HANS TIRES OF THE TOWNS--REACHES THE WILDERNESS--ADVENTURES WITH WILD
BEASTS--MEETS HIS OLD COMPANIONS, AND STARTS FOR HIS OLD HAUNTS.
To a man with the habits and training of Hans Sterk, the journey from
the eastern frontier to the locality north-west of Natal Bay, in which
his friends were residing, was merely a pleasant trip. He had to pass
over many hundred miles of wild country, in which were savage men and
beasts, the former of which would not hesitate, should the opportunity
occur, to slay a solitary traveller for the sake of his gun or clothes,
whilst the latter would consider a white man a very good meal for dinner
or supper.
As Hans intended to pursue his journey alone, should no other means
present themselves, he trusted that his knowledge of the habits of wild
beasts, and his weapon, which he well knew how to use, would enable him
to defend himself against any number of these enemies. He also hoped
that he should be able to gain from his countrymen such information as
would enable him to judge where and when he must travel in order to
avoid any enemies who might endanger his safe transit across the
country.
Thus Hans without hesitation left the last lager of the farmers near the
Orange river, and with no other guide than an old waggon-track, and the
knowledge that he must ride in a north-easterly direction, he started
for the pass in the Draakensberg mountains by which he should be able to
reach his friends near the Bushman's river. Having exchanged the horse
which had carried him from Port Elizabeth for another well suited to
carry pack-saddles, and having bought a hardy, well-trained, shooting
horse, Hans was amply provided for a week's ride. The country through
which he intended riding was well supplied with game; there was water in
abundance; and thus to the hunter supplied with ammunition there was all
that might be needed to be obtained on the journey.
During two days Hans rode steadily onwards, passing principally over
plains where ostriches scoured away on seeing him. Herds of gnus and
bontebok bounded over the plains, and many solitary antelopes started
from their lairs as he approached them. As these old familiar sights
once more greeted him, Hans felt a sensation of freedom which he had in
vain sought for since his capture by the slavers. As he looked around
at the free, open, untrodden country, and saw the creatures on it, he
went back in memory to Cape Town and the life led there, and he could
not help being thankful that he had been to that town, in order that now
he might more fully appreciate his free life. Having brought with him
some cooked meat and biscuit, he had no need of shooting in order to
supply himself with food; and thus on the third evening of his ride he
stopped near a narrow ravine where a clear stream ran over the rocks,
and where there were several fine trees, underneath which broken
branches were scattered in abundance, and where there was consequently
plenty of fuel for fire. Having knee-haltered his horses, so that they
could not stray far, Hans started with his gun to examine the edge of a
vlei or marsh into which the little stream flowed, and where Hans
believed he might find some game.
Having reached the edge of this vlei, Hans commenced examining the
ground to look for spoor, as by that means he could tell what creatures
he might probably find there. The first footprint that attracted his
attention was that of a buffalo, which from the size of the hoof and the
wide-spread toes he concluded was a very old bull. This buffalo, from
the freshness of the spoor, was evidently in the reeds not far from him.
Being a thorough sportsman, Hans was not one who shot for the mere
object of killing. He, on the present occasion, wished to obtain fresh
meat, and a small buck was what he wanted, an old bull buffalo being
rather too tough. As Hans decided to seek for some other game, he
noticed a movement in the reeds about fifty yards from him, and there
saw the bull buffalo stalk slowly out, raise its head as it scented
danger, and then trot slowly away in the opposite direction. From
curiosity Hans stood watching this noble-looking brute as it moved
apparently unwillingly away from a danger which it would have readily
encountered. Having reached a covert about two hundred yards from where
Hans stood watching it, the creature entered this, crushing the long
canes as though they were nothing stronger than grass, and expecting
there to obtain a sanctuary. As far as Hans was concerned the buffalo
was safe; but his attention was soon drawn to an object which, scarcely
visible above the long grass, seemed rapidly advancing to the reeds in
which the buffalo had retreated. At first Hans supposed this to be a
buck, but a glance which he obtained as the animal bounded over a
tangled mass of reeds showed him it was a full-sized lion. The
defenceless state of his horses at once occurred to Hans, whose first
thought was to return to them; but being convinced that the lion was in
pursuit of the buffalo, he determined to wait in order to see the result
of the combat. The buffalo was evidently aware of some danger, for it
did not rest amongst the thick canes, but slowly stalked out on the
opposite side, thus giving to Hans a good view of itself. The lion soon
followed, and as the buffalo turned about and sniffed the air, the lion
with a rapid bound sprang on the buffalo's shoulder, and endeavoured to
drag it to the ground. The great height and giant strength of the
buffalo prevented the lion from at once succeeding, and with a bound and
a shake it shook off its foe. In an instant, however, the lion with a
savage roar was again on its prey, which with its claws and teeth it
tore fearfully.
Hans, who had been an idle spectator of this combat, almost regretted he
had not done something to prevent the lion from killing the buffalo, but
it was too late now to save the animal. The sight, too, was one which
Hans had never before witnessed. He had often found the remains of
creatures that lions had killed and partly eaten; he had also seen a
lion kill a zebra, but that was an almost instantaneous event. To see
somewhat of a combat between a lion and a buffalo in their native
desert, the one the most powerful among the carnivora, the other the
most formidable among the bovine species, was a scene to be remembered.
"What would they say to this in Cape Town?" thought Hans, as he saw the
buffalo, after dragging the lion some distance, and vainly striving to
cast him off, sink to the ground, and shortly after lie quietly down, as
though merely fatigued by a day's journey.
