Marie: An Episode in the Life of the Late Allan QuatermainHaggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
General
Marie: An Episode in the Life of the Late Allan Quatermain
Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
Quatermain, Allan (Fictitious character) -- Fiction
Turning my eyes from this dreadful sight, I saw that on the opposite
slope, where we had camped during our southern trek from Delagoa, still
stood the huts and wagons of the Reverend Mr. Owen. I asked Kambula
whether he and his people were also dead.
“No, _Inkoos_,” he answered; “they are of the Children of George, as
you are, and therefore the king has spared them, although he is going
to send them out of the country.”
This was good news, so far as it went, and I asked again if Thomas
Halstead had also been spared, since he, too, was an Englishman.
“No,” said Kambula. “The king wished to save him, but he killed two of
our people and was dragged off with the rest. When the slayers got to
their work it was too late to stay their hands.”
Again I asked whether I might not join Mr. Owen and trek with him, to
which Kambula answered briefly:
“No, Macumazahn; the king’s orders are that you must go by yourself.”
So I went; nor did I ever again meet Mr. Owen or any of his people. I
believe, however, that they reached Durban safely and sailed away in a
ship called the _Comet_.
In a little while we came to the two milk trees by the main gate of the
kraal, where much of our saddlery still lay scattered about, though the
guns had gone. Here Kambula asked me if I could recognise my own
saddle.
“There it is,” I answered, pointing to it; “but what is the use of a
saddle without a horse?”
“The horse you rode has been kept for you, Macumazahn,” he replied.
Then he ordered one of the men with us to bring the saddle and bridle,
also some other articles which I selected, such as a couple of
blankets, a water-bottle, two tins containing coffee and sugar, a
little case of medicines, and so forth.
About a mile further on I found one of my horses tethered by an
outlying guard hut, and noted that it had been well fed and cared for.
By Kambula’s leave I saddled it and mounted. As I did so, he warned me
that if I tried to ride away from the escort I should certainly be
killed, since even if I escaped them, orders had been given throughout
the land to put an end to me should I be seen alone.
I replied that, unarmed as I was, I had no idea of making any such
attempt. So we went forward, Kambula and his soldiers walking or
trotting at my side.
For four full days we journeyed thus, keeping, so far as I could judge,
about twenty or thirty miles to the east of that road by which I had
left Zululand before and re-entered it with Retief and his commission.
Evidently I was an object of great interest to the Zulus of the country
through which we passed, perhaps because they knew me to be the sole
survivor of all the white men who had gone up to visit the king. They
would come down in crowds from the kraals and stare at me almost with
awe, as though I were a spirit and not a man. Only, not one of them
would say anything to me, probably because they had been forbidden to
do so. Indeed, if I spoke to any of them, invariably they turned and
walked or ran out of hearing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account