Almost immediately after my return to my old kraal, I went to see the
English ladies who had been on board the ship. I found that Mrs Apton
was dead, but the others seemed to have become quite reconciled to their
lot. They were now the mothers of several children, and they told me
that they would not now leave the country if they could. What they most
wished for were some clothes in which they might dress like
Englishwomen. Their knowledge of dress, however, had enabled them to
form, out of the skins of antelopes, very ornamental dresses; and
although some people might have laughed at their attire, yet the Caffres
thought their ornaments most becoming. It seemed singular how very
quickly these females had become accustomed to the strange life they
were compelled to lead. They did not work in the gardens as did the
Caffre women, but were treated just the same as the wives of the
greatest chiefs. The other Caffre women were not jealous of the English
females, but treated them kindly, and seemed to regard them as strangers
deserving of hospitality. What was most admired was the long hair of
the English ladies, the Caffre women having only woolly locks.
There was no restriction now placed upon my movements. I had fought for
my tribe, and had shown that I was true to the men who had saved my
life; so I was trusted just the same as though I had been born a Caffre.
Although I had been so well-treated by my present companions, and the
life I now led was very pleasant, yet the fact of having seen and
conversed with Englishmen had caused a feeling of restlessness to take
possession of me; and I was always thinking of where I should be, and
what I should be doing, if I had succeeded in getting away in the ship
from Natal Bay. It was now a common thing for me to leave my hut and go
down to the hills near the coast, and watch the sea, in order to find
out if any ships were near. I knew enough of English habits to be
certain that the slaughter of the captain of the vessel would be
revenged, though I did not know by what means this would be
accomplished.
It was about a moon and a half, or six weeks, after I had returned to
the Umzimvubu district, that one morning I saw from my look-out station
a large ship sailing, and not very far from the land. I remembered that
the sailors had told me that when a vessel was going round the Cape to
the east, she always kept about sixty or seventy miles from the land, to
avoid the strong current that ran from east to west. When, however, a
ship was travelling from east to west she kept nearer the coast, so as
to get the benefit of the stream in her favour. The vessel I now saw
was going eastwards, and yet was close inland; so I thought it very
likely she was coming to Natal. She was of too large a size to come
over the bar; and I believed she must be a vessel of war. As she came
nearer the land I could see guns looking out, as it were, of her ports;
and I then knew she was a man-of-war. Before the sun set this ship had
anchored opposite the harbour of Natal, and had furled all her sails. I
returned to my kraal and kept silence as to what I had seen. I wanted
to think during the night what I should do as regards this ship. If I
told the men of the kraal that a ship had come to Natal, they might
object to my going there, for fear I should tell the tale about the
slaughter of my shipmates. Silence therefore was the most prudent plan.
Just before sunrise, I, with a large bag of boiled corn and armed with
my pistols and an assagy, started for Natal Bay. The journey was a long
one, but I was in such training that I could run and walk very fast, and
I believe could manage fifty miles a day, without much fatigue. It was
near sunset, however, before I reached the high land on the west of the
bay: from this high land the ship was seen, and when first viewed I saw
two boats rowing to the vessel. There was a great deal of surf on the
bar, so I felt certain that no boat could have entered the harbour that
day, and that probably the boats I had seen had been to look at the bar
to see if it were practicable.
I found my old hut on the bluff just as I had left it; so, making a meal
of my boiled corn, I lay down and slept well after my long journey.
I was awoke in the morning by the screams of a sea-eagle, and found, on
looking out, that the sun had risen many times its own diameter in the
sky. The wind had changed, and was now blowing from the north, and the
surf on the bar was much less than it was on the previous day, and
seemed to be decreasing. On looking towards the ship I saw two boats
full of men pulling towards the harbour; and these, I saw, would, if
properly managed, be able to cross the bar and enter the harbour.
Descending the bluff, I went down to the shore, and, breaking off a
large branch of a tree, waved it over my head, hoping that some one
either on the ship or in the boats would see me. It was exciting work
seeing these boats approach the bar and wait for some time as they saw
the wives break and curl at this spot. After some time the oars flashed
in the water. I saw the boats first on the crest of a wave, then lost
sight of them, then saw them reappear and glide along in comparatively
smooth water as they passed the dangerous breaking water on the bar.
