Swallow: A Tale of the Great Trek

  CHAPTER IX

  HOW SUZANNE SAVED SIHAMBA

  Now in a valley of the hills, something over an hour's ride from thefarm, and not far from the road that ran to Swart Piet's place, livedthe little Kaffir witch-doctoress, Sihamba Ngenyanga. This woman did notbelong to any of the Transkei or neighbouring tribes, but had drifteddown from the North; indeed, she was of Swazi or some such blood, thoughwhy she left her own people we did not know at that time. In appearanceSihamba was very strange, for, although healthy, perfectly shaped andcopper-coloured rather than black, she was no taller than a child oftwelve years old--a thing that made many people believe that she was abush woman, which she most certainly was not. For a Kaffir also she waspretty, having fine small features, beautiful white teeth, and a fringeof wavy black hair that stood out stiffly round her head something afterthe fashion of the gold plates which the saints wear in the pictures inour old Bible.

  This woman Sihamba, who might have been a little over thirty years ofage, had been living in our neighbourhood for some three or four yearsand practising as a doctoress. Not that she was a "black" doctoress, forshe never took part in the "smelling-out" of human beings for witchcraftor in the more evil sort of rites. Her trade was to sell charms andmedicines to the sick, also to cure animals of their ailments, at which,indeed, she was very clever, though there was some who said that whenshe chose she could "throw the bones" and tell the future better thanmost, and this without dressing herself up in bladders and snake skins,or falling into fits, or trances, and such mummery. Lastly, amongst thenatives about, and some of the Boers too, I am sorry to say, she had thereputation of being the best of rainmakers, and many were the head ofcattle that she earned by prophesying the break-up of a drought, or theend of continual rains. Indeed, it is certain that no one whom I everknew had so great a gift of insight into the omens of the weather at allseasons of the year, as this strange Sihamba Ngenyanga, a name thatshe got, by the way, because of her habit of wandering about in themoonlight to gather the herbs and the medicine roots which she used inher trade.

  On several occasions Jan had sent animals to be doctored by thisSihamba, for she would not come out to attend to them whatever fee wasoffered to her. At first I did not approve of it, but as she alwayscured the animals, whatever their ailments might be, I gave in on thematter.

  Now it happened that a few months before some travellers who had guestedat our house gave Suzanne a little rough-haired dog bred of parentswhich had been brought from England. Of this dog Suzanne grew very fond,and when it fell sick of the distemper she was in much distress. Soit came about that one afternoon Suzanne put the dog in a basket, andtaking with her an old Hottentot to carry it, set out upon her grey marefor the valley where Sihamba lived. Now Sihamba had her hut and the hutsof the few people in her service in a recess at the end of the valley,so placed that until you were quite on to them you would never haveguessed that they were there. Down this valley Suzanne rode, theHottentot with the basket on his head trotting by her side, till turningthe corner she came upon a scene which she had very little expected. Inone part of the open space beyond her, herded by some Kaffirs, were anumber of cattle, sheep and goats. Opposite to them in the shadow underthe hillside stood the huts of Sihamba, and in front of these grew alarge tree. Beneath this tree was Sihamba herself with scarcely anyclothing on her, for she had been stripped, her tiny wrists boundtogether behind her back and a rope about her neck, of which one endwas thrown over a bough of the tree. In front of her, laughing brutally,stood none other than Swart Piet and with him a small crowd of men,mostly half-breed wanderers of the sort that trek from place to placeclaiming hospitality on the grounds of cousinship or poverty, until theyare turned off as a nuisance. Also there were present a few Kaffirs,either headmen in Swart Piet's pay or some of his dark associates inwitchcraft.

  At first Suzanne was inclined to turn her horse and fly, but she was abrave girl, and the perilous state of the little doctoress moved her topity, for where Swart Piet was there she suspected cruelty and wickedmotive. So she rode on, yes, straight up to Swart Piet himself.

  "In the name of Heaven what passes here, myn Heer?" she asked.

  "Ah! Miss Suzanne, is it you?" he answered. "Well, you have not chosena nice time for your visit, for we are about to--hang--this thief andwitch, who has been duly convicted after a fair trial."

  "A fair trial," said Suzanne, glancing scornfully at the rabble abouther, "and were these friends of yours the jury? What is her offence?"

  "Her offence is that she who lives here on my land has stolen my cattleand hid them away in a secret kloof. It has been proved against her byample evidence. There are the cattle yonder mixed up with her own. I, asVeld-Cornet of the district, have tried the case according to law, andthe woman having been found guilty must die according to law."

