force, in evident alarm., / “Bravo, Quatermain!” sung out Good; “you’ve frightened him.”» This made me very angry, for if possible to avoid it, I hate to miss in public. When one can only do one thing well one likes to keep up one’s reputation. Moved quite oat of myself at my failure, I did a rash thing. Rapidly covering the general as he ran, I let drive with a second barrel. The poor man threw np his arms, and fell forward on his face. This time I had made no mistake; and—l say it as a proof of how little we think of others when our pride or reputation is in question—l was brute enough to feel delighted at the sight The regiment wno had seen the feat cheered wildly at this exhibitiqn of the white man’s magic, which they took as an omen of success, while the force to which the general had belonged—which, indeed, a§ we afterward ascertained, he had commanded—began to fall back in cßnfnsion. Sir Henry and Good now took up their rifles, and began to fire, the latter industriously “browing” the dense mass oefore him with a Winchester repeater, and I also had another shot or tiro, with the result that so far as we could judge we put some eight or ten men horse 'de combat before they got out of range. Just as we stopped firing there camp An ominous soar from our far right, then a similar roar from our left. The two oher divisions were engaging us. After the sound the mass of men before us opened out a littfij, and came on toward the hill up the spit of bare grassland at a sjow trot, singing a deepthroated Stiong as they advanced We kept up a steady fire from our rifles as they came, Ignosi joining in occasionally, and accounted for several men, but of course produced no more effect upon that mighty rush of armed humanity than he who throws pebbles does on the advancing wave. On they came, with a shout and dashing of spears; now they were driving in the outposts we had placed among the rocks at the foot of the hill. After that the advance was a little slower, for although as yet we had offered no serious opposition, the attacking force had to come up hill, and came slowly to save their breath. Our first line of defense was about half way up the side, our second fifty yards further back, while our third occupied the edge of the plain. On they came, shonting their warcry, “Twala! Twala! Chiele! Chiele!” (Twala! Twala! Smite! Smite!) “Ignosi! Ignosi! Chiele! Chiele!” answered our people. They were quite close now, and the tollas, or throwing-knives began to flash backward and forward, and now with an awful yell the battle closed in. To and fro swayed the mass of struggling warriors, men falling thick as leaves in an autumn wind; but before lone the superioi weight of the attacking force began to tell, and our first line 1 of defense was slowly pressed back, till it margedpinto the second. Here the straggle was very fierce, but again our people were driven back and up, till at length, within twenty minutes of the fight, our third line came into action. But by this time the assailants were much exhausted, and had besides lost many men killed and wounded, and to break through that third impenetrable hedge of spears proved beyond their power. For awhile the dense mass of struggling warrioreswung backward and forward in the fierce ebß and flow oi battle, and the issue was doubtful. Sir Henry watched the desperate struggle with a kindling eye, and then without a word he rushed off, followed by Good, aad flung himself into the hottest of the fray. As for myself, I stopped where I was. The soldiers caught sight of his tell form as he plunged in the battle, and there rose a cry of—“Nanzia Incuba!” (Here is the Elephant!) “ Chiele! Chiele!” From that moment the issue was no longer in doubt Inch by inch, fighting with desperate gallantry, the attacking ... force was pressed back down the hill's side, till at last it retreated upon its reserves in something like confusion. At that moment, too, a messenger arrived to say that the left attack had been repulsed; and I was just beginning' to congratulate myself that the affair was . over for the present, when, te our horror, we perceived oar men who had been "engaged in the right defenseJ3ng driven toward us across the plain, followed by swarms of the .enemy, who had evidently succeeded at this point who was standing by me, took

in the situation *taglance, and issued a rapid order, instantly the reserve regvmeat round ns (the Grava) extended it86lf. Again Ignosi gave a word of command, which was taken up and repeated by the captains, and in another second, to mv intense disgust. I found myself involved in a funous onslaught upon the advancing foe. Getting as much as I could behind Ignosi’s huge frame, I made the best of a bad job, and toddled along to be killed, as though I liked it. In a minute or two—the time seemed all too short to me—we were plunging through the flying groups of our men, who at once began to reform behind us, and then I am sure I do not know what happened. All X Qan remember is a dreadful rolling noise of the meeting of shields, and the sadden apparition* of a huge ruffian, whose eyes seemed literally to he starting out of his 5 ; head, making straight at my with a bloody spear, But, I Bay it with pride—l rose to the ococcasion. It was an occasion before which most people would have callapsed once„ and for all. Seeing that if 1 stood where I was I mast be done for,-I, as the horrid apparition came, flung myself down in front of him so cleverly, that, berng unable to stop himself, he took a header right over my prostrate form. Before he could rise again, I had risen and settled the matter from behind with my revolver.