The boats were now so near that I could count the men in the boats, and
could see they were all armed, and were dressed alike, which was not the
case with the crew of the small vessel that had previously visited
Natal. As the boats approached the shore several men stood up in the
front part of the boat, and seemed to be on the look-out for an enemy,
as they had guns, which they held ready for firing. I called out that
there was no one on the shore but me, and saw that surprise was caused
by my speaking English, because I was in dress like a Caffre, and my
skin had become very brown.
On approaching the rocks on which I stood the boat stopped, and a
young-looking man at the stern of the leading boat called out--
"Who are you?"
"I am an English boy who was shipwrecked here some years ago."
"What is your name?"
I was about to answer "Umkinglovu," but I remembered that I was called
Julius by my father, so I replied, "My name is Julius."
"Are there any Caffres about here?" inquired the officer, for such I
found afterwards that he was.
"I do not think there are; but if there should be, I don't think they
would do you any harm."
The officer smiled as he said, "Do me any harm! no, I don't think they
are likely to do that. Are there any white men here?"
"None," I replied. "The few white men who were here have either been
killed by a war-party of the Zulus, or have escaped in a vessel."
"Then how is it you have escaped?"
"I was with a tribe down the coast, who fought with the Zulus and beat
them off."
"How did you come by those pistols?"
"They belonged to the captain of a small vessel here, who was killed by
the Zulus as he was getting water up the bay."
As I said this the officer spoke in a low tone to a companion who was
sitting near him. He then said--
"Put those pistols on the ground, and come into the boat."
I did as he told me, and stepped into the boat, the sailors eyeing me
suspiciously.
"Pull off from the shore," said the officer, and the boat was moved into
the middle of the stream, so that it was safe from an attack by any one
not armed with guns.
"Now sit down here," said the officer, as he pointed to the stern of the
boat, "and answer my questions."
I complied with his request, and he then questioned me--as to where the
nearest Caffres lived how numerous they were, how they were armed and
whether they were friendly or otherwise to white men.
I gave him all the information I possessed on these points, but I found
it difficult to make him understand how it was that the Zulus were
enemies of the white man, but the Caffres about Natal were friendly. He
seemed to look upon all Caffres as "niggers," and not to distinguish the
one tribe from the other.
He then asked me if I could show him where the captain of the
merchantman had been killed, and upon my pointing to the place he
ordered his men to pull up the bay, to the spot. Upon reaching this, I
explained the whole affair to him, and pointed out where the Zulus had
attempted to stop me. As I continued my account, I found by the looks
of these sailors that I rose very much in their estimation.
"Why did you not come away in the ship?" inquired the officer.
I told him of the behaviour of the sailors, and their suspicions of me,
and that they had put me on shore; that, if I had not been well
acquainted with the habits of the Zulus, I should have been assagied or
made prisoner by these people.
As we pulled down the bay towards the bar, the officer told me he
intended taking me on board the ship to see the captain, and to tell him
what I had seen and known about the slaughter at Natal.
Before we had gone halfway to the ship, I became very sick. There was a
heavy sea on for a boat, and I was unaccustomed to the motion, so that I
was soon suffering from the effects of the waves on the boat.
I, however, scrambled up on to the deck of the ship, and found myself in
the presence of several officers, who looked at me with astonishment.
The officer who had brought me in the boat told a tall officer, who, I
afterwards learned, was the captain, what my previous history had been.
