Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- Fiction; English fiction; Xhosa (African people) -- Fiction
The burgher spoke truth when he said the enemy was beaten, but not
conquered. May said there were holes in the calabash, and so it was;
the warrior bands were broken, but they infested the colony in all
directions, walking in and out of it as it pleased them, by manifold
kloofs and passes untrod by settlers.
It was Sir John Manvers's division which had been engaged. Sir Adrian
was still to the eastward, preparing to march beyond the Orange River;
the messages of defiance addressed to Sir John Manvers were referred to
him.
The master of Annerley, in utter dread of Lyle's reappearance at no
distant period, determined on retiring, as soon as possible, to the
lower and more civilised districts of the Cape Colony; and Mrs Daveney,
eagerly according with his plan, prepared at once for the journey, which
was to be undertaken as opportunities offered of travelling with
escorts.
Meanwhile comforting letters were received from Ormsby. Frankfort had
joined Sir Adrian's force. Eleanor tried to rouse herself to exertion,
and the day arrived when the family was to quit Annerley for ever.
May, to his infinite joy, was, with Fitje and his child, to accompany
the Daveneys.
"Be not heart-sore, missis," said he to Eleanor; "when the night gets
darkest, day is nearest;" and taking the long whip from Griqua Adam, he
gave the signal for departure by a loud sharp crack, that echoed like
twenty whips up the kloof.
The colonists, men, women, and children, with Mr and Mrs Trail, stood
at the gate of the avenue. Some begged to say "Good-bye" to the young
"missis," and the curtains of the wagon were drawn aside for a minute;
but those who caught sight of Eleanor turned away frightened and
sorrowful at her ghastly looks, and begged the rest not to trouble her.
Her mother was beside her. Eleanor's head was pillowed on her
sympathising bosom. Truly did that mother deplore her own blind,
obstinate folly in trusting her unfortunate daughter's happiness to that
which, had she chosen to look deeply into it, she would have seen was
but a chance of well-doing after all.
Oh! how many are there who _will_ work for themselves, instead of
waiting for Providence's gracious helping hand.
Mr Daveney and Marion were on horseback.
The people pressed forward to say "Farewell." Father and daughter had a
hand for each, and one blue-eyed, fair-haired child would be lifted up
to be kissed.
"Ah!" said an Englishwoman, "bless Miss Marion! she has no pride."
"Troth, an ye'r wrong," interposed an Irish one. "Sure it's herself
that has the real pride--the pride of the lady, that knows she does not
demean herself by showing the good-will to all God's creatures."
The little procession moved slowly and silently across the grassy plain.
The people at Annerley watched it till the glittering bayonets of the
escort were lost in the haze; and when "the master" was fairly out of
sight, Markland, the old settler, put the house in order, and assumed
the command.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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