When two people, trekking together beyond the confines of civilisation
fall out, the situation becomes unpleasant. If each has his own waggon,
well and good, they can part company, but if not, and both are bound to
stick together it spells friction. For this reason I have always
preferred trekking alone.
Even my worst enemy could hardly accuse me of being a bad-tempered man,
let alone a quarrelsome one. On the other hand I have never laid claim
to an angelic disposition, and if I had the demeanour of my present
companion would have taxed it to the uttermost, since we had each been
betrayed into showing the other our hand. For my part I can honestly
say the fact would have made no difference whatever in our mutual
relations, but Falkner Sewin was differently hung. First of all he
sulked heavily, but finding that this did not answer and that I was
entirely independent of him for companionship, for I would talk to the
Zulus by the hour--he threw that off and grew offensive--so much so that
I felt certain he was trying to pick a quarrel with me. Had it been any
other man in the world this would have concerned me not one atom, indeed
he needn't have tried overmuch. But here it was different. There was
my promise to his cousin, and further, the consideration that Aida Sewin
was his cousin and thus very nearly related indeed. No, on no account
must we come to blows, and yet the strain upon my temper became hourly
more great.
I had not been able to trek when I had intended, by reason of something
beyond the ordinary native delay in bringing in my cattle; in fact in
one particular quarter I had some difficulty in getting them brought in
at all. In view of the troubled state of the border this looked
ominous. In ordinary times Majendwa's people like other Zulus, though
hard men of business at a deal, were reliability itself once that deal
was concluded. Now they were inclined to be shifty and evasive and not
always over civil; and all this had come about suddenly. Could it mean
that war had actually broken out? It might have for all we knew,
dependent as we were upon those among whom we dwelt for every scrap of
information that might reach us from outside. Otherwise their behaviour
was unaccountable. But if it had, why then we should be lucky to get
out of the country with unperforated skins, let alone with a wheel or a
hoof to our names.
Even Majendwa's demeanour towards me had undergone a change, and that
was the worst sign of all; for we had always been good friends. All his
wonted geniality had vanished and he had become curt and morose of
manner. I resolved now to take the bull by the horns, and put the
question to Majendwa point-blank. Accordingly I betook myself to his
hut, with that object. But the answer to my inquiries for him was
prompt. The chief was in his _isigodhlo_, and could not be disturbed.
This sort of "not at home" was unmistakable. I returned to the waggons.
Now an idea struck me. Was there more in that gruesome discovery of
mine--and Falkner's--than met the eye? Was the fact that we had made
it, first one of us and then the other, at the bottom of the chief's
displeasure? It might have been so. At any rate the sooner we took the
road again the better, and so I announced to Falkner that we would
inspan at sunrise. His reply was, in his then mood, characteristic.
"But we haven't traded off the stuff yet," he objected. "I say. You're
not in a funk of anything, are you, Glanton? I ask because I rather
wanted to stay on here a little longer."
I turned away. His tone was abominably provoking, moreover I knew that
he would be glad enough to return, and had only said the foregoing out
of sheer cussedness.
"You have your horse," I said. "If you like to remain I'll leave Jan
Boom with you, and you can easily find your way back."
"Want to get rid of me, do you?" he rapped out. "Well you won't. Not
so easily as that. No--you won't."
To this I made no answer. At sunrise the waggons were inspanned. Then
another difficulty cropped up. The boys who were to have driven the
herd of trade cattle, at any rate as far as the border, did not turn up.
In disgust I was prepared to take them on myself with the help of
Mfutela. Falkner had learnt to drive a waggon by this time and now he
must do it. His reply however when I propounded this to him was again
characteristic. He was damned if he would.
The knot of the difficulty was cut and that unexpectedly, by the
appearance of the chief's son, and with him some boys.
"These will drive your cattle, Iqalaqala," he said.
"That is well, Muntisi," I answered. "And now son of Majendwa, what has
come between me and the chief that he holds my hand no more? Is there
now war?"
We were a little apart from the others, and talk in a low slurred tone
that natives use when they don't want to be understood.
"Not war," he answered; "at any rate not yet. But, Iqalaqala, those who
come into a chief's country should not come into it with too many eyes."
"Ha!" I said, taking in the quick glance which he shot in Falkner's
direction, and with it the situation. "Too many eyes there may be, but
a shut mouth more than makes up for that. A shut mouth, _impela_!"
"A shut mouth? _Au_! Is the mouth of Umsindo ever shut?"
This, it will be remembered, was Falkner's native name, meaning noise,
or bounce, and the chief's son was perpetrating a sort of pun in the
vernacular.
"But it will be this time, never fear," I answered. "Farewell now, son
of Majendwa. I, who have seen more than men think, know how not to
talk."
I felt really grateful to Muntisi, and made him a final present which he
appreciated.
"You need not mistrust those I have brought you," he said. "Only for
others you cannot have too many eyes now until you reach Inncome," he
added meaningly.
Nothing of note happened and we trekked on unmolested in any way,
travelling slow, for the trade cattle were fat and in excellent
condition, which of course I didn't want to spoil. Then befel an
incident which was destined to give us trouble with a vengeance.
We had got into sparsely inhabited country now, and were nearing the
border. One afternoon Falkner and I had struck off from the track a
little to shoot a few birds for the pot--by the way Falkner had in some
degree condescended to relax his sulks, being presumably tired of his
own company. We had rejoined the track and had just put our horses into
a canter to overtake the waggons when Falkner threw a glance over his
shoulder and said:
"What sort of beast is that?"
I turned and looked back. It was a dark afternoon and inclining
moreover to dusk, but I could make out something white glinting through
the bush, rather behind us, but as if running parallel to our way. The
bush grew in patches, and the thing would be alternately hidden or in
the open again.