The captain at once was deeply interested, and inquired all particulars
about the shipwreck, and what had become of those who had escaped
drowning. I told him that I was the only male survivor, that the others
had by a mistake been assagied, as it was supposed they were
slave-catchers. The females, I said, were the wives of Caffres, and
would not wish to leave their adopted country. The captain having
listened to all I had to tell him, asked me if I should like some
clothes, for I was dressed like a Caffre. Upon my intimating that, if I
remained in the country clothes would be useless, but if I were to be
taken away I must have some raiment, the captain took me to his cabin,
and having sent for some of the midshipmen, I was soon rigged out in a
suit of clothes that fitted me tolerably well. From the captain I
learned that he had come up to Natal to make inquiries relative to the
murders that had been committed on the white people, and to punish the
murderers. I explained to him that the Caffres who lived near the
Umlass and in the neighbourhood, had nothing to do with the slaughter of
these people; that it was a war-party of the Zulus which had come down
the country for the purpose of killing all white men. He seemed,
however, disinclined to believe that the people in the country were not
a party to the massacre, till I told him of the fight we had with the
Zulus, and our battle near the Umlass river.
On that night I slept on board ship, and by the following morning had
quite recovered from my sea-sickness. The captain sent for me very
early, and asked if I could guide a party to the nearest Caffre kraal,
as he wanted to see the people in their natural state. I told him it
might be dangerous, as the Caffres would suppose we had come to attack
them or to make slaves of them. He laughed at the idea of being
attacked; for, as he would take a large party with him, who would be
armed, he considered he would be more than a match for all the Caffres
in the country. I told him he did not know what these people were in
war, and how by a surprise they would to a certain extent do away with
the advantages which his firearms gave him. About fifty sailors were
armed, and being led by the captain we landed at the upper part of the
bay, and marched on towards the Umlass. The chief in that neighbourhood
was named Umnini, and was a very fine fellow. I was anxious to let him
know we were a friendly party come to see him, but I could not meet or
see any Caffres by whom to send a message. I felt quite sure that we
had been observed, for Caffres are very watchful. We had passed over
some open ground just beyond the Umslatazane river, and had entered a
bush-path beyond, when I heard a shrill whistle which I knew meant a
signal for attack. I at once shouted in Caffre, "We are friends, come
to see Umnini." The captain looked at me in astonishment and said,
"What are you shouting about?" I told him he must halt his men and keep
them quiet, or we might have a thousand men on us in half a minute. As
he could not see a Caffre, or even hear one, he said, "A thousand men!
why there is not one to be seen." I again called out in Caffre and
said, "I have brought the chief of the big ship to talk to Umnini. He
is friendly and wants to see him." There was silence for a short time,
and then a voice from the bush was heard, and inquiry was made as to why
a messenger was not sent first to say we were friends.
I replied that the chief of the ship did not know what the law was in
this country.
The captain, who was much surprised at hearing the voice come from the
bush when he could see no one, asked me what they were saying. I told
him that the Caffres suspected that he had come to attack them or to
capture some slaves, and if I had not spoken he would have been attacked
in this bush. I inquired of him if I should ask the Caffre chief to
advance and to talk to us, for it would not be prudent for us to go on
any farther unless the Caffres allowed us. The captain seemed rather
suspicious of treachery, but having cautioned his men to keep together,
said that I had better ask the chief to come to us. I called out again,
asking the chief to come; when, from behind every tree and bush, and
apparently out of the ground, a Caffre appeared, each armed with his six
assagies and a knob-kerrie, and carrying his shield before him. Our
party was completely surrounded, and had war been intended we should
soon have been assagied. The chief who commanded this party was
Umnini's young brother, whom I knew well. As he quietly advanced to us,
he showed no surprise or any sign of fear. His appearance, I saw,
impressed the captain, who touched his cap as the chief advanced. This
young chief was called Ingwe, and I told him who the captain was, and
that he had come to pay a visit to Umnini. Ingwe shook hands with the
captain, and then, speaking a few words to the Caffres informing them
that we were friends, told them to go on to Umnini's kraal and announce
our arrival.
Ingwe led the way, and we walked through the bush-paths. The sailors
seemed surprised at the order and discipline of these Caffres, and the
dignified manner in which they behaved; but their surprise was greater
when we approached the chiefs kraal, and found the men drawn up in two
lines, between which we marched till we came near the huts, where Umnini
met us. Umnini addressed all his conversation to me, and I translated
it to the captain, and when the captain spoke I had to turn his words
into Caffre.
Umnini said he was glad to see the chief of the large ship, and was
sorry there had nearly been a mistake made, as the captain came armed
and like a war-party; but he was welcome to the kraal, and a young bull
would shortly be killed for a feast for the sailors.