Shortly after this, somebody knocked me down, and I remember no more of the charge. When I came to, I found myself back at the koppie, with Good bending over me with some water in a gourd. “How do you feel, old fellow?” he asked, anxiously. I got up and‘shook myAelf' before answering. , ' “Pretty well, thank you,” I answered. ’Thank Heaven! when I saw them carry you in I (eij; quite sick, I thought you were done lc?, ■) “Not this time, my boy. I fancy I only got a rap on the head, which knocked me out of time. How has it ended?" , They are repulsed at every point for the time. The Joss is dreadfully heavy; we have lost quite two thousand killed and wounded, an,d they must have lost three. Look, there’s a sight!” and he pointed to long lines of men advancing by fonts. In the center of, and being borne by each group of four, was a kind of hide tray, of which a Kukuana force always carried a quantity, with a loop for a handlet at each corner. On these trays—and their number seemed endless—lay wounded men, who as they arrived were hastily examined by the medicine men, of whom ten were attached to each regiment. lithe wotlnd was not of a fatal character, the sufferer was taken away and attended to as carefully as circumstances would allow. But if, on the other hand, the wounded man’s condition was hopeless, what followed was very dreadful, though doubtless it was the truest mercy.. One of the doctors, under pretense of carrying out an examination, swiftly opened an artery with a sharp knife, and in a minute or iwo the sufferer expired painlessly. There were many cases that day in which this was done. In fact, it was done ifi most cases when the wound was in the body, for the gash made by the" entry of tne enormously broad spears used by the Kukuanas generally rendered recovery hopeless. In most cases the poor sufferers were already unconscious, and in others the fatal “nick” of the artery was done so swiftly and painlessly that they did not seem to notice it. Still it was a.ghastly sight, and one from which we were glad to escape; indeed, I never remember one Which affected me more tnan seeing those gallant soldiers thus put put out of pain byj the red handed medicine men, except, indeed, on an occasion when, after an attack, I saw a force of Swazis burying their hopelessly wounded alive. Hurrying from this dreadful scene to the further side of the koppie, we found Sir Henry (who still held a bloody bat-tle-axe in his hand), Ignosi, and one or two of the chiefs in deep consultation, d “Thank Heaven,here yop are,Quatermain! I can’t quite make out what Ignosi wants to do. ft seems that, though we ha re beaten off the attack, Twala is now receiving large re-enforce-ments, and is showing a disposition to invest us, with a view of starving us out.”

awkward.” especially as Infadoossays that the water supply has given out.” “My lord, that is so,” said Infadoos; “the spripg cannot supply the wants of so great a multitude, and is failing rapidly. Before night we shall -all be thirsty. Listen, Macumazahn. . Thou art wise, and has doubtless seen many war inithe lands from whence thou earnest—that is if, indeed, they make wars in the stars. Now tell, us, what shall we do? Twala has brought up many fresh men to take the place of those who have fallen. But Twala has learned a lesson: the hawk did not think to find the heron ready; but our beak has pierced his breast; he will not strike at us again. We too are wounded, and he will wa ; t for' us to die; he 'will wind himself round us like a snake around a buck, and fight the fight or ‘sit down.’ ” “I hear you,” I said. “So, Macumazahn, thou seest we have no water here, and but a little food, and we must choose between these three things—to languish like a starving lion in his den, or to strive to break awav toward the north, or”—and here he rose and pointed toward the dense mass of our foes —“to launch ourselves straight at Twala’s throat. Incubu, the great warrier—for to-day he fought like a buffalo in a net, and TwalaV soldier’s went down betore his ax like com before the haii; with these eyes I saw it—lncubu says ‘Charge;’ but the elepnant (Incubu) is ever prone to charge. Now what says Macumazahn, tlie wily old fox, who bas seen much, and loves to bite his enemy from behind? The last word is in Ignosij the king; for it is a king’s fight to speak of war; but let us hear thv voice, 0 Macumazahn! who watches by night, and the voice too of him of the transparent eye.” “What sayestthou, Ignosi?’l asked. “Nay, ray father,” answerpdour quondam servant, who now clad as he wa»dm the full panoply of savage war, looked ■every;inch a warrior king, “do thou peak. iad let me. who am but achild in wisdom inside thee, hearken to thy words,” V V Thus abjured. I, after taking hasty, counsel with Good aDd Sir Henry, de * liverea ray opinion briefly to the "effect that, bi?‘;ng trapped, onr beet chance, especially in view of the failure of onr jester supply, was to initiate an .attack upon Twala’B forces, and then I

