Part 29 (1/2)
After all, Allan, we shall only be separated for a little while, and when that is done we have the rest of our lives to spend together As for me, do not be afraid, for you knoill never marry anyone but you--no, not to save myself fro how sound was her judgment, and went off to make my preparations for the expedition to Sikonyela's country
All this conversation with Retief I have set down in full, as nearly as I can remember it, because of its fateful consequences Ah! if I could have foreseen; if only I could have foreseen!
CHAPTER XVI THE COUNCIL
Two days later we started to recover Dingaan's cattle, sixty or seventy of us, all well araan's captains and a number of Zulus, perhaps a hundred, ere to drive the cattle if we recovered thee I was ed tothewith thee of their beautiful but difficult tongue
Now it is not my intention to write down the details of this expedition, during which there was no fighting and nothing serious happened We arrived in due course at Sikonyela's and stated our errand When he sa numerous and well arht of the Zulu arht it well to surrender the stolen cattle without further to-do, and with these so received them, we delivered them over to the Zulu captains, with instructions to drive thee by thesefulfilled his part of the coaan as soon as possible in order to conclude the treaty about the land
This business finished, Retief took rant Dutch ere beyond the Drakensberg, in what is now the Transvaal territory This occupied a long time, as these Boers idely scattered, and at each camp we had to stop for several days while Retief explained everything to its leaders Also he arranged with them to come down into Natal, so as to be ready to people it as soon as he received the foraan Indeed, h jealousies between the various commandants caused some of the bands, luckily for themselves, to reth, everything being settled, we rode away, and reached the Bushman's River camp on a certain Saturday afternoon Here, tohad been heard of Hernan Pereira, while the Zulus, if we ers who came to us, seemed to be friendly Marie, also, had now quite recovered froone Never had I seen her look so sweet and beautiful as she did when she greeteddress ed to buy from a trader who came up to the camp from Durban
Moreover, I think that there was another reason for the change, since the light of dawning happiness shone in her deep eyes
The day, as I have said, was Saturday, and on the Monday she would coe, for on that day lapsed the proiven to her father But, alas! by a cursed perversity of fate, on this very Monday at noon the Coed to ride into Zululand on his second visit to Dingaan, and with Retief I was in honour bound to go
”Marie,” I said, ”will not your father soften towards us and let us be ether before we part?”
”I do not know, , ”since about this e and obstinate Do you know that all the time you were absent he never et up and go away!”
”That's bad,” I said ”Still, if you are willing, we , who a so near to you and yet so far But how shall we do so?”
”I think that ill ask the Commandant Retief and the Vrouw Prinsloo to plead for us, Marie Let us go to seek theh the Boers, who nudged each other and laughed at us as we passed to where the old vrouas seated on a stool by her wagon drinking coffee I remember that her vatdoek was spread over her knees, for she also had a new dress, which she was afraid of staining
”Well, my dears,” she said in her loud voice, ”are you ether?”
”No, my aunt,” I answered; ”but ant to be, and have come to you to help us”
”That I will do with all e, as things are, I should have been inclined to help myself, as I have told you before Heaven above us! what is it that ht of God? It is that male and female should declare themselves man and wife before all folk, and live as such The pastor and his iving of the hand, not the setting of the ring upon it; it is the vowing of two true hearts, and not words read out of a book, that e Still, this is bold talk, for which any reverend predicant would reprove ht hold good in laould become of his fee? Come, let us seek the commandant and hear what he has to say Allan, pull me up off this stool, where, if I had , I should like to sit while a house was built over my head and for the rest of my life”
I obeyed, not without difficulty, and ent to find Retief
At the ons that had just trekked away These contained his ith other , under the charge of the Heer Smit, to a place called Doornkop, that lay at a distance of fifteen h house, or rather shed, to be built for the Vrouw Retief's occupation, thinking that she would behis absence than at the crowded ca sight of me, ”my heart is sore; I do not knohy I tell you that when I kissed h I should never see her again, and the tears caaan But there, there, I will try to get over to see her to-morrow, as we don't start till Monday What is it that you want, Allan, with that 'mooi mesje' of yours?”--and he pointed to the tall Marie
”What would any man ith such a one, save to marry her?” broke in the Vrouw Prinsloo ”Now, coht, aunt, only be brief, for I have no time to spare”
She obeyed, but I cannot say that she was brief
When at last the old lady paused, breathless, Retief said: