Chapter Sixteen.

Chapter Sixteen.Almost immediately after my return to my old kraal, I went to see the English ladies who had been on board the ship. I found that Mrs Apton was dead, but the others seemed to have become quite reconciled to their lot. They were now the mothers of several children, and they told me that they would not now leave the country if they could. What they most wished for were some clothes in which they might dress like Englishwomen. Their knowledge of dress, however, had enabled them to form, out of the skins of antelopes, very ornamental dresses; and although some people might have laughed at their attire, yet the Caffres thought their ornaments most becoming. It seemed singular how very quickly these females had become accustomed to the strange life they were compelled to lead. They did not work in the gardens as did the Caffre women, but were treated just the same as the wives of the greatest chiefs. The other Caffre women were not jealous of the English females, but treated them kindly, and seemed to regard them as strangers deserving of hospitality. What was most admired was the long hair of the English ladies, the Caffre women having only woolly locks.There was no restriction now placed upon my movements. I had fought for my tribe, and had shown that I was true to the men who had saved my life; so I was trusted just the same as though I had been born a Caffre. Although I had been so well-treated by my present companions, and the life I now led was very pleasant, yet the fact of having seen and conversed with Englishmen had caused a feeling of restlessness to take possession of me; and I was always thinking of where I should be, and what I should be doing, if I had succeeded in getting away in the ship from Natal Bay. It was now a common thing for me to leave my hut and go down to the hills near the coast, and watch the sea, in order to find out if any ships were near. I knew enough of English habits to be certain that the slaughter of the captain of the vessel would be revenged, though I did not know by what means this would be accomplished.It was about a moon and a half, or six weeks, after I had returned to the Umzimvubu district, that one morning I saw from my look-out station a large ship sailing, and not very far from the land. I remembered that the sailors had told me that when a vessel was going round the Cape to the east, she always kept about sixty or seventy miles from the land, to avoid the strong current that ran from east to west. When, however, a ship was travelling from east to west she kept nearer the coast, so as to get the benefit of the stream in her favour. The vessel I now saw was going eastwards, and yet was close inland; so I thought it very likely she was coming to Natal. She was of too large a size to come over the bar; and I believed she must be a vessel of war. As she came nearer the land I could see guns looking out, as it were, of her ports; and I then knew she was a man-of-war. Before the sun set this ship had anchored opposite the harbour of Natal, and had furled all her sails. I returned to my kraal and kept silence as to what I had seen. I wanted to think during the night what I should do as regards this ship. If I told the men of the kraal that a ship had come to Natal, they might object to my going there, for fear I should tell the tale about the slaughter of my shipmates. Silence therefore was the most prudent plan. Just before sunrise, I, with a large bag of boiled corn and armed with my pistols and an assagy, started for Natal Bay. The journey was a long one, but I was in such training that I could run and walk very fast, and I believe could manage fifty miles a day, without much fatigue. It was near sunset, however, before I reached the high land on the west of the bay: from this high land the ship was seen, and when first viewed I saw two boats rowing to the vessel. There was a great deal of surf on the bar, so I felt certain that no boat could have entered the harbour that day, and that probably the boats I had seen had been to look at the bar to see if it were practicable.I found my old hut on the bluff just as I had left it; so, making a meal of my boiled corn, I lay down and slept well after my long journey.I was awoke in the morning by the screams of a sea-eagle, and found, on looking out, that the sun had risen many times its own diameter in the sky. The wind had changed, and was now blowing from the north, and the surf on the bar was much less than it was on the previous day, and seemed to be decreasing. On looking towards the ship I saw two boats full of men pulling towards the harbour; and these, I saw, would, if properly managed, be able to cross the bar and enter the harbour. Descending the bluff, I went down to the shore, and, breaking off a large branch of a tree, waved it over my head, hoping that some one either on the ship or in the boats would see me. It was exciting work seeing these boats approach the bar and wait for some time as they saw the wives break and curl at this spot. After some time the oars flashed in the water. I saw the boats first on the crest of a wave, then lost sight of them, then saw them reappear and glide along in comparatively smooth water as they passed the dangerous breaking water on the bar. The boats were now so near that I could count the men in the boats, and could see they were all armed, and were dressed alike, which was not the case with the crew of the small vessel that had previously visited Natal. As the boats approached the shore several men stood up in the front part of the boat, and seemed to be on the look-out for an enemy, as they had guns, which they held ready for firing. I called out that there was no one on the shore but me, and saw that surprise was caused by my speaking English, because I was in dress like a Caffre, and my skin had become very brown.On approaching the rocks on which I stood the boat stopped, and a young-looking man at the stern of the leading boat called out—“Who are you?”“I am an English boy who was shipwrecked here some years ago.”“What is your name?”I was about to answer “Umkinglovu,” but I remembered that I was called Julius by my father, so I replied, “My name is Julius.”“Are there any Caffres about here?” inquired the officer, for such I found afterwards that he was.“I do not think there are; but if there should be, I don’t think they would do you any harm.”The officer smiled as he said, “Do me any harm! no, I don’t think they are likely to do that. Are there any white men here?”“None,” I replied. “The few white men who were here have either been killed by a war-party of the Zulus, or have escaped in a vessel.”“Then how is it you have escaped?”“I was with a tribe down the coast, who fought with the Zulus and beat them off.”“How did you come by those pistols?”“They belonged to the captain of a small vessel here, who was killed by the Zulus as he was getting water up the bay.”As I said this the officer spoke in a low tone to a companion who was sitting near him. He then said—“Put those pistols on the ground, and come into the boat.”I did as he told me, and stepped into the boat, the sailors eyeing me suspiciously.“Pull off from the shore,” said the officer, and the boat was moved into the middle of the stream, so that it was safe from an attack by any one not armed with guns.“Now sit down here,” said the officer, as he pointed to the stern of the boat, “and answer my questions.”I complied with his request, and he then questioned me—as to where the nearest Caffres lived how numerous they were, how they were armed and whether they were friendly or otherwise to white men.I gave him all the information I possessed on these points, but I found it difficult to make him understand how it was that the Zulus were enemies of the white man, but the Caffres about Natal were friendly. He seemed to look upon all Caffres as “niggers,” and not to distinguish the one tribe from the other.He then asked me if I could show him where the captain of the merchantman had been killed, and upon my pointing to the place he ordered his men to pull up the bay, to the spot. Upon reaching this, I explained the whole affair to him, and pointed out where the Zulus had attempted to stop me. As I continued my account, I found by the looks of these sailors that I rose very much in their estimation.“Why did you not come away in the ship?” inquired the officer.I told him of the behaviour of the sailors, and their suspicions of me, and that they had put me on shore; that, if I had not been well acquainted with the habits of the Zulus, I should have been assagied or made prisoner by these people.As we pulled down the bay towards the bar, the officer told me he intended taking me on board the ship to see the captain, and to tell him what I had seen and known about the slaughter at Natal.Before we had gone halfway to the ship, I became very sick. There was a heavy sea on for a boat, and I was unaccustomed to the motion, so that I was soon suffering from the effects of the waves on the boat.I, however, scrambled up on to the deck of the ship, and found myself in the presence of several officers, who looked at me with astonishment. The officer who had brought me in the boat told a tall officer, who, I afterwards learned, was the captain, what my previous history had been. The captain at once was deeply interested, and inquired all particulars about the shipwreck, and what had become of those who had escaped drowning. I told him that I was the only male survivor, that the others had by a mistake been assagied, as it was supposed they were slave-catchers. The females, I said, were the wives of Caffres, and would not wish to leave their adopted country. The captain having listened to all I had to tell him, asked me if I should like some clothes, for I was dressed like a Caffre. Upon my intimating that, if I remained in the country clothes would be useless, but if I were to be taken away I must have some raiment, the captain took me to his cabin, and having sent for some of the midshipmen, I was soon rigged out in a suit of clothes that fitted me tolerably well. From the captain I learned that he had come up to Natal to make inquiries relative to the murders that had been committed on the white people, and to punish the murderers. I explained to him that the Caffres who lived near the Umlass and in the neighbourhood, had nothing to do with the slaughter of these people; that it was a war-party of the Zulus which had come down the country for the purpose of killing all white men. He seemed, however, disinclined to believe that the people in the country were not a party to the massacre, till I told him of the fight we had with the Zulus, and our battle near the Umlass river.On that night I slept on board ship, and by the following morning had quite recovered from my sea-sickness. The captain sent for me very early, and asked if I could guide a party to the nearest Caffre kraal, as he wanted to see the people in their natural state. I told him it might be dangerous, as the Caffres would suppose we had come to attack them or to make slaves of them. He laughed at the idea of being attacked; for, as he would take a large party with him, who would be armed, he considered he would be more than a match for all the Caffres in the country. I told him he did not know what these people were in war, and how by a surprise they would to a certain extent do away with the advantages which his firearms gave him. About fifty sailors were armed, and being led by the captain we landed at the upper part of the bay, and marched on towards the Umlass. The chief in that neighbourhood was named Umnini, and was a very fine fellow. I was anxious to let him know we were a friendly party come to see him, but I could not meet or see any Caffres by whom to send a message. I felt quite sure that we had been observed, for Caffres are very watchful. We had passed over some open ground just beyond the Umslatazane river, and had entered a bush-path beyond, when I heard a shrill whistle which I knew meant a signal for attack. I at once shouted in Caffre, “We are friends, come to see Umnini.” The captain looked at me in astonishment and said, “What are you shouting about?” I told him he must halt his men and keep them quiet, or we might have a thousand men on us in half a minute. As he could not see a Caffre, or even hear one, he said, “A thousand men! why there is not one to be seen.” I again called out in Caffre and said, “I have brought the chief of the big ship to talk to Umnini. He is friendly and wants to see him.” There was silence for a short time, and then a voice from the bush was heard, and inquiry was made as to why a messenger was not sent first to say we were friends.I replied that the chief of the ship did not know what the law was in this country.The captain, who was much surprised at hearing the voice come from the bush when he could see no one, asked me what they were saying. I told him that the Caffres suspected that he had come to attack them or to capture some slaves, and if I had not spoken he would have been attacked in this bush. I inquired of him if I should ask the Caffre chief to advance and to talk to us, for it would not be prudent for us to go on any farther unless the Caffres allowed us. The captain seemed rather suspicious of treachery, but having cautioned his men to keep together, said that I had better ask the chief to come to us. I called out again, asking the chief to come; when, from behind every tree and bush, and apparently out of the ground, a Caffre appeared, each armed with his six assagies and a knob-kerrie, and carrying his shield before him. Our party was completely surrounded, and had war been intended we should soon have been assagied. The chief who commanded this party was Umnini’s young brother, whom I knew well. As he quietly advanced to us, he showed no surprise or any sign of fear. His appearance, I saw, impressed the captain, who touched his cap as the chief advanced. This young chief was called Ingwe, and I told him who the captain was, and that he had come to pay a visit to Umnini. Ingwe shook hands with the captain, and then, speaking a few words to the Caffres informing them that we were friends, told them to go on to Umnini’s kraal and announce our arrival.Ingwe led the way, and we walked through the bush-paths. The sailors seemed surprised at the order and discipline of these Caffres, and the dignified manner in which they behaved; but their surprise was greater when we approached the chiefs kraal, and found the men drawn up in two lines, between which we marched till we came near the huts, where Umnini met us. Umnini addressed all his conversation to me, and I translated it to the captain, and when the captain spoke I had to turn his words into Caffre.Umnini said he was glad to see the chief of the large ship, and was sorry there had nearly been a mistake made, as the captain came armed and like a war-party; but he was welcome to the kraal, and a young bull would shortly be killed for a feast for the sailors.The captain replied that he did not think his coming armed would have been mistaken for war, as he had no cause of complaint against Umnini, but wished to see the chief in his kraal; that he did not wish an ox killed, as his men would not be allowed to eat at that hour.Umnini then asked the captain and me to come into his kraal, where we saw several of Umnini’s wives and children. The captain sat down in the hut, and we had a long conversation about the Zulus, and their attack on the white people at the bay; also about the life the Caffres lived, their habits, etc. The captain kept on making notes in a pocket-book as he received his answers, and seemed much interested in what he heard. He then asked about the white women who had been wrecked with me, and inquired whether it were possible to see them and persuade them to return to civilisation in his ship.I told him I believed they would avoid being seen, and certainly would not leave the country, as they were the mothers of several children, and were regularly accustomed to the life they now led. We stopped about as long as it took the sun to go ten times its diameter; and then, bidding the chief good-bye, we returned to our boats and pulled off to the ship. Umnini had made a present of a gourd snuff-box to the captain, and had received in return a watch-chain, which Umnini hung round his neck.Several of the officers of the ship were anxious to go on shore to have some shooting, and asked me where was the best place to go. I told them that in the bush there were elephants and antelope; that it was dangerous sport going after elephants, but if they were careful, they might kill one. Four officers arranged to go with me, in search of them, and to start at daybreak. On the open ground near the head of the bay, there were some pools of water just outside the bush, where the elephants were fond of drinking during the night. Upon landing from our boats, we walked to these ponds, and I told the officers that we must not speak above a whisper when we entered the bush, and must walk so quietly that no man could hear the footsteps of the man in front of him. The officers smiled at my cautious instructions, and seemed amused at the idea of being taught by a mere boy. The elephants had visited the pool early in the morning, and had then entered the bush by one of their well-worn paths. The traces of the animals were very plain, the print of their large feet being distinctly marked in many places. We had not entered the bush more than the distance of four or five throws of an assagy, when I heard the slight crack of a stick in front of us. I stopped, and stooping down, saw the outline of an elephant looming amidst some dense underwood. I pointed to this spot and whispered to the officers, “Elephant.”They stooped and peeped, but could see nothing. I then signalled to them to go slowly forward, when they would, I hoped, obtain a view of the animal. The officers crept on, but not being accustomed to the bush, each man made more noise than would fifty Caffres. They had only gone on a few steps, when they turned to me and said, “That is not an elephant, it is only some old tree.” At the same instant, the elephant, hearing their voices, turned in the bush; and, crashing through the underwood, was soon far out of sight and beyond a shot. The astonishment of the officers was very great when they saw their “old tree” become a nearly full-grown elephant, and heard it crashing through the bush, the breaking branches which it carried away in its rush sounding like the report of musketry.