Hendricks the Hunter Part 24

"And I am Rupert Broderick," said the person in the boat, leaping out, and shaking hands warmly with his brother and then with Denis. "I am delighted to see you, and so will father and mother be, and the girls.

We were beginning to grow anxious about you. How have you managed to get here all alone? and what has become of Hendricks the hunter, with whom we understood you were coming through Zululand?"

"I'll tell you all about it as we go along," answered Percy. "I know Denis here is very hungry, and I confess that my joy in getting home has not quite taken away my appet.i.te."

"Well, get into the boat, and we'll soon be at the house; it isn't as grand a mansion as you might have expected to find, but it's big enough to hold us, and a few visitors besides."

They were soon across, Percy and Denis talking all the time, giving such bits of their adventures as they knew would be interesting to their hearer. No sooner did they land, than Percy set off running, eager to meet his father and mother and sisters.

"Stop, stop!" cried Rupert; "let me say that you are coming, or the sudden surprise may be too trying to our mother's nerves."

But Percy had been seen from the verandah, and a middle-aged lady and three young ones came rus.h.i.+ng down the steps, followed by a tall, strongly built gentleman, who seemed well capable of wielding an axe or a broadsword, as occasion might require.

"Percy, Percy!" cried the lady. "I know you, my dear boy! It must be you. Say I am right!"

"Yes, mother, yes," answered Percy, and rus.h.i.+ng forward he was soon receiving affectionate embraces from his mother and sisters. His father was not long behind them, and then Rupert brought up Denis, who was received in the kindest manner, faithful Raff coming in for a share of their attention.

Another person soon appeared upon the scene. A gaunt woman, her grey hair dest.i.tute of cap, a red shawl over her shoulders, came rus.h.i.+ng down the steps, a basting ladle in her hand, which she threw unconsciously to the ground, while she stretched out her arms as she gazed at Percy, and throwing them round him, exclaimed--

"Sure it's Masther Percy himself come home at last. Welcome, welcome!

It does my heart good to see you, although it's a mighty outlandish country you've come to."

"It's home, however, Biddy, for I'm sure you must be Biddy Gillooly; though so many years have pa.s.sed since you carried me in your arms, I remember you perfectly," answered Percy, returning her embrace.

"Blessings on ye, Masther Percy, for saying that," cried Biddy; "and who is the other young gintleman?"

"A countryman of yours," answered Percy, introducing Denis. "He'll be glad to have a talk with you about the old country, although he's not seen much of it himself since he was a small boy."

Biddy was delighted to find that Denis was actually born in her native village.

"Come, Biddy, the lads want supper as soon as possible, and the pots may be boiling over during your absence," said Captain Broderick.

Biddy took the hint, and picking up her ladle, hastened back to her kitchen. As soon as the excitement of their first arrival was over, both Percy and Denis began to feel the fatigue of their long journey.

Percy could scarcely keep his eyes open while he sat at table. Mrs Broderick advised that they should both go to bed, and they accordingly retired. Denis managed to attend to himself; but Percy could scarcely have got into his bed without the a.s.sistance of his mother and brother.

The next day Percy was unable to rise, and Denis did not turn out until the evening, when he declared that he felt sufficiently rested to start again, if it was necessary, although he had no wish to leave the farm.

Percy was affectionately tended by his mother and sisters, and he a.s.sured them he hoped in another day or two to be all to rights. The three Miss Brodericks were very nice girls--Denis thought them especially so--but they were very far from being fine young ladies.

a.s.sisted by Biddy, their only domestic, they attended to all the household affairs, cooked and baked, milked the cows, made b.u.t.ter and cheese, fed the poultry, worked in the garden, but still found time to st.i.tch, sew, and darn, and make their mother's and their own dresses, as well as clothes for their father and brother, while they did not neglect the culture of their minds, aided by their father, who had brought a small library with him, which had been increased from time to time as he was able to obtain books from England. They were all cheerful and happy; but a shade of melancholy occasionally pa.s.sed over the countenance of Mrs Broderick, as if her thoughts were reverting to some cause of grief during the past.

Captain Broderick had now been settled at Falls Farm about twelve years.

