WILL HE WIN HER ?

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 50, 23 June 1880, Page 4

WILL HE WIN HER ?

BY : JAMES GRANT;

~ — Ghatteb XXX'I,

A week passed away thus, and as I- <-, j»;os kppt in total JKnoran^b'"dF HfeTm^e:- --* me&ts.q^Tjirttipop.s^Tsili.bii.hadi roawjxiecl: to Somorset and made* a night attarjt t pjXjthft fleight§o£ Evoome.rl 'began t& {niy^ captivity »s 'intoWable as the *. f^dt^ifcji whiohvl ■/Fas supplied prove ''odious, notwithstanding .my past ei> penienp^j/as.avihiinter and* a trader. There were the flesh of- the porcupine t p>ft«itedinf jiot wood.aslie* inshifr skin,— i^nus thft',| ; 4iiills^H.pf:--.-courae : -3erke4 I ei^ph^nt, tOjUgh^wild bpaiV and so forth -■"■with.' pJentiy of Cape snapke wine liow- • Even in my own VQ&tn wnrch wa^ furiiishfedtf #tk : . an>,t;ample - but old-fa T •nidned Dutcb. bed, having a heavy -flroodpnjf riwneSljKeeid 1 across 'Strips of cowbide, and whicli proyed very comfortable couch i for a campaigner, I knew I wa^a; patched, ai^ the., , jf oollyj head and giittern^g:' ass^i of aGaSra Bentinel wece. atway^ Tisoblo r/^rpni the wind'oV night long.. " i Sandilli, whom I had nfi seen for an! entire week, nbw s , came to vi«it me, and .reminding him of - the serrice, (1/ had ; ! dpns 'him, I begged that he would =rejsl tore me to libertyp-^iye me. a musket, a 1 low rounds o'f 'ammuhitibn, a horse', end! J)ermi;fc me., to depart. Enowing forest ife fcVaidi, ! l Md ; no feay of making m X# a J ajonp. to,-; General /Somerset's ■.:n?'^:i. ■.' ' ■ " ' | . Sandilli shook his head, and wa^ grave and even Stem in Ins manner, fbrj during the week he liad been absen^ from the Gulu Valley the CaiFes sufferer 1 severely wh<-n the 74t.h Higfandcrs attacked the Water 'Jtioof Heights, and matters wese. Ibpking gloomy alcpg tfec

