Part 7 (1/2)

”My la.s.s,--I've a little girl at Southampton who looks like you, but you can show her your heels as far as hair goes.--Why--Sam--the child's blind.”

The Captain had sat down on a chair, drawn Elsie towards him by the shoulders, and looked into her face at close quarters. When his eyes met hers something penetrated to his perceptions through the fumes of the liquor he had drunk and told him she was blind. Sam came forward and had a look. He did not believe the child was blind, and said so.

She was just a beggar, shamming. He had often seen the same kind of thing on London Bridge.

The Captain roughly, but kindly, drew the child again towards him.

Elsie kept pa.s.sive and silent in his hands. Perhaps this was one of the Governor's friends,--or even the Governor himself. She read his character by his touch, and trusted him, but she had shrunk away from Sam.

”Come, my la.s.s,--you look tired and hungry; is it some dinner you want?”

Elsie, feeling that this remark was directly addressed to her, replied in Dutch, using almost the same words as Kanu had used.

”I cannot understand this blooming lingo,” growled the Captain--”Sam,-- call the waiter.”

The waiter, a black boy, who spoke both Dutch and English well, came in and interpreted. The Captain was mystified; Sam was sure that the whole thing was a ”plant,” and growled an advice to the Captain to keep a careful guard upon his silver watch.

Then the landlady was called. She, good woman, was too busy to be much interested. However, the Captain sent for some food, which he gave to Elsie. She ate a little and pa.s.sed the rest on to Kanu, who ate it wolfishly. The Captain sent for another plateful, which Kanu disposed of with great rapidity. The Captain--and even Sam--became interested.

The Bushman was asked, through the waiter, if he could eat any more. He replied in the affirmative, so another, and after that yet another-- plateful was brought. This kind of thing might have gone on indefinitely, had not a young man, who looked like a merchant's clerk, come and taken possession of the Captain for business purposes.

As he was going away, Elsie arrested him with a cry, and when he turned for a moment she begged pathetically to be told if the house she was in was the Governor's, and, if not, where his house was. The Captain tossed sixpence to the black waiter and told him to take the ”monkey-chap,”--for thus he designated Kanu,--down the street and show him where the Governor berthed.

The waiter, fully persuaded that he had to do with two lunatics, hurried them up one street and down another at the further end of which stood a large white building.

”There,” said he to Kanu, ”is where the Governor lives.”

Then he turned round and bolted.

CHAPTER NINE.

HOW THEY SOUGHT THE GOVERNOR AND FOUND THE GOOD SAMARITAN.

Elsie's heart again bounded with delight as she and Kanu hurried along the street. They reached the building indicated by the black boy. It had a large doorway opening to the street on the ground floor; several wagons drawn by horses stood before it,--some full of bales and boxes,-- others empty. Kanu led the way in between the scattered parcels of merchandise and paused before a stout man who was making entries in a note-book.

”Please, Mynheer, is the Governor in?” asked the trembling Bushman.

The stout man glanced carelessly and contemptuously at his interlocutor.

Then, having finished his entries, he closed his pocket-book, put it hurriedly into his pocket, and strode away. Just then a truck heavily laden with sacks was trundled in at the door; Kanu quickly dragged the child aside and just saved her from being knocked down and run over. A big Malay seized Elsie roughly by the arm and dragged her into the street; then he returned, caught Kanu by the neck and flung him after her.

”Here,” he said, ”take your white brat away; you all know that we don't allow beggars here.”

The two belated wanderers drew a little to one side to avoid the traffic and stood in silent and astonished desolation. In obedience to Elsie's prompting, Kanu accosted several of the pa.s.sers with his now stereotyped enquiry about the Governor. As a rule no attention was paid to his question. One or two answered him with jibes. At length a coloured man answered him kindly, telling him that the house opposite was a store, and that the Governor did not live anywhere in the neighbourhood. He added significantly that they had better move on, or else he might get into trouble. Kanu asked what trouble would be likely to come upon them. The man replied that he might be whipped and added that his companion's hair might be cut off. The threat of whipping filled the sensitive-skinned Bushman with terror. He seized Elsie's hand and hurried away.

By this time the sun had gone down behind the Lion's Head, and the streets were full of people. The dismayed pair wandered about, sick with perplexity. Poor Kanu had been utterly demoralised by the threat of the whip, and Elsie could not, for a long time, induce him to accost any of the people they met. When he did so the result was the same as previously; no one would take his enquiry seriously.

Their random steps took them to a quarter of the town where people of mixed race dwelt in low-built houses. The streets were full of bands of shouting boys, who jostled them and jeered annoyingly.

A stout coloured woman was standing at the door of a little shop, the stock-in-trade of which appeared to be composed princ.i.p.ally of stale, unwholesome-looking fruit. Some spell of kindness in the woman's homely face caused Kanu to pause. Then the woman addressed Elsie in Dutch, in a kind voice, and the tired child bent her head and burst into a pa.s.sion of tears.

The woman drew Elsie into the shop and tried to comfort her, but it was long before the child's pent-up woe, terror and disappointment had spent themselves. At length, when exhaustion had brought calmness, Elsie murmured that she wanted to see the Governor. The woman at once looked askance at her, suspecting that she was mad. But in a moment her look softened and her eyes became moist. Then the kind creature drew the child into a little room at the side of the shop and laid her tenderly on a bed. Elsie became calmer, so the woman drew off the tattered shoes and wept over the poor, lacerated feet. She covered the poor waif up with a soft patchwork quilt, and soon had the satisfaction of seeing her sink into a deep sleep.

The woman then went out to the shop, where Kanu was lying exhausted on the floor. She questioned him closely--and afterwards angrily, but the Bushman was proof against her cross-examination. All she could elicit from him was that they had come from a great distance and that they wanted to see the Governor about an important matter.