"As I have been fast asleep I cannot tell you, but the chances are that
he has taken his gun to show his skill as a sportsman, and hopes to
bring back a pallah or springboc for breakfast. We must ascertain in
what direction he has gone. Perhaps some of my Hottentots who went down
with the oxen to the stream may have seen him."
Neither of the Hottentots, however, could give any account of the
missing boy. The men who had been on guard were also questioned, but
none of them had seen him, and from the answers they gave it seemed more
than probable that they had been nodding at their posts. One of them at
last acknowledged that he had caught sight of a figure, just before
daybreak, some little distance from the camp, going to the northward.
Further search was made, and Denis not appearing, his father and
Hendricks determined to set off in quest of him, in the direction he was
supposed to have gone, leaving orders with their followers to get
breakfast ready and to prepare for inspanning directly they returned.
"I fancy that my first suspicions are correct, and that your boy wants
to prove how able he is to accompany you," observed the latter. "If he
appears loaded with venison, it will be difficult to persuade him to the
contrary."
"Faith! the young rascal has spirit enough, but his strength is not
equal to it," answered Maloney. "If I take him with me, he'll be
getting into mischief; whether, therefore, he appears loaded with
venison or empty handed, nolens volens, I'll send him back with you."
While they were speaking, the sound of footsteps was heard coming up
behind them. They both turned expecting to see Master Denis; but
instead, little Unozingli the white boy, or Lionel, as Hendricks called
him, came running up to them.
"What brings you after us, boy?" asked Hendricks in Zulu.
"To help the masters find my white brother," answered the boy. "I know
the way he has taken, for I saw his footsteps on the grass, though the
master may not have discovered them. We shall find him in time, but he
may already be some distance away."
"I will trust you, boy, and am glad you came," said Hendricks. "But how
is it you are so confident of finding him?"
"Because I have often gone out with my Zulu masters to search for game,
and sometimes to follow their enemies, and I know the signs on the
ground which guided them. Here the grass pressed, there a twig broken
off, or a stone moved, or the mark of feet on the sand or soft earth."
"You understand what is wanted, I see. Come with us," said Hendricks.
Then turning to his companion, he added, "The boy's wits have been
sharpened by his life with the blacks. I have always noted that when a
white man has the same necessity for acquiring knowledge as savages, he
always surpasses them. In course of time, had that boy continued with
the Zulus, he would have become a great chief among them, and would
probably have made himself a terror to the settlers, had any cause of
quarrel arisen. It's an ill wind that blows no one good, and it's
fortunate for him as well as for the settlers, that the kraal was
destroyed and that he was liberated."
The boy, on obtaining permission to accompany his new friends,
immediately took the lead, with his eyes fixed on the ground, at a pace
with which they found it somewhat difficult at times to keep up. The
trail, or as the Dutch call it, the spoor, when an animal is being
tracked, must have been remarkably clear to the eyes of the little
fellow; for he did not hesitate a moment, though the white men, with all
their experience as hunters, were unable to distinguish any of the marks
by which he was guided. Several animals were seen as they went along.
Now a buffalo would dash out of a thicket, and go rushing at a rapid
rate across their path. Now a herd of peewas were caught sight of,
making their way towards the stream to take their morning draught.
Presently a flock of Guinea fowl would rise from the tangled underwood,
and fly hither and thither, filling the air with their discordant notes.
Then suddenly a white rhinoceros would appear strolling along, until,
seeing the strangers, he would break into a gallop similar to that of a
well-bred horse; notwithstanding his heavy body, showing a splendid
action, with his head well up, and moving at a pace few horses could
rival. But these occurrences did not for a moment draw off the boy's
attention. The heat as the sun rose became excessive, beating down with
a force which only those accustomed to the wilds of Africa could have
borne without complaining.
After going a considerable distance the boy stopped and examined the
ground. What was the horror of Hendricks and Maloney to see the grass
stained with blood! It was too probably that of Denis.
"The poor boy must have been struck down by a lion, and has been carried
off into the thicket," exclaimed his father.
"I am not so sure of that," answered Hendricks. "What is it,
Unozingli?"
"The white boy shot a pallah, which galloped off away out there, and he
followed," answered the little fellow, pointing to the north. "We shall
find him before long. He thought to get another shot, but he had little
chance of that."
Scarcely had he spoken when a roar was heard coming from the direction
towards which he pointed. He looked anxious; it was the voice,
undoubtedly, of a lion.
"Come on!" he said; "but be ready to fire."
