CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
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 toldhe came to visit me. The gentleman, who was old, but tall and erect,looked at me very critically, and then said, "Is your name JuliusPeterson?"
"Yes," I replied, "that is my proper name, but I have been renamed bythe Caffres."
"You of course remember your father," said the gentleman; "can youdescribe him to me?"
I gave a very accurate description of my father, and then of ourcompound and bungalow at Delhi. In reply to the gentleman's inquiry, Igave 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 arethe 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 anyone else but myself; when, however, I saw how serious the gentleman wasin making this inquiry, I began to reflect that there was really no onewho could know me, and that my own statement was the only evidence of myidentity. After several other questions the gentleman informed me thathis name was Rossmar; that he lived at Wynberg, near Cape Town; that hewas well acquainted with my uncle, who had written to him some timeafter I had left India, to meet me at the Cape if the ship touched thereon her voyage home. He then told me of the anxiety my friends hadsuffered when nothing was heard of our ship, and at last they hadconcluded that we had all gone down with the ship. Mr Rossmarapologised for having asked me so many questions, but he said that caseshad happened where a shipwrecked boy, or man, had after some yearsrepresented himself as some other person, who really had been drowned,so that he had merely used common caution. He then congratulated me onmy escape, and said that he hoped I would come to his house and make itmy home until I received instructions from my father or uncle, both ofwhom he said, by last accounts, were well.
I explained to Mr Rossmar that I had neither clothes nor money, and wasscarcely in a condition to accept an invitation to a house. He saidthat all could be arranged very easily; that clothes for temporarypurposes could be procured, ready made; and that he would see toeverything in that way, I thanked Mr Rossmar for his kindness, andhaving bid good-bye to the captain and officers of the ship, I steppedinto the boat and soon landed at Simon's Town.
Having been provided with a stock of clothes at a warehouse, Mr Rossmardrove me in his carriage to the admiral's, where I stopped for a shorttime, and then started for Wynberg.
There are few more beautiful places in the world than Wynberg. Situatedin the lower slopes on the east of Table Mountain it is protected fromthe south-east and north-west gales. The vegetation is luxuriant,tropical trees and fruits growing in abundance, as also those common inEngland. The houses are excellent and roomy, and the gardens gay withflowers. The merchants at Cape Town, when well to do, usually have ahouse at or near Wynberg, and Mr Rossmar, as I afterwards learnt, wasone 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 wasawkward when the young ladies talked to me. Mr Rossmar told them thatall which had been printed in the paper about the shipwreck and myadventures was true, and that I was quite a hero of adventure.
It was not long before I overcame my diffidence, and was soon talking toMrs Rossmar and her daughters as if I had known them all my life. Theywere much interested in the account I gave them of my life among theCaffres, and when I told them the details of my fight with the Bushmenand Zulus, they became most excited. To me the change from the wildrough life I had led was like coming to fairyland. The house wasbeautifully furnished; there were several horses in the stable, andhaving learned to ride in India, I soon was able to manage the mostspirited horse, and used to ride every evening with the ladies. Theywere all excellent musicians, and this to me was a new experience, forin India we had very little music in olden times, and as a boy I heardnothing of even that little.
The story of my escape from shipwreck and my life among the tribes upthe country was known and talked about all over the Cape. Many peoplethere, although long resident at the Cape, knew little or nothing of theCaffres, their habits, or their country. Cape Town and itsneighbourhood was civilised, whilst where I had been was wild as thewildest country. I was asked out to many houses in the neighbourhood,and had over and over again to relate some of my adventures. As isusually the case with ignorant and jealous people, there were some whothought I was inventing stories to astonish them: they did not believethat I had gone through so many strange and exciting scenes, and did notunderstand how such a boy, as I comparatively was, could have been madea chief by these people.
I passed nearly four months at Mr Rossmar's house, the happiest that Ican remember in all my life. Although there was no pretence even ofstudy or of learning anything, yet I gained knowledge from hearing thequestions of the day discussed; and from the habits of observation I hadacquired in consequence of my life in the bush, I found that I noticedand remembered things which had entirely escaped the observation of allthe others. This habit of noticing once saved the life of one of theMiss Rossmars. I was walking in their garden one morning, near a smallflower-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 Inoticed a broadish smooth mark leading into the flower-bed. Instantly Iknew this to be the spoor of a snake. I stopped Miss Rossmar frompicking the flower she was just stooping to gather, and made her standback. I with my stick moved the flowers so as to examine what wasunderneath. Just under the flower that the young lady intendedgathering, a large puff-adder was coiled, and the reptile was evidentlyon the watch, as it struck my stick the instant I moved the flower. Hadthis reptile bitten a human being, death would have been a certainty. Ikilled the adder, and it was afterwards stuffed by a naturalist at CapeTown, and a small wax-work flower-bed was made to represent the scene asit occurred. If Miss Rossmar had been bitten by the adder, it wouldhave been considered an accident, and probably an unavoidable one; butthis case was an instance of how observation may avoid an accident. ACaffre does not believe in what we call an accident: he says it is dueto want of care, or to want of observation. In the majority of casesthis is true. Men in London get knocked down by cabs and waggonsbecause they do not look carefully to the right and left before theyattempt crossing a street. Every year numbers of people are drowned inconsequence of bathing in dangerous places, or entering the water alonewhen they do not know how to swim. When we read of the accidents thatannually occur in England we can see that a very large number are due towant of caution or insufficient observation. Living as I had done in acountry where one's life may depend on the caution with which even yourfoot is placed on the ground (for a snake may be there, and treading onthis would be death) makes one old in caution and thoughtfulness thoughyoung in years.
The four months that I lived with Mr Rossmar taught me much. I wasquite at home in society, both with the ladies and gentlemen. I hadlearned to speak Dutch fairly--for nearly all the servants were Dutch--but was ignorant of accounts, and of Latin and Greek, and consequentlywould have been considered a dunce in most English schools. Yet I knewmore than most youngsters in matters of practical utility.
