marie-第36章

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hyenas　to　hide　your　crime；　as　they　would　have　done　before　morning。　　Get

you　gone　before　I　change　my　mind；　and　be　swift。〃



Without　another　word　he　turned　and　ran　swiftly　as　a　buck；　leaping　from

side　to　side　as　he　ran；　to　disturb　my　aim　in　case　I　should　shoot。



When　he　was　a　hundred　yards　away　or　more　I；　too；　turned　and　ran；　never

feeling　safe　till　I　knew　there　was　a　mile　of　ground　between　us。





It　was　past　ten　o'clock　that　night　when　I　got　back　to　the　camp；　where　I

found　Hans　the　Hottentot　about　to　start　to　look　for　me；　with　two　of　the

Zulus；　and　told　him　that　I　had　been　detained　by　accidents　to　the　wagon。　

The　Vrouw　Prinsloo　was　still　up　also；　waiting　to　hear　of　my　arrival。



〃What　was　the　accident；　Allan？〃　she　asked。　　〃It　looks　as　though　there

had　been　a　bullet　in　it；〃　and　she　pointed　to　the　bloody　smear　upon　my

cheek。



I　nodded。



〃Pereira's？〃　she　asked　again。



I　nodded　a　second　time。



〃Did　you　kill　him？〃



〃No；　I　let　him　go。　　It　would　have　been　said　that　I　murdered　him；〃　and　I

told　her　what　had　happened。



〃Ja；　Allan；〃　she　remarked　when　I　had　finished。　　〃I　think　you　were　wise；

for　you　could　have　proved　nothing。　　But　oh！　for　what　fate；　I　wonder；　is

God　Almighty　saving　up　that　stinkcat。　　Well；　I　will　go　and　tell　Marie

that　you　are　back　safe；　for　her　father　won't　let　her　out　of　the　hut　so

late；　but　nothing　more　unless　you　wish　it。〃



〃No；　Tante；　I　think　nothing　more；　at　any　rate　at　present。〃



Here　I　may　state；　however；　that　within　a　few　days　Marie　and　everyone

else　in　the　camp　knew　the　story　in　detail；　except　perhaps　Marais；　to

whom　no　one　spoke　of　his　nephew。　　Evidently　Vrouw　Prinsloo　had　found

herself　unable　to　keep　secret　such　an　example　of　the　villainy　of　her

aversion；　Pereira。　　So　she　told　her　daughter；　who　told　the　others

quickly　enough；　though　I　gathered　that　some　of　them　set　down　what　had

happened　to　accident。　　Bad　as　they　knew　Pereira　to　be；　they　could　not

believe　that　he　was　guilty　of　so　black　a　crime。



About　a　week　later　the　rest　of　us　started　from　Marais's　camp；　a　place

that；　notwithstanding　the　sadness　of　many　of　its　associations；　I　confess

I　left　with　some　regret。　　The　trek　before　us；　although　not　so　very　long；

was　of　an　extremely　perilous　nature。　　We　had　to　pass　through　about　two

hundred　miles　of　country　of　which　all　we　knew　was　that　its　inhabitants

were　the　Amatonga　and　other　savage　tribes。　　Here　I　should　explain　that

after　much　discussion　we　had　abandoned　the　idea　of　retracing　the　route

followed　by　Marais　on　his　ill…fated　journey　towards　Delagoa。



Had　we　taken　this　it　would　have　involved　our　crossing　the　terrible

Lobombo　Mountains；　over　which　it　was　doubtful　whether　our　light　cattle

could　drag　the　wagons。　　Moreover；　the　country　beyond　the　mountains　was

said　to　be　very　bare　of　game　and　also　of　Kaffirs；　so　that　food　might　be

lacking。　　On　the　other　hand；　if　we　kept　to　the　east　of　the　mountains　the

veld　through　which　we　must　pass　was　thickly　populated；　which　meant　that

in　all　probability　we　could　buy　grain。



What　finally　decided　us　to　adopt　this　route；　however；　was　that　here　in

these　warm；　low…lying　lands　there　would　be　grass　for　the　oxen。　　Indeed；

now；　at　the　beginning　of　spring；　in　this　part　of　Africa　it　was　already

pushing。　　Even　if　it　were　not；　the　beasts　could　live　upon　what　herbage

remained　over　from　last　summer　and　on　the　leaves　of　trees；　neither　of

which　in　this　winter　veld　ever　become　quite　lifeless；　whereas　on　the

sere　and　fire…swept　plains　beyond　the　mountains　they　might　find　nothing

at　all。　　So　we　determined　to　risk　the　savages　and　the　lions　which

followed　the　game　into　these　hot　districts；　especially　as　it　was　not　yet

the　fever　season　or　that　of　the　heavy　rains；　so　that　the　rivers　would　be

fordable。



I　do　not　propose　to　set　out　our　adventures　in　detail；　for　these　would　be

too　long。　　Until　the　great　one　of　which　I　shall　have　to　tell　presently；

they　were　of　an　annoying　rather　than　of　a　serious　nature。　　Travelling　as

