I found Abe Pike one afternoon poring over a newspaper, tracing each
word with a horny finger, and laboriously spelling out the long words.
"Getting hints about pumpkin-growing, Abe?"
"No, sonny; jes' studying how to give spoon-food to infants, and you've
come in time."
The old man looked vexed. He suddenly rolled the paper into a ball, and
threw it at a lizard.
"It's mean!" he said; "danged mean!"
"What?"
He held out his hand, and I mechanically gave him my tobacco pouch.
"Ever been to England?" he said.
"Yes; you know I have."
"Soh! Is the people there white?"
"Of course!"
"Same as you and me?"
"A little whiter, I should say, Abe. What are you driving at?"
"Look here, sonny! I've been in this country, man an' boy, ever since I
were born; and, you b'lieve me, I never get hole of a paper from the Ole
Land but there's some abuse of us colonists. That's why I ask you is
they white."
"What have they been saying now?"
"Saying; why the same old story--that we're a hard lot, always driving
the Kaffirs, an' killing 'em, an' stealing their lands, an' 'busin'
their women-folk, and grindin' 'em down."
"Well; what does it matter!"
"It matters the hull sackful. Look at me--I've never been to England,
but all the same it's my home. I love the ole flag, and cry `Hurrah'
for the Queen; an', ole as I am, I'd boost anybody over the head as 'ud
up an' say England was not the best and the biggest and the grandest
country in the world. Yessir!"
"She's not very big, Abe."
"Soh! Well, she's big enough to spread her arms all round the yearth,
and fetch anybody on the other side `ker-blum' with a man-o'-war's big
gun. We give her all--it ain't much, maybe--an' we get back a crop of
suspicions. That's why I ask, is the people in the Ole Land white?"
"We are all of one family, Abe, and relations don't compliment each
other."
"Who's crying out for compliments? I leave 'em to the chaps over in
England, who praise each other to their face in the halls, and tell each
other what fine fellows they are to save the Kaffirs from them cruel,
savageous colonists. May the Lord look up and down 'em for the mischief
they've done."
"You seem very bitter, Abe."
"Well, the reading in that paper has lef a bitter taste. You see,
sonny, I recomember the wars of the `thirties' and the `forties,' when
your father were a boy--and his uncles and brothers, and sisters and
wives--the whole lot of us--were raw to the land--when the country all
round were wild--and the Kaffirs hangin' on the frontier like a great
dark wave way out on the sea--ready to rush in and sweep us offern the
land. Three times they rushed in--three times we had to leave our
homes, our flocks, our crops, and make for the posts. Then we had to
fight 'em back, and those people away over in England each time 'ud
fetch a howl that reached across the sea about the cruelty of the
colonists--with never a word about the burnt houses, and the cattle
swept off, and the women and children.
"Look here, sonny," said Abe, his face growing dark; "I'll tell you
somethin' I seed when I was a grown boy--somethin' about one of these
very wars the people at home have blamed us for making for our own gain.
"The Kaffirs were over yonder; about twenty miles away across the
Chumie, and the farmers were scattered all about, thinkin' of nothin' at
all but the mealie crop, and the wheat nearly ripe, and the pumpkin
patches--for they had been through hard times, and the season were good.
Jes' away back of this place, where the three springs of the
Kleinemonde rise out of the flats, there were a little valley no
bigger'n ten acres, set around with small hills, and the water runnin'
through and round it under big yellerwood and Kaffir plum trees; while
in the water stood clumps of palmeit and tree ferns, yeller and green,
and rustlin' to the wind. Beyond the hills the grass veld rolled away
to the Fish River bush, over here towards the Kaffirs, and the Kowie
bush 'way back. On the grass veld were a many herd of bucks--springbok
and blesbok--while in the thick bush were koodoo and buffel--ay, an'
elephant!
"It is a _mooi_ place now, that little valley; but I tell you then it
were a spot to make a man look and long. But it were risky. The Fish
River bush were a leetle too close, in case the Kaffirs raided.
