CHAPTER VIII
MR. DOVE VISITS ISHMAEL
When Rachel and Noie reached the house, which they did not do for sometime, as they waited to make sure that Ishmael had really gone, it was tosee the man himself riding away from its gate.
"Be prepared," said Noie; "I think that he has been here before us to pourpoison into your father's ears."
So it proved to be, indeed, for on the stoep or verandah they found Mr.Dove walking up and down evidently much disturbed in mind.
"What is all this trouble, Rachel?" he asked. "What have you done to Mr.Smith"--for Mr. Dove in pursuance of the suggestion made by the man, hadadopted that name for him which he considered less peculiar than Ishmael."He has been here much upset, declaring that you have used him cruelly,and that Nonha threatened him with terrible things in the future, ofwhich, of course, she can know nothing."
"Well, father, if you wish to hear," answered Rachel, "Mr. Ishmael, or Mr.Smith as you call him, has been asking me to marry him, and when Irefused, as of course I did, behaved very unpleasantly."
"Indeed, Rachel. I gathered from him that something of the sort hadhappened, only his story is that it was you who behaved unpleasantly,speaking to him as though he were dirt. Now, Rachel, of course I do notwant you to marry this person, in fact, I should dislike it, although Ihave seen a great change for the better in him lately--I mean spiritually,of course--and an earnest repentance for the errors of his past life. AllI mean is that the proffered affection of an honest man should not be metwith scorn and sharp words."
Up to this point Rachel endured the lecture in silence, but now she couldbear no more.
"Honest man!" she exclaimed. "Father, are you deaf and blind, or only sogood yourself that you cannot see evil in others? Do you know that it wasthis 'honest man' who brought about the murder of all Noie's people inorder that he might curry favour with the Zulus?"
Mr. Dove started, and turning, asked:
"Is that so, Nonha?"
"It is so, Teacher," answered Noie, "although I have never spoken of it toyou. Afterwards I will tell you the story, if you wish."
"And do you know," went on Rachel, "why he will never let you visit hiskraal among the hills yonder? Well, I will tell you. It is because this'honest man,' who wishes me to marry him, keeps his Kaffir wives andchildren there!"
"Rachel!" replied her father, in much distress, "I will never believe it;you are only repeating native scandal. Why, he has often spoken to me withhorror of such things."
"I daresay he has, father. Well, now, I ask you to judge for yourself.Take a guide and start two hours before daybreak to-morrow morning tovisit that kraal, and see if what I say is not true."
"I will, indeed," exclaimed Mr. Dove, who was now thoroughly aroused, forit was conduct of this sort that had caused his bitter quarrel with thefirst settlers in Natal. "I cannot believe the story, Rachel, I reallycannot; but I promise you that if I should find cause to do so, the manshall never put foot in my house again."
"Then I think that I am rid of him," said Rachel, with a sigh of relief,"only be careful, dear, that he does not do you a mischief, for such mendo not like to be found out." Then she left the stoep, and went to tellher mother all that had happened.
When she had heard the story, Mrs. Dove, who detested Ishmael as much asher daughter did, tried to persuade her husband not to visit his kraal,saying that it would only breed a feud, and that under the circumstances,it would be easy to forbid him the house upon other grounds. But Mr. Dove,obstinate as usual, refused to listen to her, saying that he would notjudge the man without evidence, and that of the natives could not berelied on. Also, if the tale were true, it was his duty as his spiritualadviser to remonstrate with him.
So his poor wife gave up arguing, as she always did, and long before dawnon the following morning, Mr. Dove, accompanied by two guides, departedupon his errand.
After he had ridden some twelve miles across the plain which lay behindRamah, just at daybreak, he reached a pass or nek between two swellinghills, beyond which the guides said lay the kraal that was called Mafooti.Presently he saw it, a place situated in a cup-like valley, chosenevidently because the approaches to it were easy to defend. On a knoll inthe centre of this rich valley stood the kraal, a small native townsurrounded by walls, and stone enclosures full of cattle. As theyapproached the kraal, from its main entrance issued four or fivegood-looking native women, one of them accompanied by a boy, and allcarrying hoes in their hands, for they were going out at sunrise to workin the mealie fields. When they saw Mr. Dove they stood still, staring athim, till he called to them not to be afraid, and riding up, asked themwho they were.