we　did；　between　the　mountains　and　the　sea；　we　could　not　well　lose　our

way；　especially　as　my　Zulus　had　passed　through　that　country；　and　when

their　knowledge　failed　us；　we　generally　managed　to　secure　the　services

of　local　guides。　　The　roads；　however；　or　rather　the　game　tracks　and

Kaffir　paths　which　we　followed；　were　terrible；　for　with　the　single

exception　of　that　of　Pereira　for　part　of　the　distance；　no　wagon　had　ever

gone　over　them　before。　　Indeed；　a　little　later　in　the　year　they　could

not　have　been　travelled　at　all。　　Sometimes　we　stuck　in　bogs　out　of　which

we　had　to　dig　the　wheels；　and　sometimes　in　the　rocky　bottoms　of　streams；

while　once　we　were　obliged　literally　to　cut　our　way　through　a　belt　of

dense　bush　from　which　it　took　us　eight　days　to　escape。



Our　other　chief　trouble　came　from　the　lions；　whereof　there　were　great

numbers　in　this　veld。　　The　prevalence　of　these　hungry　beasts　forced　us

to　watch　our　cattle　very　closely　while　they　grazed；　and　at　night；

wherever　it　was　possible；　to　protect　them　and　ourselves　in　〃bombast；〃　or

fences　of　thorns；　within　which　we　lit　fires　to　scare　away　wild　beasts。　

Notwithstanding　these　precautions；　we　lost　several　of　the　oxen；　and

ourselves　had　some　narrow　escapes。



Thus；　one　night；　just　as　Marie　was　about　to　enter　the　wagon　where　the

women　slept；　a　great　lion；　desperate　with　hunger；　sprang　over　the　fence。

　She　leapt　away　from　the　beast；　and　in　so　doing　caught　her　foot　and　fell

down；　whereon　the　lion　came　for　her。　　In　another　few　seconds　she　would

have　been　dead；　or　carried　off　living。



But　as　it　chanced；　Vrouw　Prinsloo　was　close　at　hand。　　Seizing　a　flaming

bough　from　the　fire；　that　intrepid　woman　ran　at　the　lion　and；　as　it

opened　its　huge　mouth　to　roar　or　bite；　thrust　the　burning　end　of　the

bough　into　its　throat。　　The　lion　closed　its　jaws　upon　it；　then　finding

the　mouthful　not　to　its　taste；　departed　even　more　quickly　than　it　had

come；　uttering　the　most　dreadful　noises；　and　leaving　Marie　quite　unhurt。

　Needless　to　say；　after　this　I　really　worshipped　the　Vrouw　Prinsloo；

though　she；　good　soul；　thought　nothing　of　the　business；　which　in　those

days　was　but　a　common　incident　of　travel。



I　think　it　was　on　the　day　after　this　lion　episode　that　we　came　upon

Pereira's　wagon；　or　rather　its　remains。　　Evidently　he　had　tried　to　trek

along　a　steep；　rocky　bank　which　overhung　a　stream；　with　the　result　that

the　wagon　had　fallen　into　the　stream…bed；　then　almost　dry；　and　been

smashed　beyond　repair。



The　Tonga　natives　of　the　neighbourhood；　who　had　burned　most　of　the

woodwork　in　order　to　secure　the　precious　iron　bolts　and　fittings；

informed　us　that　the　white　man　and　his　servants　who　were　with　the　wagon

had　gone　forward　on　foot　some　ten　days　before；　driving　their　cattle　with

them。　　Whether　this　story　were　true　or　not　we　had　no　means　of　finding

out。　　It　was　quite　possible　that　Pereira　and　his　companions　had　been

murdered；　though　as　we　found　the　Tongas　very　quiet　folk　if　well　treated

and　given　the　usual　complimentary　presents　for　wayleaves；　this　did　not

seem　probable。　　Indeed；　a　week　later　our　doubts　upon　this　point　were

cleared　up　thus。



We　had　reached　a　big　kraal　called　Fokoti；　on　the　Umkusi　River；　which

appeared　to　be　almost　deserted。　　We　asked　an　old　woman　whom　we　met　where

its　people　had　gone。　　She　answered　that　they　had　fled　towards　the

borders　of　Swaziland；　fearing　an　attack　from　the　Zulus；　whose

territories　began　beyond　this　Umkusi　River。　　It　seemed　that　a　few　days

before　a　Zulu　impi　or　regiment　had　appeared　upon　the　banks　of　the　river；

and　although　there　was　no　war　at　the　time　between　the　Zulus　and　the

Tongas；　the　latter　had　thought　it　wise　to　put　themselves　out　of　reach　of

those　terrible　spears。



On　hearing　this　news　we　debated　whether　it　would　not　be　well　for　us　to

follow　their　example　and；　trekking　westwards；　try　to　find　a　pass　in　the

mountains。　　Upon　this　point　there　was　a　division　of　opinion　among　us。　

Marais；　who　was　a　fatalist；　wished　to　go　on；　saying　th