The scenes through which I had passed during my residence among these Caffres, had produced upon me the same effects as though I had lived three or four times as long. Although I was at an age when English boys are engrossed with tops, hoops, and marbles, and look upon a performance at football or cricket as something to make a boy famous, yet I had trapped a leopard, had killed an elephant and had now been engaged in a desperate fight and had aided to win the victory. These stern realities had aged me, and I felt confidence now both in myself and in the weapons I could use: I sat in the circle with the warriors, and had, after the battle, spoken before the assembled people. With the Intombis (young girls) I was a great favourite, and as some of these were very pretty, I liked to sit talking with them.
The life I now led was such as any boy might envy. I cannot imagine any of the pastimes, amusements, or excitements of civilisation that can compare with that which can be obtained in a life of nature. In the first place the climate was very good, never very cold and never very hot. Rains occurred in the autumn, but they were soon over and my kraal kept me dry. I had now several cows which supplied me with milk, ubisi, sweet fresh milk, and amasi, sour milk (like junket), which I preferred. What are now called mealies (Indian corn) were also plentiful, so that there was no want of food. These mealies we used to bury in large holes near our kraals. The holes were dug about ten feet deep, and about six feet in diameter. A fire was then lighted at the bottom, and from time to time we plastered the sides with mud, and then dried this with more fire, and so made a hard and dry hole; we buried the mealies in this and then arched the top of the hole by means of hurdles and turf, so that the water when it rained ran off the sort of roof: our mealies then kept dry and could be dug out when required. By means of various traps and snares that I set, I had caught several buck in the bush, and also some guinea-fowl. I clipped the wings of the guinea-fowl and kept them in an enclosure I had made of reeds, and now they had become quite tame, and I always had plenty of guinea-fowls’ eggs. Quail, too, used to come to this country in thousands during the autumn, and these we used to knock over with our knob-kerries. I had got quite accustomed to the absence of clothing; in fact, even now, I often feel uncomfortable and in a kind of prison when I have clothes on. I had killed several monkeys, out of the skins of which I had made myself tails to wear round my waist, and also round my neck. When the sun was very hot I carried some large banana leaves, which protected my head from the sun, and served as a parasol. Now, considering that I had no want of food, had nothing to do which I did not like, could go out hunting whenever I chose, was not bothered as boys are in civilised lands, I ought to have been very happy. I was happy; but I could not get over the feeling that I was away from my people, that my father must think I was dead, and my uncle, who intended being so kind to me, must also have given me up as lost. The ship in which I had embarked at Calcutta would be put down as one among the many “not since heard of.” I saw no chance, however, of ever again rejoining my relations; and, though I thought frequently of every possible chance of doing so, I could see no likely means of success. These Caffres had spared my life and taken me among them as one of themselves. They had behaved well and kindly to me, had rewarded me fairly for what I had done, and gave me the rank of a chief. If I eventually rose to be the paramount chief in this country I should be a king in a way: I should have the power of life and death over my subjects, and I thought I might be able to teach them many things which they now were ignorant of. When, however, I thought of their laws and customs I found it difficult to imagine what I should teach them to make them better than they were. I knew very little about religion, and did not feel equal to trying to teach it, because the chiefs were always reasoning about things that were told them, and did not understand believing things on faith.
There was one subject that I was anxious to speak to these chiefs about, but had always felt some hesitation. Now, however, I determined to inquire from them why they had killed all the sailors and men who had been shipwrecked. For, although these Caffres were warlike people, yet I knew they were just, according to their reasoning, and would not kill men in cold blood, unless with some end in view.
One evening I was sitting in my kraal, grinding down some nails to make points for some arrows, when an old chief named Inguana came to my hut and sat down beside me. After some conversation I asked him why his people killed the white men who were wrecked. He then told me that some years ago a ship came to nearly the same place, and about forty men landed and made friends with the Caffres, and stopped some days. At length they prevailed on several men and women to go on board the ship and kept them there; they then came again on shore and gave many men something to drink which made them insensible. These men they carried in boats to their ships: some men woke and resisted, and they were shot. Then the ship went away, and the Caffres never saw their friends again. So when they saw the men on shore from my ship, they feared them and thought similar acts would be committed; so, keeping a watch, they caught them asleep and assagied them. The proceedings of the former visitors showed they were slave-catchers, and thus their acts caused the death of the poor sailors who had escaped from shipwreck. Similar proceedings often happen in various parts of the world; some white men behave badly to the so-called savages, and then harmless visitors suffer for the acts of these rascals. From what I had seen of these Umzimvubu Caffres, I did not believe they would kill white men without a cause, so I was glad I had been able to hear why they had slaughtered the sailors. The Caffres themselves thought that the sailors were probably the same as those who had carried off their relatives, and so determined to surprise them before they had an opportunity of taking any more prisoners. When I told them that the men they had killed were harmless and in distress, they really seemed sorry for their acts.
Chapter Eight.
One of the Zulu chiefs who had been killed in our battle near Natal had a headdress of ostrich-feathers. This headdress was considered a great curiosity, and our principal chiefs divided these feathers amongst them, and on great occasions wore them in their head-rings. I heard that, on the plains under the Quathlamba Mountains, ostriches were to be found; so I was anxious to make an expedition there, in order to try and shoot or trap these birds, and so procure a large supply of feathers. On talking this matter over with the chiefs, they told me I must take a large party with me, as Bushmen were numerous there, and it would be dangerous to visit that country unless well-armed and in numbers. I, however, told the chiefs that three or four of us armed with guns were a match for any number of Bushmen. This statement the chiefs did not deny, but they said that if the Bushmen crept on us at night, they might hit us with their poisoned arrows, whilst we could not see them. I answered, however, that sport without some danger was only fitted for women, and that I had already proved that I could take care of myself.
After a very long talk it was agreed that I, with twenty men whom I should select, were to journey up country, and try our luck against the ostriches. I chose the best men with whom I was acquainted, and also my two young Caffre friends. We carried five guns with us and about twenty rounds of ammunition each. So that we were a formidable party as regards strength, though few in number. Our daily journeys must have been about thirty miles, as we walked from sunrise to sunset, and very quickly. We had no want of food, for there were plenty of antelope in this country, and we used to spoor these, to where they had lain down in the reeds or long grass; we then surrounded the spot where they were concealed, and closed in on them; when they jumped up to make off, we either assagied them, or knocked them over with our knob-kerries.
After eight days’ walking we came to the plains where we expected to find ostriches, and I now made use of my glasses to scan the country round. There was plenty of game in these plains, herds of the impovu (elands) and other animals, and water was also plentiful, as numbers of small streams flowed from the ravines of the Quathlamba into the plains, south and south-east of them. So that we considered this country very suitable for kraals, as there was plenty of grass for cattle and the soil was well-suited for growing corn.