登陆注册
5228000000022

第22章 CHAPTER V THE SHOOTING MATCH(1)

My journey back to the Mission Station was a strange contrast to that which I had made thence a few days before. Then, the darkness, the swift mare beneath me rushing through it like a bird, the awful terror in my heart lest I should be too late, as with wild eyes I watched the paling stars and the first gathering grey of dawn. Now, the creaking of the ox-cart, the familiar veld, the bright glow of the peaceful sunlight, and in my heart a great thankfulness, and yet a new terror lest the pure and holy love which I had won should be stolen away from me by force or fraud.

Well, as the one matter had been in the hand of God, so was the other, and with that knowledge I must be content. The first trial had ended in death and victory. How would the second end? I wondered, and those words seemed to jumble themselves up in my mind and shape a sentence that it did not conceive. It was: "In the victory that is death," which, when I came to think of it, of course, meant nothing. How victory could be death I did not understand--at any rate, at that time, I who was but a lad of small experience.

As we trekked along comfortably enough, for the road was good and the cart, being on springs, gave my leg no pain, I asked my father what he thought that the Heer Marais had meant when he told us that the Boers had business at Maraisfontein, during which our presence as Englishmen would not be agreeable to them.

"Meant, Allan? He meant that these traitorous Dutchmen are plotting against their sovereign, and are afraid lest we should report their treason. Either they intend to rebel because of that most righteous act, the freeing of the slaves, and because we will not kill out all the Kaffirs with whom they chance to quarrel, or to trek from the Colony.

For my part I think it will be the latter, for, as you have heard, some parties have already gone; and, unless I am mistaken, many more mean to follow, Marais and Retief and that plotter, Pereira, among them. Let them go; I say, the sooner the better, for I have no doubt that the English flag will follow them in due course."

"I hope that they won't," I answered with a nervous laugh; "at any rate, until I have won back my mare." (I had left her in Retief's care as stakeholder, until the match should be shot off.)

For the rest of that two and a half hours' trek my father, looking very dignified and patriotic, declaimed to me loudly about the bad behaviour of the Boers, who hated and traduced missionaries, loathed and abominated British rule and permanent officials, loved slavery and killed Kaffirs whenever they got the chance. I listened to him politely, for it was not wise to cross my parent when he was in that humour. Also, having mixed a great deal with the Dutch, I knew that there was another side to the question, namely, that the missionaries sometimes traduced them (as, in fact, they did), and that British rule, or rather, party government, played strange tricks with the interests of distant dependencies. That permanent officials and im-permanent ones too--such as governors full of a little brief authority--often misrepresented and oppressed them. That Kaffirs, encouraged by the variegated policy of these party governments and their servants, frequently stole their stock; and if they found a chance, murdered them with their women and children, as they had tried to do at Maraisfontein; though there, it is true, they had some provocation. That British virtue had liberated the slaves without paying their owners a fair price for them, and so forth.

But, to tell the truth, it was not of these matters of high policy, which were far enough away from a humble youth like myself, that I was thinking. What appealed to me and made my heart sick was the reflection that if Henri Marais and his friends trekked, Marie Marais must perforce trek with them; and that whereas I, an Englishman, could not be of that adventurous company, Hernando Pereira both could and would.

On the day following our arrival home, what between the fresh air, plenty of good food, for which I found I had an appetite, and liberal doses of Pontac--a generous Cape wine that is a kind of cross between port and Burgundy--I found myself so much better that I was able to hop about the place upon a pair of crutches which Hans improvised for me out of Kaffir sticks. Next morning, my improvement continuing at a rapid rate, I turned my attention seriously to the shooting match, for which I had but five days to prepare.

Now it chanced that some months before a young Englishman of good family--he was named the Honourable Vavasseur Smyth--who had accompanied an official relative to the Cape Colony, came our way in search of sport, of which I was able to show him a good deal of a humble kind. He had brought with him, amongst other weapons, what in those days was considered a very beautiful hair-triggered small-bore rifle fitted with a nipple for percussion caps, then quite a new invention. It was by a maker of the name of J. Purdey, of London, and had cost quite a large sum because of the perfection of its workmanship. When the Honourable V. Smyth--of whom I have never heard since--took his leave of us on his departure for England, being a generous-hearted young fellow, as a souvenir of himself, he kindly presented me with this rifle,* which I still have.

[*--This single-barrelled percussion-cap rifle described by Allan Quatermain, which figures so prominently in the history of this epoch of his life, has been sent to me by Mr. Curtis, and is before me as I write. It was made in the year 1835 by J. Purdey, of 314 1/2, Oxford Street, London, and is a beautiful piece of workmanship of its kind.

