the days of my life-第17节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


made　before　the　days　of　cables；　when　everything　depended　upon　the　judgment　of　the　officers　on　the　spot。
On　his　way　out　to　Natal　from　England　he　was　shipwrecked　on　the　coast　not　very　far　from　Cape　Town；　an　event　that　some　might　have　thought　a　bad　omen。　I　asked　him　what　he　thought　of　while　as　yet　they　did　not　know　whether　they　would　escape。
“I　thought　that　I　should　like　to　die　decent；”　he　answered；　“and　spent　the　time　in　hunting　for　my　trousers。”
Exactly　how　I　came　to　acpany　Sir　Theophilus　on　his　important　and　history…making　Mission　I　cannot　now　recall。　At　any　rate　I　went　as　a　member　of　his　staff。　Here　is　a　list　of　us：
Mr。　Osborn；　afterwards　Sir　Melmoth　Osborn。
Major　Clarke；　afterwards　Sir　Marshal　Clarke。
Colonel　Brooke；　R。E。
Captain　James。
Mr。　Henderson。
Mr。　Mor；　afterwards　the　Attorney…General　of　Natal。
Mr。　Fynney。
Myself。
Doctor　Lyle；　medical　officer　to　the　Mission；　and
Lieutenant　Phillips；　in　charge　of　the　escort　of　twenty…five　Natal　Mounted　Police。
Of　these　I　believe　that　with　myself　Colonel　Brooke　still　survives　（1911）；　although　he　must　be　an　old　man　now。　Phillips　also　was　alive　when　last　I　heard　of　him。　He　rose　to　mand　the　Natal　Mounted　Police；　and　had　then　retired。　The　rest　are　all　dead；　Clarke　being　the　last　to　go；　and　I　may　say　that　I　am　the　only　member　of　the　mission　left　living　who　was　closely　concerned　with　the　political　side　of　its　work。
There　was　another　individual　attached　to　the　mission　of　whom　I　must　give　some　account。　He　was　Umslopogaas；　or　more　correctly　M’hlopekazi；　who　acted　as　a　kind　of　head　native　attendant　to　Sir　Theophilus。　Umslopogaas；　then　a　man　of　about　sixty；　was　a　Swazi　of　high　birth。4　He　was　a　tall；　thin；　fierce…faced　fellow　with　a　great　hole　above　the　left　temple　over　which　the　skin　pulsated；　that　he　had　e　by　in　some　battle。　He　said　that　he　had　killed　ten　men　in　single　bat；　of　whom　the　first　was　a　chief　called　Shive；　always　making　use　of　a　battle…axe。　However　this　may　be；　he　was　an　interesting　old　fellow　from　whom　I　heard　many　stories　that　Fynney　used　to　interpret。
4　The　Natal　Witness　of　October　26；　1897；　when　reporting　his　death；　says　that　he　was　son　of　“Mswazi；　King　of　Swaziland；　and　in　his　youth　belonged　to　the　Nyati　Regiment；　the　crack　corps　of　the　country。”　—　Ed。
As　the　reader　may　be　aware；　I　have　availed　myself　of　his　personality　to　a　considerable　extent　in　various　Zulu　romances；　and　especially　in　“Allan　Quatermain。”　Here　are　two　stories　concerning　him。
One　day；　long　after　I　had　left　Africa；　he　had　a　talk　with　Osborn；　whom　the　natives　called　“Mali…mat。”
“Is　it　true；　Mali…mat；”　asked　Umslopogaas；　“that　Indanda”　（i。e。　myself）　“has　been　using　my　name　largely　in　books　that　he　has　written？”
“Yes；　it　is　true；　Umslopogaas。”
“So！　Now　what　does　Indanda　do　with　the　books　when　he　has　written　them？”
“He　sells　them；　Umslopogaas。”
“Then；　Mali…mat；　say　to　the　Inkoos　Indanda　when　you　meet　him　across　the　Black　Water　that；　as　he　makes　money　by　writing　about　me；　it　is　right　and　just　that　he　should　send　me　half　the　money！”