“The youngster was right after all,” they exclaimed. “Only fancy, an elephant standing as quietly as that.”They wanted to follow the animal; but I explained to them that they might as well follow a bird on the wing, as the elephant would probably not stop until it had gone some four or five miles through the bush, and would then be on the alert and difficult to approach.Finding there was no chance of again seeing the elephant, the officers decided to come out of the bush, and try to get a shot at some buck on the more open ground.We had gone some distance from the bush, when, on looking towards the Umganie river, I saw in the distance a large party of Caffres. I instantly lay down, and called eagerly to the officers to do the same; for from the glance I had obtained I thought this must be a war-party of the Zulus, probably sent down to see what the ship was doing here. The officers laughed at my caution, but they concealed themselves, though not as quickly as they ought to have done. I wished now that I had my glasses with me, for the body of Caffres was a long way off. I soon saw, however, that the party were Zulus; and informed the officers of the fact, and that we must run for our lives.Had I been alone I should not have feared for the result of a race, because we were some considerable distance in advance of the Zulus, and I could run as fast and as far as the best man amongst them; but I had already found that the officers were not fit to run far, the long time they had been on board ship having prevented them from getting into racing condition. Our boat was fully a mile and a half, as I should now term the distance, from where we were concealed, and I knew that a Zulu would run this distance about as fast again as the officers. I told them that their lives now depended on their doing exactly what I directed them to do; and I added that they ought now to know that I was better acquainted with things in this country than they were, as I could distinguish an elephant from a dead tree. They said—“All right, give your orders.”We crawled along the ground for some distance, till we were concealed by a portion of the bush; we then rose and ran along the edge of the bush, but we did not run very fast, for I was afraid that my companions would get out of breath before the real race began. When we had gone some distance near the bush, I found that, to go in the direction of our boats, we must now move in the open country. I told my companions of my plan, and said that we could move no faster than the slowest runner among them. I saw that one of the officers, who was rather stout, was already out of breath, and I feared that we should find it hard work reaching our boat before the Zulus were upon us. When we struck off into the open plain I looked round, and then knew that the Zulus must have seen us from the first, as they were coming on at a run, which, although not very fast, had yet enabled them to decrease the distance between them and us.“Now do your best,” I said, and we commenced our run.The Zulus uttered a shout, as they now saw us plainly, and several of their fastest runners advanced in front of the main body. I now carried two guns of the officers that they might get on the more easily, but found that our pursuers were gaining rapidly on us.When we were within a short distance of the boat, about twenty Zulus were nearly within an assagy’s-throw of us. I said to the officers, “Run to the boat: I will stop the Zulus.” The officers ran on whilst I stopped, and, dropping one of the guns, aimed with the other at the leading Zulu. The man dodged about as I aimed, but my bullet struck him, and he fell to the ground; with the second barrel I hit another Zulu, and then the other men dropped on the ground to conceal themselves. Picking up the gun I had dropped, I darted off to the boat, into which the officers had embarked, and jumped into it, telling them to push off at once. The water for some distance was shallow, and before we could get into deep water, about a hundred Zulus dashed in, and were hurling their assagies at us. We fired at these men, whilst the four sailors in the boat rowed as fast as they could; and as the water became deeper, we could move faster than the Zulus, and so were soon beyond the range of their assagies.The Zulus, on finding they could not reach us, instantly left the water and concealed themselves in the bush, in order to avoid our bullets.“Smart work,” said one of the officers, who seemed rather to enjoy the excitement; “I don’t think I ever ran so far before.” Another officer said, “I tell you what it is, youngster, you are well up in this kind of work.”As we rowed down the bay I heard a voice shouting from one of the islands in the bay, and asking what number of Zulus there were. I told the Caffre about five hundred.I now asked the officers to stop the boat, because near the head of the bay I saw some dust rising, and I suspected that this was caused by some of Umnini’s warriors who had been assembled to resist any attack the Zulus might make. The rapidity with which these people could arm and assemble was very great. From a distant kraal men would arm and run towards the point of danger. As they passed the various kraals on the way they would be joined by the warriors from these kraals, and as every full-grown man was a warrior, the army soon swelled to a considerable size. I should have liked to join Umnini’s people in what I expected would be an attack on the Zulus, but I did not like to take the officers with me, and they said they would not allow me to leave them; so we kept the boat in deep water, and beyond where an assagy could be cast on to the boat. The Zulus, who had followed us down to the water, had concealed themselves in the bush as soon as we had secured our retreat; but they now evidently had some knowledge of the approach of Umnini’s men, as they were moving rapidly through the bush, and calling to one another. The distance from the head of the bay to where the Zulus had followed us was not very far, and I knew that the rapidity with which the Caffres moved would soon enable them to attack the Zulus. The latter, however, either thought the numbers of their enemies too great, or else they did not wish to fight, as there was nothing to fight for, no cattle being near enough for the Zulus to carry off, even if they gained the victory; so they retreated rapidly towards the Umganie river, followed by Umninis people.I knew that, from the summit of some tall trees on the shore of the bay near the bluff, a view could be obtained of the coast even beyond the Umganie; so I suggested to the officers that we pulled down the bay, and ascended the high land, so as to obtain a view of what was taking place. We soon reached the shore beneath the bluff, and ascending it found that we could see both the Zulus and Umnini’s Caffres. The Zulus, finding that they would be overtaken before they could cross the river, had faced about, and, standing shoulder to shoulder, were awaiting the attack of their pursuers. The battle soon commenced, by a shower of assagies being thrown by the Natal Caffres; then a charge was made, and for a time we could see nothing but a struggling mass of black warriors. Then the tide of battle evidently turned in favour of Umnini’s men; for the Zulus were flying in the direction of the river, followed by the Natal Caffres. In savage warfare, it is in the retreat that the greater number of men are killed: the pursuer has the advantage of casting his assagy at an enemy who can neither dodge nor protect himself by his shield. The number of Zulus who were slain during this retreat was very great—we could see man after man struck down and assagied; and the officers became quite excited, and exclaimed that these niggers fought like tigers. I told them of some of the battles I had been in, against the Zulus, and of some of the dodges we had practised. They said they wished they had some two hundred blue-jackets with them, and they would have given a good account of these Zulus. I told them that the cutlasses used by the sailors would be of no use against an assagy; that a Zulu would send his assagy through a man at twenty or thirty yards’ distance, and that a man armed with a sword would be unable to do anything with it at that distance. Then, again, when the Zulus rushed in on an enemy, it was possible to shoot down several of them, but those not shot would stab with their assagies, before the men armed with guns could reload.Having seen the defeat and the slaughter of a large number of the Zulus, the officers decided to pull off to the ship, and report to the captain what had occurred. There was luckily very little surf on the bar, and we pulled over what there was without shipping much water in our boat. On reaching the ship, the officers gave an account to the captain of what had occurred, and were very full of praise for my skill and coolness in having saved them from the Zulus; for they agreed that, had they been left to themselves, they never could have reached the boats, as the Zulus would have surrounded them, and though they might have shot several, yet they could not have loaded quickly enough to prevent their enemy from closing in on them. The officers gave a very good account of the fight they had seen between Umnini’s Caffres and the Zulus; and if any doubt had remained in the mind of the captain about these two tribes being at enmity with each other, this fight would have placed the matter on the side of certainty.On the morning following the day on which we had escaped from the Zulus, the captain sent for me to his cabin. On my entrance I found him sitting near a writing-table on which were various papers; he told me to sit down, as he wanted to ask me several questions. He then produced a map of the coast of South Africa, and pointed to Natal Bay, the Umlass river, and other places; and then asked if I could tell him exactly where the ship in which I had been wrecked had gone on shore. I estimated the distance from the Umzimvubu river, and with a pencil marked the spot.I then described to him the country inland, as far as I had been, and pointed out that several small streams were not put down in the map.After we had talked about these matters, the captain said, “Now tell me more about yourself, who you are, and all that.”I gave the captain a history of my early days in India, and then explained to him that I was on my way home to England to be educated by my uncle, who was reported to be very rich, when our ship was wrecked. When I told him the name of my father, he looked in a large book, and then asked me my fathers Christian name. At first I could not recall it, but after a little thought I said it was William Mark.“Your father is alive and is now a colonel,” said the captain, “but is no doubt under the impression that you were drowned, as nothing was heard of the ship you were in after she was seen at the Mauritius.”I was delighted to hear this news, and a great longing now came over me to see my father and to again join civilisation. I told the captain what my wishes were, but that I had no money and did not know how I was to get to India, or to England; nor did I know whether my uncle was alive, and whether I ought now to go to England. I was quite able to take care of myself if alone in the African bush, or on the plains, though enemies of various kinds might be around me; but I felt I should be powerless among white men, whom, from my experience of the sailors in the former ship, I had found very stupid and suspicious.The captain told me he would take me to Simon’s Town at the Cape, and see what could be done about communicating with my friends.It took, in those days, upwards of four months for an answer to a Cape letter to England to be received, and about the same time for a letter sent to India to be answered and received at the Cape. I did not remember my uncle’s address in England, so that it would be impossible to communicate with him; nor did I know in what part of India my father was, but as he was well-known at Delhi, I believed that a letter sent there would be forwarded to him.On the following day the captain decided to leave Natal and start for the Cape. The wind was in our favour, and we sailed westward, our course carrying us about twenty miles from the coast. I remained on deck watching the old familiar localities and pointing out to the captain the various rivers and headlands. Just before dark we were opposite the rocks where I was wrecked, and the captain took some observations and marked on his map the exact spot.During the next two or three days I passed an hour or so each day, giving the captain an account of the wreck, and of what occurred afterwards; he wrote down what I told him, and, having made a sort of history of this, he then read it over to me, asking me if it were all correct.He said, the loss of the ship had caused great excitement in England, he remembered, at the time; but when no news came, and a ship sent from the Cape to search could gain no intelligence, it was concluded that she had gone down in the storm, between the Mauritius and the Cape, and of course it was expected every one had been drowned.We had a fair wind all the way down to Simon’s Bay, and accomplished the voyage in six days. As soon as we had anchored, the captain went on shore to visit the admiral, and I was left on the ship. In about an hour one of the officers came to me and said a signal had been sent from the admiral to say that I was to go on shore to the admiral’s house. A boat was provided, and I was soon pulled on shore.Although I had led the life of a savage since my shipwreck, and had gained no experience of what is called polite society, yet the dangers through which I had passed had given me self-dependence; and the calm, dignified behaviour of the chiefs, both among the Zulus and the Umzimvubus, had given me an insight into the proper way of conducting myself. When, then, I was taken by the captain before the admiral I was not flurried as some youngsters might have been, but very cool and calm. The admiral examined me critically, and then said—“You have had some strange adventures up the country.”“Yes, sir,” I replied, “I have been some years living entirely among the Caffres.”“Is the account you have given of the shipwreck quite correct?”“Everything I told the captain is just as it occurred.”“Don’t you think the English women who are up there would come away if they could?”“No,” I replied, “they told me themselves they would not leave now: they have children, and have been well-treated; and they could not come again to civilisation after living during some years as the wives of Caffres.”“Then,” said the admiral, “if I sent a ship up there to bring these women away, you don’t think they would come?”“I am certain they would not; and you would not be able to find them. The Caffres would carry them up the country, and conceal them as soon as your ship was seen to be landing men; and if you attempted to use force, you might be opposed by several thousand warriors; who, though armed with assagies only, would yet, in the rough bushy country, slaughter two or three hundred men armed with muskets.”After some further conversation the admiral asked me what I wished to do.I replied that I had no money, no clothes, except what the captain had given me, and no friends at the Cape; that I should like my father, who was in India to know of my safety, and should like to receive his instructions as to what he wished me to do. I added that, if I stopped at the Cape, my father would pay any one for my keep as soon as he knew where I was.The admiral shook hands with me, and said I had better return to the ship at present; but that he should be glad to see me at lunch in an hour’s time, and he would consider what should be done for me.At the lunch I was fully occupied in answering questions about the details of the shipwreck, and my adventures in the wild country of the Umzimvubu. My description of the slaughter of the captain of the merchant vessel, and his obstinacy in not being cautious enough, seemed rather to amuse some of the officers who were present. Altogether, I was much pleased with my treatment by the admiral, and returned in the afternoon to the ship.On the following morning I found that a Cape Town paper had a full account of the shipwreck, and of my adventures among the Caffres, giving my name, and stating who I was. I was amused at finding myself so famous all at once, but did not then anticipate what would be the speedy result of all this being known at the Cape. What was the result must be reserved for another chapter.

