Part 9 (1/2)
Again he contemplated the beautiful Noie, then, murmuring something about a blanket, ran back to the camp. By this time Mrs. Dove had climbed out of the waggon, and arrived with the Kaffirs.
”I knew you would be safe, Rachel,” she said in her gentle voice, ”because nothing can hurt you. Still you do upset your poor father dreadfully, and--what are you going to do with that naked young woman?”
”Give her something to eat, dear,” answered Rachel. ”Don't ask me any more questions now. We have been sitting up to our necks in water for hours, and are starved and frozen, to say nothing of worse things.”
At this moment Mr. Dove arrived with a blanket, which he offered to Noie, who took it from him and threw it round her body. Then they went into the camp, where Rachel changed her damp clothes, whilst Noie sat by her in a corner of the tent. Presently, too, food was brought, and Rachel ate hungrily, forcing Noie to do the same. Then she went out, leaving the girl to rest in the tent, and with certain omissions, such as the conduct of Noie when she found her dead father, told all the story which, wild as were the times and strange as were the things that happened in them, they found wonderful enough.
When she had done Mr. Dove knelt down and offered up thanks for his daughter's preservation through great danger, and with them prayers that she might be forgiven for having shot the Zulu, a deed that, except for the physical horror of it, did not weigh upon Rachel's mind.
”You know, father, you would have done the same yourself,” she explained, ”and so would mother there, if she could hold a gun, so what is the good of pretending that it is a sin? Also no one saw it except that white man and the crocodiles which buried the body, so the less we say about the matter the better it will be for all of us.”
”I admit,” answered Mr. Dove, ”that the circ.u.mstances justified the deed, though I fear that the truth will out, since blood calls for blood. But what are we to do with the girl? They will come to seek her and kill us all.”
”They will not seek, father, because they think that she is dead, and will never know otherwise unless that white man tells them, which he will scarcely do, as the Zulus would think that he shot the soldier, not I. She has been sent to us, and it is our duty to keep her.”
”I suppose so,” said her father doubtfully. ”Poor thing! Truly she has cause for grat.i.tude to Providence: all her relations killed by those bloodthirsty savages, and she saved!”
”If all of you were killed and I were saved, I do not know that I should feel particularly grateful,” answered Rachel. ”But it is no use arguing about such things, so let us be thankful that we are not killed too. Now I am tired out, and going to lie down, for of course we can't leave this place at present, unless we trek back to Durban.”
Such was the finding of Noie.
When Rachel awoke from the sleep into which she had fallen, sunset was near at hand. She left the tent where Noie still lay slumbering or lost in stupor, to find that only her mother and Ishmael's after-rider remained in the camp, her father having gone out with the Kaffirs, in order to bury as many of the dead as possible before night came, and with it the jackals and hyenas. Rachel made up the fire and set to work with her mother's help to cook their evening meal. Whilst they were thus engaged her quick ears caught the sound of horses' hoofs, and she looked up to perceive the white man, Ishmael, still leading the spare horse on which she had ridden that morning. He had halted on the crest of ground where she had first seen him upon the previous day, and was peering at the camp, with the object apparently of ascertaining whether its occupants were still alive.
”I will go and ask him in,” said Rachel, who, for reasons of her own, wished to have a word or two with the man.
Presently she came up to him, and saw at once that he seemed to be very much ashamed of himself.
”Well,” she said cheerfully, ”you see here I am, safe enough, and I am glad that you are the same.”
”You are a wonderful woman,” he replied, letting his eyes sink before her clear gaze, ”as wonderful as you are beautiful.”
”No compliments, please,” said Rachel, ”they are out of place in this savage land.”
”I beg your pardon, I could not help speaking the truth. Did they kill the girl and let you go?”
”No, I managed to hide up with her; she is here now.”
”That is very dangerous, Miss Dove. I know all about it; it is she whom Dingaan was after. When he hears that you have sheltered her he will send and kill you all. Take my advice and turn her out at once. I say it is most dangerous.”
”Perhaps,” answered Rachel calmly, ”but all the same I shall do nothing of the sort unless she wishes to go, nor do I think that my father will either. Now please listen a minute. If this story comes to the ears of the Zulus--and I do not see why it should, as the crocodiles have eaten that soldier--who will they think shot him, I or the white man who was with me?
Do you understand?”
”I understand and shall hold my tongue, for your sake.”
”No, for your own. Well, by way of making the bargain fair, for my part I shall say as little as possible of how we separated this morning. Not that I blame you for riding off and leaving an obstinate young woman whom you did not know to take her chance. Still, other people might think differently.”
”Yes,” he answered, ”they might, and I admit that I am ashamed of myself.
But you don't know the Zulus as I do, and I thought that they would be all on us in a moment; also I was mad with you and lost my nerve. Really I am very sorry.”