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
Well, the end of it was that the Endwandwe yielded, and upon the
promise of Suzanne—for they would take no other—that no spear should be
lifted against them, they sent the true Batwa, a beautiful but sullen
girl, to Sigwe, taking back the old Batwa, who departed cursing him and
all his race. With her they returned also the thousand head of cattle
which he had paid and twelve hundred more by way of fine, for the
balance was remitted by agreement.
And so came to an end the war of Sigwe with the Endwandwe, which among
the Kaffirs is still spoken of as the “War of the White Swallow,” or
sometimes as “The War of the Clean Spear,” because no blood at all was
shed in it, and not a man was killed by violence, although when Sigwe
passed through that country on his journey home, by means of a clever
trick the Pondo chief re-captured most of the cattle that had been
taken from him.
CHAPTER XXIII.
HOW SUZANNE BECAME A CHIEFTAINESS
So the cattle were handed over, and the girl Batwa was given to Sigwe,
whom by the way she made unhappy for the rest of his days. Indeed, she
brought about his ruin, for being ambitious she persuaded him to make
war upon the white people in the Transkei, of which the end was that
from a great chief he became a very small one. When all was
accomplished Sigwe waited upon Suzanne.
“Lady Swallow,” he said, “in three days I begin my homeward march, and
now I have come to ask whither you wish to go, since you cannot stop
here in the veldt alone.”
“I would return with you to the Transkei,” she answered, “and seek out
my own home.”
“Lady,” he said shamefacedly, “alas! that may not be. You remember the
dream of the diviner, and you know how that all which she foretold, and
more, has come to pass, for you, the White Swallow, appeared and flew
in front of my impi, and from that hour we have had the best of luck.
By your wisdom we outwitted the Pondos and seized their cattle; by your
wisdom we have conquered the Endwandwe without lifting a single spear,
and that Batwa, whom I desired, is mine; while of the great force which
came out with me to war but twenty-one are dead, twelve by drowning,
eight by sickness, and one by snakebite. All things have gone well, and
she who dreamed the dream of the White Swallow is the greatest of
diviners.
“But, lady, this was not all the dream, for it said that if you, the
Swallow, should set your face southward with us then the best of luck
would turn to the worst, for then utter misfortune should overwhelm me
and my regiments. Now, lady, I cannot doubt that as the first part of
the prophecy has come true, so the last part would come true also did I
tempt the spirits of my ancestors by disregarding it, and, therefore,
White Swallow, though all I have is yours, yet you cannot fly home with
us.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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