The captain replied that he did not think his coming armed would have
been mistaken for war, as he had no cause of complaint against Umnini,
but wished to see the chief in his kraal; that he did not wish an ox
killed, as his men would not be allowed to eat at that hour.
Umnini then asked the captain and me to come into his kraal, where we
saw several of Umnini's wives and children. The captain sat down in the
hut, and we had a long conversation about the Zulus, and their attack on
the white people at the bay; also about the life the Caffres lived,
their habits, etc. The captain kept on making notes in a pocket-book as
he received his answers, and seemed much interested in what he heard.
He then asked about the white women who had been wrecked with me, and
inquired whether it were possible to see them and persuade them to
return to civilisation in his ship.
I told him I believed they would avoid being seen, and certainly would
not leave the country, as they were the mothers of several children, and
were regularly accustomed to the life they now led. We stopped about as
long as it took the sun to go ten times its diameter; and then, bidding
the chief good-bye, we returned to our boats and pulled off to the ship.
Umnini had made a present of a gourd snuff-box to the captain, and had
received in return a watch-chain, which Umnini hung round his neck.
Several of the officers of the ship were anxious to go on shore to have
some shooting, and asked me where was the best place to go. I told them
that in the bush there were elephants and antelope; that it was
dangerous sport going after elephants, but if they were careful, they
might kill one. Four officers arranged to go with me, in search of
them, and to start at daybreak. On the open ground near the head of the
bay, there were some pools of water just outside the bush, where the
elephants were fond of drinking during the night. Upon landing from our
boats, we walked to these ponds, and I told the officers that we must
not speak above a whisper when we entered the bush, and must walk so
quietly that no man could hear the footsteps of the man in front of him.
The officers smiled at my cautious instructions, and seemed amused at
the idea of being taught by a mere boy. The elephants had visited the
pool early in the morning, and had then entered the bush by one of their
well-worn paths. The traces of the animals were very plain, the print
of their large feet being distinctly marked in many places. We had not
entered the bush more than the distance of four or five throws of an
assagy, when I heard the slight crack of a stick in front of us. I
stopped, and stooping down, saw the outline of an elephant looming
amidst some dense underwood. I pointed to this spot and whispered to
the officers, "Elephant."
They stooped and peeped, but could see nothing. I then signalled to
them to go slowly forward, when they would, I hoped, obtain a view of
the animal. The officers crept on, but not being accustomed to the
bush, each man made more noise than would fifty Caffres. They had only
gone on a few steps, when they turned to me and said, "That is not an
elephant, it is only some old tree." At the same instant, the elephant,
hearing their voices, turned in the bush; and, crashing through the
underwood, was soon far out of sight and beyond a shot. The
astonishment of the officers was very great when they saw their "old
tree" become a nearly full-grown elephant, and heard it crashing through
the bush, the breaking branches which it carried away in its rush
sounding like the report of musketry.
"The youngster was right after all," they exclaimed. "Only fancy, an
elephant standing as quietly as that."
They wanted to follow the animal; but I explained to them that they
might as well follow a bird on the wing, as the elephant would probably
not stop until it had gone some four or five miles through the bush, and
would then be on the alert and difficult to approach.
Finding there was no chance of again seeing the elephant, the officers
decided to come out of the bush, and try to get a shot at some buck on
the more open ground.
We had gone some distance from the bush, when, on looking towards the
Umganie river, I saw in the distance a large party of Caffres. I
instantly lay down, and called eagerly to the officers to do the same;
for from the glance I had obtained I thought this must be a war-party of
the Zulus, probably sent down to see what the ship was doing here. The
officers laughed at my caution, but they concealed themselves, though
not as quickly as they ought to have done. I wished now that I had my
glasses with me, for the body of Caffres was a long way off. I soon
saw, however, that the party were Zulus; and informed the officers of
the fact, and that we must run for our lives.