Cape Town in those days was the high road to India. Nearly all thelarge East Indian merchant ships used to stop at Cape Town, and theEnglish letters used to be brought by these. It was a few days beyondfour months after my arrival at the Cape, that a ship arrived andbrought letters from my uncle in England, both to me, and to MrRossmar. The letter to me was very kind. My uncle said that I had beengiven up for lost, as nothing had been heard of our ship for so manyyears; but that if I decided, and my father w
ished, that I should go toEngland to him, he would be very glad to see me, and he thought it wouldbe the best thing I could do. He said I should be quite a hero inEngland, as the English papers had copied from the Cape papers theaccount of my escape from shipwreck, and life in the wilderness; butthat he thought I should have to work hard for a year or two at variousstudies, in order to be equal with other young men in my position inlife. I found that my uncle had written to Mr Rossmar, thanking himfor his kindness to me, and sending bills for five hundred pounds, formy use in providing an outfit, paying for my passage home, and any otherthings that I might require. It was thought advisable that I should notleave the Cape until letters reached me from my father in India; and Imust acknowledge that I did not like the idea of leaving my presentcomfortable quarters. I had become very fond of the Miss Rossmars, andfelt just as if I were one of the family. I had everything I couldrequire--a comfortable house, excellent companions, a horse to ride, andnothing to do except what I fancied. The novelty of the life charmedme, and this perhaps was one reason why I did not have any longing forthe sports and excitement that had formerly fallen to my share.
A few weeks passed, and then a ship was signalled as entering Table Bayfrom the East. This ship was an Indiaman, so I expected a letter frommy father. Scarcely, however, had the ship cast anchor than a boat lefther, and pulled rapidly to the shore. In this boat was my father, whoon hearing of my safety had obtained leave, and had at once started forthe Cape.
Our meeting was a joyful one; my father was astonished to see the changethat a few years had made in me. When I left India I was comparativelya child. The open-air life I had led, the continued exercise and thehealthy food had caused me to grow rapidly, and also to be stout andstrong. The various dangerous adventures through which I had passed hadmade me a man in manner, and I had gained that important qualityself-dependence, without which a man is sure to be a failure. My fatherlistened with the greatest interest to my accounts of the variousdangers through which I had passed. When I explained to him the lifeled by some of these Caffre Chiefs, he agreed with me that, except forthe uncertainty of being attacked by some other tribe, no life could bemore pleasant than that of a chief in that country. To possess a largeherd of cattle giving a plentiful supply of milk; several wives whocultivated the ground, and thus supplied corn, pumpkins and othervegetables required for food; game in abundance in the forests and onthe plains, and no king or prince in Europe could lead a more happy lifethan did a Caffre Chief. When I compared the life of even a richmerchant in Cape Town with that of a Caffre Chief, I could not but cometo the conclusion that the latter had the best of it. A merchant wouldgo to his office by ten o'clock in the morning, would be shut up theregoing over accounts till about four o'clock; he had not time for anysport or pleasure during the day, and on his return home, often seemedpre-occupied with the business, to which he had devoted his time in themorning. Then, again, losses of money would sometimes occur, and theunhappiness caused by such a loss, seemed far greater than when asuccessful speculation, caused temporary happiness. A Caffre's wantswere few, but all these he could supply, and his only anxiety was thatrelative 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 alsoaccompanied him to several other houses, to dinners, and entertainmentsof various kinds. Soon after his arrival he wrote to my uncle, sayingthat he still wished me to proceed to England to have my educationattended to, that he could stay at Cape Town about a month, and wouldlike me to remain with him during that period, after which I shouldembark for England.
The month passed very rapidly. My father was also a guest of MrRossmar's, for Cape people were famous for their kindness andhospitality, and seemed as though we conferred a favour on them bystaying at their house. At length the ship arrived in which my fatherwas to return to India, and I bid him a long farewell, for it would befive years before he could retire and come to England, where heeventually intended to settle.
I now daily expected the arrival of the Indiaman in which passage hadbeen taken for my voyage to England, and five days after my father hadsailed, the ship was signalled, and a few hours afterwards anchored inTable Bay. I had many friends to bid good-bye besides those with whom Ihad been staying. The parting was very sad, but I promised that ifpossible I would come again to the Cape, and stay a long time with myvarious friends.
A voyage in the sailing-vessels of those days had much more romance andinterest in it than is now possible in a modern steamer. Formerly aship was dependent on the amount and direction of the wind; there wasalways the excitement of watching the barometer, the clouds, etc, todiscover if possible any change of wind; a storm was a greater battlethan it now is; and the uncertainty of the duration of the voyage hadits charms. Some sailing ships were nearly eighty days in reachingEngland from the Cape, others accomplished the voyage in a little overfifty.
We had a fair wind on leaving Table Bay. I remained on deck watchingthe Table Mountain gradually sink, as it were, on the horizon, and whendarkness came on I went to my cabin below, and felt dull and miserable.There were about fifty passengers on board, mostly old Indians. Mystory was known to them all, and several were acquainted with my father;so I soon made acquaintances with my fellow-voyagers, and found the timepass pleasantly enough. We cast anchor for a day at Saint Helena, and Ihad an opportunity of visiting the most beautiful parts of that island.Our voyage continued favourable until we were within a few degrees ofthe equator, when the favourable wind died away, and we were leftbecalmed. This was not an unusual condition. The captain informed usthat he had remained on one occasion ten days in these latitudes withoutmoving a mile. The heat was very great, but as most of us had been longin India we stood this better than did those passengers who had merelyjoined us at Cape Town. I soon took great interest in catching shark.These sea monsters seemed attracted to the ship, and there was usually adorsal fin seen above the water within a hundred yards of our ship. Iconstructed an arrangement for shark-fishing which was very successful.At the end of a stout copper wire I lashed a strong hook, and then, witha long line fastened to the wire, I could play the shark just assalmon-fishers play a salmon. By this means I used to catch a sharknearly every day. One of these was a monster ten feet long. We used tohaul these fish on deck by slipping a bowling-knot in a rope down ourline and over the shark's fins; and we had great excitement when thecreatures were hauled on deck, as they were dangerous to approach untilthey were killed by blows on the head, and their tail partly amputatedwith a hatchet. There were on board three gentlemen, who were goodchess-players. I used to watch these play their games, and soon learnedthe moves and the manner in which the game was played, and before thevoyage was half over I could play chess very fairly. I also learnedfrom one of the mates how to measure altitudes of the sun, and how tofind the latitude each day. This gave me a taste for astronomy, and Ilearned also the names of the principal stars. The voyage was thus tome a period of interest, and did not hang heavily on my hands; whereasthose people who took no interest in anything during the voyage, werealways wearied and cross.