Without the ramrod, which is now missing, it weighs only 5 lbs. 3 3/4 oz. The barrel is octagonal, and the rifled bore, designed to take a spherical bullet, is 1/2 in. in diameter. The hammer can be set to safety on the half-cock by means of a catch behind it.

同类推荐
  • 苏悉地羯啰经

    苏悉地羯啰经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 传授三洞经戒法箓略说

    传授三洞经戒法箓略说

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 台湾舆地汇钞

    台湾舆地汇钞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 蜀都杂抄

    蜀都杂抄

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 明伦汇编家范典女子部

    明伦汇编家范典女子部

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 第五界点

    第五界点

    “你就是我的Master☆咪咕~”某只粉毛狐狸道。“阿拉阿拉,这样躲着姐姐,稍微有些恼火呢。”某只长短不一的双马尾道。“毕竟我们可是青梅竹马,所以我喜欢你也没有什么奇怪的吧。”某只因为压力而难以露出其他表情的明星道。“前辈,最喜欢你了。请收下我爱の告白吧。”某只头发能够动的螃蟹。“那个,师傅......什么时候陪我练下拳头。”某只光头挠了挠头说道。“我的超能力可不是用在这些地方的,不过这次算是例外吧。”某只顶着两个怪异装置的粉毛道。讲述了名为第五王权平凡而又不平凡的人生。
  • 我想再看看你

    我想再看看你

    “启禀门主,我们被包围了!”下属匆匆来报。门主淡淡的抬了下眼“该来的总会来的,只是,他……”怎么办,门主的眼里满是悲伤。“来人,速速将少门主带走,切记不要让他落入那些人手中”
  • 乾坤九环珠

    乾坤九环珠

    自小深重天虫蚀心草剧毒,无缘习武,却在无意之间找齐了神奇的乾坤九环珠,并因此领悟了玄风冰魄掌以及醉里踏云的轻身功法,又在日后逐渐领悟灵魂四绝技——聪耳,魄瞳,梵音,灵鼻。但…天上会掉馅饼吗?掉下来的只会是陷阱吧!
  • 焰魂传

    焰魂传

    燃烧火焰之魂!大陆之上,气生力,力生魔法,魔法为尊!家族被灭,记忆尽失。剑灵神剑,犹如曜日般天而降。龙魂神器,有着毁灭古龙的力量。冥界之门,沟通着阳界与冥界的通道。不灭之火,代表着太阳无穷无尽的力量。神秘预言,将一切的真相慢慢揭开……
  • 忽变的身份忽变的权力

    忽变的身份忽变的权力

    南国玄帝十五年冬,大雪三日不止。路面上虽有人打扫,却也结了一层厚厚的冰。
  • 芙蓉镜寓言

    芙蓉镜寓言

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 草尖上的漫步

    草尖上的漫步

    涌现众多可传之久远的精品力作,是一个时代文学繁荣的重要标志。而要创作出无愧于时代、无愧于人民的文学精品,就必须牢牢把握正确的创作方向,积极树立正确的创作理念,不断创新创作方法,切实端正创作态度,始终牢记生活是创作的唯一源泉,自觉地在时代进步的伟大实践中汲取创作灵感,以博大的情怀、深邃的眼光、丰沛的想象,去探究、体悟和展示我们这个时代的生活面貌,对时代精神本质做出更为深远的探索与表达,对人类文明进程中所呈现出来的新思想给予积极而敏锐的发现和回应。创作出更多的内涵丰厚而思想独到的文学精品,是时代和人民的召唤,也是江西作家的神圣职责。
  • 晋王吕布传

    晋王吕布传

    他武勇盖世,骑马中赤兔,拥美女貂蝉,却命丧白门楼,堪称三国第一悲催;百世轮回,穿越重生,熊熊大火中,吕布无声咆哮,誓要改变命运;乱世,如期来临;吕布骑赤兔马,持方天画戟,豪情万丈,欲与当世枭雄们,一较长短,布武天下……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………【已百万字完本,新书《贩卖地球》,敬请关注收藏,谢谢!】
  • 我和末世有个约会

    我和末世有个约会

    莫名其妙穿越到丧尸横行的平行世界,养养狗,再被丧尸养成。本以为这是一个穿越女在末世养成与被养成的简单故事,结果……什么?人类都只是外星人吃腻了的食物?而丧尸是外星人喜爱的新食物,地球未来的新主人?这太不科学了!
  • 封神时代

    封神时代

    正神时代,群雄并立,然而,我要超越姜太公,成为正神之王!我是发誓一定要成为正神王的男人!热血战斗,尽在《封神时代》!