Hunters three: Sport and adventure in South Africa

by Thomas Wallace Knox

With considerable reluctance the manager proceeded to carry out our orders, and the manager of the other party followed his example. The teams were doubled, as at the previous crossing, and one after the other the wagons were taken safely over. We had some personal mishaps, Jack and I getting a good soaking in the river, and Mrs. Roberts faring likewise, in consequence of her horse deciding to lie down and roll when in the middle of the stream. The forward axle of one of our wagons was badly cracked and strained during the crossing, so that a new axle was needed before we could proceed on our journey.

It was long after midnight before we three fellows were able to get to bed. We fell into a sound sleep, and were roused at daybreak by the manager, who said there were a large number of natives on the other side of the stream, shouting and gesticulating violently! Of course we rose at once and dressed in a hurry.

Sure enough, we could see on the other side of the Luranga a party of African warriors to the number of a hundred and more. We went down to the southern bank to parley with them, and you may be sure we took our Winchesters and plenty of ammunition. We also took our fore-looper along to act as interpreter, and after a good deal of parleying and promises of safety we induced two of their number to cross the river, so that we could talk to them. The king was not with the party, and we were not at all sorry that he stayed at home.

The two men who came over the river belonged to his personal staff or ministry, and were rather more intelligent than the average of the tribe. They told us we had been gone two days before the king discovered our departure, and he was greatly puzzled to know why the faithful soldiers whom he had left with us had not informed him; he had not heard from them at all; was very angry at their conduct, and very angry with the ladies and ourselves for leaving his dominions so abruptly.

I explained, through the fore-looper, that the soldiers whom the king left to watch over the ladies' kraal were not in any wise to blame; they had done their duty as far as they could, but we had enchanted them by our magic powers and made it impossible for them to know that the camp had been changed, or anything else. I asserted that we had kept them under that spell of enchantment during our journey to the Luranga, but now that we were safe on the southern bank we should exercise our powers of witchcraft and remove the spell. I promised that the men should join them during the day, but only on condition that the party of warriors then on the north bank should remain where they were.

"If one of you men," said I, "attempts to cross the river we shall exercise the power of our magic guns, and he will be a dead man before he knows it. Our guns are ready, and should we desire to do so we can shoot away the ground on which your people are standing, and leave beneath them a bottomless pit, into which they will fall!"

The fore-looper delivered my words very solemnly, and the envoys were duly impressed with the truth of all I said. They promised that their men should remain exactly where they were until the soldiers who had acted as our escort should be returned to them; then they would go back to their king with any message we desired to send.

I answered that they might as well take the message on the spot, which was, that the ladies could not possibly decide in so short a time as the king allowed them the question as to whether they would be his brides or not. Consequently they had thought it well to leave Macatese's dominions and come to a region where they could deliberate freely and with plenty of time at their command. If they concluded to accept his proposition they would send him a message to that effect as soon as their determination was reached; unless he heard from them he might consider that his proposals were declined.

The envoys repeated the message several times to make sure that they had it correctly; then they recrossed the river, and we saw them no more, except at a distance.

During the course of the day the soldiers whom Macatese had left as a guard were sufficiently sobered up to be sent to their comrades. They had been treated kindly, and also treated often, the manager of the ladies' expedition keeping them well filled with brandy containing a proper proportion of opium, Mrs. Roberts taking great care that the quantity administered to them should not be sufficient to endanger their lives. From the time they were first put to sleep they remained in a stupefied condition, and were carried in the top of the wagon, their hands and feet securely tied, and a guard standing over them, so that escape was impossible.