whole frontier, so the wily 014 savage chief was less' than ever disposed' to part with me, or abandon Mb .scaeniesic ' .EiSlinguishingfpr the ; *^in(B fftllr hope of bending him to my views, I. then implored him to; dasboyer^jif- possible, late of itwo .^irfte^onJen^w&p Vjsre " in the hands''o£ his people, or those] of Mark knew not which. ( i J J** Two white yrbmen 'we're 'Gimed off 1 by tim from r U' Diu'tfe'H lager village, aided by some of the Cape Corps'." / o^[ exclaimed. ,<-. y-i *' jCndtliey are npwati his kraal among , tke mountains," continued Sandilli. "Do yon inbir the place," I asked eagerly. C« Perfectly." / .: "Ip it far from here?'* , . ; "Many Dutch miles. But what then ? asked Sandilli frowning, while adjusting his dagha pipe. " I could reach them if the men of Macono o^ - the ; theivish Amapondas don't anticipate me. r "And if the iaeii'pf Sandilli will permit you." .''-•'- ''■■.'■ "You will surely aid me in saving them'Bvi l urged.;: '■"- :i ; ' v. "rllshallffliaiieinOiprOiniseSv: But tell me— is one oft t.nQse pale-faced amapazi you mfo,^x:hTeh^thj>Q}ii\mYesT', { , "N<h" : l iepliea,™ .though on the pbinfe 'of.; telling VlUlrftWdiii'OJaKbe" was to have 'been my wife^and'woxild be so iE heaven spared .its, -the recollection o£ his views 'concerning me' inspired me with caution and reserve. " Then are they your sisters ?" <'No." • • , ■ " Then why this interest in them ?" : "They are friends .— very dear friends," << JS"othing more P" " lippthirig more." "lamgiad that neither of them is the wife of my friend." ! ,"Wiy?":,: ;::;.., ;■:,■■:■ - "Because,, as I told yo.u in the bush* I mean to provide you with, a wife from, among ourselves." „ ' I could not <eign sufficient gratitude for -the mafcri mortal- prospect hold out to nte. - When I thought of the Caffre the Bech'uana belles, whom I had 'seen -with their dingy skin smeared in grease and powdered with iron ore, that sparkled like mica — their woolly head adorned with metallic ; pendules, and their sole attire, a_leather aproa and a ;kaross.;pf hide, mymind filled with hor;i ror and disgust, ; combined with anger, at the intense iabsurdity of my whole position. 1 And yet it was a serious, oae, s for in the end it "might;.; be. "• inarry or ; ;die." .'. ;.;!; .■ ■.-.,-, :.■_ ■■■■.>■;<■■:'■ ' . .-■-'■ Kevertheless.jijW.as.- compelled,to dissemble, for the keen,. (|uiek; eyes of the siis^icious sav'age;were fixed u ; pon me with. some.thißg.'pf ;yet mookiug ■sc?-Uiipyi--'!an^ i heV'-hu'u'ghialy shook the tw.p' pinions * of; the : s gray crane which adorned the'-filiSfc, or species of torque, which^was-arphnd his head, as he resum'ed^--•;"■. ; -';' \ , : .';"' " You' shall marry iny daughter Mari- : qua, vy;hb is of half Griqua blood, aud ; iiibeaikty she looks' a whole one, for the women o.f the GriquA are,- as I need not more handsome than the. women M the Ganres." ' ■Still, the prospect 'was not alluring vine ; but I could only bow insilenee.' The idea Occurred to ma of asserting thai I Us^d-a, wife .already at home ; but rtbatwoufdßot haye made the slightest : difference to, SaudilliJ But! must own to \a: feeling/considerably- scared by all, ithis, as: I;s6on«b.ega l n ; to.;See throug.U th& /schemesso£ clriefi'wßo,; hadTtwo cogent reasons for wishing a civilized husband „for his ypitnge.s^ (daughter— to, ; wit, one. ' w.hviserinter.est c mj^ht *;bjo,th sa vq. a.nd^ ''serp/hiinr if, as e.he greatly feard 1 , the 1 . tido of wur turned against the insurgent : Qaffres; .. :.V...r ' ■•--■- - \' ' ; " ' <t< Yott,tlml|> ) have a ; dpghter of mine for your wife,". ..continue 1 Sandilli, .., Mariqua^ was to Lave :been ilie brida of Pitoi.'.the son of Y on S a J. . but he w;as slain by. the Tor tois.es . You • .sav^^the ,life of ; ,he,r father, * and. for tliat good' "deed, 'she, {sUall have,, you, with. jJiJijer heajt Qbjy ? ._yi>u J .sjied "b'ngh~tness" around your kraal. Forty .•'stately Jiorses and a* thousand cattle shall bo her ;dpwas{§with uncounted spoil to be^akenjinime; war we are waging."2 : ;' It is provable that among this spoilSandillii- mentally" included' the " mess opiate,.;. baggage, affd. l?ig drun^; o f the <7;4iiik KegimeßtA^indeed,i :i ne -^hinted as iinuch^but stiibifaileditb ercitei way gra'.titMe;;'/.. ■l>.<::~-;iihi'hm-*k -i^i' s. -.lu.v^i ■--.;•■• Then, as if tho-subjecfc was settled and^RMsseyvhe ifc}ew; aside ;his. kaross whieliiwa* made ;from; the.- skin, of k : black-inaned, 1i0n... profusely pri# mented with beada^and^ scarlet? fringes, and sea.tin^ himself vin'f' an •; easy- chair, i.whereiinl^hilbmj some^f at-15u0r,. had been ■wont to doa> andf enjoy his: postpiran-. irdiai.meerscliaunj^-hejproceeded the intoxieatiug fumes pthenipseed from ; his :da;gha pipe.-- < v-n ;.si 'i\ wfible situa;tiori great-bewildered-.me..;' " : "■;'".• *'*"•"'/■"" :W^- • :.",." M j " uit<l,w^s a helpless^ prisoner in Sandilli's : h%ids; % anA^thlit i his 'daugjiter would; marryme in spite of myserf I never doifbted. The f aties of the 74th, of the 91st/ of .Clarice, and her sisfcer,;/came before me in memory", arid I thought of i the wonder :■ and, ainazement :of all Europeans when = tlrey v canie to hear pf -the event— Dick- Haddpn,, anld his, isquaw.-.; '■■■■ - '■■•■' '-■ 'v l ' '■-'■■■■ i- \ Kow could I rid' myself of this odious •Mariqua Pv-how savd-Gla;rice>'M'ay wood? j—^how; escape tlijsjabsurd; and' dangerous thraldom fr- >■ Bea : i^esV my s'able b,rld^ might; -have* a*f Ipv.er^i^hjbse; npisoneclassegai, launched— by a jealous and unerring-- hatid' K -f rom-'s behind Crock* or bush; inight^sp;6n ; maike : -ari; en4 'tt&Wf-'tiZ •fo/^riW&l'W'-M ■'■-■ :f j I sighed bitterly {'Wieh^grief;c-impia-tience, and anger;^hough the soothing, did^ecujritb^mftat'tiniis; that' fifty, yea, perhap r s v tweuty ;i years .hence, it wbi^ld be all pne> anH/a small-patch of grass would- cover^all) 'My I^^ -sorrows and ;me.;;; ,;; j ;;; ;";;"" "r;rrcvr^T7'" ■