"Howsomdever, there were one man who took the risk. He were ole Mr
Tolver--a farmer from Devonshire, and with him were seven sons--two on
'em born here, the rest away in the ole country. My gum! you should a
seed 'em. The ole man hisself were not so big, though he were broad an'
deep; but four of his boys were over six feet, and the other three were
growing fast. Ole Mr Tolver druv his stake into the little valley.
`This is my settlement,' he sez to the Government officer who came
riding round, and tried to persuade him to give it up, because of its
aloneness. `Here I am,' he sez, `and here I stays, and durn the
Kaffirs!'
"`You're a stubborn man, Tolver,' sez the officer, `but I have warned
you. If the Kaffirs come they would cut you off before you could reach
Grahamstown.'
"`Jes' cast your eyes over my boys,' sez Tolver; and the boys laughed,
and stood in a row.
"There was Jake at the top, six-foot-four, with a yeller beard, and eyes
blue as a bit of sky. Slow he were and heavy in his tread, with a hand
like a leg o' mutton and a heart soft as a woman. He were courtin' a
girl over at Clumber. I seed him offen there, but all the time you'd a
thought he were there to play with the little girl, and not her big
sister. Nex' to him were Oll, with a smooth face and a bull neck, and
brown eyes that were always laughing. He took arter his mother. Arter
him come Seth--long and thin and solum, with a habit of croonin' to
hisself. And nex' him were Harry--the devil of the family; straight as
a ramrod, handsome, and hot-tempered. He were a fine young chap, and
the girls ran when he came in sight to put their hair straight. Then
come one below six foot--young Willie, who took after his brother Jake,
and jes' follered Harry like a shadder. Nex' him were barefooted
Jimmy--a boy that was a born hunter, and knew more about animiles and
how to cotch 'em than any man; an' last of all were the baby Tom. Tho'
they called him `baby,' he were as big a'most as you, with the hair
sticking through a hole in his felt hat, and bare brown legs.
"There they stood in a row--the seven sons; and the officer threw his
eye along 'em.
"`By God!' he sed, `they're fine chips from the ole country. Well,
you'll do as you like, Tolver; but take my advice--build a house with
stone walls out in the clearing, and don't have a thatch-roof.'
"Well; he rode off, and Tolver squatted in that little valley, clearing
out the bush from the centre, and growing a'most anything. Many a time
I went over there to climb the trees for plums with Tom, or go off bee
huntin' with Jimmie, and in the quiet of the evenin' I've sot outside
with the others, while Seth he played on his concertina bellers, making
the saddest music, fit to make you roll over an' cry.
"One night I went over, so to be ready to go on a long hunt nex' day
with Jimmie, and down the hill there came a Kaffir, with his kerrie
across his shoulder, and his arms resting on the stick by the wrists,
after their way of walking.
"`Gumela!' he sed, and stood near by, waiting, drawin' his red blanket
round him, and his face set like a block o' wood.
"Ole baas Tolver he jes' grunted, and the Kaffir he stood there lookin'.
"Arter a time the ole baas up and sed--`Jake, fetch him a stick o'
tobacco!'
"Jake riz up, and there seemed no end to him, and he reached out a long
arm with a yank of black tobak.
"`Yoh!' sed the Kaffir.
"`Oll,' said the ole baas; `step inside for a strip of meat. Seth, put
another stick on the fire. You, Harry, draw a bucket o' water from the
spring.'
"As, one arter the other, these big chaps riz up from the ground, and
went striding off about their jobs which the ole man had set them
a-purpose, the Kaffir looked more an' more s'prised.
"`Sit and eat,' sed the ole baas.
"`Inkosi,' sed the Kaffir; and he squatted down to the fire, with his
hands out to the blaze, and his black eyes half-closed; while the meat
spluttered on the coals, giving off a fine smell.
"`Willie,' sed the ole man; `fetch out the guns and give 'em a clean
up.'