He had selected it on account of the beauty of its situation and the fertility of its soil, but had not sufficiently considered at the time its distance from a market. He had been over-persuaded by the Boer, from whom he purchased it, that settlers would speedily gather round him, and that navigation would be established on the river, by which his produce could be conveyed southward. But neither of these expectations had been fulfilled. Having a small annual income, he had struggled manfully on, had got up a good house, had planted an orchard of fruit trees, and brought numerous acres under cultivation, while his herds of cattle and flocks of sheep and goats had greatly increased. He had done his utmost also to win the confidence and affections of the natives in his neighbourhood, who looked up to him as a counsellor and a friend, on whose a.s.sistance they could always rely. When they would work, and he had employment to give them, he justly paid them the wages he promised, which were equal to any they could obtain by going farther in search of them. While they were thus friendly and ready to protect him and his family, there were others at a distance beyond his influence, who were as savage as the generality of the Kaffir tribes, and addicted to predatory excursions on the property of their neighbours. The captain was an old soldier, and when building his house, had had an eye to its defence. He therefore had enclosed the acre or so of ground in which it stood with a high palisade, on the outside of which ran a deep ditch, and this could be filled by diverting a stream from the falls above, inaccessible to an enemy.

The stream served amply to irrigate the grounds and fields beyond, and neither did it nor the palisade appear to have been formed so much with the view of serving as a fortification, as for the object of preventing the inroad of elephants or other wild animals. The height, however, of the palisade was such that even a lion or leopard would have found it difficult to leap over. Within it could be penned also a considerable number of cattle and horses and sheep. The front was, however, left open, a drawbridge only crossing the moat; but materials for filling up the gap were kept stored on either side, so that in a few hours the whole circle could be completed. The planks were of such a thickness, that neither a.s.segais nor bullets could pierce them, and certainly no force such as was likely to attack the farm would be provided with guns.

Captain Broderick felt confident that he could rely, in case of an inroad, on the a.s.sistance of the neighbouring inhabitants, who would eagerly hurry to the farm for their own protection. Here and there were a few white settlers, but the greater number were Kaffirs, who did not owe allegiance to the monarch of Zululand. Had not Captain Broderick carefully studied the habits and customs of the natives, and ingratiated himself with them, he would have been unable not only to put up his house or the palisade, but even to have cultivated the ground, and found herdsmen for his cattle. He had two faithful followers, of whom a description will hereafter be given, as also three Hottentots, who lived in huts outside the farm; and he occasionally obtained the a.s.sistance of a couple of other white men; but the rest of the labour was performed by the Kaffir natives. Indomitable perseverance and energy had enabled him to overcome numberless difficulties, and had there been a market at hand, he would by this time have become a rich man. But the expense and loss of driving his cattle even to the nearest town was very great, and the profit very small after their arrival, while the trader who occasionally came that way could afford to give but low prices for animals which might never reach their destination.

Provisions, however, were abundant; and Captain Broderick and his son Rupert seldom failed, when they went out hunting, to return without a good supply of game, as they could always depend upon the a.s.sistance of the Kaffirs and any of the white settlers whom they invited to join them.

A couple of days had pa.s.sed since the arrival of Percy and Denis, and they began to grow anxious at hearing nothing of Hendricks. It was difficult to account for his delay, unless he had lost so many of his oxen as to be unable to proceed with his waggon. This, however, was not likely. The natives were not hostile, as they were always glad to have traders come among them to purchase their produce, and from whom they could obtain the articles they required. The tsetse fly, although destructive in some parts to cattle, was not supposed to exist in the district through which he was pa.s.sing, and although one or two of the animals might have been killed by lions, that would not have hindered him for any length of time, as he might easily have supplied their places, or travelled on with a smaller team. At last, Captain Broderick resolved to send out a couple of trusty men in the direction it was supposed Hendricks would come.

One of these, Conrad Vermack by name, whose chief characteristic was his intense hatred of the Zulus, had at one time possessed a farm of his own, but it had been destroyed by the savages while he was absent on a hunting expedition. He had returned to find his house burned to the ground, and his wife, five children, and two servants ma.s.sacred. He had attempted to avenge their death, and had narrowly escaped with his own life. With three a.s.segai wounds in his body, utterly ruined in purse, and his health broken, he had received shelter and kind treatment from Captain Broderick, who pitied his misfortunes. He had in time recovered his health, but had no desire or energy to attempt again setting up for himself, though offered some stock with which to commence. He declined the offer, saying that he would infinitely prefer devoting the remainder of his life to the service of one from whom he had received so many benefits; and he had thus remained on year after year, without changing his resolution, apparently contented, if not happy. In appearance he was unlike most of his countrymen. His figure was tall and bulky, his face long and rugged. A smile never illumined his countenance. A ma.s.s of long coal-black hair fell straight over his forehead and down his back, giving him a strong resemblance, except in colour, to a North American Indian. On all occasions he wore a short shooting jacket, his arms sticking considerably beyond the sleeves, while it was darned and patched in all directions, as were his trowsers, which had once been of blue cloth, but had been mended with pieces of so many colours that it was difficult to say what had been their original hue. Though Captain Broderick had given him a good suit which he wore on Sundays, and had offered him another instead of the one which has been described, he could never be induced to leave it off. He had worn a portion of it at his marriage, and he hoped to live and die in it, he said. He was a first-rate hunter, and was more frequently out with his gun than labouring on the farm, which was evidently not much to his taste, though when his services were absolutely required he worked as hard as any one, and amply repaid his host for the support he received.