Almost immediately after my return to my old kraal, I went to see the English ladies who had been on board the ship. I found that Mrs Apton was dead, but the others seemed to have become quite reconciled to their lot. They were now the mothers of several children, and they told me that they would not now leave the country if they could. What they most wished for were some clothes in which they might dress like Englishwomen. Their knowledge of dress, however, had enabled them to form, out of the skins of antelopes, very ornamental dresses; and although some people might have laughed at their attire, yet the Caffres thought their ornaments most becoming. It seemed singular how very quickly these females had become accustomed to the strange life they were compelled to lead. They did not work in the gardens as did the Caffre women, but were treated just the same as the wives of the greatest chiefs. The other Caffre women were not jealous of the English females, but treated them kindly, and seemed to regard them as strangers deserving of hospitality. What was most admired was the long hair of the English ladies, the Caffre women having only woolly locks.

There was no restriction now placed upon my movements. I had fought for my tribe, and had shown that I was true to the men who had saved my life; so I was trusted just the same as though I had been born a Caffre. Although I had been so well-treated by my present companions, and the life I now led was very pleasant, yet the fact of having seen and conversed with Englishmen had caused a feeling of restlessness to take possession of me; and I was always thinking of where I should be, and what I should be doing, if I had succeeded in getting away in the ship from Natal Bay. It was now a common thing for me to leave my hut and go down to the hills near the coast, and watch the sea, in order to find out if any ships were near. I knew enough of English habits to be certain that the slaughter of the captain of the vessel would be revenged, though I did not know by what means this would be accomplished.

It was about a moon and a half, or six weeks, after I had returned to the Umzimvubu district, that one morning I saw from my look-out station a large ship sailing, and not very far from the land. I remembered that the sailors had told me that when a vessel was going round the Cape to the east, she always kept about sixty or seventy miles from the land, to avoid the strong current that ran from east to west. When, however, a ship was travelling from east to west she kept nearer the coast, so as to get the benefit of the stream in her favour. The vessel I now saw was going eastwards, and yet was close inland; so I thought it very likely she was coming to Natal. She was of too large a size to come over the bar; and I believed she must be a vessel of war. As she came nearer the land I could see guns looking out, as it were, of her ports; and I then knew she was a man-of-war. Before the sun set this ship had anchored opposite the harbour of Natal, and had furled all her sails. I returned to my kraal and kept silence as to what I had seen. I wanted to think during the night what I should do as regards this ship. If I told the men of the kraal that a ship had come to Natal, they might object to my going there, for fear I should tell the tale about the slaughter of my shipmates. Silence therefore was the most prudent plan. Just before sunrise, I, with a large bag of boiled corn and armed with my pistols and an assagy, started for Natal Bay. The journey was a long one, but I was in such training that I could run and walk very fast, and I believe could manage fifty miles a day, without much fatigue. It was near sunset, however, before I reached the high land on the west of the bay: from this high land the ship was seen, and when first viewed I saw two boats rowing to the vessel. There was a great deal of surf on the bar, so I felt certain that no boat could have entered the harbour that day, and that probably the boats I had seen had been to look at the bar to see if it were practicable.

I found my old hut on the bluff just as I had left it; so, making a meal of my boiled corn, I lay down and slept well after my long journey.

I was awoke in the morning by the screams of a sea-eagle, and found, on looking out, that the sun had risen many times its own diameter in the sky. The wind had changed, and was now blowing from the north, and the surf on the bar was much less than it was on the previous day, and seemed to be decreasing. On looking towards the ship I saw two boats full of men pulling towards the harbour; and these, I saw, would, if properly managed, be able to cross the bar and enter the harbour. Descending the bluff, I went down to the shore, and, breaking off a large branch of a tree, waved it over my head, hoping that some one either on the ship or in the boats would see me. It was exciting work seeing these boats approach the bar and wait for some time as they saw the wives break and curl at this spot. After some time the oars flashed in the water. I saw the boats first on the crest of a wave, then lost sight of them, then saw them reappear and glide along in comparatively smooth water as they passed the dangerous breaking water on the bar. The boats were now so near that I could count the men in the boats, and could see they were all armed, and were dressed alike, which was not the case with the crew of the small vessel that had previously visited Natal. As the boats approached the shore several men stood up in the front part of the boat, and seemed to be on the look-out for an enemy, as they had guns, which they held ready for firing. I called out that there was no one on the shore but me, and saw that surprise was caused by my speaking English, because I was in dress like a Caffre, and my skin had become very brown.

On approaching the rocks on which I stood the boat stopped, and a young-looking man at the stern of the leading boat called out—

“Who are you?”

“I am an English boy who was shipwrecked here some years ago.”

“What is your name?”

I was about to answer “Umkinglovu,” but I remembered that I was called Julius by my father, so I replied, “My name is Julius.”

“Are there any Caffres about here?” inquired the officer, for such I found afterwards that he was.

“I do not think there are; but if there should be, I don’t think they would do you any harm.”

The officer smiled as he said, “Do me any harm! no, I don’t think they are likely to do that. Are there any white men here?”

“None,” I replied. “The few white men who were here have either been killed by a war-party of the Zulus, or have escaped in a vessel.”

“Then how is it you have escaped?”

“I was with a tribe down the coast, who fought with the Zulus and beat them off.”

“How did you come by those pistols?”

“They belonged to the captain of a small vessel here, who was killed by the Zulus as he was getting water up the bay.”

As I said this the officer spoke in a low tone to a companion who was sitting near him. He then said—

“Put those pistols on the ground, and come into the boat.”

I did as he told me, and stepped into the boat, the sailors eyeing me suspiciously.

“Pull off from the shore,” said the officer, and the boat was moved into the middle of the stream, so that it was safe from an attack by any one not armed with guns.

“Now sit down here,” said the officer, as he pointed to the stern of the boat, “and answer my questions.”

I complied with his request, and he then questioned me—as to where the nearest Caffres lived how numerous they were, how they were armed and whether they were friendly or otherwise to white men.

I gave him all the information I possessed on these points, but I found it difficult to make him understand how it was that the Zulus were enemies of the white man, but the Caffres about Natal were friendly. He seemed to look upon all Caffres as “niggers,” and not to distinguish the one tribe from the other.

He then asked me if I could show him where the captain of the merchantman had been killed, and upon my pointing to the place he ordered his men to pull up the bay, to the spot. Upon reaching this, I explained the whole affair to him, and pointed out where the Zulus had attempted to stop me. As I continued my account, I found by the looks of these sailors that I rose very much in their estimation.

“Why did you not come away in the ship?” inquired the officer.

I told him of the behaviour of the sailors, and their suspicions of me, and that they had put me on shore; that, if I had not been well acquainted with the habits of the Zulus, I should have been assagied or made prisoner by these people.

As we pulled down the bay towards the bar, the officer told me he intended taking me on board the ship to see the captain, and to tell him what I had seen and known about the slaughter at Natal.

Before we had gone halfway to the ship, I became very sick. There was a heavy sea on for a boat, and I was unaccustomed to the motion, so that I was soon suffering from the effects of the waves on the boat.

I, however, scrambled up on to the deck of the ship, and found myself in the presence of several officers, who looked at me with astonishment. The officer who had brought me in the boat told a tall officer, who, I afterwards learned, was the captain, what my previous history had been. The captain at once was deeply interested, and inquired all particulars about the shipwreck, and what had become of those who had escaped drowning. I told him that I was the only male survivor, that the others had by a mistake been assagied, as it was supposed they were slave-catchers. The females, I said, were the wives of Caffres, and would not wish to leave their adopted country. The captain having listened to all I had to tell him, asked me if I should like some clothes, for I was dressed like a Caffre. Upon my intimating that, if I remained in the country clothes would be useless, but if I were to be taken away I must have some raiment, the captain took me to his cabin, and having sent for some of the midshipmen, I was soon rigged out in a suit of clothes that fitted me tolerably well. From the captain I learned that he had come up to Natal to make inquiries relative to the murders that had been committed on the white people, and to punish the murderers. I explained to him that the Caffres who lived near the Umlass and in the neighbourhood, had nothing to do with the slaughter of these people; that it was a war-party of the Zulus which had come down the country for the purpose of killing all white men. He seemed, however, disinclined to believe that the people in the country were not a party to the massacre, till I told him of the fight we had with the Zulus, and our battle near the Umlass river.

On that night I slept on board ship, and by the following morning had quite recovered from my sea-sickness. The captain sent for me very early, and asked if I could guide a party to the nearest Caffre kraal, as he wanted to see the people in their natural state. I told him it might be dangerous, as the Caffres would suppose we had come to attack them or to make slaves of them. He laughed at the idea of being attacked; for, as he would take a large party with him, who would be armed, he considered he would be more than a match for all the Caffres in the country. I told him he did not know what these people were in war, and how by a surprise they would to a certain extent do away with the advantages which his firearms gave him. About fifty sailors were armed, and being led by the captain we landed at the upper part of the bay, and marched on towards the Umlass. The chief in that neighbourhood was named Umnini, and was a very fine fellow. I was anxious to let him know we were a friendly party come to see him, but I could not meet or see any Caffres by whom to send a message. I felt quite sure that we had been observed, for Caffres are very watchful. We had passed over some open ground just beyond the Umslatazane river, and had entered a bush-path beyond, when I heard a shrill whistle which I knew meant a signal for attack. I at once shouted in Caffre, “We are friends, come to see Umnini.” The captain looked at me in astonishment and said, “What are you shouting about?” I told him he must halt his men and keep them quiet, or we might have a thousand men on us in half a minute. As he could not see a Caffre, or even hear one, he said, “A thousand men! why there is not one to be seen.” I again called out in Caffre and said, “I have brought the chief of the big ship to talk to Umnini. He is friendly and wants to see him.” There was silence for a short time, and then a voice from the bush was heard, and inquiry was made as to why a messenger was not sent first to say we were friends.

I replied that the chief of the ship did not know what the law was in this country.

The captain, who was much surprised at hearing the voice come from the bush when he could see no one, asked me what they were saying. I told him that the Caffres suspected that he had come to attack them or to capture some slaves, and if I had not spoken he would have been attacked in this bush. I inquired of him if I should ask the Caffre chief to advance and to talk to us, for it would not be prudent for us to go on any farther unless the Caffres allowed us. The captain seemed rather suspicious of treachery, but having cautioned his men to keep together, said that I had better ask the chief to come to us. I called out again, asking the chief to come; when, from behind every tree and bush, and apparently out of the ground, a Caffre appeared, each armed with his six assagies and a knob-kerrie, and carrying his shield before him. Our party was completely surrounded, and had war been intended we should soon have been assagied. The chief who commanded this party was Umnini’s young brother, whom I knew well. As he quietly advanced to us, he showed no surprise or any sign of fear. His appearance, I saw, impressed the captain, who touched his cap as the chief advanced. This young chief was called Ingwe, and I told him who the captain was, and that he had come to pay a visit to Umnini. Ingwe shook hands with the captain, and then, speaking a few words to the Caffres informing them that we were friends, told them to go on to Umnini’s kraal and announce our arrival.

Ingwe led the way, and we walked through the bush-paths. The sailors seemed surprised at the order and discipline of these Caffres, and the dignified manner in which they behaved; but their surprise was greater when we approached the chiefs kraal, and found the men drawn up in two lines, between which we marched till we came near the huts, where Umnini met us. Umnini addressed all his conversation to me, and I translated it to the captain, and when the captain spoke I had to turn his words into Caffre.

Umnini said he was glad to see the chief of the large ship, and was sorry there had nearly been a mistake made, as the captain came armed and like a war-party; but he was welcome to the kraal, and a young bull would shortly be killed for a feast for the sailors.

The captain replied that he did not think his coming armed would have been mistaken for war, as he had no cause of complaint against Umnini, but wished to see the chief in his kraal; that he did not wish an ox killed, as his men would not be allowed to eat at that hour.

Umnini then asked the captain and me to come into his kraal, where we saw several of Umnini’s wives and children. The captain sat down in the hut, and we had a long conversation about the Zulus, and their attack on the white people at the bay; also about the life the Caffres lived, their habits, etc. The captain kept on making notes in a pocket-book as he received his answers, and seemed much interested in what he heard. He then asked about the white women who had been wrecked with me, and inquired whether it were possible to see them and persuade them to return to civilisation in his ship.

I told him I believed they would avoid being seen, and certainly would not leave the country, as they were the mothers of several children, and were regularly accustomed to the life they now led. We stopped about as long as it took the sun to go ten times its diameter; and then, bidding the chief good-bye, we returned to our boats and pulled off to the ship. Umnini had made a present of a gourd snuff-box to the captain, and had received in return a watch-chain, which Umnini hung round his neck.

Several of the officers of the ship were anxious to go on shore to have some shooting, and asked me where was the best place to go. I told them that in the bush there were elephants and antelope; that it was dangerous sport going after elephants, but if they were careful, they might kill one. Four officers arranged to go with me, in search of them, and to start at daybreak. On the open ground near the head of the bay, there were some pools of water just outside the bush, where the elephants were fond of drinking during the night. Upon landing from our boats, we walked to these ponds, and I told the officers that we must not speak above a whisper when we entered the bush, and must walk so quietly that no man could hear the footsteps of the man in front of him. The officers smiled at my cautious instructions, and seemed amused at the idea of being taught by a mere boy. The elephants had visited the pool early in the morning, and had then entered the bush by one of their well-worn paths. The traces of the animals were very plain, the print of their large feet being distinctly marked in many places. We had not entered the bush more than the distance of four or five throws of an assagy, when I heard the slight crack of a stick in front of us. I stopped, and stooping down, saw the outline of an elephant looming amidst some dense underwood. I pointed to this spot and whispered to the officers, “Elephant.”

