I put the letter into my pocket, flung on a mackintosh and dived outside
again. The rain was still coming down in a steady pour, and the cloud
of vapour rising from the horse's heaving flanks steamed up redly
against the firelight. Falkner was in high spirits. A reebok was tied
behind his saddle and Jan Boom was carrying the carcase of a
klipspringer, and a few unconsidered trifles in the way of partridges.
"You haven't been out for nothing?" I said, glancing at the spoil.
"Rather not. I've had a ripping day of it, but--trot out the grog, old
man. Phew! it's cold. For the last hour I've hardly been able to feel
my feet in the stirrups."
"Likely. Here, you'd better tumble into the waggon and get into dry
togs. Then we'll have scoff. By the way, the post has come."
"Post? See here. Who are you getting at, Glanton? Post!"
"Not at anybody. Here's a letter, from your aunt I believe."
"By Jove! I thought you were humbugging. Oh well, that'll keep--till
after scoff at any rate, and I'm starving."
I had made up my mind to say nothing to him of Aida Sewin's letter
unless his own communication should contain some reference to it. Soon
he was in dry clothes, and the klipspringer was sizzling on the fire,
which the boys had managed to shelter ingeniously with the aid of some
stones and a bit of old sail. Then, in a trice, the grill being ready,
we fell to with a will, seated on the edge of the _kartel_, our metal
plates in our laps, and the rain splashing down upon the waggon tent,
while we were warm and dry, if somewhat cramped, within.
"This is jolly and snug, and no mistake," pronounced Falkner, "and
grilled klipspringer makes right radiant scoff. Here, put the bottle
across--it's on your side. And I say, Glanton, I came across a devilish
rum thing to-day--a devilish nasty thing. It turned me quite sick, 'pon
my word it did. By the way, what were you blazing at soon after we
parted? I heard a couple of shots."
"Oh, it was another klipspringer. But a mere snap, not a fair chance,"
I answered, not intending to let him into my secret experience. "What
was it you came across?" I went on, feeling rather curious, for he had
turned quite serious, as though impressed by some very unpleasant
recollection.
"Why! it was about two hours away from here, or might have been rather
more--this afternoon just after I'd boned that reebok--a nice clear shot
he gave me--a longish one too. Well, away beyond the second line of
krantzes over that side, we stumbled suddenly upon a small kraal, where
they were none too civil--didn't seem the least glad to see us, to put
it mildly. Well, we didn't stop, but as we moved on they objected to us
going the way we wanted, and in fact the way we eventually came. I
rather lost my temper, for they became beastly bumptious, you know, and
at one time made as if they'd try to prevent us."
"You didn't get punching any of their heads, I hope," I interrupted,
rather sharply.
"No, no. But upon my soul I felt inclined to. First of all they began
lying about there being no road there, and so forth, but I knew they
were lying, so made up my mind to go that way. Jan Boom didn't want to
either--and those two boys who started with us wouldn't go any further,
said we shouldn't want them any more, and that we could find our own way
back now. Well, I was of the same opinion, so on we came. But at one
time I began to think they had been right. It was awful the scramble we
had over the rocks and boulders. Jan Boom had turned beastly sulky too,
and kept wanting to go back himself, but I'm an obstinate beggar, you
know, Glanton, and when once I've made up my mind to do a thing I'll do
it--What are you grinning at?"
"Only, if you don't mind me saying so, you ought to have remained in the
service of your country. You'd have made a model leader of a forlorn
hope, and, in the fulness of time, a model general."
"Here, hang your chaff," he growled, not knowing whether to be pleased
or not. "I never quite know whether you mean what you say or are only
pulling a fellow's leg."
"Well, go on."
"Jan Boom, I was saying, had got so sulky that I more than threw out a
hint I was likely to hammer him if he didn't think better of it. We at
last struck a gully which was rather an improvement on our way so far,
but even it was beastly bad. It was a sort of dry watercourse, although
if the rain kept on at this rate it would soon be a devilish wet one.
Well, there was a path of sorts, though not easy to distinguish; now
over the rocks now between them, a gloomy hole, I tell you, and most
infernally depressing."
"How depressing?" I interrupted, for I had never given Falkner Sewin
credit for sufficient imagination to feel depressed by such a mere
accident as surroundings.
"Well, it was. The cliffs seemed to meet overhead as if they were going
to topple down on you, don't you know, and there wasn't a sound, except
the wind howling round the rocks every now and then like a jolly spook.
Then, all of a sudden my horse rucked back at his bridle--we were
leading the horses, you know--so suddenly as nearly to pull me on my
back--as it was I dropped my pipe on the stones and broke it--and before
I had time even to cuss, by George, I saw a sight.