Presently another roar was heard, but this time there were the voices of
two lions--the sound, however, came from a considerable distance. The
hunters pressed on. They were too well accustomed to encounter the
monarch of the wilds under ordinary circumstances to have any feeling of
alarm for themselves, but they became intensely anxious about Denis;
still it was not likely that the lions would be roaring had they seized
him. They hurried on even faster than before, though they had several
times to turn aside to avoid the thorny thickets in their path, through
which even their young guide did not attempt to make his way. The
sounds grew louder and louder. They were approaching the spot where the
lions would be discovered. For their own safety it was necessary to be
cautious. Their great hope was that Denis had turned aside, and that
the beasts were roaring over the body of the wounded pallah which they
had brought down. Still Lionel, though he slackened his pace, did not
hesitate, but went on, his eyes peering about in every direction. He
seemed to place perfect reliance on the power of his companions'
firearms. For some time the roaring ceased. Could the brutes have gone
off, or were they watching the approach of the strangers? Suddenly
three lion cubs burst out from a thicket. Maloney was instinctively
about to fire, but Hendricks stopped him. "Take care! the old ones are
not far off. Those little brutes were sent out by the lion and lioness
to watch us."
As he said this, the cubs, turning round, galloped off to the left up
the hill. Cautiously the hunters advanced. It was well they did so,
for scarcely had they gone fifty paces more when a lion and lioness
suddenly bounded out with rapid strides, their heads and tails up.
"You take the lioness, I'll take the lion," said Hendricks calmly, while
the boy, showing no signs of fear, stepped behind his friends. All at
once the lion stopped, then gazing a moment at the intruders, galloped
off after the cubs, but the lioness still came bounding on. Hendricks
on this refrained from pulling his trigger. Maloney fired, the ball
struck the savage animal in the neck, but notwithstanding on she came
towards him, and in another instant would probably have laid him low on
the ground with a blow from her powerful paw. It was fortunate that
Hendricks had not thrown his shot away. He stood as firm as a rock, and
raising his rifle aimed at the lioness's chest. She made one bound into
the air, and fell close to his feet. She was still not dead, and he,
grasping the boy by the arm, sprang to a distance on one side while
Maloney leapt to the other. She made several efforts to reach them,
crawling along for some distance on the ground, but in vain attempted to
rise, and after giving a few convulsive struggles, she fell over on her
side dead.
"My poor boy, my poor boy! If he has encountered those brutes, what
chance of escape can he have had?" exclaimed Maloney.
"We'll hope for the best. Come on," was the answer. And not stopping,
as they would otherwise have done, to skin the lioness, they hurried
forward, led by their young guide.
"He's not far off, he has not been killed," he said, in answer to a
question Hendricks put to him.
Presently a shout reached their ears, and looking up, there, to their
intense relief, they saw Master Denis seated amidst the branches of a
tree, well out of reach of the lions. Below it lay his gun.
"Have you settled the brutes?" he shouted out. "I'm glad you have come,
for I'm desperately hungry. They seemed inclined to keep me here all
day. If I hadn't had to leave my gun on the ground, I should soon have
driven them away. I saw the brutes just in time to scramble up here."
"You may thank heaven that you were not torn to pieces by them," said
Hendricks.
"Come down, Denis," cried his father, thankful that he had escaped, and
too glad to find fault with him just then.
The boy made his way down, but would have fallen on reaching the ground,
had not his father caught him. He looked paler even than on the
previous evening, but that was not surprising, considering the alarm he
had been in, and that he had had no breakfast. It was important that
they should get back to the camp as soon as possible, and the two
hunters, each taking an arm, helped him along, for by himself it was
very evident that he would have been unable to walk even a short
distance.
"You have given us a pretty fright, Denis," said his father. "What made
you take it into your head to start off alone from the camp, without
letting any one know where you were going?"
"Faith! for the sake of showing you what I could do," answered Denis.
"Besides, I just honestly confess that I thought you would have
inspanned and come along this way, when I hoped you would not have
refused to take me with you."
"I thought as much, but you've gained nothing by the move," observed his
father. "You have shown me more clearly than before that you are
utterly unfit to go through the fatigues of a hunter's life. You'll
just take advantage of the kind offer of our friend here, and go back
with him to Maritzburg."
Poor Denis looked very crestfallen, but said nothing, for he did not
feel just then well able to enter into a controversy with any one.