"We are of the number of the wives of Ibubesi, the Lion," answered theirspokeswoman, who held the little boy by the hand.
"Do you mean the _Umlungu_ (that is, the white man), Ishmael?" he askedagain.
"Whom else should we mean?" she answered. "I am his head wife, now that hehas put away old Mami, and this is his son. If the light were stronger youwould see that he is almost white," she added, with pride.
Mr. Dove knew not what to answer; this intelligence overwhelmed him, andhe sat silent on his horse. The wives of Ishmael prepared to pass on tothe mealie fields, then stopped, and began to whisper together. At lengththe mother of the boy turned and addressed him, while the others crowdedbehind her to listen.
"We desire to ask you a question, Teacher," she said, somewhat shyly, forevidently they knew well enough who he was. "Is it true that we are tohave a new sister?"
"A new sister! What do you mean?" asked Mr. Dove.
"We mean, Teacher," she replied smiling, "that we have heard that Ibubesiis courting the beautiful Zoola, the daughter of your head wife, and wethought that perhaps you had come to arrange about the cattle that he mustpay for her. Doubtless if she is so fair, it will be a whole herd."
This was too much, even for Mr. Dove.
"How dare you talk so, you heathen hussies?" he gasped. "Where is thewhite man?"
"Teacher," she replied with indignation, and drawing herself up, "why doyou call us bad names? We are respectable women, the wives of one husband,as respectable as your own, although not so numerous, or so we hear fromIbubesi. If you desire to see him, he is in the big hut, yonder, with ouryoungest sister, she whom he married last month. We wish you good day, aswe go to hoe our lord's fields, and we hope that when she comes, theInkosazana, your daughter, will not be as rude as you are, for if so, howshall we love her as we wish to do?" Then wrapping her blanket round herwith a dignified air, the offended lady stalked off, followed by hervarious "sisters."
As for Mr. Dove, who for once in his life was in a towering rage, he cuthis horse viciously with the sjambok, or hippopotamus-hide whip, which hecarried, and followed by his guides, galloped forward to a big hut in thecentre of the kraal.
Apparently Ishmael heard the sound of his horse's hoofs, for as themissionary was dismounting he crawled out of the bee-hole of the hut uponhis hands and knees, as a Kaffir does, followed by a young woman in thelightest of attire, who was yawning as though she had just been arousedfrom sleep. What is more, except for the colour of his skin, he _was_ aKaffir and nothing else, for his costume consisted of a skin moocha suchas the natives wear, and a fur kaross thrown over his shoulders.Straightening himself, Ishmael saw for the first time who was his visitor.His jaw dropped, and he uttered an ejaculation that need not be recorded,then stood silent. Mr. Dove was silent also; for his wrath would not allowhim to speak.
"How do you do, sir?" Ishmael jerked out at last. "You are an earlyvisitor, and find me somewhat unprepared. If I had known that you werecoming I would"--then suddenly he remembered his attire, or the lack ofit, also his companion who was leaning on his shoulder, and peeping at thewhite man over it. Drawing the kaross tightly about him, he gave the poorgirl a backward kick, and with a Kaffir oath bade her begone, then went onhurriedly: "I am afraid my dress is not quite what you are accustomed to,but among these poor heathens I find it necessary to
conform more or lessto their ways in order to gain their confidence and--um--affection. Willyou come into the hut? My servant there will get you some _tywala_ (Kaffirbeer)--I mean some _amasi_ (curdled milk) at once, and I will have a calfkilled for breakfast."
Mr. Dove could bear it no longer.
"Ishmael, or Smith, or Ibubesi--whichever name you may prefer," he brokeout, "do not lie to me about your servant, for now I know all the truth,which I refused to believe when my daughter and Nonha told it me. You area black-hearted villain. But yesterday you dared to come and ask Rachel tomarry you, and now I find that you are living--oh! I cannot say it, itmakes me ashamed of my race. Listen to me, sir. If ever you dare to setfoot in Ramah again, or to speak to my wife and daughter, the Kaffirsshall whip you off the place. Indeed," he added, shaking his sjambok inIshmael's face, "although I am an older man than you are, were it not formy office I would give you the thrashing you deserve."
At first Ishmael had shrunk beneath this torrent of invective, but thethreat of violence roused his fierce nature. His face grew evil, and hislong black hair and beard bristled with wrath.
