登陆注册
5421800000013

第13章

THE FLIGHT OF MOPO AND BALEKA

All the rest of that night we journeyed, till even the dog was tired.

Then we hid in a mealie field for the day, as we were afraid of being seen. Towards the afternoon we heard voices, and, looking through the stems of the mealies, we saw a party of my father's men pass searching for us. They went on to a neighbouring kraal to ask if we had been seen, and after that we saw them no more for awhile. At night we travelled again; but, as fate would have it, we were met by an old woman, who looked oddly at us but said nothing. After that we pushed on day and night, for we knew that the old woman would tell the pursuers if she met them; and so indeed it came about. On the third evening we reached some mealie gardens, and saw that they had been trampled down. Among the broken mealies we found the body of a very old man, as full of assegai wounds as a porcupine with quills. We wondered at this, and went on a little way. Then we saw that the kraal to which the gardens belonged was burnt down. We crept up to it, and--ah! it was a sad sight for us to see! Afterwards we became used to such sights. All about us lay the bodies of dead people, scores of them--old men, young men, women, children, little babies at the breast --there they lay among the burnt huts, pierced with assegai wounds.

Red was the earth with their blood, and red they looked in the red light of the setting sun. It was as though all the land had been smeared with the bloody hand of the Great Spirit, of the Umkulunkulu.

Baleka saw it and began to cry; she was weary, poor girl, and we had found little to eat, only grass and green corn.

"An enemy has been here," I said, and as I spoke I thought that Iheard a groan from the other side of a broken reed hedge. I went and looked. There lay a young woman: she was badly wounded, but still alive, my father. A little way from her lay a man dead, and before him several other men of another tribe: he had died fighting. In front of the woman were the bodies of three children; another, a little one, lay on her body. I looked at the woman, and, as I looked, she groaned again, opened her eyes and saw me, and that I had a spear in my hand.

"Kill me quickly!" she said. "Have you not tortured me enough?"I said that I was a stranger and did not want to kill her.

"Then bring me water," she said; "there is a spring there behind the kraal."I called to Baleka to come to the woman, and went with my gourd to the spring. There were bodies in it, but I dragged them out, and when the water had cleared a little I filled the gourd and brought it back to the woman. She drank deep, and her strength came back a little--the water gave her life.

"How did you come to this?" I asked.

"It was an impi of Chaka, Chief of the Zulus, that ate us up," she answered. "They burst upon as at dawn this morning while we were asleep in our huts. Yes, I woke up to hear the sound of killing. I was sleeping by my husband, with him who lies there, and the children. We all ran out. My husband had a spear and shield. He was a brave man.

See! he died bravely: he killed three of the Zulu devils before he himself was dead. Then they caught me, and killed my children, and stabbed me till they thought that I was dead. Afterwards, they went away. I don't know why they came, but I think it was because our chief would not send men to help Chaka against Zweete."She stopped, gave a great cry, and died.

My sister wept at the sight, and I too was stirred by it. "Ah!" Ithought to myself, "the Great Spirit must be evil. If he is not evil such things would not happen." That is how I thought then, my father;now I think differently. I know that we had not found out the path of the Great Spirit, that is all. I was a chicken in those days, my father; afterwards I got used to such sights. They did not stir me any more, not one whit. But then in the days of Chaka the rivers ran blood --yes, we had to look at the water to see if it was clean before we drank. People learned how to die then and not make a noise about it.

What does it matter? They would have been dead now anyway. It does not matter; nothing matters, except being born. That is a mistake, my father.

We stopped at the kraal that night, but we could not sleep, for we heard the Itongo, the ghosts of the dead people, moving about and calling to each other. It was natural that they should do so; men were looking for their wives, and mothers for their children. But we were afraid that they might be angry with us for being there, so we clung together and trembled in each other's arms. Koos also trembled, and from time to time he howled loudly. But they did not seem to see us, and towards morning their cries grew fainter.

When the first light came we rose and picked our way through the dead down to the plain. Now we had an easy road to follow to Chaka's kraal, for there was the spoor of the impi and of the cattle which they had stolen, and sometimes we came to the body of a warrior who had been killed because his wounds prevented him from marching farther. But now I was doubtful whether it was wise for us to go to Chaka, for after what we had seen I grew afraid lest he should kill us. Still, we had nowhere to turn, so I said that we would walk along till something happened. Now we grew faint with hunger and weariness, and Baleka said that we had better sit down and die, for then there would be no more trouble. So we sat down by a spring. But I did not wish to die yet, thought Baleka was right, and it would have been well to do so. As we sat, the dog Koos went to a bush that was near, and presently I heard him spring at something and the sound of struggling. I ran to the bush --he had caught hold of a duiker buck, as big as himself, that was asleep in it. Then I drove my spear into the buck and shouted for joy, for here was food. When the buck was dead I skinned him, and we took bits of the flesh, washed them in the water, and ate them, for we had no fire to cook them with. It is not nice to eat uncooked flesh, but we were so hungry that we did not mind, and the good refreshed us.

When we had eaten what we could, we rose and washed ourselves at the spring; but, as we washed, Baleka looked up and gave a cry of fear.

