Part 18 (1/2)

IV

When Menzi and his co round the corner of the koppie, Thoent

Kosa answered with his usual vagueness that he supposed in the hut where the late Teacher had died after the mission-house was burnt down So they trekked on a little way, passing beneath the shelf of rock that has beenfro the streaon to travel between the cliff and the water

”What a dark road,” said Dorcas, and one of the Christian natives who understood so been the body-servant of the late missionary--it was he with the accordion--replied in Zulu:

”Yes, Lady; this rock is called the Rock of Evildoers, because once those accused of witchcraft and others were thrown fro, to be eaten by the crocodiles in that pool But,” he added, brightening up, ”do not be afraid, for there are no h it is true that there are still plenty of wizards who ought to be thrown from the rock,” and he looked over his shoulder in the direction Menzi had taken, adding in a low voice, ”You have just seen the greatest of them, Lady”

”How horrible!” said Dorcas for the second tied fro along the northern face of the koppie Here, surrounded by a fence, stood the Chief's kraal, and just outside of it a large, thatched hut with one or two s built after the Basuto fashi+on with a projecting roof and a doorway, and having a kind of verandah floored with beaten lion halted

”I should like to look inside it at once,” re, ”Why, what's that?” and she pointed to a suspicious-looking, oblong mound that was covered eeds, over which she had alrave of the late Teacher, Lady We buried him here because Menzi's people took up the bones of those ere in the churchyard and threw them into the river,” explained Kosa

Dorcas looked as though she were going to faint, but Tho to the occasion, remarked:

”Come on, dear The dead are alith us, and what better company could we have than the dust of our sainted predecessor”

”I would rather have his rooether, proceeded to the hut

Somebody opened the door with difficulty, and as it seeht of which Dorcas peered into the interior Next second she fell back into his arms with a little scream

”Take me away!” she said ”The place is full of rats”

He stared; it was quite true There, sitting up upon the dead e rat that did not seehtened by their appearance, whilst other creatures of the same tribe scuttled about the floor and up the walls

Dorcas slept, or did not sleep, that night in the wagon with Tabitha, while Tho rain that was falling would allow

Such was the beginning of the life of the Bull fa, it will be adh no worse and perhaps much better than that which many missionaries and their faions of the earth What horror is there that missionaries have not been called upon to endure? St Paul tells us of his trials, but they are paralleled, if not surpassed, even in the present day

Missionaries, however good, ht even think the Rev Thomas Bull to be no perfect e them as a class they are certainly heroic folks, who endureperhaps do they show their heroisreatly than in their persistent habit of conveying wo children into the most is, not exclusive, occasionally, ofdoes this; the Roe these save the only their own lives and health at stake, are perhaps better fitted to face rough work in rough places

Even Thomas Bull, not a particularly sensitive person, was te his period of service in Sisa-land, although neither he nor his wife or child was called upon to face the awful extremities that have confronted others of his cloth; for instance, another Thomas, one Oas a , massacred Retief and his Boers beneath his eyes

On the following on, not refreshed, it is true, but filled with a renewed and eventhose daht the whole position into perspective, a clear if a narrow perspective The Chief hom he had to deal evidently was a fool, if not an ieneration of teaching were for the st this in

Such strength as re handfulthose of the old Zulu stock They were descendants of the aan to keep an eye upon the humble Basuto slaves, whose duty it was to herd the royal cattle, the men, too, to as entrusted the proud but hateful business of carrying out the execution of persons that, for one reason or another, it was not desirable to kill at home

The individuals detailed for these duties were for the h blood, inconvenient persons, perhaps, whom it was desired to move to a distance Thus, as Thomas Bull soon learned, Menzi was said to be no less a aan himself, one whose father had developed troublesome ambitions, but whose life had been spared because his