"You had best get out of this, you prayer-snuffling old humbug," he saidsavagely, "for if you stop much longer I will make you sing another tune.We have sea-cow whips here, too, and you shall learn what a hiding means,such a hiding that your own family won't know you, if you live to get backto them. Look here, I offered to marry your daughter on the square, and Imeant what I said. I'd have got rid of all this black baggage, and sheshould have been the only one. Well, I'll marry her yet, only now she'lljust take her place with the others. We are all one flesh and blood, blackand white, ain't we? I have often heard you preach it. So what will shehave to complain of?" he sneered. "She can go and hoe mealies like therest."
As this brutal talk fell upon his ears Mr. Dove's reason departed from himentirely. After all, he was an English gentleman first, and a clergymanafterwards; also he loved his daughter, and to hear her spoken of likethis was intolerable to him, as it would have been to any father. Liftingthe sjambok he cut Ishmael across the mouth so sharply that the blood camefrom his lips, then suddenly remembering that this deed would probablymean his death, stood still awaiting the issue. As it chanced it did not,for the man, like most brutes and bullies, was a coward, as Rachel hadalready found out. Obeying his first impulse he sprang at the clergymanwith an oath, then seeing that his two guides, who carried assegais, hadranged themselves beside him, checked himself, for he feared lest thosespears should pierce his heart.
"You are in my house," he said, wiping the blood from his beard, "and anold man, so I can't kill you as I would anyone else. But you have made meyour enemy now, you fool, and others can. I have protected you so far foryour daughter's sake, but I won't do it any longer. You think of that whenyour time comes."
"My time, like yours, will come when God wills," answered Mr. Doveunflinchingly, "not when you or anyone else wills. I do not fear you inthe least. Still, I am sorry that I struck you, it was a sin of which Irepent as I pray that you may repent."
Then he mounted his horse and rode away from the kraal Mafooti.
* * * * *
When Mr. Dove reached Ramah he only said to Rachel that what she had heardwas quite true, and that he had forbidden Ishmael the house. Of course,however, Noie soon learnt the whole story from the Kaffir guides, andrepeated it to her mistress. To his wife, on the other hand, he toldeverything, with the result that she was very much disturbed. She pointedout to him that this white outcast was a most dangerous man, who wouldcertainly be revenged upon them in one way or another. Again she imploredhim, as she had often done before, to leave these savage countries whereinhe had laboured for all the best years of his life, saying that it was notright that he should expose their daughter to the risks of them.
"But," answered her husband, "you have often told me that you were sure noharm would come to Rachel, and I think that, too."
"Yes, dear, I am sure; still, for many reasons it does not seem right tokeep her here." She did not add, poor, unselfish woman, that there wasanother who should be considered as well as Rachel.
"How can I go away," he went on excitedly, "just when all the seed that Ihave sown is ripening to harvest? If I did so, my work would be utterlylost, and my people relapse into barbarism again. I am not afraid of thisman, or of anything that he can do to my body, but if I ran away from himit would be injuring my soul, and what account should I give of mycowardice when my time comes? Do you go, my love, and take Rachel with youif you wish, leaving me to finish my work alone."
But now, as before, Mrs. Dove would not go, and Rachel, when she wasasked, shrugged her shoulders and answered laughing that she was notafraid of anybody or anything, and, except for her mother's sake, did notcare whether she went or stayed. Certainly she would not leave her, nor,she added, did she wish to say goodbye to Africa.
When she was asked why, she replied vaguely that she had grown up there,and it was her home. But her mother, watching her, knew well enough thatshe had another reason, although no word of it every passed her lips. InAfrica she had met Richard Darrien as a child, and in Africa and nowhereelse she believed she would meet him again as a woman.
The weeks and months went by, bringing to the Ramah household no sight ortidings of the white man, Ishmael. They heard through the Kaffirs, indeed,that although he still kept his kraal at Mafooti, he himself had gone awayon some trading journey far to the north, and did not expect to return fora year, news at which everyone rejoiced, except Noie, who shook her wiselittle head and said nothing.
So all fear of the man gradually died away, and things were very peacefuland prosperous at Ramah.
In fact this quiet proved to be but the lull before the storm.
One day, about eight months after Mr. Dove had visited the kraal Mafooti,another embassy came to Rachel from the Zulu king, Dingaan, bringing withit a present of more white cattle. She received them as she had donebefore, at night and alone, for they refused to speak to her in thepresence of other people.