As we approached England we met or overtook several ships: our vesselwas a very fast sailer, and never failed to overtake any ship that wesaw ahead of us. It was on the fifty-fourth day from leaving the Capethat we saw some land, which the captain told us was Ushant. Two daysafterwards we were off Plymouth, and in another week were beating up theDowns. There were few steamers in those days, and nearly all the shipssailed up the Thames. When we reached Gravesend a gentleman came onboard, who told me he had been sent from London by my uncle, who wishedme to land at Gravesend, and travel by coach to London. I was reallysorry 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 bymy fellow-passengers.
However, I was delighted with what I saw from the outside of afour-horse coach, as we travelled up to London. But London bewilderedme: 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 Idoubted whether I should ever be able to walk alone in London withoutlosing myself. My uncle lived in an old-fashioned, but very comfortablehouse near Highgate, and we reached that locality about six o'clock inthe evening. The time of year was autumn when I arrived, and it was alovely evening, the sun about setting. My uncle's house stood in agarden, with fine trees round it, and at that time Highgate was quite inthe country. A very dignified oldish man met me at the door, who I wasinformed 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 seeme there. I was preceded by the butler, who opened the door with greatsolemnity, and announced "Mr Peterson." My uncle was standing with hisback to the fire, and at the first glance I came to the conclusion thatI had rarely seen a more striking-looking man. He was quite six feethigh, neither thin nor stout; his hair was quite white, and worn ratherlong. He must have been nearly seventy years of age, but was as erectand straight as a life-guardsman. His eyes were deep-set, and partlyconcealed by heavy black eyebrows, which produced a curious contrastwith his snow-white hair. His glance at me as I walked across the roomseemed 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 bythe 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 aremore flattering than that of being told you are no longer a boy. Whenwith the Caffres I never thought of such things. The fact of havingbeen made a chief had promoted me to the dignity of manhood, but when Icame 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 shoulddine in an hour, and that probably it would take me some time to dressand 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: thefurniture consisted principally of carved black oak; curiosities ofvarious kinds were hung up in the hall and on the walls of thestaircase. My bedroom had several handsome pictures in it, the beditself being a large four-poster.
Edwards helped me to unpack my portmanteaus, and hinted that the masteralways dressed for dinner. My outfit at Cape Town had been verycomplete, so I arrayed myself in a "claw-hammer" coat, as the sailorsterm it, and a white tie, and made my way to the drawing-room, where Ifound my uncle. In his evening dress he looked still more noticeablethan when I first saw him, and I felt proud of being the nephew of sodistinguished a looking man.
During dinner I was surprised at the knowledge my uncle possessed of theCaffres, and of South Africa. He had evidently studied that country,and was well acquainted with its geography, climate, and the characterof the natives. The questions he put to me taxed all my local knowledgeto answer, and I found it difficult to believe that he had not himselfbeen in the country. He was much interested in my account of thelanguage; he was himself a great linguist, and traced in the Caffrewords I used a connection with the Arabic. After dinner we sat talking,mainly about my adventures at the Cape, my uncle's questions leading meon to give him all the details of my life in that country. At teno'clock he told me that he always breakfasted at eight; that at seveno'clock the gong sounded three times, at half past seven four times, andat eight five times. He added that one of the things about which he wasparticular 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 ofme. I had left India with the intention of being sent to a school inEngland, for the purpose of being educated for one of the collegesdevoted to aspirants for India. After my long residence among theCaffres, where I had learned nothing of what in England is termededucation, but had added years to my age, I knew how very awkward Ishould feel in going to a school where probably I might be the biggestboy in the school, but where the smallest boy would know considerablymore than I knew. I, however, trusted my uncle would consider all thesequestions, and I had not long to wait before I found that my trust wasjustified.
On the third night after my arrival my uncle after dinner said:--
"I have been thinking, Julius, what is best to be done about youreducation. You are peculiarly situated: you are in age and appearancequite a young man, and I have discovered that you are very observant andhave sound common sense; but you know nothing of those things which areesteemed in the world, such as mathematics, accounts, Latin, French, andother matters. I don't think it would be pleasant for you to go to aschool and mix with other boys, who would be so much younger than youare, but who know so much more. I have decided therefore to secure aprivate tutor, who will come to this house each morning and work withyou till half-past-four. You will, if you are in earnest, progress muchmore rapidly by this means, and I wish to know when you would like tobegin to work."
"At once," I replied. "I had thought exactly the same about going toschool, and should certainly have been ashamed of myself for knowing solittle."
"It is no fault of yours," replied my uncle. "You know more of somethings than many men learn during the whole of their lives; for whilstothers have been acquiring a knowledge of Greek, Latin, and mathematics,you have learned how to think for yourself and to reason on what yousee. It is rare to find a youngster like you as much a philosopher asyou are, and all your life you will derive a great advantage fromknowing how to do things for yourself."
My life now became one of routine; the tutor who came was acomparatively young man, but was a very able teacher. We were more likecompanions than master and pupil, and when in our leisure hours I hadtold him of my past life, he took great interest in me.
My uncle had a dinner-party about once a week, to which he invited menwho were remarkable in some way--authors, artists, men of science, andtravellers. I took great interest in such society, and my knowledge ofSouth Africa and the private life of the Zulus caused me to be listenedto with attention whenever I was asked questions.
Two years passed in this way, and I made such rapid progress that I hadbecome a fair mathematician, understood book-keeping by double entry,had gone through the six books of Euclid, could read and write French,and might be said to be well educated. My tutor was surprised at therapidity with which I acquired knowledge. I, however, attributed it tothe cultivation of my powers of observation, which had been developedduring the wild life I had led in Africa.
My uncle at this period informed me that my tutor had told him, that Ihad made such rapid progress, that there was no necessity for mycontinuing my studies, and that he now considered it desirable that Ishould decide what course I should adopt in life.
I knew my uncle must have already made up his mind, and so considered itdesirable that I should tell him that I had not sufficient experience tomake any selection, but would rather follow his advice.
