Forging the Blades: A Tale of the Zulu Rebellion

by Bertram Mitford

  CHAPTER TEN.

  IMPRESSIONS.

  If Denham's impressions had been thus with regard to Verna, hers hadbeen the same with regard to himself. She had seen him first, as hecame up the garden path with her father, and the tall, fine figure, andclean-cut face had taken her imagination at once. She remembered, onlythe other day, asking her father what sort of man this would be likelyto be, never expecting to set eyes on him, and now here he was.

  "Got any room at the bigger table, Emmie?" said Ben Halse, as they wentin. He had known the hostess of the Nodwengu--herself the daughter of afine old up-country trader and pioneer--ever since she was born. "Ilike being among folks when I break away, which isn't often."

  "Plenty. We're anything but full now, worse luck. Here, next me.Verna, you sit there."

  "There" meant next Denham, an arrangement of which the latter thoroughlyapproved. "Verna!" So that was her name, he thought. It soundedpretty, and seemed to suit her.

  "You've only just arrived, I hear, Mr Denham," she began. "Well, I'mnot going to ask you what you think of this country, because you haven'thad time to form an opinion."

  "I like what I've seen of it," he answered. "Ezulwini seems adelightful spot."

  "Mr Denham collects butterflies and beetles, and all sorts of things,"struck in Mrs Shelford. "I came upon him this morning with a horridleggy thing he'd just caught. What was it, Mr Denham? A praying--praying--something?"

  "Amantis."

  "Yes. He'll be catching snails next."

  "Shouldn't wonder, Mrs Shelford. I'm keen on capturing the skin of the_indhlondhlo_."

  "He's jolly rare," said Ben Halse, with a twinkle in his eyes. "Wemight find one up my way, but it isn't certain."

  "What did you call that snake, Mr Denham?" said Verna.

  He repeated the word. Then, as something struck him--

  "Now that's not fair, Miss Halse. Remember I've only been in thecountry a few days."

  "Why? What? Oh, I see. No, really, I wasn't making fun of the way yousaid it; on the contrary, you pronounced it so well I wanted to hear itagain to make sure. Aren't I right, father?"

  "Right--as usual. But joking apart, I noticed the same thing. You'llhave to learn the lingo, Mr Denham, as I said."

  "I'll try. By the way, what's the meaning of the name of this place--Ezulwini?"

  "In the heavens," answered Verna. "Pretty name, isn't it? It was namedafter the kraal of an old-time chief which stood on its site."

  "Why, yes. It's rather good," said Denham. "It's much better to stickto the old native names instead of inventing British and new ones."

  "I agree with you. But the worst of it is there are so few that theBritish tongue can get round," said Verna. "That makes rather adifficulty at a railway booking-office, for instance, when you have anewly-imported Britisher issuing tickets."

  "Such as myself," laughed Denham.

  "I didn't know you issued tickets," rejoined the girl mischievously.

  "But the newly-imported Britisher!"

  "Well, yes. I suppose you are that. But it isn't incurable."

  There was a laugh at this. Denham was delighted. There was somethingabout the girl at his side that was infinitely taking. She, for herpart, talked on and talked well. How had she acquired the art, hemarvelled, spending life in a place which her father had described as"precious wild." But perhaps she had been home to England foreducational purposes. But to a question to that effect Verna promptlyreplied in the negative. She had once been to Johannesburg, and thatnot for long; beyond that she had never been outside Zululand and Natal.

  "I am utterly uneducated, you know," she added frankly, but with themost taking smile.

  "You don't expect me to take that seriously, Miss Halse?" said Denham.

  "Well, it's true."

  He shook his head, of course unconvinced. In rough and out-of-the-wayparts a girl might suffer from want of educational opportunities, butthis one had not. Her speaking voice was refined and her grammarflawless. Perhaps she had a clever and refined mother, he thought. Andthen it occurred to him for the first time that he was in entireignorance as to what Ben Halse's household consisted of. He had made noinquiries on the subject, and now he was going to be a temporary memberof it.

