EXPEDITION OF THE MATABILI--HANS TELEGRAPHS TO KATRINE, AND RECEIVES HIS
ANSWER.
Immediately daylight enabled Hans to see the surrounding country, he
examined with his glass the kraals of the Matabili, both far and near.
Several objects attracted his attention, among which were some which
threatened the safety of himself and party. Several armed bodies of the
natives we're leaving the villages and departing hastily in various
directions, as though engaged on business of importance. Hans, aware of
the craftiness of his enemies, felt considerable uneasiness at these
numerous departures; for he was well aware that if the Matabili had by
chance discovered his hiding-place, they would not venture to attack him
except in overwhelming numbers, but would first ascertain for certain
that he was in the ravine; a fact which they would prove by examining
the ground in all directions and finding footmarks which led into the
kloof, but none which led out of it; then they would despatch several
small parties with orders to assemble at certain parts of the ravine and
there to form an ambuscade which was to intercept the retreat of Hans
and his companions.
The Matabili, like most of the natives of South Africa, were accustomed
to hunt the largest, most cunning, and fiercest animals, and from these
they had taken many hints; the buffalo, for example, when wounded would
retreat rapidly until out of sight, would then return and hide itself in
the bush not far from the place from which it originally started; the
hunter, unacquainted with the cunning of this creature, would probably
follow it rapidly in its first retreat and would be suddenly surprised
at finding himself within a few yards of the creature, which would
probably be in the act of charging him. Although Hans observed that all
the parties of the Matabili left their kraals, and moved in a contrary
direction to the kloof in which he was concealed, yet he was not
satisfied that they did not, when out of sight, turn, and make their way
back, so as to be ready to attack him immediately he and his companions
moved from their concealment. "The Matabili are moving early," said
Victor, as he joined Hans and watched the various armed parties
spreading over the country; "they must be going to attack our people."
"Some of them may possibly be sent to watch us; for they rarely give up
a spoor as plain as ours must have been. Still I have a plan which may
defeat them, if they think to trap us here. But look, Victor, with my
glass, and tell me, do my eyes deceive me; is not that white object near
that large kraal, a woman's dress? and is not that Katrine? But I
forget, _you_ would not recognise her so far off, though I can; but tell
me if it is not a white woman's dress and manner."
Victor took the telescope, and making a slight alteration in the focus,
directed it at the object indicated. After a very brief examination,
Victor said--
"That, Hans, is a white woman without doubt; and following her, I see
another and a smaller woman, who I think also is white."
Hans, who had been solely occupied in examining the first female figure,
had not observed the second; but now, taking the glass, he at once found
that Victor's observation was correct.
"I know now that must be Katrine, and her sister is behind her. I will
let her know I am here."
"How can you do that, Hans?" inquired Victor with surprise; "she is more
than a mile from us."
"I will show you, Victor; it is an old way of letting her know, that I
practised for months, and she is accustomed to it. See this!"
Hans took from his pocket a small looking-glass, which was protected in
a tin case; examining the direction of the sun, he then held the
hand-glass so that its flash should be cast towards the plains; this he
did very cautiously, having placed himself so that some leaves of a tree
served to guide him as to the direction in which the reflection should
be cast. As soon as he had made these preparations to his satisfaction,
he said--
"Now, Victor, rest the telescope on the branch of that tree, and tell me
what Katrine does."
Victor arranged the telescope as requested, whilst Hans slightly moved
his mirror, so as to cast the flash in the direction of Katrine. During
the first few minutes no effect seemed to result from Hans' performance.
Katrine was walking slowly over the plain, her head cast down as though
she were in deep thought, and looking neither to the right nor left.
Her sister was, when first seen by Victor, nearly a hundred yards behind
her; but shortly afterwards she ran to her elder sister and took her
hand. All this Victor saw with his telescope and described to Hans, who
still flashed the mirror in what he believed to be the right direction.
"Now they see it," exclaimed Victor. "The little one has seen it and
drags her sister round; points here at us, and now they are both looking
this way! See, Hans, the tall one is waving a handkerchief! Heavens,
if a Matabili sees her, we shall be defeated in our plans! but now she
has stopped waving her handkerchief, and is kissing her sister."
"Watch her now, Victor, and tell me every thing she does."
Victor looked eagerly through the telescope, and shortly saw what he
described in the following words--"She seems to be looking all round,
Hans, and uncertain where to go to: now she is walking quickly towards
us, and her sister with her; she still comes on, and now she stops."
"Watch now, Victor, and see if she stoops and picks up any thing, and
tell me how often she stoops."
"She does stoop," said Victor. "The girl is clever if this is a signal;
she has picked up something and is looking at it; she stoops again and
picks up something else; now she stands up and shakes her hankerchief,
as though knocking off a fly; now she walks slowly back towards the
kraal. Hans, I fear she has not seen your signal."
"She has seen it, and has answered it, Victor," said Hans; "and in two
hours she will come to this ravine; that is what she tells me."
A look of half wonder, half incredulity passed across the face of Victor
at this remark of Hans.
"You don't understand, I see, Victor, but I will explain. Since I have
been courting Katrine, I have been accustomed to ride to the krantz
about two miles from her father's house, when there I would flash my
mirror to let her know where I was; this soon attracted her attention,
and she had been taught by me to stoop and pick up something, as a
signal. If I was to meet her at once, she only waved her handkerchief;
but if she stooped and picked up something, I was to meet her in one
hour; if she stooped twice, in two hours,--and so on. Now you say, and
I just distinguished, that she stooped twice; so our meeting will be in
two hours."
"But why will she come to us in this ravine?"
"We agreed, that if I was to come to her house, she was to walk towards
it, but if I was to meet her near some yellow-wood trees, where we often
met, she was to walk in that direction; so I think I am not wrong in
believing she means to come to this place by her walking in this
direction. There were not many days during the last few months that
Katrine did not see the flash of my mirror, and so it is not wonderful
that she at once responded to the signal. There, she has gone, Victor--
has she not?--into the kraal. Now, you look to the horses, I will watch
here, and we shall soon have a report from Bernhard as to what he has
seen high up the ravine; then, if all be safe and well, we may soon be
on horseback, and on our way back to our friends; and then we need not
fear any number of Matabili, for we can ride away from them with ease,
for both Katrine and her sister ride like Amazons. Ah, Bernhard, what
news?"
"I don't like so many small parties of the Matabili disappearing in the
bush behind us; at least a hundred have gone in there this morning, and
the bush runs quite up to our ravine; these men might stalk to within a
few yards of us, and we not know of their approach; it is necessary that
we should be watchful, for the horses have more than once snorted as
though they smelt something strange and unpleasant, and my horse has
reason to dread a Matabili ever since the gash he got in the flank in
our last expedition against these people. How long will you stay here,
Hans?"
"Only two hours more, Bernhard, so I trust."