"Then," said my uncle, "what do you think of coming into my office, andlearning the business which I have followed with tolerable success? Thearmy is poor pay, and often great hardship. The Indian Civil Service isbetter, but I think you are too old for that, and I don't know any otherline that would suit you. You can live here with me as long as you findit comfortable, and perhaps in time you may take my place."
During the whole of my residence with my uncle I had never been to hisoffice, which I now learned was in Fenchurch Street; and in a few days Iwas taken by him and introduced to the head clerk, who, having receivedinstructions from my uncle, took me into an outer office and made meacquainted with four young men who were clerks. These four young menwere considerably older than I was, as far as years were concerned, buttheir manners and conversation soon cau
sed me to look upon them as mereboys; they seemed to have but little powers of reflection, to avoidthinking deeply on any matter, and to endeavour to do as little work aswas possible. They indulged greatly in chaff; but, I suppose, from thefact of my being the nephew of their chief, as they termed my uncle,they never chaffed me. I felt but slight inclination for their society,and before I had been a week in the office there was a sort ofantagonism between these clerks and myself.
My uncle did not seem displeased that I had not become very intimatewith these clerks. He asked me one day how I liked them. I repliedthat I found nothing really to dislike, but they seemed to meparticularly foolish, and to be too fond of trifles.
My uncle smiled, and said, "The fact is, Julius, you are very old,though young in years. The scenes through which you have passed haveaged you, and you look for realities in life. The clerks in my officeare thoughtless and superficial."
It would not interest the reader if I were to describe in detail thelife I led during the next three years. It was passed without anyimportant events. I learned the details of my father's life in Indiafrom letters received nearly every month from him. I had becomethoroughly acquainted with my uncle's business, and obtained a knowledgeof the largeness of his transactions. Considering what must have beenhis wealth, I should have been surprised at the quiet way in which helived, had I not discovered that he had a great dislike to display. Hehad often expressed the opinion that a man should be more than heseemed, instead of seeming more than he was. This he carried outpractically. He lived very comfortably, but even with me in the housecould not have spent much more than a thousand pounds a year, whereashis annual income must have been seven or eight times that amount.
I had become acquainted with several people in London, all friends of myuncle. To the houses of these I was frequently asked, and greatattention was shown me. It seemed to be understood that I should be myuncle's heir; and I knew enough of the ways of the world, to be awarethat this fact, had probably more to do with the attention paid me, thanany special qualities in myself. I was not, therefore, carried away bysuch attentions, nor did I become vain in consequence, both dangers towhich some young people are liable. I visited everything in Londonworth seeing, my uncle putting no restrictions on me. He was fond ofthe opera, and we often attended it together, as also some of theprincipal theatres. He allowed me an income for my work at the office,and told me that although he did not wish to restrict me as regardsanything essential, yet he thought I ought to live within this income.After two years' experience I found I could do so, and one day mentionedto my uncle that I had not only done so, but had saved fifty pounds.
But one event occurred during this period, which broke the monotony ofcivilised life.
It was on a Sunday afternoon, during the winter time, that my uncleaccompanied me, to call on a family who lived on the borders ofHampstead Heath. Some of the members of this family were muchinterested in my adventures in Africa, and I had promised to bring overa knob-kerrie made of the horn of a rhinoceros, to show one of thedaughters who was an invalid, and could not visit my uncle's house tosee the few African curiosities that I had there. We stayed at thishouse till it became dusk, and then set out on our walk home. At thatdate Hampstead Heath was a lonely place, and robberies were notunfrequent. It occurred to me, soon after we had commenced our walk,that if I were alone I might possibly have an adventure, which Ibelieved would have been amusing. Armed as I was with this formidableknob-kerrie, I could have felled an ox; then I had not neglected myrunning, and I felt certain that not one Englishman in a thousand couldcatch me, in case I chose to run. I did not expect that two men walkingacross the Heath were likely to be stopped by highwaymen. As theseideas crossed my mind, my uncle said, "This heath is rather a dangerouslocality to be in late at night: there have been several robberies herelately."
"I was just thinking of that," I replied, "but I suppose the robbersdon't use firearms."
"Not if they can help it," said my uncle, "as that would make too muchnoise."
As we wended our way across the heath, I watched carefully the ground inadvance. Although it was a darkish evening I could still see severalyards in front of me. Everything was quiet, and we seemed the onlypeople out at the hour. Suddenly, from some bushes near the path, threemen jumped up, and were at once within a yard of us.
"Now then," said one of these men, "just hand out what you've got,before we knock your brains out."
He had scarcely spoken, before I had lunged at the lower part of hischest with my knob-kerrie, the point of which was sharp as a knife.Shifting my hand to the sharp end, I brought the heavy knob down on thehead of the man next to me, who fell as though he had been shot. Thethird man had grappled with my uncle, and the two were strugglingtogether; for my uncle, although old, was still powerful. Watching mychance, I dropped my knob-kerrie on the shoulder of the highwayman. Hisarm fell helplessly to his side; at the same time my uncle struck himwith his fist and he fell to the ground.
We did not wait to see more, because these men were usually providedwith pistols, and after the treatment they had received, we believedthey would not be very particular about their use. We therefore movedoff as rapidly as we could, and reached home in safety; my uncle littlethe worse for his struggle, except that his coat was torn. At that datethe regular police did not exist, and our report of the affair producedno results. We, the next day, visited the scene of our encounter, andfound unmistakable "spoor" of the highwaymen having suffered, as therewas a great deal of blood on the ground where the man whom I had struckhad fallen.
I was much complimented by all my friends, to whom my uncle related theadventure; but I explained to them that such scenes were not new to me,that the life I had formerly led had trained me specially so as not tobe surprised or taken at an advantage, and it would be strange indeedif, now that I had come to civilisation, I should forget all my earlyeducation.
Whether it was this adventure, or merely the memory of the past thatcaused me to become unsettled, yet it was a fact that I had a growingdesire to once more visit the country where I had passed such eventfulyears. In the solitude of my bedroom I used to carry on imaginaryconversations in Caffre with my old companions, and retraced my careerthrough the various adventures that had occurred. Weeks passed withoutmy mentioning this feeling to my uncle; but one evening he was speakingabout Mr Rossmar, when I said that I believed a very profitable tripmight be made to Natal, where ivory, ostrich-feathers, and leopard-skinscould be procured for a few beads or some cheap guns.
