It was about two hours past mid-day, that a boat came from the shore,
and a gentleman in plain clothes stepped from the boat on to the ship,
and inquired if Mr Peterson was on board. I was sitting in the cabin,
reading, and the gentleman was shown down into the cabin, and I was told
he came to visit me. The gentleman, who was old, but tall and erect,
looked at me very critically, and then said, "Is your name Julius
Peterson?"
"Yes," I replied, "that is my proper name, but I have been renamed by
the Caffres."
"You of course remember your father," said the gentleman; "can you
describe him to me?"
I gave a very accurate description of my father, and then of our
compound and bungalow at Delhi. In reply to the gentleman's inquiry, I
gave the details of our journey to Calcutta, and of our voyage,
shipwreck, etc.
"You have no papers, or anything about you, which could prove you are
the person you represent yourself to be?" said the gentleman.
I laughed as he made this remark, for I could not see how I could be any
one else but myself; when, however, I saw how serious the gentleman was
in making this inquiry, I began to reflect that there was really no one
who could know me, and that my own statement was the only evidence of my
identity. After several other questions the gentleman informed me that
his name was Rossmar; that he lived at Wynberg, near Cape Town; that he
was well acquainted with my uncle, who had written to him some time
after I had left India, to meet me at the Cape if the ship touched there
on her voyage home. He then told me of the anxiety my friends had
suffered when nothing was heard of our ship, and at last they had
concluded that we had all gone down with the ship. Mr Rossmar
apologised for having asked me so many questions, but he said that cases
had happened where a shipwrecked boy, or man, had after some years
represented himself as some other person, who really had been drowned,
so that he had merely used common caution. He then congratulated me on
my escape, and said that he hoped I would come to his house and make it
my home until I received instructions from my father or uncle, both of
whom he said, by last accounts, were well.
I explained to Mr Rossmar that I had neither clothes nor money, and was
scarcely in a condition to accept an invitation to a house. He said
that all could be arranged very easily; that clothes for temporary
purposes could be procured, ready made; and that he would see to
everything in that way, I thanked Mr Rossmar for his kindness, and
having bid good-bye to the captain and officers of the ship, I stepped
into the boat and soon landed at Simon's Town.
Having been provided with a stock of clothes at a warehouse, Mr Rossmar
drove me in his carriage to the admiral's, where I stopped for a short
time, and then started for Wynberg.
There are few more beautiful places in the world than Wynberg. Situated
in the lower slopes on the east of Table Mountain it is protected from
the south-east and north-west gales. The vegetation is luxuriant,
tropical trees and fruits growing in abundance, as also those common in
England. The houses are excellent and roomy, and the gardens gay with
flowers. The merchants at Cape Town, when well to do, usually have a
house at or near Wynberg, and Mr Rossmar, as I afterwards learnt, was
one of the richest men in this colony.
On arriving at Mr Rossmar's house I saw several ladies at the window,
and was introduced by Mr Rossmar to his wife and four daughters.
Although I felt quite at my ease when talking to the admiral, yet I was
awkward when the young ladies talked to me. Mr Rossmar told them that
all which had been printed in the paper about the shipwreck and my
adventures was true, and that I was quite a hero of adventure.
It was not long before I overcame my diffidence, and was soon talking to
Mrs Rossmar and her daughters as if I had known them all my life. They
were much interested in the account I gave them of my life among the
Caffres, and when I told them the details of my fight with the Bushmen
and Zulus, they became most excited. To me the change from the wild
rough life I had led was like coming to fairyland. The house was
beautifully furnished; there were several horses in the stable, and
having learned to ride in India, I soon was able to manage the most
spirited horse, and used to ride every evening with the ladies. They
were all excellent musicians, and this to me was a new experience, for
in India we had very little music in olden times, and as a boy I heard
nothing of even that little.
The story of my escape from shipwreck and my life among the tribes up
the country was known and talked about all over the Cape. Many people
there, although long resident at the Cape, knew little or nothing of the
Caffres, their habits, or their country. Cape Town and its
neighbourhood was civilised, whilst where I had been was wild as the
wildest country. I was asked out to many houses in the neighbourhood,
and had over and over again to relate some of my adventures. As is
usually the case with ignorant and jealous people, there were some who
thought I was inventing stories to astonish them: they did not believe
that I had gone through so many strange and exciting scenes, and did not
understand how such a boy, as I comparatively was, could have been made
a chief by these people.