Had I been alone I should not have feared for the result of a race,
because we were some considerable distance in advance of the Zulus, and
I could run as fast and as far as the best man amongst them; but I had
already found that the officers were not fit to run far, the long time
they had been on board ship having prevented them from getting into
racing condition. Our boat was fully a mile and a half, as I should now
term the distance, from where we were concealed, and I knew that a Zulu
would run this distance about as fast again as the officers. I told
them that their lives now depended on their doing exactly what I
directed them to do; and I added that they ought now to know that I was
better acquainted with things in this country than they were, as I could
distinguish an elephant from a dead tree. They said--
"All right, give your orders."
We crawled along the ground for some distance, till we were concealed by
a portion of the bush; we then rose and ran along the edge of the bush,
but we did not run very fast, for I was afraid that my companions would
get out of breath before the real race began. When we had gone some
distance near the bush, I found that, to go in the direction of our
boats, we must now move in the open country. I told my companions of my
plan, and said that we could move no faster than the slowest runner
among them. I saw that one of the officers, who was rather stout, was
already out of breath, and I feared that we should find it hard work
reaching our boat before the Zulus were upon us. When we struck off
into the open plain I looked round, and then knew that the Zulus must
have seen us from the first, as they were coming on at a run, which,
although not very fast, had yet enabled them to decrease the distance
between them and us.
"Now do your best," I said, and we commenced our run.
The Zulus uttered a shout, as they now saw us plainly, and several of
their fastest runners advanced in front of the main body. I now carried
two guns of the officers that they might get on the more easily, but
found that our pursuers were gaining rapidly on us.
When we were within a short distance of the boat, about twenty Zulus
were nearly within an assagy's-throw of us. I said to the officers,
"Run to the boat: I will stop the Zulus." The officers ran on whilst I
stopped, and, dropping one of the guns, aimed with the other at the
leading Zulu. The man dodged about as I aimed, but my bullet struck
him, and he fell to the ground; with the second barrel I hit another
Zulu, and then the other men dropped on the ground to conceal
themselves. Picking up the gun I had dropped, I darted off to the boat,
into which the officers had embarked, and jumped into it, telling them
to push off at once. The water for some distance was shallow, and
before we could get into deep water, about a hundred Zulus dashed in,
and were hurling their assagies at us. We fired at these men, whilst
the four sailors in the boat rowed as fast as they could; and as the
water became deeper, we could move faster than the Zulus, and so were
soon beyond the range of their assagies.
The Zulus, on finding they could not reach us, instantly left the water
and concealed themselves in the bush, in order to avoid our bullets.
"Smart work," said one of the officers, who seemed rather to enjoy the
excitement; "I don't think I ever ran so far before." Another officer
said, "I tell you what it is, youngster, you are well up in this kind of
work."
As we rowed down the bay I heard a voice shouting from one of the
islands in the bay, and asking what number of Zulus there were. I told
the Caffre about five hundred.
I now asked the officers to stop the boat, because near the head of the
bay I saw some dust rising, and I suspected that this was caused by some
of Umnini's warriors who had been assembled to resist any attack the
Zulus might make. The rapidity with which these people could arm and
assemble was very great. From a distant kraal men would arm and run
towards the point of danger. As they passed the various kraals on the
way they would be joined by the warriors from these kraals, and as every
full-grown man was a warrior, the army soon swelled to a considerable
size. I should have liked to join Umnini's people in what I expected
would be an attack on the Zulus, but I did not like to take the officers
with me, and they said they would not allow me to leave them; so we kept
the boat in deep water, and beyond where an assagy could be cast on to
the boat. The Zulus, who had followed us down to the water, had
concealed themselves in the bush as soon as we had secured our retreat;
but they now evidently had some knowledge of the approach of Umnini's
men, as they were moving rapidly through the bush, and calling to one
another. The distance from the head of the bay to where the Zulus had
followed us was not very far, and I knew that the rapidity with which
the Caffres moved would soon enable them to attack the Zulus. The
latter, however, either thought the numbers of their enemies too great,
or else they did not wish to fight, as there was nothing to fight for,
no cattle being near enough for the Zulus to carry off, even if they
gained the victory; so they retreated rapidly towards the Umganie river,
followed by Umninis people.
