Their anger was not allayed even by the presents which
John gave them, and they showed their annoyance by
telling him that when they returned to the Hanyane river,
they would break open the box which had been left in the
waggon, and take away all the things. They would fight
with us, too, on our return to the waggon.
“ Empty words and foolish threats, John,” I said, “ let
them speak; they haven’t the backbone to carry out their
words.”
“ Ah, master,” replied John, “ but dese is a bad people.”
John was quite right. The frightful examples of
humanity had not a redeeming feature in their evil
character. Release them from judicious restraint and you
let loose the tiger; but its heart is in the wrong place:
mischief, not valour, is in its breast, and its threatening
cries are vain. Not being a believer in the existence of
totally consuming depravity in any human soul, I have
tried to find some good point to recommend the Chibero,
but utter failure has been the result.
John went on with his story, and his eyes were almost
tearful. He told how the poor Bushman was lost.. I asked
if the Bushman had been fighting with any of the men.
“ No,” was the answer; “ de day after de master leave us,
I loose um ; and I never see um again.”
Every rock in the kopjie beside the old camping-ground
had been searched. Alas I the Bushman had disappeared;
where, no one could say. Probably not. one of the company
would ever know. I, for one, never saw his face again.
Poor Windvogel! Whatever may have been his fate, X
will pay him a parting tribute, by saying that, although the;
weight of bad in his composition would in all likelihood
have brought the moral scale, balanced upon the sensitive,
fulcrum of human judgment, down with a thump, yet he
had little for which, like a Briton, he could “ thank his
stars! ” From his earliest days his surroundings were far
from conducing towards the birth, not to speak of the
perfecting, of moral excellence; yet certainly his tiny
egg-cup-full of brains were not devoid of some enlivening
elements of good nature, his face being always radiant
with smiles.
John’s sorrow about Windvogel’s disappearance was not, I
am afraid, due to any fear regarding what had overtaken
him. I t was caused by the thought that he personally had
lost a piece of valuable movable property.
Immediately after sunrise on the following morning I
started on a hunting expedition, taking with me from among
the bystanders a man who reported eland close by. The
occasion proved an exception to the general rule, because
only one man followed me. The hour was too early for
the others. It was an exception too in another way.
On descending the hill towards the hunting grounds, my
solitary companion halted, and then, looking furtively back
towards the town, he began to walk quickly, gradually increasing
his pace until it became a run, when he disappeared
at full speed. I could not imagine what was the matter with
the man. On returning to the camp I found that the boys
were highly amused, Karemba said that a man had passed,
saying during his flight, that he was afraid of the white
man, because he thought he would kill him. I could not
help thinking that I must be growing very fierce-looking,
when my aspect could instil so much terror into simple
minds.
Game was scarce. Eland and roan antelope were the
most plentiful. The people are constantly out hunting in
large parties.
Sandani, apparently, was growing great in the eyes of the
VOL. I. K