They stooped and peeped, but could see nothing. I then signalled to them to go slowly forward, when they would, I hoped, obtain a view of the animal. The officers crept on, but not being accustomed to the bush, each man made more noise than would fifty Caffres. They had only gone on a few steps, when they turned to me and said, “That is not an elephant, it is only some old tree.” At the same instant, the elephant, hearing their voices, turned in the bush; and, crashing through the underwood, was soon far out of sight and beyond a shot. The astonishment of the officers was very great when they saw their “old tree” become a nearly full-grown elephant, and heard it crashing through the bush, the breaking branches which it carried away in its rush sounding like the report of musketry.

“The youngster was right after all,” they exclaimed. “Only fancy, an elephant standing as quietly as that.”

They wanted to follow the animal; but I explained to them that they might as well follow a bird on the wing, as the elephant would probably not stop until it had gone some four or five miles through the bush, and would then be on the alert and difficult to approach.

Finding there was no chance of again seeing the elephant, the officers decided to come out of the bush, and try to get a shot at some buck on the more open ground.

We had gone some distance from the bush, when, on looking towards the Umganie river, I saw in the distance a large party of Caffres. I instantly lay down, and called eagerly to the officers to do the same; for from the glance I had obtained I thought this must be a war-party of the Zulus, probably sent down to see what the ship was doing here. The officers laughed at my caution, but they concealed themselves, though not as quickly as they ought to have done. I wished now that I had my glasses with me, for the body of Caffres was a long way off. I soon saw, however, that the party were Zulus; and informed the officers of the fact, and that we must run for our lives.

Had I been alone I should not have feared for the result of a race, because we were some considerable distance in advance of the Zulus, and I could run as fast and as far as the best man amongst them; but I had already found that the officers were not fit to run far, the long time they had been on board ship having prevented them from getting into racing condition. Our boat was fully a mile and a half, as I should now term the distance, from where we were concealed, and I knew that a Zulu would run this distance about as fast again as the officers. I told them that their lives now depended on their doing exactly what I directed them to do; and I added that they ought now to know that I was better acquainted with things in this country than they were, as I could distinguish an elephant from a dead tree. They said—

“All right, give your orders.”

We crawled along the ground for some distance, till we were concealed by a portion of the bush; we then rose and ran along the edge of the bush, but we did not run very fast, for I was afraid that my companions would get out of breath before the real race began. When we had gone some distance near the bush, I found that, to go in the direction of our boats, we must now move in the open country. I told my companions of my plan, and said that we could move no faster than the slowest runner among them. I saw that one of the officers, who was rather stout, was already out of breath, and I feared that we should find it hard work reaching our boat before the Zulus were upon us. When we struck off into the open plain I looked round, and then knew that the Zulus must have seen us from the first, as they were coming on at a run, which, although not very fast, had yet enabled them to decrease the distance between them and us.

“Now do your best,” I said, and we commenced our run.

The Zulus uttered a shout, as they now saw us plainly, and several of their fastest runners advanced in front of the main body. I now carried two guns of the officers that they might get on the more easily, but found that our pursuers were gaining rapidly on us.

When we were within a short distance of the boat, about twenty Zulus were nearly within an assagy’s-throw of us. I said to the officers, “Run to the boat: I will stop the Zulus.” The officers ran on whilst I stopped, and, dropping one of the guns, aimed with the other at the leading Zulu. The man dodged about as I aimed, but my bullet struck him, and he fell to the ground; with the second barrel I hit another Zulu, and then the other men dropped on the ground to conceal themselves. Picking up the gun I had dropped, I darted off to the boat, into which the officers had embarked, and jumped into it, telling them to push off at once. The water for some distance was shallow, and before we could get into deep water, about a hundred Zulus dashed in, and were hurling their assagies at us. We fired at these men, whilst the four sailors in the boat rowed as fast as they could; and as the water became deeper, we could move faster than the Zulus, and so were soon beyond the range of their assagies.

The Zulus, on finding they could not reach us, instantly left the water and concealed themselves in the bush, in order to avoid our bullets.

“Smart work,” said one of the officers, who seemed rather to enjoy the excitement; “I don’t think I ever ran so far before.” Another officer said, “I tell you what it is, youngster, you are well up in this kind of work.”

As we rowed down the bay I heard a voice shouting from one of the islands in the bay, and asking what number of Zulus there were. I told the Caffre about five hundred.

I now asked the officers to stop the boat, because near the head of the bay I saw some dust rising, and I suspected that this was caused by some of Umnini’s warriors who had been assembled to resist any attack the Zulus might make. The rapidity with which these people could arm and assemble was very great. From a distant kraal men would arm and run towards the point of danger. As they passed the various kraals on the way they would be joined by the warriors from these kraals, and as every full-grown man was a warrior, the army soon swelled to a considerable size. I should have liked to join Umnini’s people in what I expected would be an attack on the Zulus, but I did not like to take the officers with me, and they said they would not allow me to leave them; so we kept the boat in deep water, and beyond where an assagy could be cast on to the boat. The Zulus, who had followed us down to the water, had concealed themselves in the bush as soon as we had secured our retreat; but they now evidently had some knowledge of the approach of Umnini’s men, as they were moving rapidly through the bush, and calling to one another. The distance from the head of the bay to where the Zulus had followed us was not very far, and I knew that the rapidity with which the Caffres moved would soon enable them to attack the Zulus. The latter, however, either thought the numbers of their enemies too great, or else they did not wish to fight, as there was nothing to fight for, no cattle being near enough for the Zulus to carry off, even if they gained the victory; so they retreated rapidly towards the Umganie river, followed by Umninis people.

I knew that, from the summit of some tall trees on the shore of the bay near the bluff, a view could be obtained of the coast even beyond the Umganie; so I suggested to the officers that we pulled down the bay, and ascended the high land, so as to obtain a view of what was taking place. We soon reached the shore beneath the bluff, and ascending it found that we could see both the Zulus and Umnini’s Caffres. The Zulus, finding that they would be overtaken before they could cross the river, had faced about, and, standing shoulder to shoulder, were awaiting the attack of their pursuers. The battle soon commenced, by a shower of assagies being thrown by the Natal Caffres; then a charge was made, and for a time we could see nothing but a struggling mass of black warriors. Then the tide of battle evidently turned in favour of Umnini’s men; for the Zulus were flying in the direction of the river, followed by the Natal Caffres. In savage warfare, it is in the retreat that the greater number of men are killed: the pursuer has the advantage of casting his assagy at an enemy who can neither dodge nor protect himself by his shield. The number of Zulus who were slain during this retreat was very great—we could see man after man struck down and assagied; and the officers became quite excited, and exclaimed that these niggers fought like tigers. I told them of some of the battles I had been in, against the Zulus, and of some of the dodges we had practised. They said they wished they had some two hundred blue-jackets with them, and they would have given a good account of these Zulus. I told them that the cutlasses used by the sailors would be of no use against an assagy; that a Zulu would send his assagy through a man at twenty or thirty yards’ distance, and that a man armed with a sword would be unable to do anything with it at that distance. Then, again, when the Zulus rushed in on an enemy, it was possible to shoot down several of them, but those not shot would stab with their assagies, before the men armed with guns could reload.

Having seen the defeat and the slaughter of a large number of the Zulus, the officers decided to pull off to the ship, and report to the captain what had occurred. There was luckily very little surf on the bar, and we pulled over what there was without shipping much water in our boat. On reaching the ship, the officers gave an account to the captain of what had occurred, and were very full of praise for my skill and coolness in having saved them from the Zulus; for they agreed that, had they been left to themselves, they never could have reached the boats, as the Zulus would have surrounded them, and though they might have shot several, yet they could not have loaded quickly enough to prevent their enemy from closing in on them. The officers gave a very good account of the fight they had seen between Umnini’s Caffres and the Zulus; and if any doubt had remained in the mind of the captain about these two tribes being at enmity with each other, this fight would have placed the matter on the side of certainty.

On the morning following the day on which we had escaped from the Zulus, the captain sent for me to his cabin. On my entrance I found him sitting near a writing-table on which were various papers; he told me to sit down, as he wanted to ask me several questions. He then produced a map of the coast of South Africa, and pointed to Natal Bay, the Umlass river, and other places; and then asked if I could tell him exactly where the ship in which I had been wrecked had gone on shore. I estimated the distance from the Umzimvubu river, and with a pencil marked the spot.

I then described to him the country inland, as far as I had been, and pointed out that several small streams were not put down in the map.

After we had talked about these matters, the captain said, “Now tell me more about yourself, who you are, and all that.”

I gave the captain a history of my early days in India, and then explained to him that I was on my way home to England to be educated by my uncle, who was reported to be very rich, when our ship was wrecked. When I told him the name of my father, he looked in a large book, and then asked me my fathers Christian name. At first I could not recall it, but after a little thought I said it was William Mark.

“Your father is alive and is now a colonel,” said the captain, “but is no doubt under the impression that you were drowned, as nothing was heard of the ship you were in after she was seen at the Mauritius.”

I was delighted to hear this news, and a great longing now came over me to see my father and to again join civilisation. I told the captain what my wishes were, but that I had no money and did not know how I was to get to India, or to England; nor did I know whether my uncle was alive, and whether I ought now to go to England. I was quite able to take care of myself if alone in the African bush, or on the plains, though enemies of various kinds might be around me; but I felt I should be powerless among white men, whom, from my experience of the sailors in the former ship, I had found very stupid and suspicious.

The captain told me he would take me to Simon’s Town at the Cape, and see what could be done about communicating with my friends.

It took, in those days, upwards of four months for an answer to a Cape letter to England to be received, and about the same time for a letter sent to India to be answered and received at the Cape. I did not remember my uncle’s address in England, so that it would be impossible to communicate with him; nor did I know in what part of India my father was, but as he was well-known at Delhi, I believed that a letter sent there would be forwarded to him.

On the following day the captain decided to leave Natal and start for the Cape. The wind was in our favour, and we sailed westward, our course carrying us about twenty miles from the coast. I remained on deck watching the old familiar localities and pointing out to the captain the various rivers and headlands. Just before dark we were opposite the rocks where I was wrecked, and the captain took some observations and marked on his map the exact spot.

During the next two or three days I passed an hour or so each day, giving the captain an account of the wreck, and of what occurred afterwards; he wrote down what I told him, and, having made a sort of history of this, he then read it over to me, asking me if it were all correct.

He said, the loss of the ship had caused great excitement in England, he remembered, at the time; but when no news came, and a ship sent from the Cape to search could gain no intelligence, it was concluded that she had gone down in the storm, between the Mauritius and the Cape, and of course it was expected every one had been drowned.

We had a fair wind all the way down to Simon’s Bay, and accomplished the voyage in six days. As soon as we had anchored, the captain went on shore to visit the admiral, and I was left on the ship. In about an hour one of the officers came to me and said a signal had been sent from the admiral to say that I was to go on shore to the admiral’s house. A boat was provided, and I was soon pulled on shore.

Although I had led the life of a savage since my shipwreck, and had gained no experience of what is called polite society, yet the dangers through which I had passed had given me self-dependence; and the calm, dignified behaviour of the chiefs, both among the Zulus and the Umzimvubus, had given me an insight into the proper way of conducting myself. When, then, I was taken by the captain before the admiral I was not flurried as some youngsters might have been, but very cool and calm. The admiral examined me critically, and then said—

“You have had some strange adventures up the country.”

“Yes, sir,” I replied, “I have been some years living entirely among the Caffres.”

“Is the account you have given of the shipwreck quite correct?”

“Everything I told the captain is just as it occurred.”

“Don’t you think the English women who are up there would come away if they could?”

“No,” I replied, “they told me themselves they would not leave now: they have children, and have been well-treated; and they could not come again to civilisation after living during some years as the wives of Caffres.”

“Then,” said the admiral, “if I sent a ship up there to bring these women away, you don’t think they would come?”

“I am certain they would not; and you would not be able to find them. The Caffres would carry them up the country, and conceal them as soon as your ship was seen to be landing men; and if you attempted to use force, you might be opposed by several thousand warriors; who, though armed with assagies only, would yet, in the rough bushy country, slaughter two or three hundred men armed with muskets.”

After some further conversation the admiral asked me what I wished to do.

I replied that I had no money, no clothes, except what the captain had given me, and no friends at the Cape; that I should like my father, who was in India to know of my safety, and should like to receive his instructions as to what he wished me to do. I added that, if I stopped at the Cape, my father would pay any one for my keep as soon as he knew where I was.

The admiral shook hands with me, and said I had better return to the ship at present; but that he should be glad to see me at lunch in an hour’s time, and he would consider what should be done for me.

At the lunch I was fully occupied in answering questions about the details of the shipwreck, and my adventures in the wild country of the Umzimvubu. My description of the slaughter of the captain of the merchant vessel, and his obstinacy in not being cautious enough, seemed rather to amuse some of the officers who were present. Altogether, I was much pleased with my treatment by the admiral, and returned in the afternoon to the ship.