  "Indeed, myn Heer," said Suzanne, "then if I understand you right, youare both accuser and judge, and the law which permits this is one thatI never heard of. Oh!" she went on angrily, "no wonder that the Englishsing a loud song about us Boers and our cruelty to the natives when sucha thing as this can happen. It is not justice, myn Heer; it is acrime for which, if you escape the hand of man, God will bring you toaccount."

  Then for the first time Sihamba spoke in a very quiet voice, whichshowed no sign of fear.

  "You are right, lady," she said; "it is not justice, it is a crime bornof revenge, and my life must pay forfeit for his wickedness. I am a freewoman, and I have harmed none and have bewitched none. I have cured sickpeople and sick creatures, that is all. The Heer says that I live uponhis land, but I am not his slave; I pay him rent to live here. I neverstole his cattle; they were mixed up with mine by his servants in afar-off kloof in order to trump up a charge against me, and he knows it,for he gave orders that the thing should be done, so that afterwards hemight have the joy of hanging me to this tree, because he wishes to beavenged upon me for other matters, private matters between me and him.But, lady, do not trouble yourself about the fate of such a poorblack creature as I am. Go away and tell the story if you will, but goquickly, for these sights of death are not fit for young eyes like yoursto see."

  "I will not go," exclaimed Suzanne, "or if I go, it shall be to bringdown upon you, Swart Piet, the weight of the law which you have broken.Ah! would that my father were at home; he does not love Kaffirs but hedoes love justice."

  Now when they heard Suzanne speaking such bold words and saw the firein her eyes, Swart Piet and those with him began to grow afraid. Thehanging of a witch-doctoress after a formal trial upon the charge oftheft of cattle was no great matter in those days, for such theftswere common and a cause of much trouble to out-lying farmers, nor wouldanyone in these half-settled regions be likely to look too closely intothe rights and wrongs of an execution on account of them. But if a whiteperson who was present went away to proclaim to the authorities, perhapseven to the Governor of the Cape, whose ear could always be won throughthe missionaries of the London Society, that this pretended executionwas nothing but a murder, then the thing became serious. From the momentthat Suzanne began to speak on behalf of Sihamba, Swart Piet had seenthat it would be impossible to hang her unless he wished to risk hisown neck. But he guessed also that the girl could not know this, andtherefore he determined to make terms by working on her pity, such termsas should put her to shame before all those gathered there; yes, andleave something of a stain upon her heart for so long as she shouldlive.

  "I do not argue law with young ladies," he said, with a little laugh,"but I am always ready to oblige young ladies, especially this younglady. Now, yonder witch and cattle-thief has richly earned her doom,yet, because you ask it, Suzanne Botmar, I am ready to withdraw theprosecution against her, and to destroy the written record of it in myhand, on two conditions, of which the first is that she pays over to meby way of compensation for what she has stolen, all her cattle and otherbelongings. Do you consent to that, witch?"

  "How can I refuse?" said Sihamba, with a bitter laugh, "seeing that if Ido
you will take both life and goods. But what is the second condition?"

  "I am coming to that, witch, but it has nothing to do with you. Suzanne,it is this: that here, before all these people, as the price of thisthief's life, you give me the kiss which you refused to me the otherday."

  Now, before Suzanne could answer, Sihamba broke in eagerly, "Nay, lady,let not your lips be stained and your heart be shamed for the sakeof such as I. Better that I should die than that you should sufferdefilement at the hands of Swart Piet, who, born of white blood andblack, is false to both and a disgrace to both."

  "I cannot do it," gasped Suzanne, turning pale and not heeding heroutburst, "and, Heer van Vooren, you are a coward to ask it of me."

  "Can't you?" he sneered. "Well, you need not, unless you please, andit is true that young women like best to be kissed alone. Here, youKaffirs, pull that little devil up; slowly now, that she may learn whata tight string feels like about her throat before it chokes her."

  In obedience to his command three of the evil fellows with him caughthold of the end of the rope which hung over the bough, and began topull, dragging the light form of Sihamba upwards till only the tips ofher big toes touched the ground.

  "Doesn't she dance prettily?" said Swart Piet with a brutal laugh, atthe same time motioning to the men to keep her thus a while.

  Now Suzanne looked at the blackening lips and the little form convulsedin its death struggle, and could bear the sight no more.

  "Let her down!" she cried, and, springing from the saddle, for all thiswhile she had been seated upon her horse, she walked up to Piet, saying,"Take what you seek, but oh! for your sake I wish to God that my lipswere poison."

  "No, no," gasped Sihamba, who now was lying half choked upon the ground.