Indeed, he was growing weaker and weaker, and it seemed more than
probable that he would be unable to get back to the camp unless he was
carried. Little Lionel had picked up his gun, and was staggering ahead
with it over his shoulders. He kept his eyes looking about him as if on
the watch for something or other. Presently he cried out in Zulu, "Be
on your guard, white chief. See, see! there they come!" and Hendricks
caught sight of the lion, followed at a distance by the cubs, stealing
down the hill towards the spot where the lioness had been shot. He kept
his eye on the animal, to watch its movements. Both he and Maloney had
loaded with ball, and they now halted until the lion came within range
of their weapons.
The brute moved slowly on, and then suddenly sitting up on its haunches,
surveyed them at a distance.
"The lion has no stomach for a fight. We may go on," said Hendricks.
They walked on supporting Denis, while the boy kept close to their side
until they had passed the body of the lioness, the lion all the time
retaining its position, conscious probably that its duties were to
protect its cubs. They went on and on until they got out of sight of
the lion, which, when they last saw it, had not moved from its post.
Very frequently, however, Hendricks looked back to ascertain whether the
animal was following them. "After all, they are cowardly brutes," he
observed. "They will seldom attack a man when they see he is prepared
for them, unless hard pressed by hunger. I have never found them
otherwise."
A rhinoceros, a panther, and several deer were seen, but they had no
further interruptions to their progress, and at length the camp was
reached. They found breakfast ready for them. From the appearance of
Denis, who scarcely ate a morsel, it was more than ever evident that he
would be unable to accompany his father. It was doubtful indeed whether
he would be able to start with Hendricks the following morning, unless
room could be found for him in the waggon. In the meantime a bed was
made up for him in the shade beneath it, consisting of a blanket and
kaross, the latter being a robe composed of jackal skins sewn together.
Hendricks, although anxious to get to Maritzburg, agreed to wait until
the following morning, when it was hoped that Denis would be able to sit
his horse, and benefit by the fresh air of the early day.
His father was very grateful to their friend for his kindness.
"Don't talk about it," answered the sturdy hunter. "Our oxen will
benefit by having another day's rest and good feeding, which neither
yours nor mine are likely to obtain for some time to come; for when once
I inspan, I shall let nothing stop me until I get to the end of my
journey, and you, of course, will have to traverse the barren country I
lately passed over."
The young chief, however, showed great impatience at the delay. He
evidently feared that his countrymen would discover him and drag him
from the protection of the English. He expressed this idea to
Hendricks.
"They will have to fight pretty hard to do that, and you must not be
slow to defend yourselves," observed the hunter.
The black chief flourished his assegai with a fierce look. "Mangaleesu
has shown what he can do, and he will not yield while life lasts," he
exclaimed.
"Those who are ready to fight for themselves merit assistance," observed
the hunter. "Rest assured, we will not deliver you up."
During the hot hours of the day the Kaffir and Hottentot servants lay
about in whatever shade could be found, some smoking, others spinning
interminable yarns, but the larger number passing the time fast asleep,
stretched on the ground with a few boughs or pieces of blanket over
their heads. Occasionally the Hottentots were roused up to take then
turn in watching the cattle, on which, even during the day, it was
necessary to keep a bright look-out lest a lion might pounce down upon
them, or a black rhinoceros charge into their midst and put them to
flight. At length Hendricks called out the hunters, and sent them in
search of game. While they took one direction, he himself, with
Maloney, accompanied by Umgolo, proceeded higher up the mountain-side,
his object being to discover if there was any more practicable route
than the one by which the latter had come, as also to ascertain if there
were any native kraals in the neighbourhood. The summit of the hill was
soon reached.
"It is as I thought," said Maloney, after they had surveyed the country.
"You'll not find a better road to the east or west, bad as it is; if
you make the attempt, you'll very likely get out of the frying-pan into
the fire."
On either side were seen a succession of tree-covered heights, through
which no waggon could force its way, unless preceded by a party of
pioneers to cut down the trees and bridge the ravines. In the far
distance were a few kraals with open spaces marking the mealy grounds of
the inhabitants, but in other respects the whole country was a perfect
wilderness.
As they were descending they caught sight of a graceful animal which at
that moment had leapt on a rock not far from them. In colour and
appearance it resembled the common roe, but was considerably smaller.
On seeing the strangers, it was on the point of turning to escape, when
Hendricks, raising his gun in a moment to his shoulder, fired, and the
little klipspringer fell from the projecting rock on which it was
standing, down on the smooth side of the hill, where it lay motionless.
