CHAPTER X
THE OATH OF SIHAMBA
Suzanne came home and told me her story, and when I heard it I was likea mad woman; indeed, it would have gone ill with Swart Piet's eyes andhair if I could have fallen in with him that night.
"Wait till your father returns, girl," I said.
"Yes, mother," she answered, "I wait for him--and Ralph."
"What is to be done with the little doctoress, Sihamba?" I asked,adding, "I do not like such people about the place."
"Let her bide also till the men come back, mother," she answered, "andthen they will see to it. Meanwhile there is an empty hut down by thecattle kraal where she can live."
So Sihamba stopped on and became a body servant to Suzanne, the best Iever saw, though she would do no other work save that of attending tosick animals.
Ten days afterwards Jan and Ralph returned safe and sound, leaving someKaffirs in charge of the cattle in the bush-veldt. Very glad we were tosee them, since, putting everything else aside, it was lonely work fortwo women upon the place with no neighbour at hand, and in those days tobe lonely meant to be in danger.
When we were together Jan's first question to me was:
"Have those Englishmen been here?"
"They have been here," I answered, "and they have gone away."
Jan asked me nothing more of the matter, for he did not wish to knowwhat had passed between us. Only he looked at me queerly, and, as Ithink, thought the worse of me afterwards, for he found out thatSuzanne and I had quarrelled about the song I sang in the ears of theEnglishmen, and what that song was he could guess very well. Yes, yes,although he had been a party to the fraud, in his heart Jan put all theblame of it upon me, for that is the way of men who are mean, and alwayslove to say "The woman tempted me," a vile habit which has come down tothem with their blood.
Meanwhile another talk was passing between Ralph and Suzanne. They hadrushed to meet each other like two separated colts bred in the samemeadow, but when they came together it was different. Ralph put out hisarms to embrace her, but she pushed him back and said, "No, not until wehave spoken together."
"This is a cold greeting," said Ralph, amazed and trembling, for hefeared lest Suzanne should have changed her mind as to their marriage."What is it that you have to tell me? Speak on, quickly."
"Two things, Ralph," she answered, and taking the least of them first,she plunged straightway into a full account of the coming of theEnglishmen, of all that had passed then, and of her quarrel with me uponthe matter.
"And now, Ralph," she ended, "you will understand that you have beencheated of your birthright, and this I think it just that you shouldknow, so that, if you will, you may change your mind about staying here,for there is yet time, and follow these Englishmen to wherever it isthey have gone, to claim from them your heritage."
Ralph laughed and answered, "Why, Sweet, I thought that we had settledall this long ago. That your mother did not tell the men quite the truthis possible, but if she played with it, it was for the sake of all of usand with my leave. Let them go and the fortune with them, for even if Icould come to England and find it there, I should be but as a wildbuck in a sheep kraal, out of place and unhappy. Moreover, we should beseparated, dear, for even if you would all consent, I could never takeyou from your own people and the land where you were born. So now thatthere is an end to this, once and for ever, let me kiss you in greeting,Suzanne."
But she shook her head and denied him, saying, "No, for I have anothertale to tell you, and an uglier--so ugly indeed that after the hearingof it I doubt much whether you will wish to kiss me any more."
"Be swift with it then," he answered, "for you torment me," and shebegan her story.
She told how that, after he had gone away, Swart Piet began to persecuteher; how he had wished to kiss her and she had refused them, so that heleft her with threats. Then she paused suddenly and said:
"And now, before I finish the story, you shall swear an oath to me. Youshall swear that you will not attempt to kill Swart Piet because of it."
At first he would swear nothing, for already he was wild with angeragainst the man, whereupon she answered that she would tell him nothing.
At last, when they had wrangled for a while, he asked her in a hoarsevoice, "Say now, Suzanne, have you come to any harm at the hands of thisfellow?"
"No," she answered, turning her head away. "God be thanked! I have cometo no harm of my body, but of my mind I have come to great harm."
Now he breathed more freely and said:
"Very well, then, on with your story, for I swear to you that I will nottry to kill Swart Piet because of this offence, whatever it may be."
So she went on, setting out everything exactly as it had happened,and before she had finished Ralph was as one who is brain sick, for heground his teeth and stamped upon the earth like an angry bull. At last,when Suzanne had told him all, she said:
"Now, Ralph, you will understand why I would not let you kiss me beforeyou had heard my story. It was because I feared that after hearing ityou would not wish to kiss me any more."
"You talk like a foolish girl," he answered, taking her into his armsand embracing her, "and though the insult can only be paid back inblood, I think no more of it than if some beast had splashed mud intoyour face, which you had washed away at the next stream."
"Ah!" she cried, "you swore that you would not try to kill him for thisoffence."
"Yes, Sweet, I swore, and I will keep my oath. This time I will not tryto kill Swart Piet."
Then they went into the house, and Ralph spoke to Jan about this matter,of which indeed I had already told him something. Jan also was veryangry, and said that if he could meet Piet van Vooren it would gohard with him. Afterwards he added, however, that this Piet was a verydangerous man, and one whom it might be well to leave alone, especiallyas Suzanne had taken no real hurt from him.
Nowadays, and here in Natal, such a villain could be made to answerto the law, either for attempting the life of the Kaffir, or for theassault upon the girl, or for both, but in those times it was different.Then the Transkei had but few white people in it, living far apart, norwas there any law to speak of; indeed each man did what was right inhis own eyes, according to the good or evil that was in his heart.Therefore, as Jan said, it was not well to make a deadly enemy of onewho was restrained by the fear of neither God nor man, and who had greatwealth and power, since it might come about that he would work murder inrevenge or raise the Kaffirs on us, as he who had authority among themcould do very easily. Indeed as will be seen he did both these things,or tried to do them.