"We had got into a sort of caldron-shaped hollow, something like our
waterhole at home would look like, if it was empty, and--by the Lord,
Glanton, there, against the rock where the water should have fallen over
if there had been any to fall, was the body of a wretched devil of a
nigger--spread-eagled upright, and staring at us; in fact literally
crucified--for we found that the poor beast was triced up to pegs driven
firmly into cracks in the rock. Good Lord! it gave me a turn. In some
places the flesh had all fallen away, showing the bones, and what
remained was bleached almost white. Here, send the bottle along again.
The very recollection turns me sick."
"How long did he seem to have been there?" I said. "Could you form any
idea?"
"Not well. Besides I was in too great a hurry to get away, and so was
Jan Boom, I can tell you. What d'you think it meant, Glanton? Mind
you, those devils up in the kraal must have known of it, because it
occurred to me afterwards that that was their reason for not wanting us
to go that way."
"Very likely. The chap may have been planted there after he was dead,
you know," I answered--not in the least thinking so. "Some peculiar and
local form of sepulture."
"I don't believe it," rejoined Falkner quickly. "The expression of the
face was that of some poor devil who had come to a most beastly end and
knew it--and it haunts me."
"Well, why didn't you investigate further, while you were at it?"
"Didn't feel inclined. But--I'll tell you what, Glanton, we might go
back there to-morrow. I'm sure I could find the way, and at any rate
Jan Boom could. Then such an experienced beggar as you could see to the
bottom of it perhaps. Eh?"
"I've no wish to do anything of the sort, in fact it would have been
just as well if you had missed that little find to-day altogether. And
I should recommend you to keep your mouth shut about it--to Tom for
instance. You may rely upon it Jan Boom will. They have curious
customs in these parts, and some of them they don't in the least like
nosed into and talked over. By the way, here's Mrs Sewin's letter I
was telling you about."
"By Jove, yes--I forgot. Well, I'll like to hear something of them at
home, if only to help me to forget that beastly thing. Let's see what
the old lady says."
He read me out bits of the letter as he went on--just ordinary bits of
home talk, but there was no word bearing upon the mystery set forth in
his cousin's letter. Suddenly he looked up.
"Hallo Glanton! So Aida has been favouring you, I find."
"Yes. A letter from your cousin came at the same time as this."
"I say though, but you kept it devilish dark," he said, nastily. In
fact, his tone reminded me of the earlier days of our acquaintance.
"I don't know what you mean by `devilish dark,' Sewin, but I'm quite
sure I don't like the expression," I answered shortly. "Let me remind
you however that you've `had the floor' ever since you came back, with
that yarn of yours. Could I have got in a word edgeways?"
"Well, what news does she give you?" he jerked out, after an interval of
silence, during which he had been viciously rapping his pipe against the
heel of his boot as he sat.
"Just about the same as what you've been reading out to me."
"That all?"
It was as much as I could do to keep my temper. Falkner's tone had
become about as offensive as he knew how to make it, and that is saying
a great deal--this too, apart from the fact that I resented being
catechised at all. But I remembered my promise to his cousin not to
quarrel with him, and just managed to keep it; only then by making no
reply.
There was silence again. By way of relieving it I sung out to Tom to
come and take away our plates, and the relics of our meal. Falkner the
while was emitting staccato puffs from his newly lighted pipe, and as I
settled down to fill mine he suddenly broke forth:
"Look here, Glanton, I'm a plain-speaking sort of chap and accustomed to
say what I mean. So we'd better have it out now, once and for all."
I didn't affect ignorance of his drift. I merely nodded, and he went
on. "Well then, I've noticed that you and Ai--my cousin--have been
getting uncommon thick of late. I didn't think much of it, but now,
when it comes to her writing to you on the quiet, why I think it's time
to have some say in the matter."
"In the first place the only persons entitled to have any `say in the
matter' as you put it are Major and Mrs Sewin," I said. "In the next,
you should withdraw that expression `on the quiet.' It's an insult--to
your cousin."
"Oh well, since you put it like that, I withdraw it," he growled. "But
as for--er--the matter in hand, well, I warn you you are poaching on
someone else's preserves."
"Might I, as a matter of curiosity, ask who the `someone else' may be?"
I said, conscious at the same time of a wholly unaccustomed sinking of
the heart.
"Certainly, and I'll tell you. It's myself."
"That's straight anyway," I rejoined, feeling relieved. "Then I am to
understand I must congratulate you--both--on an engagement?"