"Don't you think this a charming life?" asked Mrs Brook of Mrs Merton,
who had been her guest for a week.
Mrs Merton was about thirty years of age, and opinionated, if not
strong-minded, also rather pretty. She had married young, and her
eldest son, a lad of twelve, had brought her from her husband's farm,
some three miles distant from that of Edwin Brook.
"No, Mrs Brook, I don't like it at all," was Mrs Merton's emphatic
reply.
"Indeed!" said Mrs Brook, in some surprise.
She said nothing more after this for some time, but continued to ply her
needle busily, while Mrs Scholtz, who by some piece of unusual good
fortune had got Junkie to sleep, plied her scissors in cutting out and
shaping raw material.
The two dames, with the nurse and Gertie, had agreed to unite their
powers that day in a resolute effort to overtake the household repairs.
They were in a cottage now, of the style familiarly known as "wattle and
dab," which was rather picturesque than permanent, and suggestive of
simplicity. They sat on rude chairs, made by Scholtz, round a rough
table by the same artist. Mrs Brook was busy with the rends in a blue
pilot-cloth jacket, a dilapidated remnant of the "old England" wardrobe.
The nurse was forming a sheep skin into a pair of those unmentionables
which were known among the Cape-colonists of that period by the name of
"crackers." Mrs Merton was busy with a pair of the same, the knees of
which had passed into a state of nonentity, while other parts were
approaching the same condition. Gertie was engaged on a pair of socks,
whose original formation was overlaid by and nearly lost in subsequent
deposits.
"Why do you like this sort of life, Mrs Brook?" asked Mrs Merton
suddenly.
"Because it is so new, so busy, so healthy, so thoroughly practical.
Such a constant necessity for doing something useful, and a constant
supply of something useful to do, and then such a pleasant feeling of
rest when at last you do get your head on a pillow."
"Oh! it's delightful!" interpolated Gertie in a low voice.
"Well, now, that is strange. Everything depends on how one looks at
things.--What do _you_ think, Mrs Scholtz?" asked Mrs Merton.
"I've got no time to think, ma'am," replied the nurse, giving the embryo
crackers a slice that bespoke the bold fearless touch of a thorough
artist. "When Junkie's not asleep he keeps body and brain fully
employed, and when he is asleep I'm glad to let body and brain alone."
"What is your objection to this life, Mrs Merton?" asked Mrs Brook,
with a smile.
"Oh! I've no special objection, only I hate it altogether. How is it
possible to like living in a wilderness, with no conveniences around
one, no society to chat with, no books to read, and, above all, no shops
to go to, where one is obliged to drudge at menial work from morning
till night, and one's boys and girls get into rags and tatters, and
one's husband becomes little better than a navvy, to say nothing of
snakes and scorpions in one's bed and boots, and the howling of wild
beasts all night? I declare, one might as well live in a menagerie."
"But you must remember that things are in a transition state just now,"
rejoined Mrs Brook. "As we spread and multiply over the land, things
will fall more into shape. We shall have tailors and dressmakers to
take the heavy part of our work in this way, and the wild beasts will
retire before the rifle and the plough of civilised man; no doubt, also,
shops will come in due course."
"And what of the Kafirs?" cried Mrs Merton sternly. "Do you flatter
yourself that either the plough or the rifle will stop their thievish
propensities? Have we not learned, when too late--for here we are, and
here we must bide,--that the black wretches have been at loggerheads
with the white men ever since this was a colony, and is it not clear
that gentle treatment and harsh have alike failed to improve them?"
"Wise treatment has yet to be tried," said Mrs Brook.
"Fiddlesticks!" returned Mrs Merton impatiently. "What do you call
wise treatment?"
"Gospel treatment," replied Mrs Brook.
"Oh! come now, you know that _that_ has also been tried, and has
signally failed. Have we not heard how many hundreds of so-called black
converts in this and in other colonies are arrant hypocrites, or at all
events give way before the simplest temptations?"