The klipspringer is one of the most active of antelopes, differing from
others of its species in having small hoofs and somewhat short legs for
its size, thus adapting it to its roaming mountainous life, while the
hair is so loose in the skin, that even in the short distance the animal
just shot had fallen, a considerable part had been knocked off. Umgolo
at once shouldered it, and without difficulty carried it off to the
camp. Had it been a load of any other description, he would have
declined to demean himself by lifting it on his shoulders. On their way
back, the hunters shot several dassi, or rock rabbits, which thus paid
the penalty of their curiosity as they came out of their holes to look
at the passers-by. Their flesh, although not so highly flavoured, was
more likely to prove tender than that of larger game, and they were thus
an acceptable addition to the store of meat.
Poor Denis made his appearance at supper-time, somewhat revived by a
long sleep. Although he tried to be cheerful, and declared that he was
fit for anything, it was still very evident that he would be unable to
accompany his father.
Except that there was a continual serenade of hyenas and jackals, with
the occasional low mutterings of lions in the distance, the night passed
quietly by. Before dawn the next morning both camps were astir. After
a hurried breakfast the oxen were inspanned, and Denis was placed in the
homeward-bound waggon. His father having taken leave of him, and parted
from Hendricks with a hearty shake of the hand, the two vehicles
commenced their journeys in opposite directions. Mangaleesu and Kalinda
walked together close to the waggon, and it had been arranged that
should any natives appear, she was to get inside, while the young chief,
who had put off the insignia of his rank, and was dressed like one of
the other natives, would then, it was hoped, pass without discovery.
Little Lionel, whose wound was slighter than at first supposed, and who
seemed to look upon it as a mere scratch, some times trotted alongside
them, and at others clambered up by the side of the driver, to whom he
took an especial fancy. Denis frequently called him to sit in the
corner at the other end of the waggon, and amused himself by trying to
teach him English, which the boy acquired with wonderful rapidity, it
being scarcely ever necessary to tell him twice the name of a thing.
"I'm sure the little chap is English," said Denis to Hendricks, when
they outspanned for the night. "Had his parents been Dutch, he would
not have recollected the names of things so uncommonly fast as he does.
When I put my hand to my head, and said head, he immediately repeated
the word after me, and when I asked him again ten minutes afterwards he
had not forgotten it. When I touched my cap, without telling him the
name, he at once said `cap.' If he goes on at that rate, he'll be able
to talk English before we get to Maritzburg, and I shouldn't be
surprised if he will then be able to give us a more clear account of
himself than he has hitherto done."
"That's right, Denis; go on and try to make him talk as much as you can.
I have got some books, and you may be able to teach him his letters,
and perhaps even to read before the journey is over," said Hendricks.
"He is a sharp little fellow, no doubt about that, and will do credit to
your instruction."
Denis looked well pleased at this remark. He was flattered at the
confidence placed in him, and was thus reconciled to sitting quietly in
the waggon all day, instead of mounting his horse. He was really unfit
for hard exercise, though, had he not found this employment, he would
probably have been restless and discontented, and would have insisted on
mounting his horse, and exposing himself to the hot sun.
Day after day the waggon moved on, generally only ten miles were
accomplished, frequently even less, and seldom much more, except when
the ground was level and hard. Occasionally the men had to put their
shoulders to the wheels to help on the oxen where the ground was
unusually steep. On these occasions the young chief made himself
useful, not disdaining to labour with the other men. He appeared
desirous, indeed, of showing his gratitude to Hendricks for the
protection afforded him. He still, however, did not seem to be at his
ease. Whenever a height was reached, his eye ranged anxiously over the
country, as if he expected his enemies to be coming in search of him.
Hendricks inquired one day who he supposed was the leader of the attack
against the kraal. Was it Cetchwayo? he asked. "No, but Mapeetu,
another chief, a great friend of his. He had seen Kalinda, and wished
to make her his wife, but she ran from him because she loved me, and she
became mine. He knew that he could not get her back, because I kept too
strict a watch over her, and would never allow her to go out of the
kraal without going myself, with a strong party; so in revenge, when one
of the king's wives fell ill, he bribed the doctor to declare that I had
bewitched her. I heard of this, and so, when the king sent for me,
knowing that I should be murdered on the way, I refused to go. Mapeetu
was cunning, and appeared to have forgotten all about the matter. This
threw me off my guard, or I should have moved with my people and cattle,
as soon as our crops had been gathered in, to another part of the
country. Thinking that all was secure, I kept no watch at the kraal
that night, but the moment I heard the sounds outside, I knew what was
about to happen, and resolved to fight, not so much to preserve my own
life, as to prevent Kalinda from falling into the power of Mapeetu. Had
she been killed, I would have sought him out, and followed him through
the country until I had satisfied my revenge."
