Tales from the Veld Part 26

"'You're a stubborn man, Tolver,' sez the officer, 'but I have warned you. If the Kaffirs come they would cut you off before you could reach Grahamstown.'

"'Jes' cast your eyes over my boys,' sez Tolver; and the boys laughed, and stood in a row.

"There was Jake at the top, six-foot-four, with a yeller beard, and eyes blue as a bit of sky. Slow he were and heavy in his tread, with a hand like a leg o' mutton and a heart soft as a woman. He were courtin' a girl over at Clumber. I seed him offen there, but all the time you'd a thought he were there to play with the little girl, and not her big sister. Nex' to him were Oll, with a smooth face and a bull neck, and brown eyes that were always laughing. He took arter his mother. Arter him come Seth--long and thin and solum, with a habit of croonin' to hisself. And nex' him were Harry--the devil of the family; straight as a ramrod, handsome, and hot-tempered. He were a fine young chap, and the girls ran when he came in sight to put their hair straight. Then come one below six foot--young Willie, who took after his brother Jake, and jes' follered Harry like a shadder. Nex' him were barefooted Jimmy--a boy that was a born hunter, and knew more about animiles and how to cotch 'em than any man; an' last of all were the baby Tom. Tho'

they called him 'baby,' he were as big a'most as you, with the hair sticking through a hole in his felt hat, and bare brown legs.

"There they stood in a row--the seven sons; and the officer threw his eye along 'em.

"'By G.o.d!' he sed, 'they're fine chips from the ole country. Well, you'll do as you like, Tolver; but take my advice--build a house with stone walls out in the clearing, and don't have a thatch-roof.'

"Well; he rode off, and Tolver squatted in that little valley, clearing out the bush from the centre, and growing a'most anything. Many a time I went over there to climb the trees for plums with Tom, or go off bee huntin' with Jimmie, and in the quiet of the evenin' I've sot outside with the others, while Seth he played on his concertina bellers, making the saddest music, fit to make you roll over an' cry.

"One night I went over, so to be ready to go on a long hunt nex' day with Jimmie, and down the hill there came a Kaffir, with his kerrie across his shoulder, and his arms resting on the stick by the wrists, after their way of walking.

"'Gumela!' he sed, and stood near by, waiting, drawin' his red blanket round him, and his face set like a block o' wood.

"Ole baas Tolver he jes' grunted, and the Kaffir he stood there lookin'.

"Arter a time the ole baas up and sed--'Jake, fetch him a stick o'

tobacco!'

"Jake riz up, and there seemed no end to him, and he reached out a long arm with a yank of black tobak.

"'Yoh!' sed the Kaffir.

"'Oll,' said the ole baas; 'step inside for a strip of meat. Seth, put another stick on the fire. You, Harry, draw a bucket o' water from the spring.'

"As, one arter the other, these big chaps riz up from the ground, and went striding off about their jobs which the ole man had set them a-purpose, the Kaffir looked more an' more s'prised.

"'Sit and eat,' sed the ole baas.

"'Inkosi,' sed the Kaffir; and he squatted down to the fire, with his hands out to the blaze, and his black eyes half-closed; while the meat spluttered on the coals, giving off a fine smell.

"'Willie,' sed the ole man; 'fetch out the guns and give 'em a clean up.'

"Willie sprang up--nearly six foot of him--and the Kaffir looked roun'

the fire at the other two boys.

"'Yoh,' he said, 'these men are like trees;' and his eyes shone in the light, and on his breast there gleamed white a string of tiger claws.

"So he sot and eat, and then he said he were going on to the Kasouga to see his brother, who was herding cattle for a white man.

"When he went the ole man laughed in his beard. 'I guess,' he sed, 'he'll see we're too much of a mouthful in case they mean trouble.'

"'I hope we haven't frightened him,' sed Harry; 'things are gettin' too quiet.'

"'The quieter the better,' sed Jake; 'we don't wan't any Kaffirs swooping down here. I didn't like the look of that fellow; he said too little.'

"'Phooh!' said Harry, 'I'd take him with one hand.'

"'I'll jes' walk over to Clumber,' sed Jake, stretching hisself, 'and fetch the sweet pertaters for sowing to-morrow.'

"Harry laughed.

"'You're getting nervous, Jake,' he sed, 'now you're in love. There's somethin' sweeter'n pertaters over yonder.'

"Jake laid Harry on his back--not so's to hurt him, and swung off inter the dark, while me and Jimmie and Tom reckoned that Harry was the chap if there was any trouble.

"Early next morn, me and Jim stretched away across the veld, towards the Fish River, carrying a tin for the honey and a hunk of black bread.

"We'd gone about six miles when Jimmie stubbed his toe, and sit down, with a holler, to nurse it.

"'My gum!' he sed, 'it's bad; I guess we'll go back and leave this trip for nex' week. There's a honey-tree near home, and we'll go there.'

"I were 'leven and he were sixteen, and what he sed I'd got to do, so we turned back, and he limpin'.

"All o' a sudden, when we got in a dip, he give over limpin'. 'Abe,' he says, breathin' hard, 'there were a Kaffir watching us. Now you go along home--quick! Don't say nothin' to father. Maybe the chap's up to no mischief, but if he is, I'll find out.'

"'Come back with me,' I sed, skeered.

"'Do what I tell you,' he sez; and when I started to go, he slipped away to the left, up the hill. Well, I went on, gettin' more and more skeered, till I saw the house, then I jes' hid away and waited for Jim.

Bymby, in the afternoon, here he came running, and I run to meet him when he slowed down.

"'Whatjer see?' I asked him.

"'Nothin',' he sez.

"'Whatjer run for, then?'

"'To keep warm,' he sez, though the sweat were running off him.

"Well, when we got to the clearin' we met Jake hauling on a big stump.

"'Well, youngsters,' he says; wiping his forehead with the back of his hand; 'had a good time?'

"'Jake,' said Jimmie, 'there's Kaffirs over yonder.'

"'What's that! Are you joking?'

"'There's Kaffirs over yonder,' sed Jimmie, staring at his brother; 'and the chap as was here last night is with 'em. I heard them call him.

His name's Tyali.'

"'My G.o.d!' said Jake, going white. 'Tell father,' he sed, and then he ran.

"I laughed, sneering at Jake, and Jimmie hit me in the side, though his mouth were twitching.

"'What the row?' sed Harry, coming up.