The Mission

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER IV.

  Alexander Wilmot was too much pleased with Mr. Swinton not to cultivatehis acquaintance, and they soon became very intimate. The conversationoften turned upon Mr. Swinton's favorite study, that of natural history.

  "I confess myself wholly ignorant of the subject," observed Alexanderone day, "though I feel that it must be interesting to those who studyit; indeed, when I have walked through the museums, I have often wishedthat I had some one near who could explain to me what I wished to knowand was puzzled about. But it appears to me that the study of naturalhistory is such an immense undertaking if you comprehend all itsbranches. Let me see,--there is botany, mineralogy, and geology--theseare included, are they not?"

  "Most certainly," replied Mr. Swinton, laughing; "and perhaps the threemost interesting branches. Then you have zoology, or the study ofanimals, ornithology for birds, entomology for insects, conchology forshells, ichthyology for fishes; all very hard names, and enough tofrighten a young beginner. But I can assure you, a knowledge of thesesubjects, to an extent sufficient to create interest and affordcontinual amusement, is very easily acquired."

  "'The proper study of mankind is man,' says the poet,"--observedAlexander, smiling.

  "Poets deal in fiction, Mr. Wilmot," replied Mr. Swinton; "to study manis only to study his inconsistencies and his aberrations from the rightpath, which the free-will permitted to him induces him to follow; butin the study of nature, you witness the directing power of the Almighty,who guides with an unerring hand, and who has so wonderfully apportionedout to all animals the means of their providing for themselves. Not onlythe external, but the inward structure of animals, shows such varietyand ingenuity to surmount all difficulties, and to afford them all theenjoyment their nature is capable of, that after every examination yourise with increased astonishment and admiration at the condescension andgoodness of the Master Hand, thus to calculate and provide for thenecessities of the smallest insect; and you are compelled to exclaimwith the Psalmist, 'O God, how manifold are thy works; in wisdom hastThou made them all!'"

  "You certainly do put the study in a new and most pleasurable light,"replied Alexander.

  "The more you search into nature, the more wonderful do you find hersecrets, and, by the aid of chemistry, we are continually making newdiscoveries. Observe, Mr. Wilmot," said Swinton, picking up a strawwhich had been blown by the wind on the quarter-deck, "do you considerthat there is any analogy between this straw and the flint in the lockof that gun?"

  "Certainly, I should imagine them as opposite particles of nature aswell might be."

  "Such is not the case. This piece of wheat-straw contains more thansixty per cent. of silica or flint in its composition; so that, althougha vegetable, it is nearly two-thirds composed of the hardest mineralsubstance we know of. You would scarcely believe that the fibers of theroot of this plant were capable of dissolving, feeding upon, anddigesting such a hard substance; but so it is."

  "It is very wonderful."

  "It is, but it is not a solitary instance; the phosphate of lime, whichis the chief component part of the bones of animals, is equally soughtby plants, dissolved in the same manner, and taken into their bodies;barley and oats have about thirty per cent. of it in their composition,and most woods and plants have more or less."

  "I am less surprised at that than I am with the flint, which appearsalmost incomprehensible."

  "Nothing is impossible with God; there is a rush in Holland whichcontains much more silex than the wheat-straw, and it is employed by theDutch to polish wood and brass, on that very account. We know but littleyet, but we do know that mineral substances are found in the compositionof most living animals, if not all; indeed, the coloring-matter of theblood is an oxide and phosphate of iron."

  "I can now understand why you are so enthusiastic in the science, Mr.Swinton, and I regret much that the short time which will be occupied inthe remainder of our voyage will not enable me to profit as I shouldwish by your conversation; for when we arrive at the Cape, I fear ourpursuits will lead us different ways."

  "I presume they will, for I am about to penetrate as far as possibleinto the interior of the country," replied Mr. Swinton, "which of courseis not your intention."

  "Indeed, but it is," replied Alexander; "I am about to do the same,although perhaps not in the same direction. May I ask your intendedroute, if not too inquisitive?"

  "Not at all; I can hardly say myself. I shall be guided by theprotection I may fall in with. Africa is a wide field for science, and Ican hardly go any where without being well rewarded for my journey; andI will say, that should it meet both our views, I should be very glad ifwe were to travel in company."