On the following morning I found that a Cape Town paper had a full account of the shipwreck, and of my adventures among the Caffres, giving my name, and stating who I was. I was amused at finding myself so famous all at once, but did not then anticipate what would be the speedy result of all this being known at the Cape. What was the result must be reserved for another chapter.

Chapter Seventeen.It was about two hours past mid-day, that a boat came from the shore, and a gentleman in plain clothes stepped from the boat on to the ship, and inquired if Mr Peterson was on board. I was sitting in the cabin, reading, and the gentleman was shown down into the cabin, and I was told he came to visit me. The gentleman, who was old, but tall and erect, looked at me very critically, and then said, “Is your name Julius Peterson?”“Yes,” I replied, “that is my proper name, but I have been renamed by the Caffres.”“You of course remember your father,” said the gentleman; “can you describe him to me?”I gave a very accurate description of my father, and then of our compound and bungalow at Delhi. In reply to the gentleman’s inquiry, I gave the details of our journey to Calcutta, and of our voyage, shipwreck, etc.“You have no papers, or anything about you, which could prove you are the person you represent yourself to be?” said the gentleman.I laughed as he made this remark, for I could not see how I could be any one else but myself; when, however, I saw how serious the gentleman was in making this inquiry, I began to reflect that there was really no one who could know me, and that my own statement was the only evidence of my identity. After several other questions the gentleman informed me that his name was Rossmar; that he lived at Wynberg, near Cape Town; that he was well acquainted with my uncle, who had written to him some time after I had left India, to meet me at the Cape if the ship touched there on her voyage home. He then told me of the anxiety my friends had suffered when nothing was heard of our ship, and at last they had concluded that we had all gone down with the ship. Mr Rossmar apologised for having asked me so many questions, but he said that cases had happened where a shipwrecked boy, or man, had after some years represented himself as some other person, who really had been drowned, so that he had merely used common caution. He then congratulated me on my escape, and said that he hoped I would come to his house and make it my home until I received instructions from my father or uncle, both of whom he said, by last accounts, were well.I explained to Mr Rossmar that I had neither clothes nor money, and was scarcely in a condition to accept an invitation to a house. He said that all could be arranged very easily; that clothes for temporary purposes could be procured, ready made; and that he would see to everything in that way, I thanked Mr Rossmar for his kindness, and having bid good-bye to the captain and officers of the ship, I stepped into the boat and soon landed at Simon’s Town.Having been provided with a stock of clothes at a warehouse, Mr Rossmar drove me in his carriage to the admiral’s, where I stopped for a short time, and then started for Wynberg.There are few more beautiful places in the world than Wynberg. Situated in the lower slopes on the east of Table Mountain it is protected from the south-east and north-west gales. The vegetation is luxuriant, tropical trees and fruits growing in abundance, as also those common in England. The houses are excellent and roomy, and the gardens gay with flowers. The merchants at Cape Town, when well to do, usually have a house at or near Wynberg, and Mr Rossmar, as I afterwards learnt, was one of the richest men in this colony.On arriving at Mr Rossmar’s house I saw several ladies at the window, and was introduced by Mr Rossmar to his wife and four daughters. Although I felt quite at my ease when talking to the admiral, yet I was awkward when the young ladies talked to me. Mr Rossmar told them that all which had been printed in the paper about the shipwreck and my adventures was true, and that I was quite a hero of adventure.It was not long before I overcame my diffidence, and was soon talking to Mrs Rossmar and her daughters as if I had known them all my life. They were much interested in the account I gave them of my life among the Caffres, and when I told them the details of my fight with the Bushmen and Zulus, they became most excited. To me the change from the wild rough life I had led was like coming to fairyland. The house was beautifully furnished; there were several horses in the stable, and having learned to ride in India, I soon was able to manage the most spirited horse, and used to ride every evening with the ladies. They were all excellent musicians, and this to me was a new experience, for in India we had very little music in olden times, and as a boy I heard nothing of even that little.The story of my escape from shipwreck and my life among the tribes up the country was known and talked about all over the Cape. Many people there, although long resident at the Cape, knew little or nothing of the Caffres, their habits, or their country. Cape Town and its neighbourhood was civilised, whilst where I had been was wild as the wildest country. I was asked out to many houses in the neighbourhood, and had over and over again to relate some of my adventures. As is usually the case with ignorant and jealous people, there were some who thought I was inventing stories to astonish them: they did not believe that I had gone through so many strange and exciting scenes, and did not understand how such a boy, as I comparatively was, could have been made a chief by these people.I passed nearly four months at Mr Rossmar’s house, the happiest that I can remember in all my life. Although there was no pretence even of study or of learning anything, yet I gained knowledge from hearing the questions of the day discussed; and from the habits of observation I had acquired in consequence of my life in the bush, I found that I noticed and remembered things which had entirely escaped the observation of all the others. This habit of noticing once saved the life of one of the Miss Rossmars. I was walking in their garden one morning, near a small flower-bed, from which one of the ladies intended to pick some flowers. The path on which we were walking was close to this bed. On the path I noticed a broadish smooth mark leading into the flower-bed. Instantly I knew this to be the spoor of a snake. I stopped Miss Rossmar from picking the flower she was just stooping to gather, and made her stand back. I with my stick moved the flowers so as to examine what was underneath. Just under the flower that the young lady intended gathering, a large puff-adder was coiled, and the reptile was evidently on the watch, as it struck my stick the instant I moved the flower. Had this reptile bitten a human being, death would have been a certainty. I killed the adder, and it was afterwards stuffed by a naturalist at Cape Town, and a small wax-work flower-bed was made to represent the scene as it occurred. If Miss Rossmar had been bitten by the adder, it would have been considered an accident, and probably an unavoidable one; but this case was an instance of how observation may avoid an accident. A Caffre does not believe in what we call an accident: he says it is due to want of care, or to want of observation. In the majority of cases this is true. Men in London get knocked down by cabs and waggons because they do not look carefully to the right and left before they attempt crossing a street. Every year numbers of people are drowned in consequence of bathing in dangerous places, or entering the water alone when they do not know how to swim. When we read of the accidents that annually occur in England we can see that a very large number are due to want of caution or insufficient observation. Living as I had done in a country where one’s life may depend on the caution with which even your foot is placed on the ground (for a snake may be there, and treading on this would be death) makes one old in caution and thoughtfulness though young in years.The four months that I lived with Mr Rossmar taught me much. I was quite at home in society, both with the ladies and gentlemen. I had learned to speak Dutch fairly—for nearly all the servants were Dutch—but was ignorant of accounts, and of Latin and Greek, and consequently would have been considered a dunce in most English schools. Yet I knew more than most youngsters in matters of practical utility.Cape Town in those days was the high road to India. Nearly all the large East Indian merchant ships used to stop at Cape Town, and the English letters used to be brought by these. It was a few days beyond four months after my arrival at the Cape, that a ship arrived and brought letters from my uncle in England, both to me, and to Mr Rossmar. The letter to me was very kind. My uncle said that I had been given up for lost, as nothing had been heard of our ship for so many years; but that if I decided, and my father wished, that I should go to England to him, he would be very glad to see me, and he thought it would be the best thing I could do. He said I should be quite a hero in England, as the English papers had copied from the Cape papers the account of my escape from shipwreck, and life in the wilderness; but that he thought I should have to work hard for a year or two at various studies, in order to be equal with other young men in my position in life. I found that my uncle had written to Mr Rossmar, thanking him for his kindness to me, and sending bills for five hundred pounds, for my use in providing an outfit, paying for my passage home, and any other things that I might require. It was thought advisable that I should not leave the Cape until letters reached me from my father in India; and I must acknowledge that I did not like the idea of leaving my present comfortable quarters. I had become very fond of the Miss Rossmars, and felt just as if I were one of the family. I had everything I could require—a comfortable house, excellent companions, a horse to ride, and nothing to do except what I fancied. The novelty of the life charmed me, and this perhaps was one reason why I did not have any longing for the sports and excitement that had formerly fallen to my share.A few weeks passed, and then a ship was signalled as entering Table Bay from the East. This ship was an Indiaman, so I expected a letter from my father. Scarcely, however, had the ship cast anchor than a boat left her, and pulled rapidly to the shore. In this boat was my father, who on hearing of my safety had obtained leave, and had at once started for the Cape.Our meeting was a joyful one; my father was astonished to see the change that a few years had made in me. When I left India I was comparatively a child. The open-air life I had led, the continued exercise and the healthy food had caused me to grow rapidly, and also to be stout and strong. The various dangerous adventures through which I had passed had made me a man in manner, and I had gained that important quality self-dependence, without which a man is sure to be a failure. My father listened with the greatest interest to my accounts of the various dangers through which I had passed. When I explained to him the life led by some of these Caffre Chiefs, he agreed with me that, except for the uncertainty of being attacked by some other tribe, no life could be more pleasant than that of a chief in that country. To possess a large herd of cattle giving a plentiful supply of milk; several wives who cultivated the ground, and thus supplied corn, pumpkins and other vegetables required for food; game in abundance in the forests and on the plains, and no king or prince in Europe could lead a more happy life than did a Caffre Chief. When I compared the life of even a rich merchant in Cape Town with that of a Caffre Chief, I could not but come to the conclusion that the latter had the best of it. A merchant would go to his office by ten o’clock in the morning, would be shut up there going over accounts till about four o’clock; he had not time for any sport or pleasure during the day, and on his return home, often seemed pre-occupied with the business, to which he had devoted his time in the morning. Then, again, losses of money would sometimes occur, and the unhappiness caused by such a loss, seemed far greater than when a successful speculation, caused temporary happiness. A Caffre’s wants were few, but all these he could supply, and his only anxiety was that relative to wild beasts, poisonous snakes, and invasion by an enemy.I went with my father to dine with the admiral at Simon’s Town, and also accompanied him to several other houses, to dinners, and entertainments of various kinds. Soon after his arrival he wrote to my uncle, saying that he still wished me to proceed to England to have my education attended to, that he could stay at Cape Town about a month, and would like me to remain with him during that period, after which I should embark for England.The month passed very rapidly. My father was also a guest of Mr Rossmar’s, for Cape people were famous for their kindness and hospitality, and seemed as though we conferred a favour on them by staying at their house. At length the ship arrived in which my father was to return to India, and I bid him a long farewell, for it would be five years before he could retire and come to England, where he eventually intended to settle.I now daily expected the arrival of the Indiaman in which passage had been taken for my voyage to England, and five days after my father had sailed, the ship was signalled, and a few hours afterwards anchored in Table Bay. I had many friends to bid good-bye besides those with whom I had been staying. The parting was very sad, but I promised that if possible I would come again to the Cape, and stay a long time with my various friends.A voyage in the sailing-vessels of those days had much more romance and interest in it than is now possible in a modern steamer. Formerly a ship was dependent on the amount and direction of the wind; there was always the excitement of watching the barometer, the clouds, etc, to discover if possible any change of wind; a storm was a greater battle than it now is; and the uncertainty of the duration of the voyage had its charms. Some sailing ships were nearly eighty days in reaching England from the Cape, others accomplished the voyage in a little over fifty.We had a fair wind on leaving Table Bay. I remained on deck watching the Table Mountain gradually sink, as it were, on the horizon, and when darkness came on I went to my cabin below, and felt dull and miserable. There were about fifty passengers on board, mostly old Indians. My story was known to them all, and several were acquainted with my father; so I soon made acquaintances with my fellow-voyagers, and found the time pass pleasantly enough. We cast anchor for a day at Saint Helena, and I had an opportunity of visiting the most beautiful parts of that island. Our voyage continued favourable until we were within a few degrees of the equator, when the favourable wind died away, and we were left becalmed. This was not an unusual condition. The captain informed us that he had remained on one occasion ten days in these latitudes without moving a mile. The heat was very great, but as most of us had been long in India we stood this better than did those passengers who had merely joined us at Cape Town. I soon took great interest in catching shark. These sea monsters seemed attracted to the ship, and there was usually a dorsal fin seen above the water within a hundred yards of our ship. I constructed an arrangement for shark-fishing which was very successful. At the end of a stout copper wire I lashed a strong hook, and then, with a long line fastened to the wire, I could play the shark just as salmon-fishers play a salmon. By this means I used to catch a shark nearly every day. One of these was a monster ten feet long. We used to haul these fish on deck by slipping a bowling-knot in a rope down our line and over the shark’s fins; and we had great excitement when the creatures were hauled on deck, as they were dangerous to approach until they were killed by blows on the head, and their tail partly amputated with a hatchet. There were on board three gentlemen, who were good chess-players. I used to watch these play their games, and soon learned the moves and the manner in which the game was played, and before the voyage was half over I could play chess very fairly. I also learned from one of the mates how to measure altitudes of the sun, and how to find the latitude each day. This gave me a taste for astronomy, and I learned also the names of the principal stars. The voyage was thus to me a period of interest, and did not hang heavily on my hands; whereas those people who took no interest in anything during the voyage, were always wearied and cross.As we approached England we met or overtook several ships: our vessel was a very fast sailer, and never failed to overtake any ship that we saw ahead of us. It was on the fifty-fourth day from leaving the Cape that we saw some land, which the captain told us was Ushant. Two days afterwards we were off Plymouth, and in another week were beating up the Downs. There were few steamers in those days, and nearly all the ships sailed up the Thames. When we reached Gravesend a gentleman came on board, who told me he had been sent from London by my uncle, who wished me to land at Gravesend, and travel by coach to London. I was really sorry to leave the ship, where I had passed two months very pleasantly, and had been treated most kindly by the captain and officers, as also by my fellow-passengers.However, I was delighted with what I saw from the outside of a four-horse coach, as we travelled up to London. But London bewildered me: the noise, the number of people and vehicles, made me quite giddy; and though I could find my way for miles in an African forest, yet I doubted whether I should ever be able to walk alone in London without losing myself. My uncle lived in an old-fashioned, but very comfortable house near Highgate, and we reached that locality about six o’clock in the evening. The time of year was autumn when I arrived, and it was a lovely evening, the sun about setting. My uncle’s house stood in a garden, with fine trees round it, and at that time Highgate was quite in the country. A very dignified oldish man met me at the door, who I was informed was the butler, and who, having taken charge of my luggage, said that Mr Peterson was in the drawing-room, and would be glad to see me there. I was preceded by the butler, who opened the door with great solemnity, and announced “Mr Peterson.” My uncle was standing with his back to the fire, and at the first glance I came to the conclusion that I had rarely seen a more striking-looking man. He was quite six feet high, neither thin nor stout; his hair was quite white, and worn rather long. He must have been nearly seventy years of age, but was as erect and straight as a life-guardsman. His eyes were deep-set, and partly concealed by heavy black eyebrows, which produced a curious contrast with his snow-white hair. His glance at me as I walked across the room seemed to read me at once, and I mentally exclaimed, “He is a chief.”