"Willie sprang up--nearly six foot of him--and the Kaffir looked roun'
the fire at the other two boys.
"`Yoh,' he said, `these men are like trees;' and his eyes shone in the
light, and on his breast there gleamed white a string of tiger claws.
"So he sot and eat, and then he said he were going on to the Kasouga to
see his brother, who was herding cattle for a white man.
"When he went the ole man laughed in his beard. `I guess,' he sed,
`he'll see we're too much of a mouthful in case they mean trouble.'
"`I hope we haven't frightened him,' sed Harry; `things are gettin' too
quiet.'
"`The quieter the better,' sed Jake; `we don't wan't any Kaffirs
swooping down here. I didn't like the look of that fellow; he said too
little.'
"`Phooh!' said Harry, `I'd take him with one hand.'
"`I'll jes' walk over to Clumber,' sed Jake, stretching hisself, `and
fetch the sweet pertaters for sowing to-morrow.'
"Harry laughed.
"`You're getting nervous, Jake,' he sed, `now you're in love. There's
somethin' sweeter'n pertaters over yonder.'
"Jake laid Harry on his back--not so's to hurt him, and swung off inter
the dark, while me and Jimmie and Tom reckoned that Harry was the chap
if there was any trouble.
"Early next morn, me and Jim stretched away across the veld, towards the
Fish River, carrying a tin for the honey and a hunk of black bread.
"We'd gone about six miles when Jimmie stubbed his toe, and sit down,
with a holler, to nurse it.
"`My gum!' he sed, `it's bad; I guess we'll go back and leave this trip
for nex' week. There's a honey-tree near home, and we'll go there.'
"I were 'leven and he were sixteen, and what he sed I'd got to do, so we
turned back, and he limpin'.
"All o' a sudden, when we got in a dip, he give over limpin'. `Abe,' he
says, breathin' hard, `there were a Kaffir watching us. Now you go
along home--quick! Don't say nothin' to father. Maybe the chap's up to
no mischief, but if he is, I'll find out.'
"`Come back with me,' I sed, skeered.
"`Do what I tell you,' he sez; and when I started to go, he slipped away
to the left, up the hill. Well, I went on, gettin' more and more
skeered, till I saw the house, then I jes' hid away and waited for Jim.
Bymby, in the afternoon, here he came running, and I run to meet him
when he slowed down.
"`Whatjer see?' I asked him.
"`Nothin',' he sez.
"`Whatjer run for, then?'
"`To keep warm,' he sez, though the sweat were running off him.
"Well, when we got to the clearin' we met Jake hauling on a big stump.
"`Well, youngsters,' he says; wiping his forehead with the back of his
hand; `had a good time?'
"`Jake,' said Jimmie, `there's Kaffirs over yonder.'
"`What's that! Are you joking?'
"`There's Kaffirs over yonder,' sed Jimmie, staring at his brother; `and
the chap as was here last night is with 'em. I heard them call him.
His name's Tyali.'
"`My God!' said Jake, going white. `Tell father,' he sed, and then he
ran.
"I laughed, sneering at Jake, and Jimmie hit me in the side, though his
mouth were twitching.
"`What the row?' sed Harry, coming up.
"`Kaffirs!' sed Jimmie, scowling after Jake.
"`Hurrah!' sed Harry, and threw up his hat.
"`What's all this I yere from Jake?' said ole man Tolver, striding up.
`So,' he sed, when Jimmie tole him, putting the ends of his beard into
his mouth, which were a trick he had when thinking. `So; they're
coming. Well, let 'em come! I tole that Guv'ment chap I'd stay here,
and here I'll stay. If any of you boys would like to go, you'd better
clear now.'
"They were all of them together--all but Jake, and he had gone running
into the house.
"`It's too much trouble to run,' said Oll, biting on a piece of grass.
`'Sides, I ain't finished "scoffling" the mealies. I'll stay.'
"The ole baas he jes' grunted.
"`So'll I,' said Seth.