"I have also heard," returned Mrs Brook, "of many hundreds of so-called
white Christians, whose lives prove them to be the enemies of our
Saviour, and who do not even condescend to hypocrisy, for they will
plainly tell you that they `make no pretence to be religious,' though
they call themselves Christians. But that does not prove gospel
treatment among the English to have been a failure. You have heard, I
daresay, of the Hottentot robber Africaner, who was long the terror and
scourge of the district where he lived, but who, under the teaching of
our missionary Mr Moffat, or rather, I should say, under the influence
of God's Holy Spirit, has led a righteous, peaceful, Christian life for
many years. He is alive still to prove the truth of what I say."
"I'll believe it when I see it," returned Mrs Merton, with a decisive
compression of her lips.
"Well, many people have testified to the truth of this, and some of
these people have seen Africaner and have believed."
"Humph!" returned Mrs Merton.
This being an unanswerable argument, Mrs Brook smiled by way of reply,
and turned a sleeve inside out, the better to get at its dilapidations.
Changing the subject, she desired Gertie to go and prepare dinner, as it
was approaching noon.
"What shall I prepare, mother?" asked Gertie, laying down her work.
"You'd better make a hash of the remains of yesterday's leg of mutton,
dear; it will be more quickly done than the roasting of another leg, and
we can't spare time on cookery to-day. I daresay Mrs Merton will
excuse--"
"Mrs Brook," interrupted Mrs Merton, with that Spartan-like
self-denial to which she frequently laid claim, without, however, the
slightest shadow of a title, "I can eat anything on a emergency. Have
the hash by all means."
"And I'm afraid, Mrs Merton," continued Mrs Brook, in an apologetic
tone, "that we shall have to dine without bread to-day--we have run
short of flour. My husband having heard that the Thomases have recently
got a large supply, has gone to their farm to procure some, but their
place is twelve miles off, so he can't be back till night. You won't
mind, I trust?"
Mrs Merton vowed that she didn't mind, became more and more Spartanic
in her expression and sentiments, and plied her needle with increased
decision.
Just then Gertie re-entered the cottage with a face expressive of
concern.
"Mother, there's no meat in the larder."
"No meat, child? You must be mistaken. We ate only a small part of
yesterday's leg."
"Oh! ma'am," exclaimed the nurse, dropping the scissors suddenly, and
looking somewhat guilty, "I quite forgot, ma'am, to say that master,
before he left this morning, and while you was asleep, ma'am, ordered me
to give all the meat we had in the house to Scholtz, as he was to be
away four or five days, and would require it all, so I gave him the leg
that was hanging up in the larder, and master himself took the remains
of yesterday's leg, bidding me be sure to tell George to kill a sheep
and have meat ready for dinner."
"Oh, well, it doesn't matter," said Mrs Brook; "we shall just have to
wait a little longer."
Nurse looked strangely remorseful.
"But, ma'am--" she said, and paused.
"Well, nurse!"
"I forgot, ma'am--indeed I did--to tell George to kill a sheep."
Mrs Brook's hands and work fell on her lap, and she looked from Mrs
Scholtz to her visitor, and from her to the anxious Gertie, without
speaking.
"Why, what's the matter?" asked Mrs Merton.
"My dear," replied Mrs Brook, with a touch of solemnity, "George Dally,
our man, asked me this morning if he might go into the bush to cut
rafters for the new kitchen, and I gave him leave, knowing nothing of
what arrangements had been made before--and--and--in short, there's not
a man on the place, and--there's nothing to eat."
The four females looked at each other in blank silence for a few
seconds, as the full significance of their circumstances became quite
clear to them.
Mrs Merton was the first to recover.
"Now," said she, while the Spartanic elements of her nature became
intensified, "we must rise to this occasion like true women; we must
prove ourselves to be not altogether dependent on man; we must face the
difficulty, sink the natural tenderness of our sex, and--and--kill a
sheep!"