“Welcome to England, my boy,” said my uncle, as he shook me heartily by the hand. “You have had strange adventures since you left India; but, judging from your appearance, you do not seem to have suffered much. Why, you are quite a young man, and I expected to see a mere boy.”At the age at which I had then arrived there are few things which are more flattering than that of being told you are no longer a boy. When with the Caffres I never thought of such things. The fact of having been made a chief had promoted me to the dignity of manhood, but when I came again among white people I was treated as a boy by some of these; my uncle, however, considered me a young man.After a few remarks about my voyage, my uncle informed me that we should dine in an hour, and that probably it would take me some time to dress and refresh myself after my journey: he rang the bell, and told Edwards, the dignified butler, to show me to my room.There was a solid well-to-do look in everything in my uncle’s house: the furniture consisted principally of carved black oak; curiosities of various kinds were hung up in the hall and on the walls of the staircase. My bedroom had several handsome pictures in it, the bed itself being a large four-poster.Edwards helped me to unpack my portmanteaus, and hinted that the master always dressed for dinner. My outfit at Cape Town had been very complete, so I arrayed myself in a “claw-hammer” coat, as the sailors term it, and a white tie, and made my way to the drawing-room, where I found my uncle. In his evening dress he looked still more noticeable than when I first saw him, and I felt proud of being the nephew of so distinguished a looking man.During dinner I was surprised at the knowledge my uncle possessed of the Caffres, and of South Africa. He had evidently studied that country, and was well acquainted with its geography, climate, and the character of the natives. The questions he put to me taxed all my local knowledge to answer, and I found it difficult to believe that he had not himself been in the country. He was much interested in my account of the language; he was himself a great linguist, and traced in the Caffre words I used a connection with the Arabic. After dinner we sat talking, mainly about my adventures at the Cape, my uncle’s questions leading me on to give him all the details of my life in that country. At ten o’clock he told me that he always breakfasted at eight; that at seven o’clock the gong sounded three times, at half past seven four times, and at eight five times. He added that one of the things about which he was particular was punctuality, as very much, especially in business, depended on attention to this.When alone in my bedroom I began to speculate on what was to become of me. I had left India with the intention of being sent to a school in England, for the purpose of being educated for one of the colleges devoted to aspirants for India. After my long residence among the Caffres, where I had learned nothing of what in England is termed education, but had added years to my age, I knew how very awkward I should feel in going to a school where probably I might be the biggest boy in the school, but where the smallest boy would know considerably more than I knew. I, however, trusted my uncle would consider all these questions, and I had not long to wait before I found that my trust was justified.On the third night after my arrival my uncle after dinner said:—“I have been thinking, Julius, what is best to be done about your education. You are peculiarly situated: you are in age and appearance quite a young man, and I have discovered that you are very observant and have sound common sense; but you know nothing of those things which are esteemed in the world, such as mathematics, accounts, Latin, French, and other matters. I don’t think it would be pleasant for you to go to a school and mix with other boys, who would be so much younger than you are, but who know so much more. I have decided therefore to secure a private tutor, who will come to this house each morning and work with you till half-past-four. You will, if you are in earnest, progress much more rapidly by this means, and I wish to know when you would like to begin to work.”“At once,” I replied. “I had thought exactly the same about going to school, and should certainly have been ashamed of myself for knowing so little.”“It is no fault of yours,” replied my uncle. “You know more of some things than many men learn during the whole of their lives; for whilst others have been acquiring a knowledge of Greek, Latin, and mathematics, you have learned how to think for yourself and to reason on what you see. It is rare to find a youngster like you as much a philosopher as you are, and all your life you will derive a great advantage from knowing how to do things for yourself.”My life now became one of routine; the tutor who came was a comparatively young man, but was a very able teacher. We were more like companions than master and pupil, and when in our leisure hours I had told him of my past life, he took great interest in me.My uncle had a dinner-party about once a week, to which he invited men who were remarkable in some way—authors, artists, men of science, and travellers. I took great interest in such society, and my knowledge of South Africa and the private life of the Zulus caused me to be listened to with attention whenever I was asked questions.Two years passed in this way, and I made such rapid progress that I had become a fair mathematician, understood book-keeping by double entry, had gone through the six books of Euclid, could read and write French, and might be said to be well educated. My tutor was surprised at the rapidity with which I acquired knowledge. I, however, attributed it to the cultivation of my powers of observation, which had been developed during the wild life I had led in Africa.My uncle at this period informed me that my tutor had told him, that I had made such rapid progress, that there was no necessity for my continuing my studies, and that he now considered it desirable that I should decide what course I should adopt in life.I knew my uncle must have already made up his mind, and so considered it desirable that I should tell him that I had not sufficient experience to make any selection, but would rather follow his advice.“Then,” said my uncle, “what do you think of coming into my office, and learning the business which I have followed with tolerable success? The army is poor pay, and often great hardship. The Indian Civil Service is better, but I think you are too old for that, and I don’t know any other line that would suit you. You can live here with me as long as you find it comfortable, and perhaps in time you may take my place.”During the whole of my residence with my uncle I had never been to his office, which I now learned was in Fenchurch Street; and in a few days I was taken by him and introduced to the head clerk, who, having received instructions from my uncle, took me into an outer office and made me acquainted with four young men who were clerks. These four young men were considerably older than I was, as far as years were concerned, but their manners and conversation soon caused me to look upon them as mere boys; they seemed to have but little powers of reflection, to avoid thinking deeply on any matter, and to endeavour to do as little work as was possible. They indulged greatly in chaff; but, I suppose, from the fact of my being the nephew of their chief, as they termed my uncle, they never chaffed me. I felt but slight inclination for their society, and before I had been a week in the office there was a sort of antagonism between these clerks and myself.My uncle did not seem displeased that I had not become very intimate with these clerks. He asked me one day how I liked them. I replied that I found nothing really to dislike, but they seemed to me particularly foolish, and to be too fond of trifles.My uncle smiled, and said, “The fact is, Julius, you are very old, though young in years. The scenes through which you have passed have aged you, and you look for realities in life. The clerks in my office are thoughtless and superficial.”It would not interest the reader if I were to describe in detail the life I led during the next three years. It was passed without any important events. I learned the details of my father’s life in India from letters received nearly every month from him. I had become thoroughly acquainted with my uncle’s business, and obtained a knowledge of the largeness of his transactions. Considering what must have been his wealth, I should have been surprised at the quiet way in which he lived, had I not discovered that he had a great dislike to display. He had often expressed the opinion that a man should be more than he seemed, instead of seeming more than he was. This he carried out practically. He lived very comfortably, but even with me in the house could not have spent much more than a thousand pounds a year, whereas his annual income must have been seven or eight times that amount.I had become acquainted with several people in London, all friends of my uncle. To the houses of these I was frequently asked, and great attention was shown me. It seemed to be understood that I should be my uncle’s heir; and I knew enough of the ways of the world, to be aware that this fact, had probably more to do with the attention paid me, than any special qualities in myself. I was not, therefore, carried away by such attentions, nor did I become vain in consequence, both dangers to which some young people are liable. I visited everything in London worth seeing, my uncle putting no restrictions on me. He was fond of the opera, and we often attended it together, as also some of the principal theatres. He allowed me an income for my work at the office, and told me that although he did not wish to restrict me as regards anything essential, yet he thought I ought to live within this income. After two years’ experience I found I could do so, and one day mentioned to my uncle that I had not only done so, but had saved fifty pounds.But one event occurred during this period, which broke the monotony of civilised life.It was on a Sunday afternoon, during the winter time, that my uncle accompanied me, to call on a family who lived on the borders of Hampstead Heath. Some of the members of this family were much interested in my adventures in Africa, and I had promised to bring over a knob-kerrie made of the horn of a rhinoceros, to show one of the daughters who was an invalid, and could not visit my uncle’s house to see the few African curiosities that I had there. We stayed at this house till it became dusk, and then set out on our walk home. At that date Hampstead Heath was a lonely place, and robberies were not unfrequent. It occurred to me, soon after we had commenced our walk, that if I were alone I might possibly have an adventure, which I believed would have been amusing. Armed as I was with this formidable knob-kerrie, I could have felled an ox; then I had not neglected my running, and I felt certain that not one Englishman in a thousand could catch me, in case I chose to run. I did not expect that two men walking across the Heath were likely to be stopped by highwaymen. As these ideas crossed my mind, my uncle said, “This heath is rather a dangerous locality to be in late at night: there have been several robberies here lately.”“I was just thinking of that,” I replied, “but I suppose the robbers don’t use firearms.”“Not if they can help it,” said my uncle, “as that would make too much noise.”As we wended our way across the heath, I watched carefully the ground in advance. Although it was a darkish evening I could still see several yards in front of me. Everything was quiet, and we seemed the only people out at the hour. Suddenly, from some bushes near the path, three men jumped up, and were at once within a yard of us.“Now then,” said one of these men, “just hand out what you’ve got, before we knock your brains out.”He had scarcely spoken, before I had lunged at the lower part of his chest with my knob-kerrie, the point of which was sharp as a knife. Shifting my hand to the sharp end, I brought the heavy knob down on the head of the man next to me, who fell as though he had been shot. The third man had grappled with my uncle, and the two were struggling together; for my uncle, although old, was still powerful. Watching my chance, I dropped my knob-kerrie on the shoulder of the highwayman. His arm fell helplessly to his side; at the same time my uncle struck him with his fist and he fell to the ground.We did not wait to see more, because these men were usually provided with pistols, and after the treatment they had received, we believed they would not be very particular about their use. We therefore moved off as rapidly as we could, and reached home in safety; my uncle little the worse for his struggle, except that his coat was torn. At that date the regular police did not exist, and our report of the affair produced no results. We, the next day, visited the scene of our encounter, and found unmistakable “spoor” of the highwaymen having suffered, as there was a great deal of blood on the ground where the man whom I had struck had fallen.I was much complimented by all my friends, to whom my uncle related the adventure; but I explained to them that such scenes were not new to me, that the life I had formerly led had trained me specially so as not to be surprised or taken at an advantage, and it would be strange indeed if, now that I had come to civilisation, I should forget all my early education.Whether it was this adventure, or merely the memory of the past that caused me to become unsettled, yet it was a fact that I had a growing desire to once more visit the country where I had passed such eventful years. In the solitude of my bedroom I used to carry on imaginary conversations in Caffre with my old companions, and retraced my career through the various adventures that had occurred. Weeks passed without my mentioning this feeling to my uncle; but one evening he was speaking about Mr Rossmar, when I said that I believed a very profitable trip might be made to Natal, where ivory, ostrich-feathers, and leopard-skins could be procured for a few beads or some cheap guns.My uncle remarked that Mr Rossmar had, curiously enough, suggested the same thing, the difficulty being to find a trustworthy person who knew the country, and who would undertake the business.I at once said, “I could do it myself. I know the country, can speak the language, and should be able to do away with ‘middle men,’” middle men being the intermediate traders who make their profit by buying cheap and selling dear.“Would you like such a trip?” said my uncle.“Most certainly I should,” I replied. “Lately I have thought how much I should like to visit the country again and see some of my old friends there. I am certain that there is a great quantity of ivory in many parts, and ostrich-feathers could be procured, as ostriches are plentiful.”“We will think about it,” said my uncle, “and perhaps it may be managed.”After this conversation I became unsettled. I was always thinking of the wild life I had led, of its freedom from all forms and conventionalities, and the beauty of the country.My uncle said nothing more for some weeks, but again referred one morning to our previous conversation, and asked if I were still willing to pursue my adventures in South Africa. He said that I could sail to the Cape in one of the ordinary Indiamen, and charter at the Cape a small vessel which could cross the bar at Natal. When this ship was loaded I could return with her to Cape Town, transfer my goods to an Indiaman, and return home. The whole business, he thought, might occupy a year; and, if carefully carried out, ought to be profitable.