I knew that, from the summit of some tall trees on the shore of the bay
near the bluff, a view could be obtained of the coast even beyond the
Umganie; so I suggested to the officers that we pulled down the bay, and
ascended the high land, so as to obtain a view of what was taking place.
We soon reached the shore beneath the bluff, and ascending it found
that we could see both the Zulus and Umnini's Caffres. The Zulus,
finding that they would be overtaken before they could cross the river,
had faced about, and, standing shoulder to shoulder, were awaiting the
attack of their pursuers. The battle soon commenced, by a shower of
assagies being thrown by the Natal Caffres; then a charge was made, and
for a time we could see nothing but a struggling mass of black warriors.
Then the tide of battle evidently turned in favour of Umnini's men; for
the Zulus were flying in the direction of the river, followed by the
Natal Caffres. In savage warfare, it is in the retreat that the greater
number of men are killed: the pursuer has the advantage of casting his
assagy at an enemy who can neither dodge nor protect himself by his
shield. The number of Zulus who were slain during this retreat was very
great--we could see man after man struck down and assagied; and the
officers became quite excited, and exclaimed that these niggers fought
like tigers. I told them of some of the battles I had been in, against
the Zulus, and of some of the dodges we had practised. They said they
wished they had some two hundred blue-jackets with them, and they would
have given a good account of these Zulus. I told them that the
cutlasses used by the sailors would be of no use against an assagy; that
a Zulu would send his assagy through a man at twenty or thirty yards'
distance, and that a man armed with a sword would be unable to do
anything with it at that distance. Then, again, when the Zulus rushed
in on an enemy, it was possible to shoot down several of them, but those
not shot would stab with their assagies, before the men armed with guns
could reload.
Having seen the defeat and the slaughter of a large number of the Zulus,
the officers decided to pull off to the ship, and report to the captain
what had occurred. There was luckily very little surf on the bar, and
we pulled over what there was without shipping much water in our boat.
On reaching the ship, the officers gave an account to the captain of
what had occurred, and were very full of praise for my skill and
coolness in having saved them from the Zulus; for they agreed that, had
they been left to themselves, they never could have reached the boats,
as the Zulus would have surrounded them, and though they might have shot
several, yet they could not have loaded quickly enough to prevent their
enemy from closing in on them. The officers gave a very good account of
the fight they had seen between Umnini's Caffres and the Zulus; and if
any doubt had remained in the mind of the captain about these two tribes
being at enmity with each other, this fight would have placed the matter
on the side of certainty.
On the morning following the day on which we had escaped from the Zulus,
the captain sent for me to his cabin. On my entrance I found him
sitting near a writing-table on which were various papers; he told me to
sit down, as he wanted to ask me several questions. He then produced a
map of the coast of South Africa, and pointed to Natal Bay, the Umlass
river, and other places; and then asked if I could tell him exactly
where the ship in which I had been wrecked had gone on shore. I
estimated the distance from the Umzimvubu river, and with a pencil
marked the spot.
I then described to him the country inland, as far as I had been, and
pointed out that several small streams were not put down in the map.
After we had talked about these matters, the captain said, "Now tell me
more about yourself, who you are, and all that."
I gave the captain a history of my early days in India, and then
explained to him that I was on my way home to England to be educated by
my uncle, who was reported to be very rich, when our ship was wrecked.
When I told him the name of my father, he looked in a large book, and
then asked me my fathers Christian name. At first I could not recall
it, but after a little thought I said it was William Mark.
"Your father is alive and is now a colonel," said the captain, "but is
no doubt under the impression that you were drowned, as nothing was
heard of the ship you were in after she was seen at the Mauritius."
I was delighted to hear this news, and a great longing now came over me
to see my father and to again join civilisation. I told the captain
what my wishes were, but that I had no money and did not know how I was
to get to India, or to England; nor did I know whether my uncle was
alive, and whether I ought now to go to England. I was quite able to
take care of myself if alone in the African bush, or on the plains,
though enemies of various kinds might be around me; but I felt I should
be powerless among white men, whom, from my experience of the sailors in
the former ship, I had found very stupid and suspicious.
