Part 5 (2/2)
This turned the stream of his invective on to the Quabie Kaffirs, who had burned part of his house and stolen nearly all his stock, le hour He shouted for vengeance on the ”black devils,” and called on all there to help him to recover his beasts and kill the thieves Most of those present--they were about thirty in all, not counting the Kaffir and Hottentot after-riders--answered that they illing to attack the Quabies
Being residents in the district, they felt, and, indeed, said, that his case to-day ht and probably would be their case to-morrow Therefore they were prepared to ride at once
Then it was that my father intervened
”Heeren,” he said, ”it seeeance, which, as the Book tells us, is the Lord's, it would be well, especially for the Heer Marais, to return thanks for what has been saved to hiht now very easily have been dead or worse”
He added that goods ca to the chances of fortune, but a beloved human life, once lost, could not be restored This precious life had been preserved to hilanced at h man
Perhaps those present did not quite understand what he (my father) had learned from Hans the Hottentot, that I, his son, had been about to blow out the brains of Marie Marais and athered through the warning which I left before I rode from the Mission Station, had stayed my hand He called upon the said Hans and Marie herself to tell them the story, since I was too weak to do so
Thus adjured, the little Hottentot, smothered as he was in blood, stood up In the simple, dramatic style characteristic of his race, he narrated all that had happened since he met the woman on the veld but little over twelve hours before, till the arrival of the rescue party
Never have I seen a tale folloith deeper interest, and when at last Hans pointed to round and said, ”There is he who did these things which it ht nomyself upon my hands, I called out:
”Whatever I did, this poor Hottentot did also, and had it not been for hiood horses”
Then they cheered again, and Marie, rising, said:
”Yes, father; to these two I owe my life”
After this,in very bad Dutch--for, having begun to learn it late in life, he never could reallyround hiine, the scene, with all its details, which I will not repeat, was both remarkable and impressive
What followed this prayer I do not very well remember, for I became faint from exhaustion and the loss of blood I believe, however, that the fire having been extinguished, they removed the dead and wounded from the unburnt portion of the house and carried h that dreadful scene when I ithin an ace of killing her After this the Boers and Marais's Kaffirs, or rather slaves, whom he had collected from where they lived away from the house, to the number of thirty or forty, started to follow the defeated Quabie, leaving about ten of their nuht ht with us, tere killed in the fight and tounded
The reed to escape unhurt, so that in all this fearful struggle, in which we inflicted so terrible a punish the Frenchman, Leblanc
As to the events of the next three days I know only what I have been told, for practically during all that time I was off ht on by the fearful exciteone All I can recall is a vision of Marie bending overme take food of some sort--milk or soup, I suppose--for it seems I would touch it from no other hand Also I had visions of the tall shape of my white-haired father, who, like ery and h Afterwards he toldartery, but, by good fortune, without going through them Another fortieth of an inch and I should have bled to death in ten ht back froreat noise about the house, above which I heard the voice of Marais stor to cal-to behind her a Kaffir karoos, which served as a curtain, for the door, it will be re that I ake and reasonable, she flew todown, kissed me on the forehead
”You have been very ill, Allan, but I know you will recover now While we are alone, which,” she added slowly and with , ”I dare say we shall not be much in future, I want to thank you from my heart for all that you did to save me Had it not been for you, oh! had it not been for you”--and she glanced at the blood stains on the earthen floor, put her hands before her eyes and shuddered
”Nonsense, Marie,” I answered, taking her hand feebly enough, for I was very weak ”Anyone else would have done as much, even if they did not love you as I do Let us thank God that it was not in vain But what is all that noise? Have the Quabies come back?”
She shook her head
”No; the Boers have co them”
”And did they catch them and recover the cattle?”
”Not so They only found some wounded men, whom they shot, and the body of Monsieur Leblanc with his head cut off, taken aith other bits of him for medicine, they say to make the warriors brave Quabie has burnt his kraal and fled with all his people to join the other Kaffirs in the Big Mountains Not a cow or a sheep did they find, except a few that had fallen exhausted, and those had their throats cut My father wanted to follow them and attack the Red Kaffirs in the o They said there are thousands of them, and that it would be a mad war, frorief and rage, for, Allan dear, we are al the slaves and only going to give us a very small price, not a third of their value But, hark! he is calling me, and you must not talk ain Now you have to sleep and eat and get strong
Afterwards, dear, youdown once lided away
CHAPTER IV HERNANDO PEREIRA