I　took　the　hint　and　sent　him；　not　money；　but　a　very　fine　hunting…knife　with　his　name　engraved　upon　it。
The　other　story　is　that　not　long　before　his　death；　which　took　place　in　1897；　Lady　Hely…Hutchinson；　the　wife　of　the　Governor　of　Natal；　asked　him　whether　he　was　not　proud　that　his　name　should　appear　in　books　which　the　white　men　read　all　over　the　world。
“No；　Inkoosikazi　（Chieftainess）；”　he　answered；　“to　me　it　is　nothing。　Yet　I　am　glad　that　Indanda　has　set　my　name　in　writings　that　will　not　be　forgotten；　so　that；　when　my　people　are　no　more　a　people；　one　of　them　at　least　may　be　remembered。”
I　have　a　photograph　of　Umslopogaas　which　was　taken　the　day　before　his　death。　The　face　might　have　served　some　Greek　sculptor　for　the　model　of　that　of　a　dying　god。
I　think　that　we　trekked　from　Maritzburg　on　December　20；　1876；　and　took　thirty…five　days　to　traverse　the　four　hundred　odd　miles　between　it　and　Pretoria　in　our　ox…waggon。　It　was　my　first　real　introduction　to　African　travel；　and　I　greatly　enjoyed　the　journey；　hot　as　it　was　at　that　time　of　year。
Well　do　I　remember　our　leisurely　progress　over　the　plains；　the　mountains；　and　the　vast；　rolling　high　veld　of　the　Transvaal　territory。　Still　I　can　see　the　fearful　sweeping　thunderstorms　that　overtook　us；　to　be　followed　by　moonlit　nights　of　surpassing　brilliancy　which　we　watched　from　beside　the　fires　of　our　camp。　Those　camps　were　very　pleasant；　and　in　them；　as　we　smoked　and　drank　our　“square　face”　after　a　day’s　trek；　I　heard　many　a　story　of　savage　Africa　from　Sir　Theophilus　himself；　from　Osborn　and　from　Fynney；　who　next　to　him；　perhaps；　knew　as　much　of　the　Zulus　and　their　history　as　any　living　in　Natal。
For　instance；　Osborn　actually　saw　the　battle　of　the　Tugela；　which　took　place　between　the　rival　princes　Cetewayo　and　Umbelazi　in　1856。　With　the　temerity　of　a　young　man　he　swam　his　horse　across　the　river　and　hid　himself　in　a　wooded　kopje　in　the　middle　of　the　battlefield。　He　saw　Umbelazi’s　host　driven　back　and　the　veteran　regiment；　nearly　three　thousand　strong；　that　Panda　had　sent　to　aid　his　favourite　son；　move　up　to　its　support。　He　described　to　me　the　frightful　fray　that　followed。　Cetewayo　sent　out　a　regiment　against　it。　They　met；　and　he　said　that　the　roll　of　the　shields　as　they　came　together　was　like　to　that　of　the　deepest　thunder。　Then　the　Greys　passed　over　Cetewayo’s　regiment　as　a　wave　passes　over　a　sunken　ridge　of　rock；　and　left　it　dead。　Another　regiment　came　against　them　and　the　scene　repeated　itself；　only　more　slowly；　for　many　of　the　veterans　were　down。　Now　the　six　hundred　of　them　who　remained　formed　themselves　in　a　ring　upon　a　hillock　and　fought　on　till　they　were　buried　beneath　the　heaps　of　the　slain。
I　have　described　this　battle；　in　which　and　the　subsequent　rout　tens　of　thousands　of　people　perished；　in　a　romance　as　yet　unpublished5　that　I　have　written　under　the　title　of　“Child　of　Storm。”　It　is　wonderful　that　Osborn　should　have　escaped　with　his　life。　This　he　did　by　hiding　close　and　tying　his　coat　over　his　horse’s　head　to　prevent　it　from　neighing。　When　darkness　fell　he　rode　back　to　the　Tugela　and　swam　its　corpse…crowded　waters。　Sir　Theophilus　visited　its　banks　a　day　or　two　afterwards；　and　told　me　that　he　never　saw　another　sight　so　fearful　as　they　presented；　because　of　the　multitude　of　dead　men；　women　and　children　with　which　they　were　strewn。