"I am glad that you both escaped. And now tell me; how are you going to
support yourself in Natal?" asked Hendricks.
"Where game is abundant one need never be anxious on that score,"
answered Mangaleesu. "When I have provided for my wife, I intend to
return to Zululand and punish Mapeetu for the slaughter of my people.
Cetchwayo will not dare to kill me, for it will be acknowledged that a
chief so brave as I have proved myself could not have been guilty of
witchcraft. Then, when I have gathered some people round me, and have
built another kraal, I will go back for my Kalinda."
Hendricks, though suspecting that the young chief would probably lose
his life in endeavouring to carry out his plan, was well aware that to
attempt dissuading him from it would be useless; he therefore simply
observed, "You have a good many things to do first, and perhaps you will
not find it as easy as you suppose to obtain a livelihood in Natal."
The chief looked somewhat disconcerted at this remark, but the next
moment drawing himself up proudly, he answered--
"Mangaleesu's strong arm and rifle will supply him and his wife with all
their wants. The Zulus are not like you white men, they can live where
you would starve."
"You are a brave young man, but you have no rifle and ammunition to
begin with," said Hendricks. "However, I will supply you, and will
purchase the skins you bring me at a fair price. In that way, if you
hunt diligently, you will be able to support yourself and your wife."
The chief appeared well pleased with this arrangement, and did not for
the remainder of the journey again talk of returning to Zululand to
revenge himself on his enemies. When the waggon was passing in the
neighbourhood of kraals, the natives on several occasions paid Hendricks
a visit, supposing that he had come to trade with them; but, as his
goods were exhausted, and his waggon already fully loaded, he told them
that he could do no business, and they soon again took their departure.
None of them appeared to recognise Mangaleesu, and as Kalinda always
cautiously crept inside she was not seen. It was therefore hoped that
Mapeetu had no suspicion of how the young chief and his bride had
escaped, and that the party ran no risk of being molested. Several not
very important adventures were met with. Game, which was everywhere
abundant, was killed to supply the travellers with food, and at length
descending from the high ground they reached the colony. They had a
considerable distance to travel, but all danger from hostile Zulus was
over. A journey of about ten days brought them in sight of the high
black hills, devoid of a single tree, which bound Maritzburg on the
north and north-west. Soon afterwards the town itself appeared,
situated on a large knoll or plateau, rising out of a natural basin, and
almost surrounded by "little Bushmans" river. Crossing the stream, the
waggon passed along a broad road bounded by green hedges of pomegranate,
enclosing nicely kept gardens, in which stood neat little whitewashed
cottages with verandahs in front, round whose posts were twined
beautiful and luxurious creepers. By the side of the water-courses by
which the gardens were irrigated, coming from the main stream, grew
weeping willows and lilac trees, with several other water-loving and
rapidly growing shrubs. The streets of the town were at right angles;
the houses uniformly white, few of them being of more than one story,
but all looking very neat and clean, as did the streets themselves, with
channels of clear water flowing on either side, affording the
inhabitants an abundant supply for all their wants. Indeed, it could
not but be acknowledged that the site of Pieter Maritzburg had been
admirably chosen for a colonial town.
Hendricks having outspanned in an open place at the entrance of the
town, left Umgolo to look after the waggon, and took Denis and Lionel to
dispose of them as he had arranged. Denis was kindly received by his
uncle, who, thanking Hendricks for having brought him back, promised to
give him employment until his father should come or send for him. Denis
seemed very sorry to part from Lionel, who had been so long his pupil.
"Don't you be after forgetting all I have taught you, Lionel," he said.
"No fear, me no forget," answered Lionel, laughing. "Soon talkee
English well as Den 'self."
The little fellow, as he walked alongside his tall friend, gazed with
astonishment at all he saw, and when he came near the public buildings--
which though unpretending edifices enough, were of gigantic size
compared with any structures he had seen--he opened his eyes and
inquired how men could ever manage to put them together.
Mr Hendricks led him through the town, until they reached a neat little
cottage standing in a nicely kept garden surrounded by a pomegranate
hedge, and full of gay flowers. In front of the house was a porch,
round the posts of which were trained several luxuriant creepers, so as
to hang in festoons from the roof. The floor was paved with Dutch
tiles, kept as polished and clean as a dinner-table.