My uncle remarked that Mr Rossmar had, curiously enough, suggested thesame thing, the difficulty being to find a trustworthy person who knewthe country, and who would undertake the business.
I at once said, "I could do it myself. I know the country, can speakthe language, and should be able to do away with `middle men,'" middlemen being the intermediate traders who make their profit by buying cheapand selling dear.
"Would you like such a trip?" said my uncle.
"Most certainly I should," I replied. "Lately I have thought how much Ishould like to visit the country again and see some of my old friendsthere. I am certain that there is a great quantity of ivory in manyparts, and ostrich-feathers could be procured, as ostriches areplentiful."
"We will think about it," said my uncle, "and perhaps it may bemanaged."
After this conversation I became unsettled. I was always thinking ofthe wild life I had led, of its freedom from all forms andconventionalities, and the beauty of the country.
My uncle said nothing more for some weeks, but again referred onemorning to our previous conversation, and asked if I were still willingto pursue my adventures in South Africa. He said that I could sail tothe Cape in one of the ordinary Indiamen, and charter at the Cape asmall vessel which could cross the bar at Natal. When this ship wasloaded I could return with her to Cape Town, transfer my goods to anIndiaman, and return home. The whole business, he thought, might occupya year; and, if carefully carr
ied out, ought to be profitable.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
It was a bright fresh morning in April, that--I embarked at Gravesend inthe full-rigged ship _Condor_, bound to the Cape and Calcutta. The mostunpleasant and dangerous portion of the voyage in those days was fromGravesend through the Downs, and along the Channel. Sailing ships onlythen made these long voyages, and they were sometimes detained duringmany weeks in the Downs waiting for a fair wind. Then, when sailing inthe Channel, they often had to beat against a contrary wind the wholeway. In my case we were fortunate in having a fair wind nearly thewhole way from the Downs, until we had entered the Bay of Biscay. Fineweather continued until we were within a few degrees of the Equator,when the usual calms stopped us, and we lay broiling on the calm seaduring ten days.
I caught two rather large sharks, and had a narrow escape from one as Iwas bathing from a boat near the ship. We reached Table Bay insixty-two days after leaving Gravesend, which period was considered byno means bad time for a sailing vessel. Having cleared my baggage fromthe ship and Custom House, I put up at an hotel at the corner of theparade in Cape Town, and sent word to my friend, Mr Rossmar, to say Ihad arrived.
Early on the following morning. Mr Rossmar came to see me, and was atonce full of complaints on account of my not having immediately gone tohis house, and made it my home. The few years that I had been inEngland had taught me much as regards the rules of so-called society.In England there was formality and etiquette which did not exist in theColonies, particularly at the Cape. Friendship in England and at theCape conveyed entirely different meanings. At the latter, a friend'shouse was almost like your own: you did not think it necessary to waitfor a special invitation to go to dinner and take a bed, but if you rodeover in the afternoon it was considered unfriendly if you did not stoptill the next morning. I had forgotten these conditions, and so hadfirst stopped at an hotel. By noon, however, I had reached MrRossmar's house, and was received as though I had been a long-lostbrother.
I was surprised, when I saw the Miss Rossmars, to find that they weremore pretty than any girls I had seen in London. They had, too, thegreat charm of being natural and unaffected, and to be less occupied inseeking admiration than English young ladies. In spite of what I hadgone through in the Zulu country, I was in reality merely a boy when Iformerly stayed at Wynberg. Now I was a man; and the experience I hadgained in society in London had made me capable of judging of therelative merits of that great paradox,--a young lady.
A certain portion of the day was occupied in making arrangements for myvoyage to Natal. I found that a small vessel would sail from Table Bayin a month's time, and I had made arrangements with the owners to usethis vessel almost as if she were my own. I had brought from Englandquantities of beads of various colours, looking glasses, blankets, andsome hundreds of assagy blades that I had caused to be made atBirmingham. All these things were, I knew, highly esteemed by theCaffres, and would purchase nearly everything they possessed. I was notso busy with my preparations but that I had plenty of time to pass withthe Miss Rossmars. We rode nearly every day, had climbing expeditionsup the Table Mountain, musical afternoons at home when the weather wasnot suitable for going out, and in fact enjoyed ourselves as people inthe Colonies alone seem to do.
The natural results followed. I became much attached to Nina Rossmar,but as this is not a love story, but merely an account of my adventuresin the wild country of south-eastern Africa, I will not weary my readerswith the old, old tale, but will merely state that I wrote to my fatherand uncle, asking their consent to my marriage with Nina. These lettersI wrote before I started for Natal, as I hoped the answers would beawaiting me on my return.
The month passed very rapidly, and I embarked at Table Bay in the littlebrigantine which was to convey me to Natal. I have sailed since thattime on many seas, but the roughest I ever experienced is off the Cape.Well was this Cape termed the Cape of Storms, for there seemed a stormalways on hand, and no sooner had the wind been blowing hard in onedirection and then stopped, than a gale sprung up from the oppositepoint of the compass. Many times, as the huge waves came rollingtowards us and seemed to be about to break over us, I thought nothingcould save us from being sent to the bottom, or turned over; but thelittle vessel, which drew only eight feet of water, was like a duck onthe ocean, and though she bounded like a thing of life as the monstrouswaves approached and moved under her, she was very dry, scarcely anyseas washing over her. We were, however, thirty days on our voyage fromTable Bay to the Bluff at Natal, and we had to anchor on our firstarrival, as the wind was off shore. I scanned the well-known coast aswe lay at our anchorage, and recalled the strange scenes through which Ihad passed. There were the high-wooded bluff on the west entrance tothe harbour, the low sandy hillocks to the east, where I had run thegauntlet of the Zulus, the dense wood of the Berea bush, and the islandsin the bay where I had outwitted the Zulus, when I was in the boat. Nowthat I was again in the vicinity of these scenes of my early days, Ifelt in doubt as to whether I was not more a Caffre than an Englishman.I found myself actually thinking in Caffre, and speaking sentences inthat language to myself.