She laid down the crackers on the table with an air of resolution, and
rose to put her fell intent in execution.
But the carrying out of her plan was not so easy as the good lady had,
at the first blush of the thing, imagined it would be. In the first
place, like other heroes and heroines, she experienced the enervating
effects of opposition and vacillating purpose in others.
"You must all help me," she said, with the air of a commander-in-chief.
"Help you to kill a sheep, ma'am?" said Mrs Scholtz, with a shudder,
"I'll die first! I couldn't do it, and I wouldn't, for my weight in
gold."
Notwithstanding the vehemence of her protestation, the nurse stood by
and listened while the other conspirators talked in subdued tones, and
with horrified looks, of the details of the contemplated murder.
"I never even saw the dreadful deed done," said Mrs Brook, becoming
pale as she thought of it.
"Oh, mamma! much better go without meat; we could dine on cakes,"
suggested Gertie.
"But my love, there is not a cake or an ounce of flour in the house."
"Women!" exclaimed Mrs Merton severely, "we must rise to the occasion.
I am hungry _now_, and it is not yet noon; what will be our condition if
we wait till night for our dinner?"
This was a home-thrust. The conspirators shuddered and agreed to do the
deed. Gertie, in virtue of her youth, was exempted from taking any
active part, but an unaccountable fascination constrained her to follow
and be a witness--in short, an accomplice.
"Do you know where--where--the _knife_ is kept?" asked Mrs Merton.
Mrs Scholtz knew, and brought it from the kitchen.
It was a keen serviceable knife, with a viciously sharp point. Mrs
Merton received it, coughed, and hurried out to the sheep-fold, followed
by her accomplices.
To catch a sheep was not difficult, for the animals were all more or
less tame and accustomed to gentle treatment by the females, but to hold
it was quite another thing. Mrs Merton secured it by the head, Mrs
Scholtz laid hold of the tail, and Mrs Brook fastened her fingers in
the wool of its back. Each female individually was incapable of holding
the animal, though a very small one had been purposely selected, but
collectively they were more than a match for it. After a short struggle
it was laid on its side, and its feet were somewhat imperfectly secured
with a pocket-handkerchief.
"Now, ma'am," cried Mrs Scholtz, holding tight to the tail and shutting
her eyes, "do be quick."
Mrs Merton, also shutting her eyes, struck feebly with the knife. The
others, having likewise shut their eyes, waited a few seconds in a state
of indescribable horror, and then opened them to find that the Spartan
lady had missed her mark, and planted her weapon in the ground! So
feeble, however, had been the stroke that it had barely penetrated an
inch of the soil.
"Oh, Mrs Merton!" exclaimed Mrs Brook remonstratively.
Mrs Merton tried again more carefully, and hit the mark, but still
without success.
"It _won't_ go in!" she gasped, as, on opening her eyes a second time,
she found only a few drops of blood trickling from a mere scratch in the
sheep's neck; "I--I _can't_ do it!"
At that moment the unfortunate animal suddenly freed its head from the
Spartan matron's grasp. A sharp wriggle freed its tail and feet, and in
another moment it burst away from its captors and made for a shallow
pond formed by Edwin Brook for a colony of household ducks.
Roused to excessive indignation by the weakness and boastfulness of Mrs
Merton, Mrs Scholtz sprang to her feet and gave chase. The others
joined. Hunger, shame, determination, disappointment, combined to give
them energy of purpose. The sheep rushed into the pond. Mrs Scholtz
recklessly followed--up to the knees--caught it by the horns, and
dragged it forth.
"Give me the knife!" she shouted.
Mrs Merton hurriedly obeyed, and the nurse, shutting her eyes, plunged
it downwards with a wild hysterical shriek.
There was no mistake this time. Letting the animal go, she fled,
red-handed, into the innermost recess of the cottage, followed by her
horrified friends.