  "You won't believe what I say?" she went on mischievously.

  "No."

  "All right, you'll see. Just get me on to Shakespeare and Byron, or isit Bacon? and all that lot that you learned people like talking about,and then you'll see where I don't come in."

  Denham was more and more delighted. There was such a charming franknessabout this daughter of the wilderness that was clean outside all hisexperience. There was no affectation about it either. At the same timehe could see that this was no ordinary type of womanhood. She hadcharacter, and plenty of it. Here was an object of interest--of vividinterest--he had by no means bargained for.

  "But I'm not a `learned' person, Miss Halse," he answered, with a laugh."Anything but. I like collecting things. That's all."

  "Mr Denham's coming up to stay with us a bit, Verna," said Ben Halse."He'll be able to `collect things' there to the top of his bent."

  "Are you, really? Oh, that'll be delightful," she said, turning uponDenham a sparkling, pleased face. "We can take you where you can findeverything that creeps, or flies, or runs, down in the Lumisana forest."

  "That'll be more than good. I shall enjoy it above all things," herejoined. "I suppose you are a good bit of a sportsman yourself, MissHalse? Shoot and all that?"

  "Oh, I haven't always time," she answered. "What with running the houseand looking after things, and helping father in the store--that takessome time and patience, I can tell you. The people in these days havegot so civilised and thoroughly understand the value of money, why,they'll haggle for half-an-hour over anything, from a striped skirt to apacket of snuff."

  "Will they?" said Denham, more interested than ever. This girl--thissplendid-looking girl with the fine presence and striking personality--sold striped skirts and packets of snuff to natives, and, moreover, hadnot the slightest hesitation in volunteering the fact. More and moredid she rise in his estimation.

  "Miss Halse nearly shot a Kafir once in that same store, Mr Denham,"struck in the hostess, who, while talking to the trader, had taken inthe other conversation.

  "Not really?"

  "Oh, it was nothing," explained Verna. "A man came in once to trade--not one of our people, but a stranger. I was alone and he got impudent,not merely impudent, but violent, began to throw things about, and allthat. So I just gave him a scare shot, you know, a shot that shaved himnear enough to scare him badly. I let him know that the next one wouldbe nearer still and that I had five more. Then he subsided and becamecivil. But--it was nothing."

  "Well done! Well done!" cried Denham. "I suppose in those wild partsyou have to know how to take care of yourself." He had noticed, too,that there was no trace of brag in her narrative: it was utterlymatter-of-fact.

  "I've never known any trouble with our people, and I've been among themthe best part of my life," she answered. "This one was a stranger."

  "How d'you do, Miss Halse," said Inspector James, who entered at thatmoment, "I thought your father wouldn't have left you behind. Well,Halse, I knew I'd be late, and I am. It's precious hot, though. What'sthe latest?"

  "Latest? I came here to hear the latest," answered Ben Halse, with atwinkle in his eyes.

  "Oh, of course. If you didn't know what was going on before we did I'dbe--well, astonished."

  "No, there's no _indaba_--none fresh, that is, and what there is youknow as well as I do, James."

  "Oh, those brutes are hatching no more mischief than usual," grumbledthe latter, who was hot and tired. "How's your friend Sapazani, Halse?"

  "Same as before. I'm going to have another drink, James. You cut in--you, Mr Denham?"

  "Don't mind. That sweep's not trustworthy," answered James, meaning notDenham but Sapaz
ani.

  "Is any one on this earth?" returned Ben Halse, while Verna remarkedsweetly--

  "Sapazani is a great friend of ours, Mr James."

  Denham, the while, listened amused, but said nothing.

  "Oh, that's all right, Miss Halse," answered the Inspector. "Meanwhile,it's a great thing to know who one's friends are."

  "Who is Sapazani?" asked Denham, after a little more discussion.

  "He's our chief--I mean the big chief near us," explained Verna. "We'llintroduce him to you when you come."

