the days of my life-第28节

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f　the　fire　from　that　match　had　fallen　through　the　boards　on　to　the　dynamite　beneath？　Oh！　thank　the　Lord　God。　Thank　the　Lord　God！”
Now　the　Boers　of　that　day　had　a　great　terror　of　dynamite；　of　the　properties　of　which　they　were　quite　ignorant。
“Allemagte！”　said　one　of　them。　“Allemagte！”　echoed　the　others。
Then　they　rose　in　a　body；　fearing　lest　we　had　some　devilish　scheme　to　blow　them　up。　In　a　few　minutes　not　one　of　them　was　to　be　seen。
Shortly　after　this　dynamite　incident　I　was　relieved　by　my　co…lieutenant；　a　very　nice　fellow　whose　name；　I　think；　was　Fell。　I　returned　to　Pretoria　on　a　beautiful　stallion　which　I　had　named　Black　Billy。　I　remember　that　Black　Billy　took　me　from　the　inn　to　the　town　in　very　little　over　the　hour。　Here　with　the　rest　of　the　corps　I　was　stationed　at　the　Government　mule　stables；　not　far　from　the　nek　through　which　I　believe　the　Natal　railway　now　runs。
A　few　nights　later　things　grew　more　serious。　Our　pickets　and　scouts；　to　say　nothing　of　natives；　announced　that　the　Boer　laager；　which；　by　the　way；　was　now　pitched　much　nearer　to　the　town　and　practically　besieging　it；　had　broken　up；　and　that　the　Boers　to　the　number　of　several　thousand　were　marching　on　Pretoria。　So　indeed　I　believe　they　were；　but　something；　probably　the　news　that　we　were　more　or　less　prepared　to　receive　them；　caused　them　to　change　their　minds　at　the　last　moment；　with　the　result　that　the　attack　was　never　actually　delivered。　Of　this；　however；　we　knew　nothing　in　our　mule…stable。　All　we　knew　was　that　at　any　given　moment　we　must　expect　to　bear　the　first　brunt　of　the　onslaught　of　several　thousand　men；　which　would　first　impinge　upon　our　position。　For　some　reason　which　I　cannot　recollect；　my　manding　officer；　Captain　Jackson；　was　away　that　night；　I　think　that　he　had　been　sent　on　a　mission　by　the　Government　and　taken　the　other　lieutenant　with　him；　leaving　me　in　mand　of　the　corps。
Well；　I　did　my　best。　A　few　candles　were　all　that　I　allowed；　set　at　intervals　on　the　floor　of　the　long　building；　that　they　might　not　shine　through　the　loopholes　and　draw　the　enemy’s　fire。　I　posted　my　best　shots；　Cochrane　among　them；　upon　the　upper　platform；　and　the　rest　at　the　loopholes　we　had　prepared　upon　the　ground　floor　and　upon　the　little　external　bastions。　Our　extemporised　pikes　were　also　laid　handy　for　immediate　use。
Till　dawn　we　waited　thus；　growing　rather　weary　at　the　last；　indeed　I　never　remember　a　longer　night。　Then　came　the　news　that　the　Boers　had　drawn　off；　leaving　Pretoria　unmolested；　after　which　we　went　to　bed　feeling　as　flat　as　ditch　water。
However；　all　these　operations　were　postponed　for　two　years；　for　the　reason　that　so　many　British　troops　were　pouring　into　South　Africa　in　connection　with　the　Zulu　War　that　the　Boers　came　to　the　conclusion　that　the　time　was　not　opportune　to　rebel。　With　their　usual　good　sense　they　waited　till；　with　our　usual　folly；　we　had　shipped　almost　all　the　troops　back　to　England　and　Sir　Gar　Wolseley　had　sent　the　last　cavalry　regiment　out　of　the　country；　and　allowed　（or　perhaps　it　was　Lanyon　who　allowed　it）　three　hundred　volunteers；　nearly　every　man　of　whom　was　a　loyalist；　to　be　recruited　there　for　service　in　the　Basuto　War。　Then　their　chance　came；　one　of　which　they　made　the　most。　Then；　too；　the　Pretoria　Horse；　under　a　slightly　altered　name；　had　its　full　share　of　fighting；　losing；　I　think；　about　a　quarter　of　its　number　in　killed　and　wounded。　But；　alas！　at　that　time　I　was　no　longer　there　to　mand　a　squadron。　I　was　on　the　Natal　side　of　the　Berg；　listening　to　the　guns　thundering　at　Ingogo　and　Majuba。
Sir　Bartle　Frere；　after　interviews　with　the　Boer　leaders　in　their　camp；　reached　Pretoria　in　the　middle　of　April　1879；　and　remained　there　a　fortnight　as　Colonel　Lanyon’s　guest　at　Government　House。　I　remember　that　I　manded　the　guard　of　honour　which　met　him　in　the　veld　and　escorted　him　into　the　town；　a　duty　which　gave　rise　to　a　good　story　that　I　will　tell　at　my　own　expense。
By　this　time　the　Pretoria　Horse　was　a　very　smart　body　of　mounted　men　divided　into　two　squadrons。　I　regret　to　say；　however；　that　although　I　was；　I　believe；　efficient　enough　in　other　respects；　owing　to　a　lack　of　military　training　I　was　not　well　acquainted　with　the　ceremonial　words　of　mand。　When　the　High　missioner　appeared　I　ordered　the　corps　to　present　arms；　which　they　did　in　fine　style。　But　arms　cannot　always　be　kept　at　the　“present；”　and　in　due　course　it　became　necessary　that　they　should　be　returned　to　their　original　position。　Then　arose　my　difficulty。　I　had　either　neglected　to　provide　myself　with　or　had　forgotten　the　exact　words　that　should　be　used。　Yet　the　occasion　was　urgent：　something　had　to　be　done。　So　I　shouted　in　stentorian　tones　—　or　so　at　least　my　military　friends　used　to　swear　afterwards　when　they　wanted　to　chaff　me；　though　to　this　hour　I　do　not　believe　them　—　“Put　’em　back　again！”　Well；　it　served。　The　Pretoria　Horse　grinned　and　the　arms　went　back。