It was about two hours past mid-day, that a boat came from the shore, and a gentleman in plain clothes stepped from the boat on to the ship, and inquired if Mr Peterson was on board. I was sitting in the cabin, reading, and the gentleman was shown down into the cabin, and I was told he came to visit me. The gentleman, who was old, but tall and erect, looked at me very critically, and then said, “Is your name Julius Peterson?”

“Yes,” I replied, “that is my proper name, but I have been renamed by the Caffres.”

“You of course remember your father,” said the gentleman; “can you describe him to me?”

I gave a very accurate description of my father, and then of our compound and bungalow at Delhi. In reply to the gentleman’s inquiry, I gave the details of our journey to Calcutta, and of our voyage, shipwreck, etc.

“You have no papers, or anything about you, which could prove you are the person you represent yourself to be?” said the gentleman.

I laughed as he made this remark, for I could not see how I could be any one else but myself; when, however, I saw how serious the gentleman was in making this inquiry, I began to reflect that there was really no one who could know me, and that my own statement was the only evidence of my identity. After several other questions the gentleman informed me that his name was Rossmar; that he lived at Wynberg, near Cape Town; that he was well acquainted with my uncle, who had written to him some time after I had left India, to meet me at the Cape if the ship touched there on her voyage home. He then told me of the anxiety my friends had suffered when nothing was heard of our ship, and at last they had concluded that we had all gone down with the ship. Mr Rossmar apologised for having asked me so many questions, but he said that cases had happened where a shipwrecked boy, or man, had after some years represented himself as some other person, who really had been drowned, so that he had merely used common caution. He then congratulated me on my escape, and said that he hoped I would come to his house and make it my home until I received instructions from my father or uncle, both of whom he said, by last accounts, were well.

I explained to Mr Rossmar that I had neither clothes nor money, and was scarcely in a condition to accept an invitation to a house. He said that all could be arranged very easily; that clothes for temporary purposes could be procured, ready made; and that he would see to everything in that way, I thanked Mr Rossmar for his kindness, and having bid good-bye to the captain and officers of the ship, I stepped into the boat and soon landed at Simon’s Town.

Having been provided with a stock of clothes at a warehouse, Mr Rossmar drove me in his carriage to the admiral’s, where I stopped for a short time, and then started for Wynberg.

There are few more beautiful places in the world than Wynberg. Situated in the lower slopes on the east of Table Mountain it is protected from the south-east and north-west gales. The vegetation is luxuriant, tropical trees and fruits growing in abundance, as also those common in England. The houses are excellent and roomy, and the gardens gay with flowers. The merchants at Cape Town, when well to do, usually have a house at or near Wynberg, and Mr Rossmar, as I afterwards learnt, was one of the richest men in this colony.

On arriving at Mr Rossmar’s house I saw several ladies at the window, and was introduced by Mr Rossmar to his wife and four daughters. Although I felt quite at my ease when talking to the admiral, yet I was awkward when the young ladies talked to me. Mr Rossmar told them that all which had been printed in the paper about the shipwreck and my adventures was true, and that I was quite a hero of adventure.

It was not long before I overcame my diffidence, and was soon talking to Mrs Rossmar and her daughters as if I had known them all my life. They were much interested in the account I gave them of my life among the Caffres, and when I told them the details of my fight with the Bushmen and Zulus, they became most excited. To me the change from the wild rough life I had led was like coming to fairyland. The house was beautifully furnished; there were several horses in the stable, and having learned to ride in India, I soon was able to manage the most spirited horse, and used to ride every evening with the ladies. They were all excellent musicians, and this to me was a new experience, for in India we had very little music in olden times, and as a boy I heard nothing of even that little.

The story of my escape from shipwreck and my life among the tribes up the country was known and talked about all over the Cape. Many people there, although long resident at the Cape, knew little or nothing of the Caffres, their habits, or their country. Cape Town and its neighbourhood was civilised, whilst where I had been was wild as the wildest country. I was asked out to many houses in the neighbourhood, and had over and over again to relate some of my adventures. As is usually the case with ignorant and jealous people, there were some who thought I was inventing stories to astonish them: they did not believe that I had gone through so many strange and exciting scenes, and did not understand how such a boy, as I comparatively was, could have been made a chief by these people.

I passed nearly four months at Mr Rossmar’s house, the happiest that I can remember in all my life. Although there was no pretence even of study or of learning anything, yet I gained knowledge from hearing the questions of the day discussed; and from the habits of observation I had acquired in consequence of my life in the bush, I found that I noticed and remembered things which had entirely escaped the observation of all the others. This habit of noticing once saved the life of one of the Miss Rossmars. I was walking in their garden one morning, near a small flower-bed, from which one of the ladies intended to pick some flowers. The path on which we were walking was close to this bed. On the path I noticed a broadish smooth mark leading into the flower-bed. Instantly I knew this to be the spoor of a snake. I stopped Miss Rossmar from picking the flower she was just stooping to gather, and made her stand back. I with my stick moved the flowers so as to examine what was underneath. Just under the flower that the young lady intended gathering, a large puff-adder was coiled, and the reptile was evidently on the watch, as it struck my stick the instant I moved the flower. Had this reptile bitten a human being, death would have been a certainty. I killed the adder, and it was afterwards stuffed by a naturalist at Cape Town, and a small wax-work flower-bed was made to represent the scene as it occurred. If Miss Rossmar had been bitten by the adder, it would have been considered an accident, and probably an unavoidable one; but this case was an instance of how observation may avoid an accident. A Caffre does not believe in what we call an accident: he says it is due to want of care, or to want of observation. In the majority of cases this is true. Men in London get knocked down by cabs and waggons because they do not look carefully to the right and left before they attempt crossing a street. Every year numbers of people are drowned in consequence of bathing in dangerous places, or entering the water alone when they do not know how to swim. When we read of the accidents that annually occur in England we can see that a very large number are due to want of caution or insufficient observation. Living as I had done in a country where one’s life may depend on the caution with which even your foot is placed on the ground (for a snake may be there, and treading on this would be death) makes one old in caution and thoughtfulness though young in years.

The four months that I lived with Mr Rossmar taught me much. I was quite at home in society, both with the ladies and gentlemen. I had learned to speak Dutch fairly—for nearly all the servants were Dutch—but was ignorant of accounts, and of Latin and Greek, and consequently would have been considered a dunce in most English schools. Yet I knew more than most youngsters in matters of practical utility.

Cape Town in those days was the high road to India. Nearly all the large East Indian merchant ships used to stop at Cape Town, and the English letters used to be brought by these. It was a few days beyond four months after my arrival at the Cape, that a ship arrived and brought letters from my uncle in England, both to me, and to Mr Rossmar. The letter to me was very kind. My uncle said that I had been given up for lost, as nothing had been heard of our ship for so many years; but that if I decided, and my father wished, that I should go to England to him, he would be very glad to see me, and he thought it would be the best thing I could do. He said I should be quite a hero in England, as the English papers had copied from the Cape papers the account of my escape from shipwreck, and life in the wilderness; but that he thought I should have to work hard for a year or two at various studies, in order to be equal with other young men in my position in life. I found that my uncle had written to Mr Rossmar, thanking him for his kindness to me, and sending bills for five hundred pounds, for my use in providing an outfit, paying for my passage home, and any other things that I might require. It was thought advisable that I should not leave the Cape until letters reached me from my father in India; and I must acknowledge that I did not like the idea of leaving my present comfortable quarters. I had become very fond of the Miss Rossmars, and felt just as if I were one of the family. I had everything I could require—a comfortable house, excellent companions, a horse to ride, and nothing to do except what I fancied. The novelty of the life charmed me, and this perhaps was one reason why I did not have any longing for the sports and excitement that had formerly fallen to my share.

A few weeks passed, and then a ship was signalled as entering Table Bay from the East. This ship was an Indiaman, so I expected a letter from my father. Scarcely, however, had the ship cast anchor than a boat left her, and pulled rapidly to the shore. In this boat was my father, who on hearing of my safety had obtained leave, and had at once started for the Cape.

Our meeting was a joyful one; my father was astonished to see the change that a few years had made in me. When I left India I was comparatively a child. The open-air life I had led, the continued exercise and the healthy food had caused me to grow rapidly, and also to be stout and strong. The various dangerous adventures through which I had passed had made me a man in manner, and I had gained that important quality self-dependence, without which a man is sure to be a failure. My father listened with the greatest interest to my accounts of the various dangers through which I had passed. When I explained to him the life led by some of these Caffre Chiefs, he agreed with me that, except for the uncertainty of being attacked by some other tribe, no life could be more pleasant than that of a chief in that country. To possess a large herd of cattle giving a plentiful supply of milk; several wives who cultivated the ground, and thus supplied corn, pumpkins and other vegetables required for food; game in abundance in the forests and on the plains, and no king or prince in Europe could lead a more happy life than did a Caffre Chief. When I compared the life of even a rich merchant in Cape Town with that of a Caffre Chief, I could not but come to the conclusion that the latter had the best of it. A merchant would go to his office by ten o’clock in the morning, would be shut up there going over accounts till about four o’clock; he had not time for any sport or pleasure during the day, and on his return home, often seemed pre-occupied with the business, to which he had devoted his time in the morning. Then, again, losses of money would sometimes occur, and the unhappiness caused by such a loss, seemed far greater than when a successful speculation, caused temporary happiness. A Caffre’s wants were few, but all these he could supply, and his only anxiety was that relative to wild beasts, poisonous snakes, and invasion by an enemy.

I went with my father to dine with the admiral at Simon’s Town, and also accompanied him to several other houses, to dinners, and entertainments of various kinds. Soon after his arrival he wrote to my uncle, saying that he still wished me to proceed to England to have my education attended to, that he could stay at Cape Town about a month, and would like me to remain with him during that period, after which I should embark for England.

The month passed very rapidly. My father was also a guest of Mr Rossmar’s, for Cape people were famous for their kindness and hospitality, and seemed as though we conferred a favour on them by staying at their house. At length the ship arrived in which my father was to return to India, and I bid him a long farewell, for it would be five years before he could retire and come to England, where he eventually intended to settle.

I now daily expected the arrival of the Indiaman in which passage had been taken for my voyage to England, and five days after my father had sailed, the ship was signalled, and a few hours afterwards anchored in Table Bay. I had many friends to bid good-bye besides those with whom I had been staying. The parting was very sad, but I promised that if possible I would come again to the Cape, and stay a long time with my various friends.

A voyage in the sailing-vessels of those days had much more romance and interest in it than is now possible in a modern steamer. Formerly a ship was dependent on the amount and direction of the wind; there was always the excitement of watching the barometer, the clouds, etc, to discover if possible any change of wind; a storm was a greater battle than it now is; and the uncertainty of the duration of the voyage had its charms. Some sailing ships were nearly eighty days in reaching England from the Cape, others accomplished the voyage in a little over fifty.

We had a fair wind on leaving Table Bay. I remained on deck watching the Table Mountain gradually sink, as it were, on the horizon, and when darkness came on I went to my cabin below, and felt dull and miserable. There were about fifty passengers on board, mostly old Indians. My story was known to them all, and several were acquainted with my father; so I soon made acquaintances with my fellow-voyagers, and found the time pass pleasantly enough. We cast anchor for a day at Saint Helena, and I had an opportunity of visiting the most beautiful parts of that island. Our voyage continued favourable until we were within a few degrees of the equator, when the favourable wind died away, and we were left becalmed. This was not an unusual condition. The captain informed us that he had remained on one occasion ten days in these latitudes without moving a mile. The heat was very great, but as most of us had been long in India we stood this better than did those passengers who had merely joined us at Cape Town. I soon took great interest in catching shark. These sea monsters seemed attracted to the ship, and there was usually a dorsal fin seen above the water within a hundred yards of our ship. I constructed an arrangement for shark-fishing which was very successful. At the end of a stout copper wire I lashed a strong hook, and then, with a long line fastened to the wire, I could play the shark just as salmon-fishers play a salmon. By this means I used to catch a shark nearly every day. One of these was a monster ten feet long. We used to haul these fish on deck by slipping a bowling-knot in a rope down our line and over the shark’s fins; and we had great excitement when the creatures were hauled on deck, as they were dangerous to approach until they were killed by blows on the head, and their tail partly amputated with a hatchet. There were on board three gentlemen, who were good chess-players. I used to watch these play their games, and soon learned the moves and the manner in which the game was played, and before the voyage was half over I could play chess very fairly. I also learned from one of the mates how to measure altitudes of the sun, and how to find the latitude each day. This gave me a taste for astronomy, and I learned also the names of the principal stars. The voyage was thus to me a period of interest, and did not hang heavily on my hands; whereas those people who took no interest in anything during the voyage, were always wearied and cross.

As we approached England we met or overtook several ships: our vessel was a very fast sailer, and never failed to overtake any ship that we saw ahead of us. It was on the fifty-fourth day from leaving the Cape that we saw some land, which the captain told us was Ushant. Two days afterwards we were off Plymouth, and in another week were beating up the Downs. There were few steamers in those days, and nearly all the ships sailed up the Thames. When we reached Gravesend a gentleman came on board, who told me he had been sent from London by my uncle, who wished me to land at Gravesend, and travel by coach to London. I was really sorry to leave the ship, where I had passed two months very pleasantly, and had been treated most kindly by the captain and officers, as also by my fellow-passengers.