I passed nearly four months at Mr Rossmar's house, the happiest that I
can remember in all my life. Although there was no pretence even of
study or of learning anything, yet I gained knowledge from hearing the
questions of the day discussed; and from the habits of observation I had
acquired in consequence of my life in the bush, I found that I noticed
and remembered things which had entirely escaped the observation of all
the others. This habit of noticing once saved the life of one of the
Miss Rossmars. I was walking in their garden one morning, near a small
flower-bed, from which one of the ladies intended to pick some flowers.
The path on which we were walking was close to this bed. On the path I
noticed a broadish smooth mark leading into the flower-bed. Instantly I
knew this to be the spoor of a snake. I stopped Miss Rossmar from
picking the flower she was just stooping to gather, and made her stand
back. I with my stick moved the flowers so as to examine what was
underneath. Just under the flower that the young lady intended
gathering, a large puff-adder was coiled, and the reptile was evidently
on the watch, as it struck my stick the instant I moved the flower. Had
this reptile bitten a human being, death would have been a certainty. I
killed the adder, and it was afterwards stuffed by a naturalist at Cape
Town, and a small wax-work flower-bed was made to represent the scene as
it occurred. If Miss Rossmar had been bitten by the adder, it would
have been considered an accident, and probably an unavoidable one; but
this case was an instance of how observation may avoid an accident. A
Caffre does not believe in what we call an accident: he says it is due
to want of care, or to want of observation. In the majority of cases
this is true. Men in London get knocked down by cabs and waggons
because they do not look carefully to the right and left before they
attempt crossing a street. Every year numbers of people are drowned in
consequence of bathing in dangerous places, or entering the water alone
when they do not know how to swim. When we read of the accidents that
annually occur in England we can see that a very large number are due to
want of caution or insufficient observation. Living as I had done in a
country where one's life may depend on the caution with which even your
foot is placed on the ground (for a snake may be there, and treading on
this would be death) makes one old in caution and thoughtfulness though
young in years.
The four months that I lived with Mr Rossmar taught me much. I was
quite at home in society, both with the ladies and gentlemen. I had
learned to speak Dutch fairly--for nearly all the servants were Dutch--
but was ignorant of accounts, and of Latin and Greek, and consequently
would have been considered a dunce in most English schools. Yet I knew
more than most youngsters in matters of practical utility.
Cape Town in those days was the high road to India. Nearly all the
large East Indian merchant ships used to stop at Cape Town, and the
English letters used to be brought by these. It was a few days beyond
four months after my arrival at the Cape, that a ship arrived and
brought letters from my uncle in England, both to me, and to Mr
Rossmar. The letter to me was very kind. My uncle said that I had been
given up for lost, as nothing had been heard of our ship for so many
years; but that if I decided, and my father wished, that I should go to
England to him, he would be very glad to see me, and he thought it would
be the best thing I could do. He said I should be quite a hero in
England, as the English papers had copied from the Cape papers the
account of my escape from shipwreck, and life in the wilderness; but
that he thought I should have to work hard for a year or two at various
studies, in order to be equal with other young men in my position in
life. I found that my uncle had written to Mr Rossmar, thanking him
for his kindness to me, and sending bills for five hundred pounds, for
my use in providing an outfit, paying for my passage home, and any other
things that I might require. It was thought advisable that I should not
leave the Cape until letters reached me from my father in India; and I
must acknowledge that I did not like the idea of leaving my present
comfortable quarters. I had become very fond of the Miss Rossmars, and
felt just as if I were one of the family. I had everything I could
require--a comfortable house, excellent companions, a horse to ride, and
nothing to do except what I fancied. The novelty of the life charmed
me, and this perhaps was one reason why I did not have any longing for
the sports and excitement that had formerly fallen to my share.
A few weeks passed, and then a ship was signalled as entering Table Bay
from the East. This ship was an Indiaman, so I expected a letter from
my father. Scarcely, however, had the ship cast anchor than a boat left
her, and pulled rapidly to the shore. In this boat was my father, who
on hearing of my safety had obtained leave, and had at once started for
the Cape.