The other man was a Kaffir, called Matyana. He belonged to a tribe almost exterminated by Dingan, the predecessor of Panda, and consequently hated the Zulus as much as did the Dutchman. Having made his escape from his enemies, though desperately wounded, he had been found by Captain Broderick in an apparently dying condition; but being carried to the farm, and carefully tended, he recovered. Although his people are generally supposed to be dest.i.tute of grat.i.tude, he showed that he possessed that virtue by willingly remaining on with his protector, and rendering him all the service in his power.

Both these men, being well acquainted with the country, and thoroughly trustworthy, were selected by the Captain for the proposed expedition.

They willingly undertook the duty, and set out well-armed and well mounted, promising to discover Hendricks and his party if they were still in the land of the living.

Denis begged to go with them, but Mrs Broderick interfered, declaring that he was utterly unable to undertake the journey; he indeed confessed to Percy that he scarcely felt up to a gallop, while he certainly was in no hurry to quit Falls Farm.

Percy agreed with him, and thought indeed that he showed his good taste in enjoying the society of his mother and sisters.

The young ladies found time, after the day was over, to play and sing and talk, although they had nothing to say about their neighbours, and especially to listen to the accounts Denis and Percy gave them of their adventures.

By the bye, the three fair daughters of Captain and Mrs Broderick, Helen, Rose, and Maud, ought before this to have been formally introduced to the reader. The eldest was about two-and-twenty, Rose was just eighteen, and Maud was a year younger than Percy. Miss Broderick recollected a great deal about England, and it is just possible might have preferred living there to existing in the wilds of Africa, at the same time that she was contented with her lot, which many young ladies would have thought a hard one.

As Percy was unable to walk any distance, on the evening of the day the men had been sent off to look for Hendricks, Rupert proposed to Denis to take him a row, and Maud, hearing of it, begged that she might go also.

The boat was the same in which Percy and Denis first crossed the river.

It was kept on the bank of the river, concealed in a thicket from the view of pa.s.sers-by, a short way from the house. They had just reached the place where the boat was kept, and Rupert and Denis were busy preparing her, when Maud exclaimed, "There are two people on the opposite bank. They are natives, and are waving to us."

Percy looking up cried out, "Yes, so there are, and they appear to me like Mangaleesu and Kalinda."

The two natives continued to wave still more vehemently, occasionally looking behind them, as if they expected to see some one coming from that direction. They then both stepped into the water, about apparently to swim across.

Rupert and Denis on this made signs to them to wait.

"You remain here, Maud, with Percy," said Rupert, as he shoved off the boat with his oar from the bank.

He and Denis rowed with all their might, for they saw that the natives were evidently in a great hurry.

"Yes, there is no doubt that the man is the Zulu chief who saved Percy's life, and who helped us on our way, and that the other is his wife,"

exclaimed Denis. "I would not have them on any account fall into the hands of their enemies, who would kill them to a certainty. Pull away!

pull away!"

They quickly reached the opposite bank, when both Mangaleesu and his wife hurriedly stepping into the boat, sank down thoroughly exhausted.

"What has happened, my friend?" asked Denis.

"We are pursued by our enemies, and they will soon be here;" answered Mangaleesu. "Can the white chief give us shelter? or must we continue our flight? For myself I would not mind, but my wife is well-nigh exhausted, and I fear she would be overtaken."

"You do not, either of you, look as if you were capable of continuing on much longer," said Denis, as he and Rupert began to row back as fast as they could. "I am very sure that the white chief will protect you, especially when he hears that you saved his son's life, and helped us both so greatly. I may say that, may I not, Rupert? I am sure that your father will protect them."

"No doubt about that," answered Rupert. "Pull away then; and if we can get them concealed in the house before their pursuers see where they have gone, it will save a great deal of trouble."

There was not much time to settle any further plans before they reached the western bank. Immediately landing, they drew up the boat on sh.o.r.e, at a spot where she was completely concealed by the bushes.

Scarcely had they landed when a large body of Zulus were seen on the height of the opposite side of the river, waving their a.s.segais, and rus.h.i.+ng down as if they fully expected in a few minutes to come up with the fugitives.

"Come along, Mangaleesu. We must get into the house before those people out there see you," cried Rupert, taking the chief's hand.

Unfortunately they had an open s.p.a.ce to cross. As they did so they were perceived by the Zulus, who broke into loud and savage shouts, which even at the distance they were off could clearly be heard.