As they entered through the wicket gate, a fair, portly-looking dame, of
a comely and cheerful countenance, her white cap concealing her smooth
light hair, appeared at the door.
"What, do my eyes deceive me? or do I really see my dear brother safe
and sound in limb and body?" she exclaimed, sticking her
knitting-needles and balls of cotton into one of her ample pockets,
ready for the affectionate embrace she was prepared to give and receive.
"Yes, indeed, you see me as strong and hearty as ever, and richer than I
have been since I first started off from home as a younker, with a pack
at my back and a rifle in my hand. Never have I made a more successful
trip; for I have returned with the waggon so loaded that I sometimes
feared the stout wheels would give way under the weight they carried."
"What young stranger have you brought here?" asked the dame, after the
first salutations were over. "A fine little child, by my troth!"
Hendricks briefly described how Lionel had come into his hands. "And I
want you, my good sister, to take charge of him, and bring him up, until
by some means we may discover his parents. He will repay your trouble
if I judge rightly of his disposition; and although he has no large
amount of English at his command at present, he will soon chatter away
fast enough to afford you plenty of amusement."
Kind Mistress Jansen, taking the boy by the hand, and drawing him
towards her, answered, "That I'll do with all my heart, and we shall be
good friends at once, shall we not, my boy?"
The little fellow did not answer, but looked up at Hendricks as if
asking him to reply. The hunter spoke a few words in Zulu, on hearing
which the child's eye brightened.
"I have told him that you will be a mother to him Susannah, and he seems
well pleased at the thought."
That matter being settled, the hunter having taken a cup of tea with his
good sister, and enjoyed a little further conversation, left his young
_protege_ with her, and returned to where his waggon and followers were
encamped to make arrangements for the disposal of his cargo. Finding,
however, that it would be well worth his while to proceed to D'Urban, he
the following day set off for that town, to dispose of the produce of
his hunting, and to procure fresh goods for his next journey. According
to his promise, he made a present of a good rifle and stock of
ammunition to the young chief Mangaleesu, giving him authority to
procure a further supply of powder and shot when that was exhausted.
Lionel was soon perfectly at home with Mistress Jansen. He showed an
amiable disposition, and willingly obeyed her, but at the same time she
discovered that he had several savage habits and customs to be cured of.
Young as he was, he showed a fearless and independent spirit, but she
endeavoured by kind and judicious treatment to keep him in good order.
He paid almost a daily visit to Denis Maloney to be taught his lessons;
but Mistress Jansen took upon herself to give him instruction in
religious truth, of which very naturally he was totally ignorant. He
had no idea that there was a God in heaven, or how the world had been
formed, or of a future state, and it was some time before he could
comprehend the plan of salvation, while he exhibited a woeful ignorance
of what was right and wrong. Had he been older, the task of instructing
him would have been more difficult, but as it was, his mind in most
respects was a perfect blank. He was ready enough, however, to receive
the impression his kind instructress endeavoured to make. As he gained
knowledge himself, he felt very anxious to impart it to Mangaleesu, who
had built a hut on the nearest piece of wild land he could find to the
town. Here he lived with the independence of a Zulu chief and
gentleman, his wife attending to household affairs of a very primitive
description, while he, gun in hand, hunted through the neighbourhood,
and never failed to obtain an ample supply of food. The agent of
Hendricks also was always ready to make advances on the skins of the
animals and the feathers of the birds he shot, which afforded him and
his wife all the other necessaries of life. Though he listened to what
Lionel had to say, he had always a ready answer to excuse himself for
not following his advice. At the same time he assured the boy that he
should be very glad to see him whenever he would come to pay him a
visit. By this means Lionel kept up his knowledge of the Zulu language,
which there would have been a risk of his forgetting while he was
acquiring that of English.
When his guardian returned from D'Urban, he was greatly surprised at his
proficiency, not only in speaking, but in general knowledge.
"If you continue as you have begun, Lionel, you will soon be able to
accompany me on my journeys, and make yourself very useful in a variety
of ways," he said.
"Then I'll make great haste," answered Lionel. "I'll go with you as
soon as you will take me, and learn how to shoot lions and elephants,
and Zulus too, if they try to treat us as they did the people in
Mangaleesu's kraal."
Lionel had still need of further religious instruction, as his last
remark showed, and good Mistress Jansen endeavoured to give it by
teaching him "to love our enemies, to bless them that curse us, to do
good to them that hate us, and to pray for them which despitefully use
and persecute us."