"`Ef you all went,' said Harry, with his eyes shining, `I'd stop.'
"The ole baas he jes' grunted ag'in.
"`An' me,' said Willie; `and me too'--`and me,' said Jim and baby Tom.
"`Thank you, my sons,' sed Tolver, softly, and jes' then Jake came outer
the house--Jake the biggest and the oldest, and the kindest of the
brothers. In his hand he carried a big chopping axe, which were like a
little stick in his grasp. He looked at his brothers, and his father
looked at him.
"`I'm going over to Clumber,' he sed.
"`So,' sed his father; and they all stood silent.
"`Yes,' sed Jake after a time, `I give 'em warning.'
"`And take yourself out of danger,' sed the ole baas quietly.
"Jake looked at his father rather sad-like, and then he said: `Shall I
take Jim and Tom with me?'
"`I won't go,' sed Tom, turning red.
"Jimmie sed nothin', but his lip trembled. He thought a heap of Jake,
and here he seed him turnin' tail.
"`Abe,' said Jake, speaking quietly; `you've got no part in this--come
with me.'
"`I'm not running away,' I sed. `I'll stay with Harry.'
"Jake opened his mouth as if he'd speak, then he turned on his heel and
strode away with his axe over his shoulder.
"His brothers turned to look after him, and ole Tolver, he called out in
a hard voice, `Don't you come back here again. You're no son of mine.'
Jake he gave no sign, and I seed Jimmie's face working.
"`Yah! you're afraid like him,' I sed.
"`You lie,' he sed, and hit me 'longside the jaw.
"`Be quiet, boys,' said Oll Tolver, ketching Jim by the arm.
"`Seth,' said the ole baas, speaking short and firm. `Get ter the top
of that hill, and keep a sharp look-out. Willie and Jim, bring the cows
into the kraal. Oll and Harry, fill the water barrel, and put it inside
the house. Tom and you, Abe, move all the things outer the big room,
and get the guns ready.'
"Seth sot off up the hill at a lope, and the other boys all went about
their work, and got things to rights in no time. Then we hung about
fidgettin'--picking things up and putting them down, and looking up to
Seth all the time.
"Arter a long time Seth lifted up his hand, and we all stood in a bunch
watching him till our eyes ached--then here he come down the hill like a
cart wheel, while the big chaps grabbed their guns, and I bolted inter
the house.
"`Are they coming?' shouted Harry.
"Seth nodded as he ran.
"`How many?'
"`One,' said Seth, with a gasp.
"`Good lord!' said Harry, throwing his rifle down.
"`I say,' sed Seth, drawlin' out his words--his neck was that long; `you
fellows jes' slouch around 's if you were at work. I'm goin' to meet
this chap. Maybe he's a spy.'
"`Seth's right,' said the ole baas; and the boys put the guns away, and
scattered about as if they were restin'.
"Seth slipped a naked hunting-knife inside the band of his trousers, and
lounged away up the path; and bymby, when he nearly got to the top, a
Kaffir came over the ridge, stood a moment looking, then come down. He
carried his blanket over his right shoulder.
"When they met, the Kaffir he took snuff, and Seth he gave him a bit of
tobacco. Then they talked and talked, and the Kaffir, he kep' his eye
on the house, and arter a time he kep' movin' around--'s if he'd like to
get behind Seth--and Seth all the time he kep' his face to the t'other.
Then the Kaffir went away back, and Seth went up to the ridge again, and
there was another spell of waiting.
"Then Harry sed he weren't going to fool about any more, and he made
tracks for the little wood above the clearing, and Willie follered. No
sooner'd they got clear than here comes Seth again, like a streak.
"`It's all right,' he sed; `they're comin' thick. The veld's red with
'em.'