recommended that the attack be delivered at once, “before oar wounds grew stiff,” and also before the sight of Twala’s overpowering force cansed the hearts of our soldiers “to wax small like fat beore a fire.” Otherwise, I pointed out, some of the captains might change there minds, and, making peace with Twala, desert to him, or even betray ub into his hands. This expression of opinion seemed, on the whole, to he favorably received; indeed, among the Kukuanas my utterances met with a respect which has never been accorded to them before or sincel But the real decision as to our course laid with Ignosi, who, since he had been recognized as rightful king, could exercise the almost unbounded rights of sovereignty, including, of course, the final decision on matters of generalship, and it was to him that all eyes were now turned. At length, after a pause, daring which he appeared to be thinking deeply, he spoke: “Jncubu, Macumazahn, and Bougwan, brave white men, and my friends; Infadoog, my uncle, Jtnd chiefs: my heart is fixed. I will strike at Twala this day, and set my fortunes on the blow, ay, and my life; my life §,nd you: lives also Listen: thus will I strike. Ye see how the hill curves around like the halfmoon, and how the plains run like a green toward us within the curve?” “We see," I answered. “Good; it is now midday, and the men eat andXJMjft after the toil of battle. When the son has turned and traveled a little way toward the dark, let thy regiment, my uncle, advance with one other down to the green tongue. And it shall be that when Twala sees it he shall hurl his force at it to crush it. But the spot is narrow, and the regiments can come against thee one at a time ODly; so shall they be destroyed one by one, and the eyes of all of Twala’s army shall be fixed upon a struggle the like of which has net been seen by living man. And with thee my uncle shall go Incubu my friend, that when Twala sees his battle-ax flashing in the first rank of the ‘Grays’ his heart may grow faint. And I will come with the second regiment, that which follows thee, so that if ye are destroyed, as it may happen, there may yet be a king left to fight for; and with me shall come Macumazahn the wise.”

“It is well, oh king,” said Infadoos, apparently contemplating the certainty of the complete annihilation of his regiment with perfect calmness. Truly these Kukuanas are a wonderful people. Death has no terrors for them when it is incurred in the course of duty. “And whilst the eyes of the multitude of Twala’s regiments ard fixed on the fight,” went on Ignosi, “behold one third »f the men who are leit alive to us (i. e., about 6,000) shall creep along the right horn of the hill and tell uj on the left flank of Twala’s force, and one third shall creep along the left horn and fall upon Twala’s right flank. And when 1 see that the horns are ready to toss Twala, then will I, with the men who are left to me, charge home in Twala’s face, and if fortune goes with us the day will be ours, and before Night drives her horses from the mountains to the mountains we shall sit in peace at Loo. And now let us eat and make ready; and, Infadoos, do thou prepare, that the plan be carried out; and stay, let my white father Bougwan go with the right horn, that his shining eye may give courage to the men.” The arrangements for attack thus briefly indicated were set in motion with a rapidity that spoke well for the perfection of the Kukuana military system. Within little more than an hour rations had been served out to the men and devoured, the three divisions were formed, the plan of attack explained/ to the leadv ers, and the whole force, wichthe excMotion of a guard left with theWQunded, now numbering about 18,000 menm all, was ready to be put in motron. Presently Good came up and shook hands With Sir Henry and myself. 8 ~Z “Good-bye, you fellows,” he said, “I am off with the right wing according to orders; and so I have come to shake hands in case we should not meet again, you know,” he added significantly. We shook hands in silence, and not without the exhibition/of as much emotion as Englishmen aye wont to show. “It is a queer business,” said Sir Henry, his deep voice shaking a little, • “and I confess I never expect to see tomorrow’s sun. As fay as I can make out, the Grays, with whom I am to go, are to fight until they are wiped out in order to enable the wings to slip round unawares and outflank Twala, Well, so be it; at any rate, it will be a man’s death! Good-bje, old fellow. God bless you. I hope you will pull through and live to collar the diamonds; but if you do, take my advice and don’t have anything more to do with pretenders!” In another second Good had wrung us both by the hand and gone; and then Infadoos came up and led off Sir Henry to his place in the forefront of the Grays, whilst, with many misgivings, I departed with Ignosi to mv station in the second attacking regiment, f Continued next week.]*