Part 2 (1/2)
He was unwilling indeed, till the poor boy had regained his strength, further to question him, and he hoped to learn more of his history from Mangaleesu and Kalinda, who he had no doubt would be able to afford it.
Having given the boy some of the broth which was now ready, and placed a blanket under his head to serve as a pillow, he left Umgolo to watch over him. He then went and sat down by the side of Mangaleesu, who still lay in the hammock under the waggon, not yet recovered from the exertions he had made on the previous night, and the loss of blood from his wounds.
”I have recovered one of your people, and have brought him to the camp,”
said the trader.
”Who is he?” asked Mangaleesu eagerly. ”I thought that all had been killed.”
”Although he has a white skin, he seems by his dress and language to be a Zulu,” answered the trader.
”Then he must be little Unozingli,” said the chief. ”I am glad he has escaped, for he was a favourite with us, and will some day, if he lives, become a great warrior.”
”By what chance did he happen to be living among you? Although he is dressed like a Zulu, and speaks the Kaffir tongue alone, he is evidently the child of white parents.”
”He was brought to my kraal by a tribe from a distant part of the country, who afterwards joined my people,” answered the chief. ”They had taken him, they said, from a black woman who had been killed; but the child being white, they had been unwilling to destroy him, and had carried him off with them. He was at once adopted into the tribe, and has lived with us ever since, learning our customs and language, and we gave him the name of Unozingli.”
From this answer it was evident that no further satisfactory information could be obtained from Mangaleesu respecting the boy. This was a disappointment to the trader. He had hoped, after rescuing the little fellow, to have had the satisfaction of discovering his parents or friends, and restoring him to them. He was satisfied that the child was either English or Dutch, and from his features he was inclined to think he was the former.
”I don't fancy calling him by his Kaffir name,” he said to himself. ”I must get one more suited to him.” As he looked at the thick auburn hair which hung in curls over the boy's head, his freckled, though otherwise fair countenance, his large blue eyes, and broad, open countenance, he exclaimed, ”I have it! I'll call him Lionel; for a young lion he looks, and will, I hope, some day bring down many of the brutes of the forest.”
Unwilling to leave the camp himself, lest their enemies might come in search of the young chief and his bride, towards evening the trader sent out Umgolo and another man in search of game to supply his followers with meat, for in that climate what is killed one day is scarcely eatable the next.
He also despatched two others in different directions to ascertain if any of the Zulus were in the neighbourhood, apparently searching for Mangaleesu, as he intended in that case to keep the chief and his bride more carefully concealed until he had carried them safely across the border.
The hunters were the first to return, loaded with the flesh of a couple of antelopes. Soon afterwards, while they were busily employed in cutting up the animals and preparing them for supper, the scouts came in, bringing the information that they had seen a large party who seemed to them coming from the south-west, but who were too far off to enable them to ascertain who they were. As--the intermediate ground being uneven--it would have taken them a long time to get nearer, they deemed it wise to return at once with their report.
”Whether friends or foes, we are ready for them,” said the trader. ”In case they should be foes, we must keep our guests concealed; but from the direction they come, I think it more likely that they are friends, and we will have some food ready for them.”
The cooks therefore spitted according to camp fas.h.i.+on an additional supply of meat to roast, while the trader walked on a short distance in the direction he expected the strangers to appear. He was not mistaken in his surmise. After some time he saw through his gla.s.s a waggon very similar to his own, accompanied by two persons on horseback and several on foot. On this, returning to the camp, he ordered his horse to be saddled, and went out to meet them. As he was seen approaching, the two mounted strangers rode forward.
”What, Hendricks the Hunter!” exclaimed the elder, a tall, gaunt man, with a weather-beaten countenance, whose grey twinkling eyes, the form of his features, and his rich brogue showed him to be an Irishman.
”Mighty glad to fall in with you, old friend!” and the gentlemen shook hands warmly.
”I'm equally well pleased to meet you, Maloney,” answered Mr Hendricks.
”You can give me news of the civilised world, of which I have heard nothing for many a long month.”
”Faith! as to that, it wags much as usual. Skins are fetching fair prices, which is good news for you; but the Kathlamba bushmen are again becoming troublesome, and have lately carried off several head of cattle and horses from the settlers in that direction, which is a bad matter for them, while the new arrivals are grumbling and complaining as usual because they do not find the colony the Eldorado they expected, before they have had time to dig a spade into the ground or run a plough over it. For my part, I'm mighty glad to get out of their company and find myself in the wilderness.”
”So am I generally, after I have been a short time at home, I confess, though I have many friends in Maritzburg, with whom I am glad now and again to spend a few days,” replied Hendricks. ”Had you, however, waited a little longer, I intended to propose that we should join forces and travel together. I thought it possible indeed that I might fall in with you, although as I did not expect to do so for several days to come I was in hopes that you would be induced to wait for me till I was ready to make a fresh start.”
”I would willingly have delayed my journey or waited for you, had we met closer to the Natal border,” answered Mr Maloney; ”but as you know, it would not be prudent to remain longer than possible in this part of the country, and even now, as I shall spend some time trading and hunting to the south of the Drakensberg, you will probably overtake me before I get over the mountains.”
”It will be from no fault of mine if I do not,” said Hendricks. ”I shall not be long in transacting my business at Maritzburg. However, we'll talk of that presently; and now come along to my camp, for supper will be ready by the time we get there. By the bye, who is the lad with you? He looks somewhat tired from his journey.”
”He is my son Denis, a chip of the old block,” answered Mr Maloney.
”To say the truth, however, he is just now somewhat sick, and I'd rather see him safe at Maritzburg than travelling with me into the wilderness.
I have a favour to ask--it is that you will take charge of him and let him accompany you back to the town. I shall be mighty thankful to you if you will.”
”I will do as you wish,” said Hendricks, ”though the lad, I suspect, would rather be hunting with you than kicking his heels in town with nothing to do.”