"They gave a hail for Harry and went inside, and each one looked to see
the shiny, brass caps were hard down on the nipple--while Tom, he laid
out the round bullets, and the greased rags for wroppin' 'em in, and the
slugs handy. Seth were tellin' how the Kaffir ast him questions, and
how he seed the assegai under his blanket--then there came a deep sound
rolling along the ground, which made me hide away in the barrel churn,
and made the brothers all go silent. It were the war song of the red
Kaffirs, deep from their chests, slow and boomin', and solum, and in
between there were the shrill crying of the women, follering behind the
fightin' men with the mats and the pots.
"Ole baas Tolver stood at the door looking for Harry, and he give a
shout for him to hurry; and the Kaffirs came over the crest of the hill.
Jimmie pushed his rifle through a hole in the wall, with a gasp in his
throat.
"`Don't shoot!' sed his father; and he looked away to the woods for his
two sons. And so they stood, waiting and watching.
"I crept out of the barrel to see what they were looking at so set, and
there I seed the Kaffirs slipping down the hill, from rock to rock,
edging all the time towards the wood, and others coming up over the
ridge, their bodies stripped and oiled for war, and their faces smeared
with red clay.
"`My God!' sed the ole man under his breath; then he bellered out `Run!'
"I looked between his legs, and seed Harry and Willie comin' up from the
wood, and walkin' jes' 's if they were comin' in to dinner.
"The Kaffirs yelled when they seed them, and started running. Harry
threw up his gun, and they dropped down, hiding away behind nothing. I
yeard Harry laugh. Well, they came on at that fool pace, and all on a
sudden the Kaffirs came leaping and dodging down. The two brothers they
stood still, with their rifles up and fired; then they come on loading,
and fired again.
"`Run, Willie,' sed Harry; `let's see who can get in first,' and with
that he made to run, and Willie let out full speed, with the Kaffirs
yelling like mad. When he got near the door he looked round and seed
Harry walking backwards with his rifle ready, and the Kaffirs hanging
away back and whizzing their assegais. He made 's if to start back, but
the ole man caught him by the arm and yanked him in.
"`Fire!' sed the ole baas, and he and the three boys blazed away, Jimmy
letting rip a handful of slugs.
"Well, the Kaffirs they dropped, crawling for shelter, and Harry came in
as cool as you please, with an assegai in his hand that he picked up.
Then he seed me crouching down, and laugh'd a'most till he cried, for I
were covered with the leavings of the churn.
"They took their places inside the room, each one at a hole, and began
firing by fits and starts, Tom standin' ready with a charge of powder
from the horn each time.
"`They're going to rush the cattle,' sed Oll; `and we can't prevent 'em
from here. Some of us had better get into the shed.'
"Well, three of them boys went out--Oll, and Harry, and Willie--and
there were a terrible how-de-do out there, shoutin' an' whistlin', and
bangin'; the dogs barking fit to bust themselves, the ole red bull
bellering, and the fowls that had flew to the roof cackling all
together. My! I were skeered, and Tom, he looked if he'd bolt inter
the tub along with me, but he jes' kep on pouring out the powder.
"Then I yeard `Hurrah,' and ole Tolver tore open the door, and Tom most
split his throat.
"The Kaffirs were on the run, and when I crep' out, I seed Harry a
tearin' up the hill arter them, with Will at his heels, then--oh, lad!--
oh, lad!--from the wood there came out, swift and silent, a party of
Kaffirs led by the chief Tyali, and they cut between the three boys and
the house.
"I yeard Oll shout, `Back! Turn back!' then again, `Together,
brothers!'--and the three, clubbing their rifles, went straight at the
chief and his men, an' ole Tolver dancing about at the door, fearing to
shoot, and Tom staring with his eyes wide, and the powder running from
the horn on the floor.
"Then there were a whirling crowd of men, and the smack of sticks--and
the `thud--thud--thud,'--and groans--and out of the pack Oll lurched,
carrying Willie, whose head lay back limp.
"He came along like a tipsy man--rolling--with his mouth fixed in a
smile, and the blood running from his head.
"When he were near the door a Kaffir stabbed him in the back, and the
ole baas shot the Kaffir.
