Part 30 (1/2)
Also, Allan, you h you ood fellow in yourself, that is a fault which you cannot expect ive Still, if it is fated that you should lish children--Heaven above! to think of it, English children!--well, there is nothing more to be said Don't remember the words I spoke to Marie Indeed, I can't rery, a kind of rush of blood coet what I have said,” and he stretched out his hand to me
I shook it and answered that I understood he was not himself when he spoke those dreadful words, which both Marie and I wished to forget
”I hope you will co to-”
”To- to benervously ”O God, it was anotherby Marie's side But he is not here; he has disgraced and deserted aolers will suffer it Good-bye, you happy bridegroo round and departed, followed by the guards, one of whonificantly as he passed est day I ever spent The Vrouw Prinsloo would scarcely allow ot into her et which, that a bride and bridegrooe So I occupiedletter tothat was going to happen, and saying how grieved I was that he could not be present to ave to a trader as trekking to the bay on the followinghim to forward it by the first opportunity
That duty done, I saw about the horses which I was taking into Zululand, three of them, two for myself and one for Hans, who accouns and ammunition must be overhauled, all of which took soe wittebroodsweek [white-bread-week, or, in other words, honey at me with his little eyes, as he brayed away at a buckskin which was to serve as a saddle-cloth ”Now, if _I_ was to be married to-morrow, I should stop with my pretty for a few days, and only ride off somewhere else when I was tired of her, especially if that somewhere else chanced to be Zululand, where they are so fond of killing people”
”I dare say you would, Hans; and so would I, if I could, you be sure
But, you see, the commandant wants o with him”
”Duty; what is duty, baas? Love I understand It is for love of you that I go with you; also for fear lest you should cause me to be beaten if I refused Otherwise I would certainly stop here in the camp, where there is plenty to eat and little work to do, as, were I you, I should do also for love of that white missie But duty--pah! that is a fool-word, which irl to others”
”Of course, you do not understand, Hans, any ratitude is But what do you ed his shoulders ”A little, perhaps, baas At least, I should be if I thought about the h forabout what one can't know aan is not a nice man, baas;that, didn't we? He is a hunter who kno to set a trap Also he has the Baas Pereira up there to help hi Missie Marie Why do you not say that you have hurt your leg and cannot run?
It would not be much trouble to walk about on a crutch for a day or two, and when the coht heal and you could throw the stick away”
”Get thee behind ive Hans a piece of my mind when I recollected that the poor fellow had his oay of looking at things and could not be blaested what he thought would tend to my joy and safety How could I suppose that he would be interested in the success of a diplo about it except that it was a risky business? So I only said:
”Hans, if you are afraid, you had better stop behind I can easily find another after-rider”
”Is the baas angry with me that he should speak so?” asked the Hottentot ”Have I not always been true to him; and if I should be killed, what does it matter? Have I not said that I do not think about to-o to sleep sometime? No; unless the baas beats me back, I shall coht give ht
It is very good to get drunk when one has to be sober, and perhaps dead, for a long time afterwards It would be nice to res, such as the old baas, your father, used to tell us about in school on the Sabbath”
At this point, finding Hans hopeless, I got up and walked away, leaving hi there was a prayer-h no pastor was present, one of the Boer elders took his place and offered up supplications which, if si, at least were hearty enough Ast other requests, I remember that he petitioned for the safety of those ere to go on the aan and of those ere to remain behind Alas! those prayers were not heard, for it pleased the Power to Whom they were addressed to decree otherwise
After this , in which I took an earnest share, Retief who just before it began had ridden in from Doornkop, whither he had been to visit his wife, held a kind of council, whereat the names of those who had volunteered or been ordered to accompany hiood deal of discussion, since many of the Boers did not think the expedition wise--at any rate, if it was to be carried out on so large a scale One of theht look like a war party, and that it would be wiser if only five or six went, as they had done before, since then there could be no mistake as to the peaceful nature of their intentions
Retief himself combated this view, and at last turned suddenly tonear by, and said:
”Allan Quateraan and can speak his language
Tell us nohat do you think?”
Thus adjured, I answered, perhaps ht by Hans's talk, that I, too, considered the thing dangerous, and that someone whose life was less valuable than the coo in command
”Why do you say so, nephew,” he said irritably, ”seeing that all white er in the business?”