When his anger had cooled a little Jan spoke to us in this sense and wewomen agreed with him; but Ralph, who was young, fearless, and full ofrage, set his mouth and said nothing.
As for Sihamba Jan wished to send her away, but Suzanne, who had grownfond of her, begged him that he would not do so, at least until hehad spoken with her. So he ordered one of the slaves to fetch her, andpresently the little woman came, and having saluted him, sat herselfdown on the floor of the sitting room after the Kaffir fashion. She wasa strange little creature to see in her fur kaross and bead broideredgirdle, but for a native she was very clean and pretty, with her wisewoman's face set upon a body that had it been less rounded might almosthave been that of a child. Also she had adorned herself with great care,not in the cast-off clothes of white people but after her own manner,for her wavy hair which stood out from her head was powdered over withthat sparkling blue dust which the Kaffir women use, and round her neckshe wore a single string of large blue beads.
At first Jan spoke to her crossly, saying:
"You have brought trouble and disgrace upon my house, Sihamba, and Iwish you to begone from it."
"It is true," she answered, "but not of my own will did I bring thetrouble, O Father of Swallow," for so she always called Jan. Indeed, forSihamba, Suzanne was the centre of all things, and thus in her mouth thethree of us has no other names than "Father" or "Mother" or "Lover
" ofSwallow.
"That may be so," answered Jan, "but, doubtless, Black Piet, who hatesyou, will follow you here, and then we shall be called upon to defendyou, and there will be more trouble."
"It is not I whom Black Piet will follow," she replied, "for he hasstolen all I have, and as my life is safe there is nothing more to getfrom me," and she looked at Suzanne.
"What do you mean, Sihamba? Speak plain words," said Jan.
"I mean," she answered, "that it is not I who am now in danger, but mymistress, the Swallow, for he who has kissed her once will wish to kissher again."
Now at this Ralph cursed the name of Swart Piet aloud, and Jan answered,
"It is a bullet from my _roer_ that he shall kiss if he tries it, that Iswear."
"I hope it may be so," said Sihamba; "yet, Father of Swallow, I pray yousend me not away from her who bought me at a great price, and to whom mylife belongs. Look; I cost you but little to keep, and that little Ican earn by doctoring your horses and cattle, in which art I have someskill, as you know well. Moreover I have many eyes and ears that can seeand hear things to which yours are deaf and blind, and I tell you that Ithink a time will come when I shall be able to do service to all of youwho are of the nest of the Swallow. Now, if she bids me to go I willgo--for am I not her servant to obey?--yet I beseech you do not socommand her."
Sihamba had risen as she spoke, and now she stood before Jan, her headthrown back, looking up into his eyes with such strange power that,though he was great and strong and had no will to it, yet he foundhimself forced to look down into hers. More, as he told me afterwards,he saw many things in the eyes of Sihamba, or it may be that he thoughtthat he saw them, for Jan was always somewhat superstitious. At leastthis is true that more than once during the terrible after years, whensome great event had happened to us he would cry out, "I have seen thisplace, or thing, before, I know not where." Then if I bade him think hewould answer, "Now I remember; it was in the eyes of Sihamba that I sawit, yonder in the Transkei before Ralph and Suzanne were married."
Presently she freed his eyes and turned her head, whereon Jan grew paleand swayed as though he were about to fall. Recovering himself, however,he said shortly,
"Stay if you will, Sihamba; you are welcome for so long as it shallplease you."
She lifted her little hand and saluted him, and I noticed that it wasafter another fashion to that of the Kaffirs who lived thereabouts,after the Zulu fashion indeed.
"I hear your words, chief," she said, "and I stay. Though I be but alizard in the thatch, yet the nest of the Swallow shall be my nest, andin the fangs of the lizard, Sihamba, there is poison and woe to the hawkof the air or the snake of the grass that would rob this nest whereinyou dwell. Listen now to my oath--you whom she loves. Cold shall thisheart be and stiff this hand, empty shall this head be of thoughts andthese eyes of sight, before shame or death shall touch the swift wingsof yonder Swallow who stained her breast for me. Remember this always,you whom she loves, that while I live, I, Sihamba Ngenyanga, Sihamba thewalker by moonlight, she shall live, and if she dies I will die also."
Then once more she saluted and went, leaving us wondering, for we sawthat this woman was not altogether as other Kaffirs are, and it cameinto our minds that in the time of need she would be as is a sharp spearin the hand of one who is beset with foes.
That night as we lay abed I talked with Jan, saying:
"Husband, I think there are clouds upon our sky, which for many yearshas been so blue. Trouble gathers round us because of the beauty ofSuzanne, and I fear Swart Piet, for he is not a man to be stopped by atrifle. Now, Ralph loves Suzanne and Suzanne loves Ralph, and, thoughthey are young, they are man and woman full grown, able to keep a houseand bear its burdens. Why then should they not marry with as littledelay as may be, for when once they are wed Van Vooren will cease fromtroubling them, knowing his suit to be hopeless?"
"As you will, wife, as you will," Jan answered, somewhat sharply, "but Idoubt if we shall get rid of our danger thus, for with you I think thatthe tide of our lives has turned, and that it sets towards sorrow. Ay,"he went on, sitting up in the bed, "and I will tell you when it turned;it turned upon the day that you lied to the Englishmen."