In substance their petition was the same that it had been before, namely,that she would visit Zululand, as the king and his indunas desired hercounsel upon an important matter. When asked what this matter was theyeither were, or pretended to be, ignorant, saying that it had not beenconfided to them. Thereon she said that if Dingaan chose to submit thequestion to her by messenger, she would give him her opinion on it, butthat she could not come to his kraal. They asked why, seeing that thewhole nation would guard her, and no hair of her head be harmed.
"Because I am a child in the house of my people, and they will not allowme to leave even for a day," she answered, thinking that this reply wouldappeal to a race who believe absolutely in obedience to parents and everyestablished authority.
"Is it so?" remarked the old induna who spoke as Dingaan's Mouth--notMopo, but another. "Now, how can the Inkosazana-y-Zoola, before whom awhole nation will bow, be in bonds to a white _Umfundusi_, a meresky-doctor? Shall the wide heavens obey a cloud?"
"If they are bred of that cloud," retorted Rachel.
"The heavens breed the cloud, not the cloud the heavens," answered theinduna aptly.
Now it occurred to Rachel that this thing was going further than itshould. To be set up as a kind of guardian spirit to the Zulus had seemeda very good joke, and naturally appealed to the love of power which iscommon to women. But when it involved, at any rate in the eyes of thatpeople, dominion over her own parents, the joke was, she felt, becomingserious. So she determined suddenly to bring it to an end.
"What mean you, Messenger of the King?" she asked. "I am but the child ofmy parents, and the parents are greater than the child, and must be obeyedof her."
"Inkosazana," answered the old man with a deprecatory smile, "if itpleases you to tell us such tales, our ears must listen, as if it pleasedyou to order us to be killed, we must be killed. But learn that we knowthe truth. We know how as a child you came down from above in thelightning,
and how these white people with whom you dwell found you lyingin the mist on the mountain top, and took you to their home in place of ababe whom they had buried."
"Who told you that story?" asked Rachel amazed.
"It was revealed to the council of the doctors, Lady."
"Then that was revealed which is not true. I was born as other women are,and my name of 'Lady of the Heavens' came to me by chance, as by chance Iresemble the Spirit of your people."
"We hear you," answered the "Mouth" politely. "You were born as otherwomen are, by chance you had your high name, by chance you are tall andfair and golden-haired like the Spirit of our people. We hear you."
Then Rachel gave it up.
"Bear my words to the King," she said, and they rose, saluted her with aBayete, that royal salute which never before had been given to woman, anddeparted.
When they had gone Rachel went into supper and told her parents all thestory. Mr. Dove, now that she seemed to take a serious view of the matter,affected to treat it as absurd, although when she had laughed, hisattitude, it may be remembered, was different. He talked of the silly Zulusuperstitions, showed how they had twisted up the story of the death ofher baby brother, and her escape from the flood in the Umtavuna river,into that which they had narrated to her. He even suggested that the wholething was nonsense, part of some political move to enable the King, or aparty in the state, to declare that they had with them the word of theirtraditional spirit and oracle.
Mrs. Dove, however, who that night was strangely depressed and uneasy,thought far otherwise. She pointed out that they were playing with vastand cruel forces, and that whatever these people exactly believed aboutRachel, it was a dreadful thing for a girl to be put in a position inwhich the lives of hundreds might hang upon her nod.
"Yes, and," she added hysterically, "perhaps our own lives also--perhapsour own lives also!"
To change the conversation, which was growing painful, Rachel asked ifanyone had seen Noie. Her father answered that two hours ago, just beforethe embassy arrived, he had met her going down to the banks of the stream,as he supposed, to gather flowers for the table. Then he began to talkabout the girl, saying what a sweet creature she was, and how strange itseemed to him that although she appeared to accept all the doctrines ofthe Christian faith, as yet she had never consented to be baptised.
It was while he was speaking thus that Rachel suddenly observed her motherfall forward, so that her body rested on the table, as though a kind offit had seized her. Rachel sprang towards her, but before she reached hershe appeared to have quite recovered, only her face looked very white.
"What on earth is the matter, mother?"
"Oh! don't ask me," she answered, "a terrible thing, a sort of fancy thatcame to me from talking about those Zulus. I thought I saw this place allred with blood and tongues of fire licking it up. It went as quickly as itcame, and of course I know that it is nonsense."