"Then Oll reeled back, and he spoke in gasps, `I can't--go--any--
further--father--take Will--he's hurt,'--then he jes' sank to the
ground, and rolled over.
"Seth brought Willie in, and laid him down on the floor.
"And ole man Tolver stood outside the door calling for a loaded gun; and
then he sprang at a Kaffir who were stooping to stab Oll, and broke the
stock of his gun.
"I were by the door, 'cause I had no strength to move, and I seed
someone pass.
"`Get into the house, father,' he sed, `and hold it.'
"It were Jake; and in his hand he held the axe he took away in the
morning.
"He put his hand on his father's shoulder a moment `Get back,' he sed,
`for the sake of the boys,' and then he ran up to where the Kaffirs
still swarmed around Harry. He opened a lane with his axe. I tell you
I thought it were like splitting water-melons, and I laughed, and
Jimmie, he cried. The Kaffirs gave way, crouching and holding their
shields up. Then Jake lifted Harry, who were on his knees, and carried
him down. As he came, the whole lot of them--maybe five hundred--came
with a rush; then Jimmie dashed out, and took Harry from his brother,
and Jake stood out alone.
"`Shut the door!' he shouted loud and stern; `do you hear--shut it!'
"The old baas looked wildly at Seth; and Seth he shook his head.
"`Shut it,' sed Jake; `in the name of our mother!' and the ole man with
a sort of groan pulled the door to, jamming my fingers.
"Outside were the noise of that fight, and inside were silence, and
white set faces, and the tears running from Jimmie's eyes.
"`Let me out!' he cried; `let me out!' he kep' on cryin'--`let me out!'
and then he struggled to open the door.
"Then we heard Jake again.
"`Good-bye,' he sed; and we held our breath, till the fierce shout rose
higher and higher, and we knew Jake were dead.
"Then the ole man's beard curled up. He forgot about his other sons.
He opened the door, and with a roar he ran into the Kaffirs, and Jimmie
with him. Seth were follering, too, when an assegai whizzed into the
room, and a Kaffir stood at the doorway, when Seth jabbed him in the
stomach with the muzzle, and druv his fist into the face of another;
then he pulled-to the door, and there were only him and Tom and me, with
Willie dead and Harry gasping.
"Then Seth began to sing. He'd stop to shoot, then he'd sing again; and
the sound of his singing were worse than the yelling of the Kaffirs
swarming all round the house. Tom he stood up in the room tremblin' and
loadin', his face black where the smoke stuck to the tears, and once and
again he'd jump to a hole and shoot.
"And at last an ole pot leg struck Seth on the head and he sot down.
"He put his hand to his head and looked at the blood; then he shook his
head and laughed a strange laugh.
"`It's all over,' he sed--`dang it.' Then he saw Harry, and he said
softly: `Poor chap,' then he stared at Willie, and his eye came on to me
watchin' him.
"`Abe,' he sed, `you'll find my concertina hanging up; jes' hand it to
me.'
"Well, I gave it him, and bolted back into the tub, and he began to
play.
"The Kaffirs stopped, and I yeard one call out `Yinny!' and others said
`Yoh!' and you could hear them trying to peep in.
"`Tom,' he said soft.
"`Yes, Seth.'
"`You and Abe get into the mealie pit in the pantry. Maybe, they'll not
see you.'
"Tom he shook his head, and banged the gun--and the Kaffirs came hard at
the door.
"Seth he went on playing, and Harry rolled over. `I've got a pain,' he
muttered; `mother, I've got a pain,'--and Seth he went on playing softer
and softer.
"Then I crawled away inter the dark of the pantry--inter the mealie
hole."
Abe stopped, and his face looked grey and aged.
"Well, Abe?"
"That's all sonny. They did not find me."
"And what became of Tom?"
"He went with his brothers, sonny. Seven better boys you'd never want
to meet, and seven finer men you could not. They all went--in that one
day--and the Kaffirs swep' on over the land."