  "That is not our bargain, dear," said Piet; "it is that you should kissme, not I you."

  Again Suzanne shrank back, and again at his signal the men began topull upon the rope. Then seeing it, with her face as pale as death, shelearned forward and touched his lips with hers, whereon he seized herround the middle, and, drawing her to him, covered her with kisses tilleven the brutes with him called to him not to push his jest too far andto let the girl go. This he did, uttering words which I will not repeat,and so weak was Suzanne with shame that when his arms were taken fromher she fell to the ground, and lay there till the old Hottentot, herservant, ran to her, cursing and weeping with rage, and helped her toher feet. For a while she stood saying nothing, only wiping her face, asthough filth had bespattered it, with the sun _kapje_ which had fallenfrom her head, and her face was whiter than the white cap. At last shespoke in a hoarse voice:

  "Loose that woman," she said, "who has cost me my honour."

  They obeyed her, and snatching up her skin rug Sihamba turned and fledswiftly down the valley. Then Suzanne went to her horse, but before shemounted it she looked Swart Piet straight in the eyes. At the timehe was following her, begging her not to be angry at a joke, for hismadness was satisfied for a while and had left him. But she only lookedin answer, and there was something so terrible to him in the dark eyesof this young unfriended girl that he shrank back, seeing in them,perhaps, the shadow of fate to come. Then Suzanne rode away, and SwartPiet, having commanded his ruffians to fire the huts of Sihamba, and tocollect her people, goods, and cattle, went away also.

  Just at the mouth of the valley something stirred in a bush, causingthe horse to start, so that Suzanne, who was thinking of other things,slipped from it to the ground. Next moment she saw that it was Sihamba,who knelt before her, kissing her feet and the hem of her robe.

  "Rise," she said kindly; "what has been cannot be helped, and at leastit was no fault of yours."

  "Nay, Swallow," said Sihamba, for I think I have said that was thename which the natives had given to Suzanne from childhood, I believe,because of the grace of her movements and her habit of running swiftlyhither and thither--"Nay, Swallow, in a way it was my fault."

  "What do you mean, Sihamba?"

  "I mean, Swallow, that although I am so small some have thought mepretty, and the real reason of Black Piet's hate for me is--but whyshould I defile your ears with the tale?"

  "They would only match my face if you did," answered Suzanne grimly,"but there is no need; I can guess well enough."

  "You can guess, Swallow; then you will see why it was my fault. Yes,yes, you will see that what I, a black woman, who am less than dirt inthe eyes of your people, would not do to save my own life; you, a whitechieftainess, and the fairest whom we know, have done of your own willto keep it in me."

  "If the act was good," answered Suzanne, "may it go to my credit in theBook of the Great One who made us."

  "It will go to your credit, Swallow," answered Sihamba with passion,"both in that Book and in the hearts of all who hear this story, butmost of all in this heart of mine. Oh! listen, lady; sometimes a cloudcomes over me, and in that cloud I who was born a doctoress see visionsof things that are to happen, true visions. Among them I see this: thatmany moons hence and far away I shall live to save you as you have savedme, but between that day and this the cloud of the future is black to myeyes, black but living."

  "It may be so," answered Suzanne, "for I have heard that you have theSight. And now, farewell; you had best seek out some friends among yourpeople and hide yourself."

  "My people," said Sihamba; "then I must seek long, for they are very,very far away, nor do they desire to see me."

  "Why not?"

  "Because as it chances I am by blood their ruler, for I am the onlychild of my father's head-wife. But they would not have me set over themas chieftainess unless I married a man, and towards marriage I have nowish, for I am different from other women, both in body and heart. Sohaving quarrelled with them on this and another matter of policy I setout to seek my fortune and left them to theirs."

  "Your fortune was not a good one, Sihamba, for it led you to Swart Pietand the rope."

  "Nay, lady, it led me to the Swallow and freedom; no, not to freedom butto slavery, for I am your slave, whose life you have bought at a greatprice. Now I have nothing left in the world; Swart Piet has taken mycattle which I earned cow by cow and bred up heifer by heifer, and savefor the wit within my brain and this kaross upon my shoulders, I havenothing."

  "What, then, will you do, Sihamba?"

  "What you do, Swallow, that I shall do, for am I not your slave boughtat a great price? I will go home with you and serve you, yes, to mylife's end."

  "That would please me well enough, Sihamba, but I do not know how itwould please my father."

  "What pleases you pleases him, Swallow; moreover, I can save my foodtwice over by curing his cattle and horses in sickness, for in suchneeds I have skill."

  "Well," she said, "come, and when my father returns we will settle howit shall be."