I　saw　Sir　Bartle　a　good　many　times　while　he　was　in　Pretoria；　being　brought　in　touch　with　him　not　only　as　an　official　but　because　he　and　my　mother　had　been　friends　when　they　were　young　together　in　India。　He　was　a　tall；　refined…looking　man　of　about　sixty…five；　who　always　seemed　to　me　to　be　employed　in　collecting　first…hand　information；　questioning　everyone　whom　he　met　on　the　chance　of　extracting　something　of　value。　I　think　that　occasionally　the　Colonial　officials　and　others　rather　resented　his　continual　cross…examination。　Indeed　there　is　a　trace　of　this　in　a　report　that　he　wrote　to　the　Colonial　Office　as　to　Shepstone’s　character；　dated　February　1879；　in　which　document　he　plained　that　he　could　not　get　as　much　out　of　Sir　Theophilus　as　he　would　have　wished。　Now　knowing　my　Chief　as　well　as　I　did；　my　conclusion　is　that　he　did　not　altogether　like　being　pumped；　especially　as　he　was　not　sure　what　use　would　be　made　of　the　information　or　if　it　would　be　correctly　assimilated。　Shepstone　was　always　open　enough　with　those　whom　he　thoroughly　knew　and　trusted；　but　these；　I　admit；　were　not　very　many　in　number。　Sir　Bartle　describes　him　as　“a　singular　type　of　an　Africander　Talleyrand；　shrewd；　observant；　silent；　self…contained；　immobile。”　So　he　may　have　appeared　to　him；　but　I　doubt　whether　he　ever　really　understood　the　man　or　with　what　keys　to　unlock　his　heart。
In　short；　I　imagine　that　when　he　was　in　Frere’s　pany　Shepstone　always　remained　more　or　less　on　the　defensive。　Whatever　may　be　the　truth　of　this　matter；　Sir　Bartle　makes　one　undoubted　mistake　in　the　paper　from　which　I　have　quoted。　He　says　that　Shepstone　had　no　sort　of　sympathy　with　the　Boers。　This　was　not　the　case；　as　I　know　from　many　talks　with　him。　He　was　full　of　sympathy　for　the　Boers；　and　understood　them　as　few　men　did。　Moreover　he　appreciated　all　their　good　points；　and　most　of　them　admired　and　were　attached　to　him　personally。　Had　this　not　been　so　he　could　never　have　annexed　the　Transvaal　with　such　parative　ease。　Moreover　it　should　be　remembered　that　all　the　acute　troubles　with　the　Boers　arose　after　his　departure　from　that　country。
In　my　opinion；　if　I　may　venture　to　give　it；　Sir　Bartle　Frere　was　a　great　administrator　and　almost　a　great　man。　But　I　do　not　think　he　was　suited　to　the　position　in　which　he　found　himself。　Had　Lord　Carnarvon　been　a　better　judge　of　men　and　of　character；　he　would　not　have　appointed　Frere　to　the　High　missionership　of　South　Africa。　Frere　imported　into　South　Africa　the　methods　of　the　great　Indian　administrators；　and　attempted　to　apply　to　peoples　as　far　apart　in　all　essentials　of　habit　and　of　character　as　is　the　North　Pole　from　the　Tropics　the　policy　that　he　had　learned　in　the　training　and　traditions　of　the　East。
Had　he　been　a　younger　man　he　might　have　adapted　himself；　and　without　altering　his　principles；　which　were　just　and　good；　changed　the　manner　of　their　application。　But　age　had　already　overtaken　him　when　he　landed　at　the　Cape。　He　looked　upon　the　Zulus　as　though　they　had　been　some　Indian　clan　whom　he；　the　Satrap；　had　only　to　lift　his　hand　to　sweep　away　in　the　interests　of　the　mighty　and　remote　Dominion　which　he　served。　He　overlooked　the　wide　divergence　of　the　circumstances　of　the　two　lands　and　of　the　plications　introduced　by　the　existence　in　South　Africa　of　two　white　peoples　—　the　English　and　the　Dutch　—　hereditary　foes；　who　only　awaited　the　removal　of　a　mon　danger　to　spring　at　each　other’s　throats。　I　do　not　believe　that　he　ever　grasped　the　problem　in　its　entirety　as；　for　instance；　Shepstone　did。　He　saw　the　Zulu　war　cloud　looming　on　the　frontier　of　Natal　and　determined　to　burst　it　even　if　it　should　rain　blood。　But　he　did　not　see　that　by　this　act　of　his；　which；　after　all；　might　perhaps　have　been　postponed；　he　was　ensuring　the　rebellion　of　the　Transvaal　Dutch。　His　Indian　traditions　came　into　and　dominated　his　mind。　Yonder　was　a　savage　people　who　threatened　the　rights　of　the　Crown　and　the　safety　of　its　subjects。　Let　them　be　destroyed！　Fiat　justitia　ruat　coelum！
Even　at　this　distance　of　time　it　is　difficult　to　speak　of　the　treatment　meted　out　to　this　most　upright　public　servant　and　distinguished　man；　who；　be　it　remembered；　had　only　accepted　his　office　at　the　urgent　prayer　of　the　British　Government；　without　using　words　of　burning　indignation。　By　the　Liberals　he　was　of　course　attacked；　since　his　action　gave　them　a　convenient　stick　wherewith　to　beat　the　G