Swallow: A Tale of the Great TrekHaggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
History
Swallow: A Tale of the Great Trek
Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
Historical fiction; South Africa -- History -- Great Trek, 1836-1840 -- Fiction; Transvaal (South Africa) -- Fiction
Then it seemed to Suzanne that she moved to the bedside of her husband,
and bending down, kissed him upon the forehead, which was hot to her
lips, saying, “Awake, dear love.” Instantly, in her vision, he awoke
with a cry of joy, and said, “Suzanne, how came you here?” to which she
answered, “I am not here. I have escaped unharmed from Swart Piet, but
I am a prisoner in the hands of red Kaffirs, and to-morrow I lead their
army to the north. Yet it has been permitted me to visit you, husband,
and to tell you to be of good comfort and to fear no evil tidings, for
you will recover and we shall meet again, unharmed in any way, though
not till many days are passed.”
“Where shall we meet?” he asked. “I do not know,” she answered. “Yes, I
see now. Look before you.”
Then they looked, both of them, and there painted in the air they saw
the picture of a great mountain, standing by itself upon a plain, but
with other mountains visible to the north and south of it. This
mountain was flat-topped, with precipices of red rock, and down its
eastern slope ran five ridges shaped like the thumb and fingers of a
mighty hand, while between the thumb and the first finger, as it were,
a stream gushed out, upon the banks of which grew flat-topped trees
with thick green leaves and white bloom.
“You have seen and you will remember, fearing nothing,” she said in her
vision.
“I have seen and I shall remember, fearing nothing,” Ralph answered,
and with the sound of his voice still echoing in her ears, Suzanne
awoke in the guest-hut of Sigwe, and once more heard Sihamba breathing
at her side, and felt the hand which she had outstretched to find her,
pressed against her cheek. But now there was a new sense of comfort in
her heart, for she believed that without any doubt she had seen her
husband, and that although they were separated, still the day would
come when they should meet again, not in the spirit but in the flesh.
Now I, Suzanne Botmar, who tell this tale, had scarcely left Ralph’s
room upon that very night and laid myself down upon the settle when he
called to me. I ran back to the bed to find him sitting up in it wide
awake and calm-eyed.
“Mother,” he said, for so he still named me, “did you see Suzanne?”
“Hush, Ralph,” I answered, “you are talking foolishly; wherever Suzanne
may be, alas! she is not here.”
“She was here just now,” he said, smiling, “for we have been talking
together. She has escaped from Swart Piet and is unharmed, but a
prisoner among the Kaffirs. And, mother, she and I will meet again upon
a great mountain like a fortress, which has ridges on its eastern side
resembling the thumb and fingers of a man, and a stream of water
gushing out between the thumb and first finger.”
“Doubtless, doubtless,” I said, for I saw that he was wandering in his
mind.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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