Our meeting was a joyful one; my father was astonished to see the change
that a few years had made in me. When I left India I was comparatively
a child. The open-air life I had led, the continued exercise and the
healthy food had caused me to grow rapidly, and also to be stout and
strong. The various dangerous adventures through which I had passed had
made me a man in manner, and I had gained that important quality
self-dependence, without which a man is sure to be a failure. My father
listened with the greatest interest to my accounts of the various
dangers through which I had passed. When I explained to him the life
led by some of these Caffre Chiefs, he agreed with me that, except for
the uncertainty of being attacked by some other tribe, no life could be
more pleasant than that of a chief in that country. To possess a large
herd of cattle giving a plentiful supply of milk; several wives who
cultivated the ground, and thus supplied corn, pumpkins and other
vegetables required for food; game in abundance in the forests and on
the plains, and no king or prince in Europe could lead a more happy life
than did a Caffre Chief. When I compared the life of even a rich
merchant in Cape Town with that of a Caffre Chief, I could not but come
to the conclusion that the latter had the best of it. A merchant would
go to his office by ten o'clock in the morning, would be shut up there
going over accounts till about four o'clock; he had not time for any
sport or pleasure during the day, and on his return home, often seemed
pre-occupied with the business, to which he had devoted his time in the
morning. Then, again, losses of money would sometimes occur, and the
unhappiness caused by such a loss, seemed far greater than when a
successful speculation, caused temporary happiness. A Caffre's wants
were few, but all these he could supply, and his only anxiety was that
relative to wild beasts, poisonous snakes, and invasion by an enemy.
I went with my father to dine with the admiral at Simon's Town, and also
accompanied him to several other houses, to dinners, and entertainments
of various kinds. Soon after his arrival he wrote to my uncle, saying
that he still wished me to proceed to England to have my education
attended to, that he could stay at Cape Town about a month, and would
like me to remain with him during that period, after which I should
embark for England.
The month passed very rapidly. My father was also a guest of Mr
Rossmar's, for Cape people were famous for their kindness and
hospitality, and seemed as though we conferred a favour on them by
staying at their house. At length the ship arrived in which my father
was to return to India, and I bid him a long farewell, for it would be
five years before he could retire and come to England, where he
eventually intended to settle.
I now daily expected the arrival of the Indiaman in which passage had
been taken for my voyage to England, and five days after my father had
sailed, the ship was signalled, and a few hours afterwards anchored in
Table Bay. I had many friends to bid good-bye besides those with whom I
had been staying. The parting was very sad, but I promised that if
possible I would come again to the Cape, and stay a long time with my
various friends.
A voyage in the sailing-vessels of those days had much more romance and
interest in it than is now possible in a modern steamer. Formerly a
ship was dependent on the amount and direction of the wind; there was
always the excitement of watching the barometer, the clouds, etc, to
discover if possible any change of wind; a storm was a greater battle
than it now is; and the uncertainty of the duration of the voyage had
its charms. Some sailing ships were nearly eighty days in reaching
England from the Cape, others accomplished the voyage in a little over
fifty.
We had a fair wind on leaving Table Bay. I remained on deck watching
the Table Mountain gradually sink, as it were, on the horizon, and when
darkness came on I went to my cabin below, and felt dull and miserable.
There were about fifty passengers on board, mostly old Indians. My
story was known to them all, and several were acquainted with my father;
so I soon made acquaintances with my fellow-voyagers, and found the time
pass pleasantly enough. We cast anchor for a day at Saint Helena, and I
had an opportunity of visiting the most beautiful parts of that island.
Our voyage continued favourable until we were within a few degrees of
the equator, when the favourable wind died away, and we were left
becalmed. This was not an unusual condition. The captain informed us
that he had remained on one occasion ten days in these latitudes without
moving a mile. The heat was very great, but as most of us had been long
in India we stood this better than did those passengers who had merely
joined us at Cape Town. I soon took great interest in catching shark.
These sea monsters seemed attracted to the ship, and there was usually a
dorsal fin seen above the water within a hundred yards of our ship. I
constructed an arrangement for shark-fishing which was very successful.
At the end of a stout copper wire I lashed a strong hook, and then, with
a long line fastened to the wire, I could play the shark just as
salmon-fishers play a salmon. By this means I used to catch a shark
nearly every day. One of these was a monster ten feet long. We used to
haul these fish on deck by slipping a bowling-knot in a rope down our
line and over the shark's fins; and we had great excitement when the
creatures were hauled on deck, as they were dangerous to approach until
they were killed by blows on the head, and their tail partly amputated
with a hatchet. There were on board three gentlemen, who were good
chess-players. I used to watch these play their games, and soon learned
the moves and the manner in which the game was played, and before the
voyage was half over I could play chess very fairly. I also learned
from one of the mates how to measure altitudes of the sun, and how to
find the latitude each day. This gave me a taste for astronomy, and I
learned also the names of the principal stars. The voyage was thus to
me a period of interest, and did not hang heavily on my hands; whereas
those people who took no interest in anything during the voyage, were
always wearied and cross.