同类推荐
  • 寿昌乘

    寿昌乘

    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。
  • 大乘同性经

    大乘同性经

    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。
  • Salammbo

    Salammbo

    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。
  • 宜斋野乘

    宜斋野乘

    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。
  • 菩萨生地经

    菩萨生地经

    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。
热门推荐
  • Homecoming

    Homecoming

    'An exultant night - a man in total command of his talent.' Observer'The most intense expression of compressed violence to be found anywhere in Pinter's plays.' The TimesWhen Teddy, a professor in an American university, brings his wife Ruth to visit his old home in London, he finds his family still living in the house. In the conflict that follows, it is Ruth who becomes the focus of the family's struggle for supremacy.
  • 乐璎珞庄严方便品经

    乐璎珞庄严方便品经

    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。
  • 思路决定出路

    思路决定出路

    还在偶像剧的泡沫里幻想着灰姑娘的异彩人生吗?你可知道,社会不会等着你成长;陈腐的观念还在蒙蔽你的眼睛吗?你可知道,狭窄的思路会影响你的出路。新思路让女人在社交、职场、婚姻、家庭等各种圈子都能游刃有余,因为思路明晰,便知道属于自己的精彩出路在哪里。你的思路是否该更新了呢?
  • 古希腊悲剧喜剧全集3:欧里庇得斯悲剧(上)

    古希腊悲剧喜剧全集3:欧里庇得斯悲剧(上)

    权威版本:以剑桥勒伯古典版古希腊文本为依托,收集所有古希腊的传世戏剧作品。名家名译:古希腊罗马文学、文化专家张竹明教授和王焕生教授倾十年之功,从古希腊原文精心译成。全新亮相:绝版多年,全面修订,装帧升级,典雅尊贵,极具收藏价值。大奖作品:曾获第二届中国出版政府奖,第二届中华优秀出版物奖,第十一届哲学社会科学优秀成果奖等重大奖项。位于地中海东北部的希腊,是欧洲文化的摇篮,人类戏剧的最早发源地。古希腊悲、喜剧都与酒神庆典和民间滑稽演出有着血缘关系。
  • 快穿百变任务:男神缠上瘾

    快穿百变任务:男神缠上瘾

    叶雨然:人家都是逆袭打脸、拆CP、攻略男神、……,可是为什么我的任务五花八门,什么都有。系统:就是因为大家的任务太单一,而且我还是成神系统,所以才要培养全能型的宿主啊!叶雨然:一脸懵逼…………我可不可以只选择一种啊!系统:你觉得呢?一脸的危险,笑眯眯地样子感觉好恐怖啊!叶雨然:我开玩笑的,开玩笑……一脸的讨好,我错了。做任务就做任务,可是为什么总是有一个高颜值高智商的超级无敌大帅哥缠上她呢?这里有各种各样风格各异,性格千奇百怪的男神,(1V1,任你挑选,快来看吧!)
  • The Lost Princess of Oz

    The Lost Princess of Oz

    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。
  • 重生御宝之宠妻指南

    重生御宝之宠妻指南

    沈无忧是蠢死的,痴心错付,被未婚夫海底沉尸,最终海底念恨重生!再睁开眼……天地变换,重回十八岁命运转折时刻,沈无忧笑了——此生必将有债还债,有仇报仇。豪门世家、渣男渣女、阴谋诡计算什么,在绝对实力面前全都是渣渣!豪门千金小姐?不,这种身份本大小姐根本看不上眼,我自己就是豪门!阴谋阳谋?真是上不了大雅之堂,本大小姐就是不用金手都可以撕开你们伪善的面目,肮脏的内心,我又何惧?百年宝贝?千年遗迹?你特么在逗我吧?说我没见过市面,放屁!手握异宝,得传承,海里湖伯任她游,浪里淘金,海里寻宝,鱼、虾、蟹、贝……珍珠、珊瑚、龙涎香、稀有矿产……更甚者美轮美奂的陶瓷,古拙大方的青铜器……任她捡!!!随手一个宝贝就胜你千万倍!美色诱惑?没有本大小姐好看,你好意思追求我?!当——傲娇的她,遇到了腹黑闷骚的他?!我X,尼玛,说好的纯洁上下属关系那?你他妈的逗我那?老娘不干了,辞职!阴谋阳谋,我也能玩!丫的,道高一尺魔高一丈!我们还能不能愉快的玩耍了?翻船,说翻就翻!哟哟哟,看到没,我手中的是……二少,有你这么败家的么?把那个比我的还大,历史更加悠远的宝贝送我可好?没关系,结婚戒指我也可以收啊!二少,我知道你比我好看,比我帅……可跟我又有什么关系?不然我以为你在追求我,虽然我已经拒绝你很多次了!*****人都说沈无忧傍上江二少,是烧了三辈子高香,赚了!江二少却认为,这辈子能遇上沈无忧站在她身边,是他三生修来的福气,应该是他赚了才对!*****江少一笑,阎王绕道。无忧一笑,江少开道!你杀人来,我递刀,你放火,来我堆柴,你负责貌美如花,我负责赚钱养家,倾了这天下,只愿你笑颜如花!!
  • 阎连科长篇小说全集

    阎连科长篇小说全集

    阎连科,中国著名作家,被誉为“荒诞现实主义大师”。现任中国人民大学文学院教授。作品已经被翻译成二十几种文字。
  • 六朝文絜

    六朝文絜

    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。
  • 追忆似水年华:在少女们身旁(第二卷)

    追忆似水年华:在少女们身旁(第二卷)

    《追忆似水年华》以回忆的形式对往事作了回顾,有童年的回忆、家庭生活、初恋与失恋、历史事件的观察、以及对艺术的见解和对时空的认识等等。时间是这部小说的主人公。作者凭着智慧和想象力,使时间变得具体、生动、完美。它就像一首由多种主题构成的交响乐,爱情、嫉妒、死亡、回忆、时光,时而交叉重叠在一起,时而又游离开来,然而在宏观上,整个作品浑然一体,具有蓬勃的生命力。《追忆似水年华》被公认为文学创作的一次新的尝试,开意识流小说之先河。