I noted that there were several houses near the entrance of the harbourand up the bay which did not exist when I left Natal. These, Iafterwards found, were the houses of some Dutchmen who had settledthere.
The wind having changed the day after our arrival, we entered the bay,having crossed the bar in safety.
It seemed strange, after my experiences of civilised life, to come to aplace where there was not an hotel, or any house where one could put up.I had, however, made my plans from my knowledge of the country, and hadprovided myself with waterproof sheeting that I could turn into a smalltent, and so was independent of a house. The Dutch Boer, when hetravels, makes his waggon his house, and is thus as independent as anEnglish gipsy. I took the first opportunity of landing, and making theacquaintance of the few Dutchmen who resided at Natal. My knowledge ofthe Dutch language, which I had acquired at Cape Town, was now of greatuse. I thought it prudent not to let the Dutchmen know of myexperiences in the country, but to be quite independent of them in myfuture proceedings. I made arrangements for the hire of a pony duringmy stay in the country, and also two oxen, which had been trained tocarry packages and were termed pack-oxen by the Boers. I believed thatI had so altered that none of my old Caffre comrades would recognise me,and I intended to travel among them--at least at first--without lettingthem know who I was.
One of the Boers asked me to stay at his house, but I preferredremaining on the ship until I made my start up the country.
The first visit I paid was to the kraal of Umnini, near the Umlassriver. I took one of the Caffre servants of the Boer with me; thisCaffre could speak Dutch, and I wanted to conceal my knowledge of Caffrefor some time, so I spoke to him in Dutch, and asked him to speak inCaffre to the Caffres.
On arriving at the kraal of Umnini, I was interested as to whether Ishould be recognised by these men. During the interval that had elapsedsince I was last at the kraal of Umnini, I had increased in height, andhad developed whiskers; the change in my appearance, therefore, wasconsiderable, and I considered it unlikely that I should be remembered.The Caffre with me told the people of the kraal that I was one of theBoers, he knowing no better, and that I had come to trade, and wishedfor leopards' skins and elephants' tusks.
Several of the men who were present I remembered: these men had beenwith me often, but although they looked at me very hard they none ofthem seemed to remember me. Having ascertained from my Caffre that Icould not speak their language, they made their remarks on me veryfreely. These remarks were complimentary. They said I did not looklike a Boer, but must be a young chief. "He has the head of a chief,"said one man, and the others agreed with him. They also decided that Imust be strong and a good runner. These and other similar remarks Ilistened to with much amusement, but without giving the slightest signthat I understood what they were saying. After a time Umnini came tome, a
nd, after looking at me for some time, said, "It is the young WhiteChief of the Umzimvubu." The men who had been speaking about me smiledat this remark, and said to Umnini, "No, chief, it is not him, it is ayoung Boer." Umnini looked at me very attentively, but I gave no signeither of recognising him, or understanding what he said.
Speaking in Dutch to my Caffre, I told him to ask the chief if he hadany ostrich-feathers, or elephants' tusks, as I wished to buy them.
He replied that he had a few tusks, and wanted to know what I would givefor them.
Having brought with me some beads as specimens and a few blades ofassagies, I showed him these, but he said that what he wanted was guns.The talking continued for some time, and I at length asked that I mightsee the tusks. Umnini said I could go with him into his kraal where thetusks were kept. We alone entered his hut, and he then pointed to sixfine tusks, but believing that I could not understand what he said, hemade signs that they belonged to three elephants.
Having carried my joke far enough, I looked at Umnini and said inCaffre:--
"Chief, you alone were correct and you alone knew me. I _am_ the WhiteChief of the Umzimvubus, and I have come back to see you again, and tobring you some things you will like. I am going also to see my owntribe to the west."
Umnini scarcely seemed surprised, as I told him who I was, but said hehad been certain about it when he saw me.
Our conversation, which had not been heard outside of the hut, had beencarried on in a low tone; so no one besides Umnini knew who I was. Itold him I did not wish to be known at present, and asked him to keep mysecret. He agreed to this, and when we crept out of the hut he did hisacting splendidly, and spoke to my Caffre, asking him to enquire of mewhat I thought of the tusks.
I replied in Dutch, saying I would buy them. Then bidding good-bye tothe people, I returned to the ship.
Two days afterwards I started with two Caffres and a Hottentot for myold residence near the Umzimvubu. The pony I rode was a good shootingpony, and on the first day I shot two coran and a red bush-buck, whichsupplied the party with plenty of food. On the second day I reached myold kraal, and was again anxious to see if I should be recognised. Iwas not long in doubt. Inyoni, my old boy-companion, had now grown intoa fine young man, and was standing near the entrance to the kraal,watching me and my companions as we advanced. When close to him helooked at me for an instant, and then shouted, "Inkosi" (chief), andseized my hand. His shout had brought out all the people who were inthe kraal, each of whom recognised me. Those whom I had left as boys,and little girls, were now young men and women, and all were delightedto see me. The Hottentot and Caffres, who had accompanied me fromNatal, looked on with astonishment, and when they heard me speakingCaffre as well as they themselves spoke, they seemed to think it waswitchcraft.
I had a busy time of it answering all the questions that were put to meby my old friends, who were anxious to know what I had been doing, whereI had been, and whether I intended to again live with them. When I toldthem how I had passed day after day in a room, in the midst of a largecity (London), and had rarely seen the sun, and had shot no buck, hadnot even seen a wild elephant, and had enjoyed no sport, they wereastonished how it was I had gone through all this, when I could havecome back at any time, and enjoyed the free, happy, exciting life of achief with them.
The arguments used by my old friends have often been considered sincethat time by me, and the problem is a curious one, whether civilisation,with all its advantages, has not so many drawbacks as to render thewild, free, healthy life of so-called savages preferable.
At the date about which I write, there was no sport in the world finerthan could be obtained in that part of Africa. Such sport asfox-hunting in England, deer-stalking in Scotland, pheasant, partridge,or grouse shooting, was as inferior to the sport in Africa as catchingminnows is to salmon-fishing in a fine Canadian river. When a man hasonce followed the track of the giant elephant, through the mazes of anAfrican bush, has come close to his formidable game, has fired at him,and heard the terrific sound of his angry trumpet, as he charges throughthe bush, he feels that he has enjoyed a class of sport superior to allother. Even stealthily approaching and slaying the formidable buffalo,in his forest stronghold, is a sport to be remembered all one's life.To attempt to compare such sport as standing at the corner of a cover,and knocking over pheasants as they fly over you, with the sportformerly obtainable in the forests or on the plains of Africa isridiculous.
"Why do you not come back to us, and enjoy life?" said Tembile;--"you,who could follow the tracks of a buck without a mistake, who couldassagy a running buck, and hit with your knob-kerrie a bird on the wing.Here you could have plenty of cows, plenty of corn, several wives, and,as you are a chief, you could do all you wanted. What can there be inyour country to compare with what we have here?"
As I listened to Tembile, and reflected on what he said, and thenthought of the life I had led in my uncle's office, I really began tothink that civilisation was a mistake. What prince or duke in Englandcould go out from his house, and within a few miles get a shot at a wildelephant or buffalo, or walk through as magnificent a forest as thatnear our kraal, and shoot antelope, or rare and beautiful birds? Thefreedom, too, of the life here was one of its greatest charms. Althoughthe advantages of civilisation are great, yet the price we pay for theseis enormous. Should I return to England and become a sort of slave tosociety, or should I remain in Africa? was really a question which Ithought over frequently. The attraction at Wynberg, however, turned thescale.
Soon after my arrival at my old kraal, I had made inquiries about thewhite women who had been my fellow-passengers from India, but I foundthere was a disinclination on the part of the Caffres to give me anyinformation about them. I afterwards spoke to Tembile about them,because I knew I could trust him to tell me the truth. He said that theCaffres were afraid, now that I had been so long among white men, that Imight endeavour to take away the white women; so they had beenconcealed, and I was not to know where they lived.
I assured Tembile that I had no intentions of that sort, and I believedit would be better for the white women, to now remain with theirhusbands and children, than for them to return with me.
Having made various inquiries, I heard that there were more than a dozenelephants' tusks in the kraal near, some of them very heavy, but theCaffres had no wish to dispose of their ostrich-feathers. Thesefeathers they used as head-dresses when great dances took place, andwere very proud of them. I told the Caffres that I wanted as many tusksas I could procure, and, as I had now some very strong guns, I shouldlike to find elephants and shoot them.
I had been five days at the kraal of my old friends, when news wasbrought that the elephants, according to their annual custom were comingwestward, and were only a day's journey from our kraal.
I therefore assembled all the men whom I had formerly taught to use agun, and told them that I wished their help in shooting some of thelargest elephants. I explained to them that an elephant might be hit bymany bullets and yet would not be killed, unless he were struck by thebullet behind the shoulder, or in the chest. I then said that I couldgive them powder and could make bullets for them, so that they need notexpend the store of those which they had carefully preserved in casethey were attacked again by the Zulus. The Caffres expressed theirwillingness to join me in my shooting expedition, but reminded me thatthere was as much danger in attacking elephants as there was in a fightwith the Zulus. I admitted that there was danger, but that, if we werecareful, we need none of us get hurt.
I had brought with me from England two large-bored double-barrelledguns, which I knew would be well-suited for shooting elephants or otherlarge game, and I had practised with these guns at Cape Town, and couldmake nearly certain of hitting a mark the size of a man's head at eightyyards nearly every time I fired. I felt, therefore, great confidence inmy weapons, and I intended to take Tembile with me when I hunted, and tomake him carry my second gun, by which means I could obtain four
shotsat any one elephant.
News was brought us two or three times a day by Caffres, as to where theelephants were feeding and what they were doing; so, all our plans beingarranged, I started with Tembile and four other Caffres for that part ofthe bush where it was thought we should find the elephants.
The bush in this part of Africa consisted of large trees, about ten ortwenty paces apart. Between these there was dense matted underwood, sothick and tangled that a man could not force his way through it. Fromthe trees creepers of large size hung in festoons, like large ropes.Some of these had projecting from them thorns an inch or more in length,and sharp as a needle. The dense underwood rose to a height of threemen, so that it was in many places impossible to see round you a greaterdistance than you could reach with an assagy. The only means of movingthrough the bush in these dense parts was by following the paths made bythe elephants. When a herd of these animals had been for any length oftime in the bush, they made so many paths that it was easy to move aboutin the bush; but the growth of the vegetation was so rapid, that a fewweeks after the elephants had left the bush it had again overgrown theold paths, and was once more impenetrable.
Elephants usually left the thick bush during the night or very early inthe morning; they would then roam about in the open country, and drinkat some stream or pond. When possible, they would roll in the wet mud,like pigs; then, as day broke, they would re-enter the bush, seek thedensest parts, and there remain quiet during the heat of the day.
I had decided that the best chance of success with the elephants wouldbe to follow them into the bush, come upon them during the middle of theday, and get our shots at them as they stood half sleeping in the bush.The Caffres, I knew, could walk so quietly in the bush, that, if we werecareful about the direction of the wind, we might approach the herdwithout their being aware that an enemy was near them.
A day's journey brought our party to the country where the elephants hadnow taken up their residence. The Caffres near were most anxious abouttheir crops, for they expected the elephants would come some night andeat up, or trample down their corn. We found that the elephants had notdrank during the previous day; so we felt sure they would drink duringthe coming night. Some large ponds near the edge of the bush was theplace where it was expected they would satisfy their thirst, so we sentsome Caffre boys to keep watch near these ponds, and to let us know thenews as soon as possible.
The sun had not risen on the following morning when our spies came intothe kraal, and told us that the elephants were now drinking and rollingat these ponds; that there were nearly a hundred of them; and, amongthese, three enormous bull-elephants, with tusks nearly as long as anassagy.
This news was very gratifying. So, after we had eaten our breakfastsand taken some corn with us, we started for the bush. We examined thefootprints and marks made by the animals, and could easily distinguishthose made by the three large bulls. To follow these tracks into theforest was easy. The bush-path was clear and well trodden; so we movedon silently, but not too quickly.
When we were some distance in the bush, we heard the trumpet of anelephant; and I came to the conclusion that we were now within half amile of our formidable game. Having sat down and talked in whispers forsome time, we then slowly advanced, peeping through the bush wheneverany opening gave us a chance of doing so.