  The police officer was a trifle surprised. Denham was going to staywith the Halses, then! Now who the deuce could this Denham be? he beganto wonder. There had been dark suspicions of gun-running in the partinhabited by Sapazani's tribe, and now here was a stranger, about whomnobody knew anything at all, going on a visit to Ben Halse. Then itoccurred to him that the said stranger had arrived unexpectedly atEzulwini, not by the usual road and in the usual way, but alone, onhorseback, from a different direction and through some of the mostdisaffected and out-of-the-way parts of the country. It also occurredto him that the said stranger's previous movements might bear somelooking into.

  "Well, I shall leave you to take away poor Sapazani's charactertogether," said Verna presently, rising from the table--the hostess hadalready retired.

  "Going to have forty winks, Miss Halse?" laughed James.

  "Perhaps."

  The men sat on for a little while longer, then the Inspector left themto return to his work. Ben Halse and Denham adjourned to the verandahto smoke another pipe or so.

  "I'm glad you've found your way out here," said the former. "We've donebusiness together for quite a time, and it seems as if we ought to knoweach other."

  "And very satisfactory business it has been to me, Mr Halse--"

  "Glad to hear you say so. Yes, go on. I interrupted you. I'm sorry."

  "Oh, not at all. Well, what I was going to say is this: I trust weshall continue it on the same satisfactory terms--er--I mean--of courseit is most kind of you to offer me hospitality, and I assure you I lookforward to my visit with keen pleasure. But you will understand thatanything rare you may obtain for me in the way of specimens while I amwith you, is obtained on exactly the same terms as before. You don'tmind?"

  We have somewhat emphasised the fact that Ben Halse was fond of money,but also that there was no sort of meanness about him. He had a code ofhis own. Moreover, he had taken a very great liking, at first sight, tothe man beside him.

  "I don't mind, Mr Denham," he answered. "But I don't think I'll agree.While you are my guest we won't go on the business tack over anything."

  "Now you don't want to cut my visit short, do you?" said the other, witha pleasant laugh.

  "Certainly not. But this time you must let me have my own way. Wehaven't known each other long, Mr Denham, but I don't mind telling youthere are people in these parts who say things about me; but whateverthey say, there is one thing they are bound to say--unless they areliars--and that is that I have my ideas of what's what, and I stick tothem."

  "Very well, then, Mr Halse. You shall have your way, and I assure youI am looking forward to an altogether new and delightful experience."

  Then they talked on about veldt-craft and forest-craft, eventuallycoming round to the record koodoo head, which Denham was dying to see.

  "Verna shot it," said Ben Halse, somewhat lowering his voice. "As neatand clean a shot as ever was delivered."

  "No!" in delighted surprise.

  "Fact. Verna shot it."

  "What did Verna shoot?"

  Both started at the voice behind them, and turned their heads. The girlstood erect, smiling, in every way winsome and attractive.

  "You shouldn't talk so loud, father dear. You're giving away oursecrets to any passer-by. It doesn't matter about Mr Denham, ofcourse, because he's in them: an accomplice, an accessary, both beforeand after the fact--isn't that the correct expression?"

  Denham was set wondering. "An accessary, both before and after thefact," he repeated to himself. And this was the girl who had describedherself as "utterly uneducated."

  "I'm going for a stroll," she went on. "Will you come, father?"

  "I think not, dear. I promised to meet one or two of them at the clubabout now."

  "All right."

  Denham started up, with an abruptness somewhat unusual in him.

  "Might I accompany you, Miss Halse?" he said, as she was turning away.

  "I shall be delighted," she answered, flashing a smile at him, "We'll godown through the bush--they've cut out some paths through it, and it'slovely down there. We can come out again just below the Nongqaibarracks. That'll make just a nice round. So long, father."

  Ben Halse sat back in his chair, watching them down the garden path.

  "They look well together. A fine pair, by Jove!" Then a sudden thoughtseemed to strike him, and again he ejaculated to himself with emphasis,"A fine pair, by Jove!"