"Oh! what _have_ I done?" groaned Mrs Scholtz; burying her face in her
hands.
Mrs Brook and the others--all shuddering--sought to soothe her, and in
a short time they regained sufficient composure to permit of their
returning to the victim, which they found lying dead upon the ground.
Having thus got over the terrible first step, the ladies hardened
themselves to the subsequent processes, and these they also found more
difficult than they had anticipated. The skinning of a sheep they did
not understand. Of the cutting up they were equally ignorant, and a
terrible mess they made of the poor carcass in their varied efforts. In
despair Mrs Brook suggested to Mrs Scholtz, who was now the chief and
acknowledged operator, that they had better cut it up without skinning,
and singe off the wool and skin together; but on attempting this Mrs
Scholtz found that she could not find the joints, and, being possessed
of no saw, could not cut the bones; whereupon Mrs Merton suggested that
she should cut out four slices from any part that would admit of being
penetrated by a knife, and leave the rest of the operation to be
performed by Dally on his return. This proposal was acted on. Four fat
slices were cut from the flanks and carried by Gertie to the kitchen,
where they were duly cooked, and afterwards eaten with more relish than
might have been expected, considering the preliminaries to the feast.
This was one of those difficulties that did not occur to them again. It
was a preventable difficulty, to be avoided in future by the exercise of
forethought; but there were difficulties and troubles in store against
which forethought was of little avail.
While they were yet in the enjoyment of the chops which had caused them
so much mental and physical pain, they were alarmed by a sudden cry from
Junkie. Looking round they saw that urchin on his knees holding on to
the side of his home-made crib, and gazing in blank amazement at the
hole in the wall which served for a window. And well might he gaze, for
he saw the painted face of a black savage looking in at that window!
On beholding him Mrs Merton uttered a scream and Mrs Brook an
exclamation. Mrs Scholtz and Gertie seemed bereft of power to move or
cry.
Perhaps the Kafir took this for the British mode of welcoming a
stranger. At all events, he left the window and entered by the door.
Being quite naked, with the exception of the partial covering afforded
by a leopard-skin robe, his appearance was naturally alarming to females
who had never before seen a native of South Africa in his war-paint.
They remained perfectly still, however, and quite silent, while he went
through the cottage appropriating whatever things took his fancy. He
was the native whom we have already introduced as having been met by
George Dally, though of course the Brook household were not aware of
this.
A few other savages entered the cottage soon after, and were about to
follow the example of their chief and help themselves, but he sternly
ordered them to quit, and they submissively obeyed.
When he had gone out, without having condescended to notice any of the
household, Master Junkie gave vent to a long-suspended howl, and claimed
the undivided attention of Mrs Scholtz, whose touching blandishments
utterly failed in quieting him. The good nurse was unexpectedly aided,
however, by the savage chief, who on repassing the window, looked in and
made his black face supernaturally hideous by glaring at the refractory
child. Junkie was petrified on the spot, and remained "good" till
forgetfulness and sleep overpowered him.
Meanwhile Mrs Merton swooned into a chair--or appeared to do so--and
Mrs Brook, recovering from her first alarm, went out with Gertie to see
what the black marauders were about.
They were just in time to see the last tail of their small flock of
sheep, and their still smaller herd of cattle, disappear into the
jungle, driven by apparently a score of black, lithe, and naked devils,
so ugly and unearthly did the Kafirs seem on this their first visit to
the unfortunate settlers.
It was a peculiarly bitter trial to the Brooks, for the herd and flock
just referred to had been acquired, after much bargaining, from a Dutch
farmer only a few days before, and Edwin Brook was rather proud of his
acquisition, seeing that few if any of the settlers had at that time
become possessors of live stock to any great extent. It was, however, a
salutary lesson, and the master of Mount Hope--so he had named his
location--never again left his wife and family unguarded for a single
hour during these first years of the infant colony.