CHAPTER FIVE.
It was nearly twelve moons after our fight with the buffaloes, that somestrange Caffres came down to our village, and had several longconversations with Inyati. I soon heard what these talks were about,and I ascertained the following facts:--
Considerably to the north of our village, and about five days' journeyfrom us, there were some high mountains called the Quathlamba Mountains;these mountains broke in spurs, and spread out like fingers of a handtill they came down to the plains. On these plains some of the tribe ofour people had kraals and cattle. Within the past two moons someBushmen had come down to the ravines and rocky precipices near thesekraals, and had stolen the cattle. It was impossible to catch theseBushmen, as they could scamper up the rocks like baboons, and when theyreached a position safe from the range of an assagy, they would sit andchatter at the Caffres who had followed them, hurl great stones down atthem, and if near enough would discharge poisoned arrows, which were sodeadly that if one hit a man he was sure to die. These Bushmen were sofeared, and their attacks had become so daring, that the Caffres hadcome down the country to try and procure aid to drive these people away.The difficulty of punishing them was great, and Inyati pointed outthat, if the Bushmen were so quick and active as to scamper up the rockslike baboons, he did not see what was to be done. These conversationsused to take place in the evenings, and I listened to all that was said,and began to think of some plan by which to outwit the Bushmen.Suddenly I thought of something which I was surprised had, neveroccurred to me before. So on the following morning I told Inyati that,if he could help me, I thought we could drive off these Bushmen. Hecalled me into his hut, and I then carried on with him the followingconversation. I said:--
"When the white men were assagied some of them had long iron instrumentsthat we call `guns:' where are they?"
"Hidden."
"I know how to use them, and if you could get me two of these I would gowith you and our people, and kill some of these Bushmen."
Inyati said, "Do you know how to use these things? Because once we didhave a gun, and it went all to pieces, and killed the man who held it."
"He put in too much powder."
"Perhaps, but we have feared to do anything with such things since."
When in India I had often seen my father clean and load his guns, and Iknew all about them. I knew too that the captain had a double-barrelledrifle, which had reached the shore on the raft. If I could procure thisand some ammunition, I knew I should astonish the Bushmen if they gaveme a chance. I explained to Inyati that if I could get one particulargun, I would be able to kill the Bushmen.
Inyati said very little, but on the next evening he brought me the rifleand a large bag of ammunition. The rifle was rusty and dirty, so I setto work to clean it; the women being all afraid to come near the weapon,whilst the men were at first very cautious. Inyati now had faith in me,and sat down beside me whilst I explained to him the use of the weaponand how to pull the trigger. The powder was in a large flask, and wasquite dry, as were also the caps; and I found forty bullets in the bag,so I had plenty of ammunition. I told Inyati that this gun would kill aman at a distance more than ten times as far as he could throw anassagy. He shook his head at this; but I asked him if I had not toldhim truth about the glasses, and he would find I was true about thisgun.
I was very anxious to go against the Bushmen, for now that I had seenthe buffaloes killed, I was like a tiger that had tasted human blood,and felt a longing for such exciting scenes as those I was likely toexperience, if I went against the Bushmen.
Inyati sat thinking for a long time without speaking, and at lengthsaid, "We will go." He then walked to his hut, and shortly afterwardssent messengers to call his people together, informing them that on themorrow we would start for the Quathlamba Mountains.
About fifty men assembled at our kraal at daybreak on the followingmorning, each man armed with five assagies, and a knob-kerrie, andprovided with a shield made of ox-hide. The shields might be usefulagainst a Bushman's arrows or against an assagy, but were uselessagainst a bullet. We each carried a bag of Indian corn, and severalboys who accompanied us also carried bags of corn. I afterwards foundout that if Inyati succeeded in driving off the Bushmen, he was toreceive a reward of cattle from the people he had assisted, and theywere to be bound to help him in any expedition that he undertook againsthis enemies.
