Part 17 (1/2)
”Oh, baas, about five hours' journey on horseback on a good road” (This would be some thirty-five miles)
Then he told this story: Pereira with his two Hottentot servants, he mounted and they on foot, had traversed about a hundred ht a lion killed and carried off one of the Hottentots, and frightened away the horse, which was never seen again Pereira and Klaus proceeded on foot till they careat river, on the banks of which they met some Kaffirs, who appear to have been Zulus on outpost duty These , and, on Pereira refusing to give the after they hadhiht a storm came on, under cover of which Pereira and Klaus escaped As they dared not go forward for fear lest they should fall into the hands of the Zulus, they fled back northwards, running all night, only to find in thethat they had lost their way in the bush This had happened nearly a ht so, for no doubt the days went very slowly--during which ti to shape so to the camp They ath all their poas done and they threay their heavy roers, which they could no longer carry
It was at this juncture that fro way off, which he recognised as being within fifteen , only Klaus was the stronger of the two, for he found and devoured some carrion, a dead hyena I think it was Pereira also tried to eat this horrible food, but, not having the stomach of a Hottentot, the first ht shelter in a cave on the bank of a streareater-cresses and other herbs, such as wild asparagus Here it was that Pereira told Klaus to try to make his way back to the ca hi of the hyena with him, and on the afternoon of the second day arrived as has been told
CHAPTER X VROUW PRINSLOO SPEAKS HER MIND
Nohen the Hottentot's story was finished a discussion arose Marais said that soo to see whether his nephew still lived, to which the other Boers replied ”Ja” in an indifferent voice Then the Vrouw Prinsloo took up her parable
She rement Hernan Pereira was ”a stinkcat and a sneak,” who had tried to desert theot into trouble himself Personally, she wished that the lion had taken hiher opinion of lions to conclude that it had not done so, because if it did it thought it would have been poisoned Well, her vieas that it would be just as well to let that traitor lie upon the bed which he had made Moreover, doubtless by noas dead, so as the good of bothering about him?
These sentiments appeared to appeal to the Boers, for they reht,” asked Marais, ”to abandon a comrade in misfortune, one of our own blood?”
”Mein Gott!” replied Vrouw Prinsloo; ”he is no blood of uee But I ad your sister's son, so it is evident that you should be the one to go to seek after him”
”That seems to be so, Vrouw Prinsloo,” said Marais in his meditative manner; ”yet I must remember that I have Marie to look after”
”Ach! and so had he, too, until he remembered his own skin, and went off with the only horse and all the powder, leaving her and the rest of us to starve Well, you won't go, and Prinsloo won't go, nor o”
”Nein, nein, good vrouw,” answered Meyer, ”I have those children that are left to me to consider”
”Then,” exclaio, so let us forget this stinkcat, as he forgot us”
”Does it seeain, ”that a Christian man should be left to starve in the wilderness?” and he looked atthe look, ”why should I of all people go to look for the Heer Pereira, one who has not dealt too ith me?”
”I do not know, Allan Yet the Book tells us to turn the other cheek and to forget injuries Still, it is for you to judge, res at the last day, and not for e and not burdened with a daughter to watch over, _I_ should go”
”Why should you talk to o yourself, seeing that I am quite ready to look after Marie?”
(Here the Vrouw Prinsloo and the other Boers tittered) ”And why do you not address your re that they are the friends and trek-companions of your nephew?”
At this point the male Prinsloos and Meyer found that they had business elsewhere
”It is for you to judge, yet re to appear before our Maker with the blood of a fellow creature upon our hands But if you and these other hard-hearted e, and weak as I ao myself”
”Good,” said Vrouw Prinsloo; ”that is the best way out of it You will soon get sick of the journey, Heer Marais, and we shall see no ned fashi+on, for he never deigned to argue with Vrouw Prinsloo, as too many for him, and said:
”Farewell, Marie If I do not return, you will remember my wishes, and my will may be found between the first leaves of our Holy Book Get up, Klaus, and guide me to your orged and prostrate Hottentot
Now Marie, who all this while had stood silent, touched me on the shoulder and said: