Hendricks the Hunter; Or, The Border Farm: A Tale of Zululand Read online

  CHAPTER TWO.

  THE FOUNDLING OF THE KRAAL.

  The trader having selected three of his men to keep watch, lay down,wrapped in a mantle of skin, under his waggon, having given up his usualsleeping-place to his guests.

  No one was seen however, nor were any sounds heard to indicate that anypersons were approaching the camp, and dawn at length broke.

  Rising from his bed under the waggon, the trader walked a few pacesbeyond the camp, to take a look over the country around, for the purposeof ascertaining as far as his eye could help him, whether any of theZulus were still in the neighbourhood. The air was deliciously freshand balmy, the atmosphere was bright and clear, so that the outlines ofthe distant hills were clearly defined against the sky. There were afew soft, white, fleecy clouds of mist floating here and there, whichthe breeze, as the sun rose, quickly dispersed; while below, windingthrough the valley, could be seen the sheen of the river between theclumps of the trees bordering its banks.

  It was difficult to believe that a terrible tragedy had been enacted afew short hours before in the midst of so lovely a scene. He proceededon along the hill to a place whence he could see the spot where thekraal had existed. Looking through his telescope, he could clearlydistinguish a large black circle of ashes marking the spot where thehabitations of the slaughtered people had lately stood. He could see nohuman beings moving about in the neighbourhood, though he turned hisglass in every direction. He feared the worst.

  "Perhaps some of the poor people may have escaped death from theassegais of their enemies, and may be lying hid in the bushes orplantations around," he said to himself; "though I fear those savages dotheir work too surely to give much hope of that."

  He hastened back to the camp, and having taken a hurried breakfast, andadvised his guests to remain quiet in their places of concealment, heset out, accompanied by Umgolo, towards the kraal.

  The stream was easily forded. As the morning was fresh, he and hiscompanion walked briskly on. They were thus not long in reaching theneighbourhood of the kraal. A dreadful sight met their eyes.Everywhere the ground was strewed with the dead bodies of its lateinhabitants. As he had supposed, the assegais of the avengers had beenused too well to allow any of them to escape with life. Some layoutside, others within the two circles of ashes where the huts hadstood. Still it was possible that some might have crept to a distance.He and his companion searched, however, all round, and although everybush was examined, no one was discovered, nor did they perceive anytraces of blood which might have indicated that some wounded person hadgot thus far from the scene of slaughter.

  They were about to return to the camp, when, looking towards the kraal,the trader fancied that he saw some object move in the centre amongseveral dead oxen, which had probably been wounded by the assegais ofthe attacking party, and had returned there to die. He accordingly madehis way towards the spot, followed by Umgolo, over the still warm ashes.He preferred the risk of burning his boots to going round through theentrance, where the bodies of the slaughtered people lay so thickly thathe could scarcely pass without treading upon them.

  "Who can this be?" he exclaimed as he got near where the dead oxen lay."If my eyes do not deceive me, here's a young white boy. Who are you?What brought you here, my child?" he asked in a kind tone.

  But the boy did not reply. He had been lying between two of the cattle,partly under one of them, and having apparently been asleep, and justawakened, was endeavouring to get up. Round his waist was a robe ofmonkey skins, and a cloak of wild cat skins hung over his shoulders.Both were stained with blood, but whether it came from a wound he hadreceived, or was that of the animals whose bodies had sheltered him, itwas difficult to say. When the trader lifted him up, he evinced nofear, though he still did not speak.

  "Are you English or Dutch?" asked the trader. "A Zulu you cannot be,though dressed like one."

  There was no reply. The boy, who seemed to be about eight or nine yearsold, looked round with an astonished gaze at the circle of ashes towhich the kraal had been reduced.

  "Why, the poor child is wounded, I fear," said the trader, examining hisarm. "Terror probably has deprived him of his wits."

  As he said this, taking a handkerchief from his pocket, he bound itround the injured limb, so as to staunch the flow of blood.

  "The sooner we get him to the camp the better: he wants both food andwater. Although he cannot say anything about himself, I have no doubtthat Mangaleesu will be able to give an account of him."

  Saying this, the trader, giving his gun to Umgolo to carry, lifted theboy up in his arms, and hurried with him down the hill towards the camp.Had the boy been a Zulu, Umgolo would probably have recommended that heshould be left to shift for himself, but observing his white skin he didnot venture to interfere.

  The child, evidently satisfied that he had found a friend, lay quietlyin the strong arms of the trader, who walked on with rapid steps,carrying him as if he had been an infant.

  The camp was soon reached, and the trader, placing the boy on some skinsin the shade of the waggon, ordered one of his Kaffirs who acted as cookto get some broth ready, while he sent off another to obtain fresh waterfrom the spring.

  This done, he examined the wound in the boy's arm, more carefully thanhe had before been able to do. He first got out of the waggon a salveand some lint, with some linen bandages; for he was too experienced ahunter to travel without articles which might occasionally be of thegreatest necessity.

  Having taken off the handkerchief and carefully washed the wound in warmwater, he dressed it with the skill of a surgeon. The boy looked upgratefully in his new friend's face, but still did not speak. Thetrader having in vain endeavoured to obtain an answer when addressinghim in English or Dutch, he at last spoke to him in Kaffir.

  The boy at once said, "I thank you, white stranger, for what you havedone for me. I thought at first that you belonged to those who hadkilled our people, and that you were going to kill me. Now I know thatyou are my friend."

  "You are right, my boy; I wish to be so," said the trader. "But tellme, how comes it that you who are white, cannot speak your nativetongue?"

  "I have been so long with the Zulus that I have forgotten it," answeredthe boy. "I once could speak it, and I well remember the white people Ilived amongst. For a long time I remembered my native language; but asI always, since I could speak, knew some Kaffir, I soon understood whatwas said to me. I had a black nurse, but she was assegaid, and I wastorn from her arms by the Zulus who carried me off. More than that Icannot tell."

  The kind-hearted trader was obliged to be content with this information.He was unwilling indeed, till the poor boy had regained his strength,further to question him, and he hoped to learn more of his history fromMangaleesu and Kalinda, who he had no doubt would be able to afford it.

  Having given the boy some of the broth which was now ready, and placed ablanket under his head to serve as a pillow, he left Umgolo to watchover him. He then went and sat down by the side of Mangaleesu, whostill lay in the hammock under the waggon, not yet recovered from theexertions he had made on the previous night, and the loss of blood fromhis wounds.

  "I have recovered one of your people, and have brought him to the camp,"said the trader.

  "Who is he?" asked Mangaleesu eagerly. "I thought that all had beenkilled."

  "Although he has a white skin, he seems by his dress and language to bea Zulu," answered the trader.

  "Then he must be little Unozingli," said the chief. "I am glad he hasescaped, for he was a favourite with us, and will some day, if he lives,become a great warrior."

  "By what chance did he happen to be living among you? Although he isdressed like a Zulu, and speaks the Kaffir tongue alone, he is evidentlythe child of white parents."

  "He was brought to my kraal by a tribe from a distant part of thecountry, who afterwards joined my people," answered the chief. "Theyhad taken him, they said, from a black woman who had been killed; butthe child being whi
te, they had been unwilling to destroy him, and hadcarried him off with them. He was at once adopted into the tribe, andhas lived with us ever since, learning our customs and language, and wegave him the name of Unozingli."

  From this answer it was evident that no further satisfactory informationcould be obtained from Mangaleesu respecting the boy. This was adisappointment to the trader. He had hoped, after rescuing the littlefellow, to have had the satisfaction of discovering his parents orfriends, and restoring him to them. He was satisfied that the child waseither English or Dutch, and from his features he was inclined to thinkhe was the former.

  "I don't fancy calling him by his Kaffir name," he said to himself. "Imust get one more suited to him." As he looked at the thick auburn hairwhich hung in curls over the boy's head, his freckled, though otherwisefair countenance, his large blue eyes, and broad, open countenance, heexclaimed, "I have it! I'll call him Lionel; for a young lion he looks,and will, I hope, some day bring down many of the brutes of the forest."

  Unwilling to leave the camp himself, lest their enemies might come insearch of the young chief and his bride, towards evening the trader sentout Umgolo and another man in search of game to supply his followerswith meat, for in that climate what is killed one day is scarcelyeatable the next.

  He also despatched two others in different directions to ascertain ifany of the Zulus were in the neighbourhood, apparently searching forMangaleesu, as he intended in that case to keep the chief and his bridemore carefully concealed until he had carried them safely across theborder.

  The hunters were the first to return, loaded with the flesh of a coupleof antelopes. Soon afterwards, while they were busily employed incutting up the animals and preparing them for supper, the scouts camein, bringing the information that they had seen a large party who seemedto them coming from the south-west, but who were too far off to enablethem to ascertain who they were. As--the intermediate ground beinguneven--it would have taken them a long time to get nearer, they deemedit wise to return at once with their report.

  "Whether friends or foes, we are ready for them," said the trader. "Incase they should be foes, we must keep our guests concealed; but fromthe direction they come, I think it more likely that they are friends,and we will have some food ready for them."

  The cooks therefore spitted according to camp fashion an additionalsupply of meat to roast, while the trader walked on a short distance inthe direction he expected the strangers to appear. He was not mistakenin his surmise. After some time he saw through his glass a waggon verysimilar to his own, accompanied by two persons on horseback and severalon foot. On this, returning to the camp, he ordered his horse to besaddled, and went out to meet them. As he was seen approaching, the twomounted strangers rode forward.

  "What, Hendricks the Hunter!" exclaimed the elder, a tall, gaunt man,with a weather-beaten countenance, whose grey twinkling eyes, the formof his features, and his rich brogue showed him to be an Irishman."Mighty glad to fall in with you, old friend!" and the gentlemen shookhands warmly.

  "I'm equally well pleased to meet you, Maloney," answered Mr Hendricks."You can give me news of the civilised world, of which I have heardnothing for many a long month."

  "Faith! as to that, it wags much as usual. Skins are fetching fairprices, which is good news for you; but the Kathlamba bushmen are againbecoming troublesome, and have lately carried off several head of cattleand horses from the settlers in that direction, which is a bad matterfor them, while the new arrivals are grumbling and complaining as usualbecause they do not find the colony the Eldorado they expected, beforethey have had time to dig a spade into the ground or run a plough overit. For my part, I'm mighty glad to get out of their company and findmyself in the wilderness."

  "So am I generally, after I have been a short time at home, I confess,though I have many friends in Maritzburg, with whom I am glad now andagain to spend a few days," replied Hendricks. "Had you, however,waited a little longer, I intended to propose that we should join forcesand travel together. I thought it possible indeed that I might fall inwith you, although as I did not expect to do so for several days to comeI was in hopes that you would be induced to wait for me till I was readyto make a fresh start."

  "I would willingly have delayed my journey or waited for you, had we metcloser to the Natal border," answered Mr Maloney; "but as you know, itwould not be prudent to remain longer than possible in this part of thecountry, and even now, as I shall spend some time trading and hunting tothe south of the Drakensberg, you will probably overtake me before I getover the mountains."

  "It will be from no fault of mine if I do not," said Hendricks. "Ishall not be long in transacting my business at Maritzburg. However,we'll talk of that presently; and now come along to my camp, for supperwill be ready by the time we get there. By the bye, who is the lad withyou? He looks somewhat tired from his journey."

  "He is my son Denis, a chip of the old block," answered Mr Maloney."To say the truth, however, he is just now somewhat sick, and I'd rathersee him safe at Maritzburg than travelling with me into the wilderness.I have a favour to ask--it is that you will take charge of him and lethim accompany you back to the town. I shall be mighty thankful to youif you will."

  "I will do as you wish," said Hendricks, "though the lad, I suspect,would rather be hunting with you than kicking his heels in town withnothing to do."

  "He has been too well-trained to dispute my authority," observed MrMaloney. "I took him from the office of his uncle, my worthybrother-in-law, and he must go back for a few months until I return andam ready to make my next trip. By that time he'll have more muscle andstamina, and be better able to stand the fatigue and hard life wehunters have to endure."

  "I'll carry out your wishes with all my heart, and will look after thelad while I remain in the colony," said Hendricks.

  This conversation took place while the two leaders were riding ontowards the camp, the lad following a short distance behind them.

  Mr Hendricks briefly related to his companion the attack on the kraal,and the way in which the Zulu chief, his bride and the little boy hadbeen rescued. "I intend to take the child with me, to leave him incharge of my good sister, Susannah Jansen," he added. "We may some daydiscover to whom he belongs, but I will, in the meantime, act the partof a guardian to him."

  "It is a kind act of yours, but faith! I suppose I should be afterdoing the same sort of thing myself, though I find one son as much as Ican manage. To be sure, all boys are not like Denis here, who boaststhat he shot a springboc before he was ten years old, and that he hassince killed a lion and a wild boar, his great ambition being now tobring an elephant to the ground."

  As his father was speaking, Denis, who had hitherto kept in the rear,hearing his name mentioned rode up.

  "I have asked Mr Hendricks to take you back with him to Maritzburg,where you must wait with all the patience you can muster till my nexttrip," said Mr Maloney. "You are not strong enough for the work beforeus; and if you knock up, the object of my expedition will be defeated,for I shall have to nurse you instead of being able to hunt or carry ontrade."

  "I am much obliged to Mr Hendricks, but I don't intend to knock up,"said Denis, not looking very well pleased at his father's proposal."I'm a little sick now, but I shall be all to rights in a day or two,and will be able to continue the journey."

  His looks, however, belied his assertion, though he was evidently doinghis utmost to appear at his ease.

  "Well, well, we'll see about it, my boy; but for your own sake, as wellas mine, I wish you to go back. I took you somewhat against my betterjudgment, in the hopes that the journey would strengthen you, instead ofwhich you look worse than when we started."

  Denis still begged to be allowed to go on, until his father, losingpatience, told him to say no more about the matter; that he shoulddecide what was best to be done, and should act accordingly.

  Hearing his father say this, Denis, not venturing to make any furtherappeal, again dropped behind.
r />   "You see the boy has a will of his own," observed Mr Maloney. "Thoughso tall and full of spirit, he is scarcely twelve years of age, and hasin truth outgrown his strength. Since he lost his mother he has onlyhad his uncle, Tom Lumly, to look after him when I have been away, andmy good brother-in-law being much taken up with business has had littletime to attend to him, so that he has been allowed to run rather wild.However, as he is now well able to make himself useful, Tom will givehim work to do, and that will help to keep him out of harm's way."

  "You are right, my friend; there's nothing like plenty of work to helpkeep a person out of mischief; but, after all, he must have steadinessand good principles. They alone are to be depended on, and I hope yourson has got those as ballast."

  The two gentlemen, followed by Denis, soon arrived at the camp. Theyfound the promised repast spread out under the shade cast by the waggonas the sun sank towards the western hills.

  The two ciders did ample justice to the venison steaks and other Africanluxuries placed before them; but though Denis managed to eat a little,he had to acknowledge that he was somewhat off his feed.

  Umgolo, who ranked as a chief amongst his followers, and shared hismaster's board, ate considerably more than the two white men together.Mangaleesu and Kalinda, who had been invited, at first hung back, butovercoming their bashfulness at length came and joined the party, anddid ample justice to the food offered them. At last, little Unozingli,the white boy, or Lionel, as his protector determined to call him, creptout from the corner of the waggon, and, tempted by the smell of theviands, came and placed himself by the side of the Zulu chief, of whomhe showed no fear.

  "The child has been well treated, or he would keep away from ourdark-skinned friend there," observed Mr Maloney. "It's mighty curiousthat he's unable to utter a word of English; but he'll find his tonguesoon, when he has stowed away a little food."

  The little fellow, unlike the Zulus, ate moderately, and after taking adraught of cold water declared that he was satisfied. His wounded arm,which Hendricks had placed in a sling, did not appear to cause him muchpain; at all events, he did not complain as most boys more delicatelynurtured than he had been would have done.

  The Zulu chief now addressed him in a kind tone. He at once answered,and was soon chattering away either with him or Kalinda, with whom heappeared to be a favourite. After this, as he had recovered hisspirits, Hendricks called him to come and sit by his side, and speakingin the Zulu language, questioned him as to his early recollections, whenhis answers fully confirmed the account given by Mangaleesu.

  "Do you wish to return to your white friends?" asked Hendricks.

  The boy's countenance brightened. "I am fond of the chief and Kalinda,but I should greatly like to see the white lady who often used to talkto me, and whom I called mother, and a man with hair like mine, whosometimes carried me on his back or in his arms, and let me ride on hisknee. Then there was the black woman, but I shall never see her, for Iremember well how the Zulus pierced her with their assegais. She fellinto the river and was swept away, while one of the warriors carried meoff."

  "We will try and find your parents if they are still alive, and untilthey are found I will be a father to you," said Hendricks. "Will youtrust me?"

  "Indeed I will, for I like your face," answered the boy frankly.

  "I suspect the little fellow is the child of some Dutch boers,slaughtered by the Zulus, while travelling in search of a location,"observed Hendricks to his guest. "So many of the unfortunate settlershave thus lost their lives, that it is very improbable I shall everdiscover to whom he belongs. If not, I will adopt him as my son, as heseems to have been committed to my charge by Providence."

  Meantime Mr Maloney's waggon had arrived, and had been drawn up closeto that of his friend, in such a position that in case of necessity itmight serve to afford additional strength to the camp. Their respectiveKaffir and Hottentot servants had assembled round a large fire a littledistance off, the necessary guards only remaining to watch the cattle.

  As the night was drawing on, and young Denis looked very sleepy, hisfather ordered him off to his berth in the waggon, which, though prettywell loaded with goods for traffic, had space enough for a couple ofsleeping-places.

  The lad got up, and wishing his father and Hendricks "good-night,"sauntered away to the waggon, while the hunters remained seated near thefire, discussing their plans for the future. The Irishman intended topush forward through Zululand to a region some distance to thenorthward, where elephants, rhinoceroses, and hippopotami abounded, sothat he might obtain a supply of ivory as well as of skins and any othervaluable products of the country which he might discover.

  Hendricks proposed, after remaining at Maritzburg two or three months,again to set out northward with the same object in view. He howeverrelied less on trading than his own skill as a hunter to load up hiswaggon.

  "If you find my boy well enough, and think fit to bring him along withyou, do so; though don't tell him of your intention until the time forstarting has arrived, or he will not settle down to his work in thetown," said Maloney.

  His friend promised to carry out his wishes, and at last, their variousplans being arranged, they gave the word to their followers to go tosleep, while they themselves retired to their respective waggons.

  A resting-place had been constructed for the young chief and his wifeunder the waggon, and little Lionel, who did not occupy much space,crept into his corner on the top of the cargo beneath the tilt.

  Before lying down Hendricks took a turn round the camp to ascertain thatthe guards were properly posted and on the watch. This precaution hisfriend did not appear to have considered necessary, a single Hottentotalone being left to watch the cattle. The night was calm and clear,enabling him to see a considerable distance both up and down the valley.

  No sounds broke the silence, and if there were lions or other wildanimals in the neighbourhood, they did not make themselves audible.Satisfied that all was right, he at length got into his usual berth, andwas soon fast asleep.