Our journey was over a beautiful country well watered with littlestreams, and with plenty of fine trees. We found that a buck, called bythe Caffres "_Umseke_" (the riet-bok), was plentiful here, and wesurrounded and assagied two or three of these every day, and so hadplenty of meat during our journey. On the fifth day we reached thenearest kraal of the tribe who were being plundered by the Bushmen.These kraals were situated on an open plain near some wooded ravines,the mountains being about five miles from them. The people received uswith shouts, and gave us _amasi_ and plenty of corn, and we then held acouncil of war.
From the information given at this council, I learned all about theBushmen. There was a perpendicular rock about a hundred times theheight of a man, on the top of which the Bushmen would assemble and defythe Caffres; to ascend this rock there was a narrow ravine, like a cutin the mountains that only one man at a time could ascend. The Bushmenguarded this, and had large stones ready to drop on the men who came up,and their poisoned arrows to discharge from their bows, so that it wasimpossible to attack them there with any chance of success.
The Caffres saw no means by which they could kill the Bushmen, as therock could not be climbed, and was too high for an assagy to be thrownto the top from the plains below. I, however, thought this just theplace that would be suitable for my plan; so, after the council, I toldInyati I had heard all that had been said, and everything was just as Iwanted it to be. The only thing I feared was, that the Bushmen mightcome down from their rock and attack me in the plain; but if I had ahundred Caffres with me they would not do this.
As is usual with Caffre expeditions, we started before daybreak, guidedby a Caffre who knew the way; and by the time the sun had risen and themist had cleared from off the plains, we were within sight of theBushmen's rock. Inyati here took out his glasses, and after looking atthe rock for some time, informed us that there were ten or more Bushmenon the top of the rock looking at us. We advanced quickly till withinabout four throws of an assagy from them; at which distance we weretold, their arrows could not reach us. The Caffres then called to theBushmen, and asked why they killed the cattle. The Bushmen danced andyelled, and fired two or three arrows at us, all of which fell short ofus by many paces. Seeing a large ant-hill a little nearer the rock, Imoved up to it; and, resting my rifle on the top, aimed at the group ofBushmen on the hill. Having taken a good aim I pulled the trigger, andwhen the smoke of my rifle cleared away I saw a Bushman tumbling downthe rock, whilst another was lying on the ground kicking, evidentlybadly wounded. The other Bushmen were so astonished that they gatheredround the man who was on the ground, and looked at him, thus giving meanother good shot. I fired again, and another man fell down the rockquite dead. The remainder of the Bushmen did not wait for anythingmore, but retreated at full speed, climbing up the rocks like baboons,and evidently frightened. We waited some time and then the Caffresrushed on to the two men who had fallen and stabbed them with theirassagies. They were, however, quite dead, but Caffres like to make surethere is no shamming. The bows and arrows of these men were taken, andalso some lion's teeth and claws that they wore; for these littleBushmen will kill lions with their poisoned arrows, and also elephants.
The Caffres then all came round me and looked at my rifle with evidentsigns of admiration. The distance at which I had killed the Bushmen wasto them a subject of profound astonishment, and also to see that thebullet had gone completely through the men.
Our return to the village was a triumphant march, the men dancing,singing, and brandishing their assagies. Inyati walked beside mecarrying the rifle, and asking me questions
about the gun; how often itcould be fired, how far off it would kill, and how it was made. I wasthe great hero of the day, child as I was, and these men now looked upto me as to a chief. Our reception at the village was mostenthusiastic; men, women and children danced round us, shouting andsinging. Unless one had been persecuted as had these people, it wouldbe difficult to realise the importance of such an event as killing twoof their enemies. The people at this kraal assured us that the Bushmenwould now desert the country. They were very superstitious, andwherever a Bushman died or was killed, that place was at once deserted,as it was considered unlucky; so they felt certain that the Bushmenwould now leave that part of the country. Some of the Caffres who hadbeen out with me described to the people at the village how I had fired,and how the Bushmen tumbled down the rock. They were capital actors,and imitated the Bushmen very well. A young ox was killed for a feast,and we had a great supper, many songs, and a large dance; and on thefollowing day returned towards our kraal, which we reached in sevendays--a longer time than we occupied on our journey from the kraal,because now we drove with us ten cows, the reward given to Inyati forhis assistance.