The captain told me he would take me to Simon's Town at the Cape, and
see what could be done about communicating with my friends.
It took, in those days, upwards of four months for an answer to a Cape
letter to England to be received, and about the same time for a letter
sent to India to be answered and received at the Cape. I did not
remember my uncle's address in England, so that it would be impossible
to communicate with him; nor did I know in what part of India my father
was, but as he was well-known at Delhi, I believed that a letter sent
there would be forwarded to him.
On the following day the captain decided to leave Natal and start for
the Cape. The wind was in our favour, and we sailed westward, our
course carrying us about twenty miles from the coast. I remained on
deck watching the old familiar localities and pointing out to the
captain the various rivers and headlands. Just before dark we were
opposite the rocks where I was wrecked, and the captain took some
observations and marked on his map the exact spot.
During the next two or three days I passed an hour or so each day,
giving the captain an account of the wreck, and of what occurred
afterwards; he wrote down what I told him, and, having made a sort of
history of this, he then read it over to me, asking me if it were all
correct.
He said, the loss of the ship had caused great excitement in England, he
remembered, at the time; but when no news came, and a ship sent from the
Cape to search could gain no intelligence, it was concluded that she had
gone down in the storm, between the Mauritius and the Cape, and of
course it was expected every one had been drowned.
We had a fair wind all the way down to Simon's Bay, and accomplished the
voyage in six days. As soon as we had anchored, the captain went on
shore to visit the admiral, and I was left on the ship. In about an
hour one of the officers came to me and said a signal had been sent from
the admiral to say that I was to go on shore to the admiral's house. A
boat was provided, and I was soon pulled on shore.
Although I had led the life of a savage since my shipwreck, and had
gained no experience of what is called polite society, yet the dangers
through which I had passed had given me self-dependence; and the calm,
dignified behaviour of the chiefs, both among the Zulus and the
Umzimvubus, had given me an insight into the proper way of conducting
myself. When, then, I was taken by the captain before the admiral I was
not flurried as some youngsters might have been, but very cool and calm.
The admiral examined me critically, and then said--
"You have had some strange adventures up the country."
"Yes, sir," I replied, "I have been some years living entirely among the
Caffres."
"Is the account you have given of the shipwreck quite correct?"
"Everything I told the captain is just as it occurred."
"Don't you think the English women who are up there would come away if
they could?"
"No," I replied, "they told me themselves they would not leave now: they
have children, and have been well-treated; and they could not come again
to civilisation after living during some years as the wives of Caffres."
"Then," said the admiral, "if I sent a ship up there to bring these
women away, you don't think they would come?"
"I am certain they would not; and you would not be able to find them.
The Caffres would carry them up the country, and conceal them as soon as
your ship was seen to be landing men; and if you attempted to use force,
you might be opposed by several thousand warriors; who, though armed
with assagies only, would yet, in the rough bushy country, slaughter two
or three hundred men armed with muskets."
After some further conversation the admiral asked me what I wished to
do.
I replied that I had no money, no clothes, except what the captain had
given me, and no friends at the Cape; that I should like my father, who
was in India to know of my safety, and should like to receive his
instructions as to what he wished me to do. I added that, if I stopped
at the Cape, my father would pay any one for my keep as soon as he knew
where I was.
The admiral shook hands with me, and said I had better return to the
ship at present; but that he should be glad to see me at lunch in an
hour's time, and he would consider what should be done for me.
At the lunch I was fully occupied in answering questions about the
details of the shipwreck, and my adventures in the wild country of the
Umzimvubu. My description of the slaughter of the captain of the
merchant vessel, and his obstinacy in not being cautious enough, seemed
rather to amuse some of the officers who were present. Altogether, I
was much pleased with my treatment by the admiral, and returned in the
afternoon to the ship.
On the following morning I found that a Cape Town paper had a full
account of the shipwreck, and of my adventures among the Caffres, giving
my name, and stating who I was. I was amused at finding myself so
famous all at once, but did not then anticipate what would be the speedy
result of all this being known at the Cape. What was the result must be
reserved for another chapter.