I was leading, and was followed by Tembile, who carried my second gun;then the other men came after, each stepping on the same spot, so thatwe incurred but slight risk of treading on any dried stick, for to cracka stick in the bush would have given the elephants warning of ourapproach. Suddenly Tembile touched my shoulder, and, on my lookinground, he pointed to my right, and then stood motionless. On looking inthe direction at which Tembile was pointing, I saw an enormous elephantstanding motionless and broadside to me, and not ten paces distant.Signalling to two of the Caffres to approach, I pointed to theelephant's shoulder, and, raising my gun, fired my two barrels in quicksuccession. Each of the Caffres fired a shot, then we turned and rusheddown the path up which we had advanced. For an instant there was nosound except the echoes of our guns. Then the most tremendous screamsand trumpetings were given by some fifty elephants, and we heard thebranches of the trees snapping like a succession of rifle-shots.
We could not tell at first in which direction the elephants were moving,the noise of the broken branches coming from all around us. After atime, however, we learned from the sounds that the herd was moving awayfrom us. Having reloaded my gun, we advanced with great caution to thespot from which we had fired. The elephant was not there, but histracks were quite distinct. He had rushed forward through the bush, andhad carried everything before him--trees being carried away as thoughthey were mere sticks.
A few paces from where he had stood we found blood in abundance, andfrom the appearance of this blood the Caffres assured me the monstermust soon die. It was dangerous work following this wounded elephant,because he would be more savage now than at any time; so we had toadvance with great caution. We had not gone far, however, before we sawhim leaning against a tree, swinging his trunk about, and swaying hishuge body. The Caffres told me not to fire, as he must soon fall, andto fire would disturb the remainder of the herd. We waited only a shorttime, when the elephant slipped down and remained quiet. Tembilecautiously approached it and signalled to us that it was dead. We hadno fear of the game being carried off, so we left it in the bush andagain followed the remainder of the herd.
When elephants have been alarmed they rush away through the bush forabout a mile, then stop and become very cautious; to approach themrequires the greatest care, as they are then on the watch, and, theirscent and hearing being both very acute, the approach of a man is soondiscovered.
The traces of the elephants were easily followed, and we knew when wewere close to them by the rumbling noise we heard. A large elephant wassoon seen, standing flapping his large ears, and with his trunk raisedso as to scent the air; but our approach had been so cautious that theanimal had not discovered us, and he received eight bullets behind theshoulder before he had time to move. He did not charge as we expected,but ran only a few yards and then dropped. Two large-tusked elephantswere thus killed, but we wanted two more; for we had seen by thefootprints that there were two other large bulls in this herd.
During the whole of this and the following day we followed the herd, andkilled five large elephants, all with magnificent tusks. Such sport Iwas aware I should never again enjoy, and so I made the most of it.
After four days the whole of this ivory was conveyed to Natal Bay, and Ihad bid my old friends good-bye. I hardly liked parting with them, andheld out hopes that I would again return to their country; I feared,however, that I should not be able to do so, for when once settled inEngland it would be difficult for me to leave.
On my return to Natal, I found the Dutchman who was there had collectedseveral large tusks, and also many hundred ostrich-feathers, so that Ihad a large stock to carry back to Cape Town. My voyage to Cape Townwas rapid, a fair wind all the way; and in seven days after leavingNatal, I was once more at Wynberg, and at the house of my friends. Ifound letters there both from my father and uncle, in both of whichconsent was given to my marriage with Miss Rossmar.
After a month's residence at Cape Town we were married, and started forEngland. Fair winds and fine weather favoured us, and in sixty daysafter leaving Cape Town we reached England.
My life now became one of comparative monotony. I worked with my uncle,and after a time succeeded him in his business. Money was plentiful: mywife possessed a good fortune, and my uncle at his death left me all hisproperty, which was considerable.
I owned a house in London and also one in the country; in the vicinityof the latter there is what is called in England good sport--partridges,pheasants, hares, and rabbits being numerous. But such sport was to medull and uninteresting; I was always remembering my sport in Africa, andhad a longing for again roaming through an African forest in search oflarge
game; but civilisation had advanced in South Africa, and I heardthat where I had followed the tracks of elephants, sugar plantations andcorn-fields now existed, and that even the Caffres had lost theirsimplicity, and were now in that disagreeable condition of beinghalf-civilised.
My father had retired from the Indian service, and had taken a prettyhouse in the country near me, but was often complaining of the climateand habits of England. To him India was the most charming country inthe world, and the servants in India were the very best. Still hemanaged to enjoy himself and passed much of his time with me, listeningto my account of the incidents that had happened to me in Africa.
I had missed in my early youth the training usually given to gentlemen'ssons: I knew but little Greek or Latin; of history I was ignorant; ofmathematics I had but a superficial knowledge. Yet my early traininghad been of a very practical kind, and was of benefit to me inafter-life. I had learned to rough it in my youth, and to do everythingfor myself. Although I kept many servants, yet I was not dependent onthese, as most people are in civilised countries. I could, if required,light my own fire and cook my own meals, and I should have felt it nohardship to do either.
Although I fully appreciated the advantage of a large and well-furnishedhouse, yet I could have been quite happy in a hut no bigger than aCaffre kraal. And I had learned the great secret, that if we curtailour wants, we arrive at the same result, as though we increased ourincome. My wants were few, and these I had ample means of supplying.Instead of working on at my late uncle's business till I became too oldto enjoy freedom, I gave up the business whilst I was stillcomparatively young, and devoted my attention to various subjects inwhich I was interested; so that, although my early education had beenvery different from that of most boys, it had been of a thoroughlypractical kind. I had learned self-dependence and could help myself,and envied no man. I watched with interest the changes that took placein South Africa, and my only regret was, in seeing how affairs weremanaged out there by those who seemed utterly ignorant of everythingconnected with the country and the people. I sometimes offeredsuggestions when it appealed that catastrophes must occur if matterswent on as they were going. My opinions were ignored, and the disastersoccurred, but such results are not unusual. My career as a White Chiefof the Caffres was not without its charms to me, both during itsexistence and now as a reminiscence; and I trust it may have affordedamusement to my young readers.
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