Since his arrival in the eastern frontier, Hans had enjoyed no real
sport. To a man who has tasted the excitement of large game shooting,
the sport to be obtained from merely shooting birds or small buck is
scarcely worthy of the name. As the whist player who has been
accustomed to play for a high stake scarcely feels any interest in a
game on which a postage stamp only may depend, so the South African
hunter does not deem it sport unless there is some risk encountered or
skill required in slaying his game.
When Hans saw the buffalo killed by the lion, his old instinct came to
him; and though he was alone in the desert, and had no object in running
a risk, still the idea at once occurred to him of showing the lion that
man was its master. Thus he determined on a no less daring feat than to
approach the buffalo, and select from it a choice piece of meat for
dinner.
Having made up his mind to this proceeding, Hans walked round a portion
of the marsh, and then approached the buffalo, which was by this time
quite dead. The lion saw Hans when about eighty yards from him, and the
brute seemed quite astonished at the sight. Standing erect on the
buffalo, it stared at Hans, its blood-stained paws giving it a most
formidable aspect. As the animal saw Hans steadily advancing, it gave a
savage warning growl; but finding that this seemed to have no effect, it
then appeared much puzzled, and as Hans came steadily on, the lion
turned and trotted slowly away from its freshly-slaughtered prey. Hans,
having taken about four or five pounds of meat, and a great portion of
the tongue, walked quietly back again, giving every attention to the
lion, which had trotted about two hundred yards off, and was sitting on
its haunches, watching the cool proceeding of the two-legged creature
that had thus presumed to rob it. When Hans found himself at a
sufficient distance from the lion to know he was safe from a charge, he
turned round, and was about proceeding towards his horses, when a
strange-looking object amongst the reeds attracted his attention. He
had not been able to see what this was, as the object sank down among
the reeds just as he turned, but it seemed to Hans like a human figure.
Bringing his gun to the shoulder, Hans advanced rapidly towards the
spot, in order to discover what the object was, when, to his surprise,
up started three figures from among the grass, and one shouted, "That is
Hans; no other man would rob a lion of his supper."
Hans lowered his gun at this remark, and, to his surprise and delight,
saw that his old companions, Victor and Bernhard, were two of the
figures, and Hotman, a farmer, the third.
Hans ran to his friends, who welcomed him like brothers, and to his
inquiry as to how they happened to be there, they replied that they
heard he was coming up the country, and so they expected him by the old
waggon-track; thus they had come that way with their waggons to shoot
ostriches and other game: that they had outspanned about two miles off,
and were walking round to look for game before the sun set, when they
saw a man standing near the vlei. Believing this might possibly be
Hans, they had determined to try to stalk him. When, however, they saw
that he was going single-handed at the lion, they came on quickly, and
were not far behind him when the lion retreated. Whilst he was watching
the lion, and cutting off the meat from the buffalo, the three hunters
managed to get near him, and to conceal themselves amongst the reeds.
"We will lead the horses to the waggons, Hans. You will come there at
once," said Bernhard. "All the Mensch will be glad to see you on your
return. We all thought you must be dead. You must tell us all about
your adventures after you shot the elephant; for we found your spoor,
and came to that, though too late to rescue you."
That evening was pleasantly passed at the waggons. Hans informed his
friends of all the adventures he had gone through, and of the strange
scenes he had encountered, and his account was listened to with great
interest. "And now, Victor, tell me the news."
"All the Mensch are well," replied Victor, "and Katrine is getting well
now she knows you are alive. When she heard from us that you were lost,
and were probably dead, we thought at first that it would have killed
her, and she was like a body with no life in it. When your letters
came, we thought you would soon come too, but then we heard you might
stop in Cape Town some time."
"Did you know who had taken me?" inquired Hans.
"No; we could not find any spoor after the first day, because of the
rain that had fallen; but having stopped a week near where your elephant
lay, and having gone out each day in various directions firing our guns,
we were compelled to believe that you must have been carried right away.
We were very sad, Hans, when we were obliged to return without you; but
when a month passed, and we heard nothing of you, we felt sure you must
be dead. All you possess is safe, though; it has been kept for you, and
it is as you left it."
"And has there been peace in the land?"
"Yes, all has been peace. Panda has kept faith with us, and will do so,
I believe. We have thus been able to sow corn, and the English soldiers
have left us in possession of our country; and so we shall have peace in
the district, and can govern ourselves as we wish to do."
"That is good news, indeed," said Hans; "and now I am only anxious to
get to the Natal district and settle down."
We must here close the history of our hero, though he afterwards passed
through many adventures, and encountered dangers of various kinds.
Natal was not yielded to the Dutch Boers, but was claimed by the British
Government, and is even now any thing but a region of entire peace.
That portion of the history of the Dutch emigrants which we have here
referred to is probably one of the most extraordinary on record, and it
needs neither exaggeration nor high colouring to endow it with interest
to those who study the great movements which sometimes influence
society, or the singular legislation which may convert friends into
foes.
The fruitful and prosperous district of Natal had for years remained
unnoticed, until the Dutch emigrants rendered it famous by their battles
with the Zulus. Thus England has eventually derived an advantage from
those proceedings which drove away above two thousand of her colonists;
and now the emigrant who desires a crop with but little trouble, a
lovely climate free from disease, and a country well watered and
fertile, may find these near where Hans Sterk selected his farm, and
where Katrine became his bride.