5　Published　in　1913。　—　Ed。
There　ong　us　of　Shepstone’s　staff　during　that　long　journey　or　afterwards。　Indeed　we　were　a　band　of　brothers　—　as　brothers　ought　to　be。　Personally　I　formed　friendships　then；　especially　with　Osborn　and　Clarke；　that　endured　till　their　deaths　and　I　trust　may　be　renewed　elsewhere。
When　we　crossed　into　the　Transvaal　our　expedition　assumed　a　more　business　aspect。　Greater　ceremony　was　observed　and　a　guard　was　mounted　at　night；　for　we　did　not　quite　know　how　we　should　be　received。　Now　I　made　my　first　real　acquaintance　with　the　Boers；　who　came　from　all　quarters　to　visit　or　to　spy　upon　us。　They　were　rough　folk：　big；　bearded　men　with　all　the　old　Dutch　characteristics；　who　made　a　greater　show　of　religion　than　they　practised；　especially　when　Kaffirs　were　concerned。　I　did　not　like　them　much　at　the　time　—　few　Englishmen　did　—　but　I　can　see　now　that　I　ought　to　have　made　more　allowances。　The　circumstances　of　their　history　and　up…bringing　account　for　that　which　was　repellent　both　in　their　actions　and　their　character。　Into　that　history　I　will　not　enter　further　than　to　say　that　they　had　been　bred　in　an　atmosphere　of　hereditary　hate　of　England　and　its　Governments；　which　in　some　particulars；　such　as　that　of　the　manner　of　freeing　of　the　slaves　in　the　Cape　Colony　in　1836；　was　not　altogether　unjustified。　Moreover　they　had　fought　fearful　battles　with　the　natives　in　the　territories　they　occupied；　and　learned　to　loathe　them。　The　Old　Testament　too　was　the　standard　by　which　they　ruled　their　conduct。　They　pared　themselves　to　the　Hebrews　marching　from　their　land　of　bondage　in　Egypt；　while　the　Kaffirs　in　the　parallel　filled　the　places　of　the　Canaanites　and　Jebusites　and　other　tribes　that　were　unfortunate　enough　to　stand　in　their　way。　So　they　slew　them　mercilessly；　and　under　the　name　of　apprenticeship　practically　enslaved　many　of　them。　But　in　those　days　I　saw　only　the　results；　and　judged　by　those　results。　I　did　not　see　nor　had　I　learned　the　causes　which　produced　them。　Now　I　know　that　there　is　much　to　admire　in　the　Boer　character；　also　that　among　them　were　many　men　of　real　worth。　Indeed；　as　I　shall　tell；　one　of　these　afterwards　saved　my　life　and　those　of　my　two　panions。
On　our　way　up　to　Pretoria　we　entertained　our　Dutch　visitors　on　several　occasions　as　well　as　the　circumstances　would　allow。　These　were　uncouth　dinner…parties；　but　very　amusing。　At　one　of　them　I　remember　a　jovial　old　boy　who　sat　next　to　me　invited　me　to　e　and　“opsit”　with　his　daughter；　whom　he　described　as　a　“mooi　mesje；”　that　is；　a　pretty　girl。　I　accepted　the　invitation；　packed　the　old　Boer　off　home；　and　went　to　Osborn　to　inquire　exactly　what　“opsitting”　might　be。
When　I　discovered　that　it　consisted　in　sitting　alone　with　a　young　woman　at　night　with　a　candle　burning　between　the　two；　which　somewhat　dreary　proceeding　ipso　facto　involved　a　promise　of　marriage；　I　did　not　follow　the　matter　further。　I　shou