"Here goes for a shot, anyway," said Falkner, slipping from his horse.
He carried a rifle and smooth-bore combination gun, and before I could
prevent him or perhaps because I tried to, he had loosed off a bullet at
the strange beast. A splash of dust, a good deal short of the mark,
leaped up where it struck.
"The line was good but not the distance," he grumbled. "I'll get him
this time," slipping in a fresh cartridge.
"Much better not," I urged. "We don't want to get into any more bother
with the people by shooting their dogs."
He made no answer, and I was glad that the bush thickened where the
animal had now disappeared.
"Let's get on," I said. "It's nearly dark."
He mounted and we had just resumed our way, when not twenty yards
distant, the creature came bounding forth, frightening our horses by the
suddenness of his appearance. There was nothing hostile, however, in
his attitude. He was wagging his tail, and squirming and whimpering in
delight, as a dog will do when he has found a long-lost master, or at
best a well-known friend. I stared, hardly able to believe my own
eyesight. The large, wolf-like form, the bushy tail--why there could be
no duplicate of this ever whelped at a Zulu kraal, that was certain.
"Arlo," I cried. "Arlo, old chap. What are you doing in these parts,
eh?"
The dog whined with delight, squirming up to us, his brush going like a
flail. In a moment we were both off our horses.
"It's Arlo right enough," said Falkner, patting the dog, who never
ceased whimpering and licking his hands. "The question is how did he
get here? Eh?"
"Stolen most likely, but it couldn't have been long ago, for Miss Sewin
made no mention of his loss in her letter to me--and it's hardly likely
she'd have forgotten to mention such an important event if it had
happened then."
Somehow I could not help connecting Ukozi with this, and felt vaguely
uneasy. What had been happening of late? Had the dog been stolen with
any deeper motive than his own intrinsic value--to get him out of the
way for instance and clear the road for the carrying out of some
sinister and mysterious scheme on the part of the witch doctor?
"Of course," assented Falkner, "we'll take him home with us now, at all
events. What a devilish lucky thing I happened to look back and see
him."
"Yes, and what a devilish lucky thing you happened to look wrong and
miss him," I answered, for I own to a feeling of petty jealousy that he
should be in a position to claim the credit of having found the dog.
"Oh-ah! But a miss is as good as a mile," he said, with a hoarse laugh.
"By Jove, but won't Aida be glad when I bring him back to her. Won't
she just?"
"I should think so. Well we'll have to keep a bright look-out on him
till we get home."
"How the deuce they managed to steal him beats me, I own," went on
Falkner. "Arlo was the very devil where niggers are concerned. Won't
let one of 'em come within fifty yards of him."
This would have puzzled me too, but for what Aida's letter had told me--
as well as for what I had witnessed myself up at the waterhole. There
was at any rate one "nigger" of which the above held not good. More
than ever did I connect Ukozi with the matter.
"Well, we've got him back," I said, "and it'll be our own fault if we
don't keep him."
The dog trotted along contentedly behind our horses, wagging his tail in
recognition if we spoke a word or two to him. The waggons were
outspanning for the night when we reached them--according to
instructions, but Arlo went straight up to Tom, whom of course he knew
fairly well, wagging his tail, in a sort of "how-d'you-do" manner. He
condescended likewise to approve of Jan Boom, who being a Xosa was, of
course, a sworn dog fancier, but the others he just tolerated.
We inspanned before daylight, intending to make a long trek, and that
evening to cross the Blood River and outspan for the night on the other
side. In the then state of the border I should not be sorry to be out
of the Zulu country. The trip had not been a signal success, and I
began to think of it as possibly the last I should make. I thought too,
of other possibilities, even as I had thought when taking my midnight up
and down walk beneath the stars--a custom I had before turning in, when
the weather permitted, as it generally did. The country was sparsely
inhabited, as I have said, and beyond passing three or four small kraals
we saw nobody.
We had started upon our afternoon trek. In another hour we should
strike the drift and have crossed the border. Then one of the boys
Muntisi had given me to drive the cattle came up with the pleasant news
that a large body of men, armed too, was coming rapidly on behind, on
our track.
I don't know why this should have caused me uneasiness yet it did. No
war had broken out as yet--this I had ascertained from such Zulus as we
had fallen in with on the way. I gave orders to push on the waggons,
and the cattle. Then getting out a powerful binocular I rode up to a
point whence I knew I could command a considerable sweep.
The ground was open on all sides, a thin thread of mimosa along some
slight depression being the only sort of cover it afforded. Cresting a
rise about three miles distant I made out a dark mass moving forward
along our track, and that at a rapid rate.
At any other time this would have caused me little if any anxiety, but
now we had had bother enough in all conscience. I didn't want any more
of it, but that the crowd behind was in pursuit of us there was no room
for doubt. It was an armed band, for by the aid of the glasses I could
make out the glint of assegais and the war shields that were carried.
I returned to the waggons but saw that the pace was as good as the oxen
could be put to. The cattle were ahead, going well, but the drift was a
good deal further on than I should have wished it to be. Of course
there was no physically defensive advantage on the other side over this
one, still a boundary is a great moral force; certainly was then while
the boundary dispute was awaiting the award of the commission.
"We'll get out the rifles and cartridges, Sewin," I said--"and have them
handy, but we won't show them. Also sling on your revolver, on the same
terms. There's a crowd coming on fast on our track--what the deuce for
I can't make out. Still it's as well to be prepared for emergencies."
"Oh rather," he assented, brisking up at the prospect of a row. "I
think it's about time we read Mr Zulu a lesson."