Part 18 (1/2)
”There are plenty since then,” replied Hans ”See, your stock is covered with cuts”
”Yes, I've un do her duty She has tried her hand at several kinds of things, and has settled Amakosa, Zulus, and all; and what do you think besides, Hans?”
”Lions in numbers, I suppose”
”Yes, that is true; but this one lish-Dutch fellow This gun shot him, and well he deserved it”
”Hoas that?” inquired all the party, to whom the information was news
”I'll tell you here, for we are friends; but don't ht not be liked by soh into the laws of war I was right; still I don't want it talked about Have I all your promises?”
”Yes,” was the universal reply
”Well, then, it hen the Amakosa had been beaten back from Graham's Town, that I, as in the town at the ti the Kaffirs I watched this fellow for soht bravely, this fellow stayed behind, and only urged them on The more I looked, the more certain I was that the felloas a white uise his skin; but I knew the walk and look of the fellow, and fancied if I should see hiain, I should know him We beat the Kaffirs off, as you know, and they lost hundreds in the battle I stayed in Grahaoa Bay in a short ti to a store, who should I see before me but a fellohose walk I could swear to It was the fellow I'd seen with the Kaffirs
”He walked on and turned into the store, so I followed hi powder and lead I waited till he had gone, when I inquired of the owner of the store who he was
”'He's an officer's servant,' said the owner
”'Have you ever seen him before?' I asked
”'Never,' he replied; 'but he told ht what I wanted, and then went out, and seeing theon before un, and traced hi seen him housed, I suspected at once he would wait there till dark, and then go off soh it was no sooner dark than out he caht away out of the town, and away over the hills
”I followed him cautiously, but more than once he stopped to listen; but I was as cute as he was, and dropped on the ground immediately he stopped, so that he could not see ot darker, I followed by the sound, and kept rather closer; but this wasn't very safe work, for if he had liked he ht just have waited behind a bush till I came up, and then shotas he kept to the open country I felt I was a h, he struck into the bush, and took a narrow path, and then I thought it wouldn't do to follow hih to hear hih to , and should have done so at once, but deterht happen; so taking shelter under a bush, I sat down on watch I hadn't sat long before I saw a gleaone, and this shone out pretty clearly 'That's your caround, my man,' I said, 'and I'll have a trial to find out what your coh to this fire to see as going on, and started at once I had to walk a goodon all fours till I got a view of the fire I was sorry for myself when I found where I was, for I saw nearly fifty Kaffirs, soies or muskets, and with the the chief Kaffir so them I think I could have shot the fellow froied to a certainty if I did; so ain, and off I went to Graham's Town
”The next day I went to the store-uard coain, then,' said the man, 'I'll have him taken, and it's death to sell aainst us, too,' said I; 'that I can swear to'
”'He iment,' said the store-man, 'for he is just like a soldier in all his ways'
”Two or three weeks after this I was out looking about Graham's Town for some pouw [a bustard], for they came there so close to le-barrelled one, and seeerness, and never thinking whether he ht not have a lot of Kaffirs with him, I said, 'You're a Kaffir spy and deserter; you come into Graham's Toith me'
”'I'm a spy, am I?' said the fellow; 'and who the d--l are you?'
”As he said this, I saw hi the un the other way,' I said, 'or I'll fire!'
”'Fire, then!' said the Schelun hung fire a little, I think, or quick as I was he'd have hit ain, so as not to give hiun, and ent the bullet I think it struck a branch, and thus turned; any way it missed me The felloas off like a duiker [the duiker is a small, quick antelope], but he'd an old hunter to deal with I caught sight of hiain when he caround I didn't care to ht be near him
I knew I'd saved a court-martial some trouble, and a file of soldiers some ammunition, so I reported at Graham's Tohat I had done A party went out at once, but they found the body stripped, and the one, and no one could identify him except the owner of the store, and a Hottentot woman, who said he had been a soldier, but had been supposed to have left the colony long ago The Hottentots in the house where I had seen hiht his pipe, and sat talking with theht not have been true, but he never fought against his white country notch is for him, and I think I did my duty to my fellow-men when I shot that felloould have h, as well as aid those rascally Kaffirs against us”
”I have always heard there were deserters frolish soldiers who aided the Kaffirs in this outbreak,” said Hans, ”and it seems your man was one of the the Kaffirs, but, as is usually the case, they received very rough treat that they dared not leave thelish, made them work like slaves”
”Do you think,” inquired Hans, ”that the Aht as bravely when they attacked Grahaainst us?”