As we approached England we met or overtook several ships: our vessel
was a very fast sailer, and never failed to overtake any ship that we
saw ahead of us. It was on the fifty-fourth day from leaving the Cape
that we saw some land, which the captain told us was Ushant. Two days
afterwards we were off Plymouth, and in another week were beating up the
Downs. There were few steamers in those days, and nearly all the ships
sailed up the Thames. When we reached Gravesend a gentleman came on
board, who told me he had been sent from London by my uncle, who wished
me to land at Gravesend, and travel by coach to London. I was really
sorry to leave the ship, where I had passed two months very pleasantly,
and had been treated most kindly by the captain and officers, as also by
my fellow-passengers.
However, I was delighted with what I saw from the outside of a
four-horse coach, as we travelled up to London. But London bewildered
me: the noise, the number of people and vehicles, made me quite giddy;
and though I could find my way for miles in an African forest, yet I
doubted whether I should ever be able to walk alone in London without
losing myself. My uncle lived in an old-fashioned, but very comfortable
house near Highgate, and we reached that locality about six o'clock in
the evening. The time of year was autumn when I arrived, and it was a
lovely evening, the sun about setting. My uncle's house stood in a
garden, with fine trees round it, and at that time Highgate was quite in
the country. A very dignified oldish man met me at the door, who I was
informed was the butler, and who, having taken charge of my luggage,
said that Mr Peterson was in the drawing-room, and would be glad to see
me there. I was preceded by the butler, who opened the door with great
solemnity, and announced "Mr Peterson." My uncle was standing with his
back to the fire, and at the first glance I came to the conclusion that
I had rarely seen a more striking-looking man. He was quite six feet
high, neither thin nor stout; his hair was quite white, and worn rather
long. He must have been nearly seventy years of age, but was as erect
and straight as a life-guardsman. His eyes were deep-set, and partly
concealed by heavy black eyebrows, which produced a curious contrast
with his snow-white hair. His glance at me as I walked across the room
seemed to read me at once, and I mentally exclaimed, "He is a chief."
"Welcome to England, my boy," said my uncle, as he shook me heartily by
the hand. "You have had strange adventures since you left India; but,
judging from your appearance, you do not seem to have suffered much.
Why, you are quite a young man, and I expected to see a mere boy."
At the age at which I had then arrived there are few things which are
more flattering than that of being told you are no longer a boy. When
with the Caffres I never thought of such things. The fact of having
been made a chief had promoted me to the dignity of manhood, but when I
came again among white people I was treated as a boy by some of these;
my uncle, however, considered me a young man.
After a few remarks about my voyage, my uncle informed me that we should
dine in an hour, and that probably it would take me some time to dress
and refresh myself after my journey: he rang the bell, and told Edwards,
the dignified butler, to show me to my room.
There was a solid well-to-do look in everything in my uncle's house: the
furniture consisted principally of carved black oak; curiosities of
various kinds were hung up in the hall and on the walls of the
staircase. My bedroom had several handsome pictures in it, the bed
itself being a large four-poster.
Edwards helped me to unpack my portmanteaus, and hinted that the master
always dressed for dinner. My outfit at Cape Town had been very
complete, so I arrayed myself in a "claw-hammer" coat, as the sailors
term it, and a white tie, and made my way to the drawing-room, where I
found my uncle. In his evening dress he looked still more noticeable
than when I first saw him, and I felt proud of being the nephew of so
distinguished a looking man.
During dinner I was surprised at the knowledge my uncle possessed of the
Caffres, and of South Africa. He had evidently studied that country,
and was well acquainted with its geography, climate, and the character
of the natives. The questions he put to me taxed all my local knowledge
to answer, and I found it difficult to believe that he had not himself
been in the country. He was much interested in my account of the
language; he was himself a great linguist, and traced in the Caffre
words I used a connection with the Arabic. After dinner we sat talking,
mainly about my adventures at the Cape, my uncle's questions leading me
on to give him all the details of my life in that country. At ten
o'clock he told me that he always breakfasted at eight; that at seven
o'clock the gong sounded three times, at half past seven four times, and
at eight five times. He added that one of the things about which he was
particular was punctuality, as very much, especially in business,
depended on attention to this.
When alone in my bedroom I began to speculate on what was to become of
me. I had left India with the intention of being sent to a school in
England, for the purpose of being educated for one of the colleges
devoted to aspirants for India. After my long residence among the
Caffres, where I had learned nothing of what in England is termed
education, but had added years to my age, I knew how very awkward I
should feel in going to a school where probably I might be the biggest
boy in the school, but where the smallest boy would know considerably
more than I knew. I, however, trusted my uncle would consider all these
questions, and I had not long to wait before I found that my trust was
justified.