However, I was delighted with what I saw from the outside of a four-horse coach, as we travelled up to London. But London bewildered me: the noise, the number of people and vehicles, made me quite giddy; and though I could find my way for miles in an African forest, yet I doubted whether I should ever be able to walk alone in London without losing myself. My uncle lived in an old-fashioned, but very comfortable house near Highgate, and we reached that locality about six o’clock in the evening. The time of year was autumn when I arrived, and it was a lovely evening, the sun about setting. My uncle’s house stood in a garden, with fine trees round it, and at that time Highgate was quite in the country. A very dignified oldish man met me at the door, who I was informed was the butler, and who, having taken charge of my luggage, said that Mr Peterson was in the drawing-room, and would be glad to see me there. I was preceded by the butler, who opened the door with great solemnity, and announced “Mr Peterson.” My uncle was standing with his back to the fire, and at the first glance I came to the conclusion that I had rarely seen a more striking-looking man. He was quite six feet high, neither thin nor stout; his hair was quite white, and worn rather long. He must have been nearly seventy years of age, but was as erect and straight as a life-guardsman. His eyes were deep-set, and partly concealed by heavy black eyebrows, which produced a curious contrast with his snow-white hair. His glance at me as I walked across the room seemed to read me at once, and I mentally exclaimed, “He is a chief.”

“Welcome to England, my boy,” said my uncle, as he shook me heartily by the hand. “You have had strange adventures since you left India; but, judging from your appearance, you do not seem to have suffered much. Why, you are quite a young man, and I expected to see a mere boy.”

At the age at which I had then arrived there are few things which are more flattering than that of being told you are no longer a boy. When with the Caffres I never thought of such things. The fact of having been made a chief had promoted me to the dignity of manhood, but when I came again among white people I was treated as a boy by some of these; my uncle, however, considered me a young man.

After a few remarks about my voyage, my uncle informed me that we should dine in an hour, and that probably it would take me some time to dress and refresh myself after my journey: he rang the bell, and told Edwards, the dignified butler, to show me to my room.

There was a solid well-to-do look in everything in my uncle’s house: the furniture consisted principally of carved black oak; curiosities of various kinds were hung up in the hall and on the walls of the staircase. My bedroom had several handsome pictures in it, the bed itself being a large four-poster.

Edwards helped me to unpack my portmanteaus, and hinted that the master always dressed for dinner. My outfit at Cape Town had been very complete, so I arrayed myself in a “claw-hammer” coat, as the sailors term it, and a white tie, and made my way to the drawing-room, where I found my uncle. In his evening dress he looked still more noticeable than when I first saw him, and I felt proud of being the nephew of so distinguished a looking man.

During dinner I was surprised at the knowledge my uncle possessed of the Caffres, and of South Africa. He had evidently studied that country, and was well acquainted with its geography, climate, and the character of the natives. The questions he put to me taxed all my local knowledge to answer, and I found it difficult to believe that he had not himself been in the country. He was much interested in my account of the language; he was himself a great linguist, and traced in the Caffre words I used a connection with the Arabic. After dinner we sat talking, mainly about my adventures at the Cape, my uncle’s questions leading me on to give him all the details of my life in that country. At ten o’clock he told me that he always breakfasted at eight; that at seven o’clock the gong sounded three times, at half past seven four times, and at eight five times. He added that one of the things about which he was particular was punctuality, as very much, especially in business, depended on attention to this.

When alone in my bedroom I began to speculate on what was to become of me. I had left India with the intention of being sent to a school in England, for the purpose of being educated for one of the colleges devoted to aspirants for India. After my long residence among the Caffres, where I had learned nothing of what in England is termed education, but had added years to my age, I knew how very awkward I should feel in going to a school where probably I might be the biggest boy in the school, but where the smallest boy would know considerably more than I knew. I, however, trusted my uncle would consider all these questions, and I had not long to wait before I found that my trust was justified.

On the third night after my arrival my uncle after dinner said:—

“I have been thinking, Julius, what is best to be done about your education. You are peculiarly situated: you are in age and appearance quite a young man, and I have discovered that you are very observant and have sound common sense; but you know nothing of those things which are esteemed in the world, such as mathematics, accounts, Latin, French, and other matters. I don’t think it would be pleasant for you to go to a school and mix with other boys, who would be so much younger than you are, but who know so much more. I have decided therefore to secure a private tutor, who will come to this house each morning and work with you till half-past-four. You will, if you are in earnest, progress much more rapidly by this means, and I wish to know when you would like to begin to work.”

“At once,” I replied. “I had thought exactly the same about going to school, and should certainly have been ashamed of myself for knowing so little.”

“It is no fault of yours,” replied my uncle. “You know more of some things than many men learn during the whole of their lives; for whilst others have been acquiring a knowledge of Greek, Latin, and mathematics, you have learned how to think for yourself and to reason on what you see. It is rare to find a youngster like you as much a philosopher as you are, and all your life you will derive a great advantage from knowing how to do things for yourself.”

My life now became one of routine; the tutor who came was a comparatively young man, but was a very able teacher. We were more like companions than master and pupil, and when in our leisure hours I had told him of my past life, he took great interest in me.

My uncle had a dinner-party about once a week, to which he invited men who were remarkable in some way—authors, artists, men of science, and travellers. I took great interest in such society, and my knowledge of South Africa and the private life of the Zulus caused me to be listened to with attention whenever I was asked questions.

Two years passed in this way, and I made such rapid progress that I had become a fair mathematician, understood book-keeping by double entry, had gone through the six books of Euclid, could read and write French, and might be said to be well educated. My tutor was surprised at the rapidity with which I acquired knowledge. I, however, attributed it to the cultivation of my powers of observation, which had been developed during the wild life I had led in Africa.

My uncle at this period informed me that my tutor had told him, that I had made such rapid progress, that there was no necessity for my continuing my studies, and that he now considered it desirable that I should decide what course I should adopt in life.

I knew my uncle must have already made up his mind, and so considered it desirable that I should tell him that I had not sufficient experience to make any selection, but would rather follow his advice.

“Then,” said my uncle, “what do you think of coming into my office, and learning the business which I have followed with tolerable success? The army is poor pay, and often great hardship. The Indian Civil Service is better, but I think you are too old for that, and I don’t know any other line that would suit you. You can live here with me as long as you find it comfortable, and perhaps in time you may take my place.”

During the whole of my residence with my uncle I had never been to his office, which I now learned was in Fenchurch Street; and in a few days I was taken by him and introduced to the head clerk, who, having received instructions from my uncle, took me into an outer office and made me acquainted with four young men who were clerks. These four young men were considerably older than I was, as far as years were concerned, but their manners and conversation soon caused me to look upon them as mere boys; they seemed to have but little powers of reflection, to avoid thinking deeply on any matter, and to endeavour to do as little work as was possible. They indulged greatly in chaff; but, I suppose, from the fact of my being the nephew of their chief, as they termed my uncle, they never chaffed me. I felt but slight inclination for their society, and before I had been a week in the office there was a sort of antagonism between these clerks and myself.

My uncle did not seem displeased that I had not become very intimate with these clerks. He asked me one day how I liked them. I replied that I found nothing really to dislike, but they seemed to me particularly foolish, and to be too fond of trifles.

My uncle smiled, and said, “The fact is, Julius, you are very old, though young in years. The scenes through which you have passed have aged you, and you look for realities in life. The clerks in my office are thoughtless and superficial.”

It would not interest the reader if I were to describe in detail the life I led during the next three years. It was passed without any important events. I learned the details of my father’s life in India from letters received nearly every month from him. I had become thoroughly acquainted with my uncle’s business, and obtained a knowledge of the largeness of his transactions. Considering what must have been his wealth, I should have been surprised at the quiet way in which he lived, had I not discovered that he had a great dislike to display. He had often expressed the opinion that a man should be more than he seemed, instead of seeming more than he was. This he carried out practically. He lived very comfortably, but even with me in the house could not have spent much more than a thousand pounds a year, whereas his annual income must have been seven or eight times that amount.

I had become acquainted with several people in London, all friends of my uncle. To the houses of these I was frequently asked, and great attention was shown me. It seemed to be understood that I should be my uncle’s heir; and I knew enough of the ways of the world, to be aware that this fact, had probably more to do with the attention paid me, than any special qualities in myself. I was not, therefore, carried away by such attentions, nor did I become vain in consequence, both dangers to which some young people are liable. I visited everything in London worth seeing, my uncle putting no restrictions on me. He was fond of the opera, and we often attended it together, as also some of the principal theatres. He allowed me an income for my work at the office, and told me that although he did not wish to restrict me as regards anything essential, yet he thought I ought to live within this income. After two years’ experience I found I could do so, and one day mentioned to my uncle that I had not only done so, but had saved fifty pounds.

But one event occurred during this period, which broke the monotony of civilised life.

It was on a Sunday afternoon, during the winter time, that my uncle accompanied me, to call on a family who lived on the borders of Hampstead Heath. Some of the members of this family were much interested in my adventures in Africa, and I had promised to bring over a knob-kerrie made of the horn of a rhinoceros, to show one of the daughters who was an invalid, and could not visit my uncle’s house to see the few African curiosities that I had there. We stayed at this house till it became dusk, and then set out on our walk home. At that date Hampstead Heath was a lonely place, and robberies were not unfrequent. It occurred to me, soon after we had commenced our walk, that if I were alone I might possibly have an adventure, which I believed would have been amusing. Armed as I was with this formidable knob-kerrie, I could have felled an ox; then I had not neglected my running, and I felt certain that not one Englishman in a thousand could catch me, in case I chose to run. I did not expect that two men walking across the Heath were likely to be stopped by highwaymen. As these ideas crossed my mind, my uncle said, “This heath is rather a dangerous locality to be in late at night: there have been several robberies here lately.”

“I was just thinking of that,” I replied, “but I suppose the robbers don’t use firearms.”

“Not if they can help it,” said my uncle, “as that would make too much noise.”

As we wended our way across the heath, I watched carefully the ground in advance. Although it was a darkish evening I could still see several yards in front of me. Everything was quiet, and we seemed the only people out at the hour. Suddenly, from some bushes near the path, three men jumped up, and were at once within a yard of us.

“Now then,” said one of these men, “just hand out what you’ve got, before we knock your brains out.”

He had scarcely spoken, before I had lunged at the lower part of his chest with my knob-kerrie, the point of which was sharp as a knife. Shifting my hand to the sharp end, I brought the heavy knob down on the head of the man next to me, who fell as though he had been shot. The third man had grappled with my uncle, and the two were struggling together; for my uncle, although old, was still powerful. Watching my chance, I dropped my knob-kerrie on the shoulder of the highwayman. His arm fell helplessly to his side; at the same time my uncle struck him with his fist and he fell to the ground.

We did not wait to see more, because these men were usually provided with pistols, and after the treatment they had received, we believed they would not be very particular about their use. We therefore moved off as rapidly as we could, and reached home in safety; my uncle little the worse for his struggle, except that his coat was torn. At that date the regular police did not exist, and our report of the affair produced no results. We, the next day, visited the scene of our encounter, and found unmistakable “spoor” of the highwaymen having suffered, as there was a great deal of blood on the ground where the man whom I had struck had fallen.

I was much complimented by all my friends, to whom my uncle related the adventure; but I explained to them that such scenes were not new to me, that the life I had formerly led had trained me specially so as not to be surprised or taken at an advantage, and it would be strange indeed if, now that I had come to civilisation, I should forget all my early education.

Whether it was this adventure, or merely the memory of the past that caused me to become unsettled, yet it was a fact that I had a growing desire to once more visit the country where I had passed such eventful years. In the solitude of my bedroom I used to carry on imaginary conversations in Caffre with my old companions, and retraced my career through the various adventures that had occurred. Weeks passed without my mentioning this feeling to my uncle; but one evening he was speaking about Mr Rossmar, when I said that I believed a very profitable trip might be made to Natal, where ivory, ostrich-feathers, and leopard-skins could be procured for a few beads or some cheap guns.

My uncle remarked that Mr Rossmar had, curiously enough, suggested the same thing, the difficulty being to find a trustworthy person who knew the country, and who would undertake the business.

I at once said, “I could do it myself. I know the country, can speak the language, and should be able to do away with ‘middle men,’” middle men being the intermediate traders who make their profit by buying cheap and selling dear.

“Would you like such a trip?” said my uncle.

“Most certainly I should,” I replied. “Lately I have thought how much I should like to visit the country again and see some of my old friends there. I am certain that there is a great quantity of ivory in many parts, and ostrich-feathers could be procured, as ostriches are plentiful.”

“We will think about it,” said my uncle, “and perhaps it may be managed.”

After this conversation I became unsettled. I was always thinking of the wild life I had led, of its freedom from all forms and conventionalities, and the beauty of the country.

My uncle said nothing more for some weeks, but again referred one morning to our previous conversation, and asked if I were still willing to pursue my adventures in South Africa. He said that I could sail to the Cape in one of the ordinary Indiamen, and charter at the Cape a small vessel which could cross the bar at Natal. When this ship was loaded I could return with her to Cape Town, transfer my goods to an Indiaman, and return home. The whole business, he thought, might occupy a year; and, if carefully carried out, ought to be profitable.

Back to IndexNext