  Mr. Fairburn, who had come on deck, had been standing close to them atthe latter portion of the conversation, and made the observation--

  "I think it would be a very good plan if Mr. Swinton would venture to gowhere you are bound, Mr. Wilmot, but you can talk of that another day,when you have been longer together. There is nothing that requires moredeliberation than the choice of a traveling companion; any seriousimperfection of temper may make a journey very miserable. Now, Wilmot,if you are tired of natural history, and wish to change it for thepainful history of human nature, I am ready to continue myobservations."

  "With great pleasure, sir."

  "I hope you have no objection to my reaping the benefit also?" said Mr.Swinton.

  "Oh, most certainly not," replied Mr. Fairburn, "although I fear youwill not gain much information, as you have been at the Cape before. Ina former conversation with Mr. Wilmot I have pointed out the manner inwhich the Cape was first settled, and how the settlers had graduallyreduced the original possessors of the land to a state of serfdom; Iwill now continue.

  "The Dutch boors, as they increased their wealth in cattle, requiredmore pasture, and were now occupying the whole of the land south of theCaffre country: the Caffres are wild, courageous savages, whose wealthconsists chiefly in cattle, but in some points they may be consideredsuperior to the Hottentots.

  "The weapon of the Hottentot may be said to be the bow and arrow, butthe Caffre scorns this warfare, or indeed any treachery; his weapons arehis assaguay, or spear, and his shield; he fights openly and bravely.The Caffres also cultivate their land to a certain extent, and are morecleanly and civilized. The boors on the Caffre frontier were oftenplundered by the bushmen, and perhaps occasionally by some few of theCaffres who were in a lawless state on the frontier; but if anycomplaint was made to the Caffre chiefs, every redress in their powerwas given: this, however, did not suit the Dutch boors.

  "They had entered the Caffre country, and had perceived that the Caffrespossessed large herds of cattle, and their avarice pointed out to themhow much easier it would be to grow rich by taking the cattle of theCaffres than by rearing them themselves. If the bushmen stole a few headof cattle, complaints were immediately forwarded to Cape Town, andpermission asked to raise a force, and recover them from the Caffres.

  "The force raised was termed a _Commando_, and was composed of all theDutch boors and their servants, well armed and mounted; these would makean incursion into the Caffre territory, and because a few head of cattlehad been stolen by parties unknown, they would pour down upon theCaffres, who had but their assaguays to oppose to destructive fire-arms,set the kraals or villages in flames, murder indiscriminately man,woman, and child, and carry off, by way of indemnification for sometrifling loss, perhaps some twenty thousand head of cattle belonging tothe Caffres.

  "The Caffres, naturally indignant at such outrage and robbery, madeattacks upon the boors to recover the cattle, but with this differencebetween the Christian boor and the untutored savage: the boors murderedwomen and children wantonly, the Caffres never harmed them, and did noteven kill men, if they could obtain possession of their property withoutbloodshed."

  "But how could the Dutch government permit such atrocities?"

  "The representations made to the government were believed, and the orderwas given in consequen
ce. It is true that afterward the governmentattempted to put a stop to these horrors, but the boors were beyondtheir control; and in one instance in which the home government hadinsisted that punishment should be inflicted for some more than commonoutrage on the part of the boors, the Cape governor returned for answer,that he could not venture to do as they wished, as the system was soextensive and so common, that all the principal people in the colonywere implicated, and would have to be punished.

  "Such was therefore the condition of the colony at the time that it fellinto the possession of the English--the Hottentots serfs to the land,and treated as the beasts of the field; the slave-trader supplyingslaves; and continual war carried on between the boors and the Caffres."

  "I trust that our government soon put an end to such barbarousiniquities."

  "That was not so easy; the frontier boors rose in arms against theEnglish government, and the Hottentots, who had been so long patient,now fled and joined the Caffres. These people made a combined attackupon the frontier boors, burned their houses to the ground, carried offthe cattle, and possessed themselves of their arms and ammunition. Theboors rallied in great force; another combat took place, in which theHottentots and Caffres were victorious, killing the leader of the boors,and pursuing them with great slaughter, till they were stopped by theadvance of the English troops. But I can not dwell long upon this periodof the Cape history; these wars continued until the natives, throwingthemselves upon the protection of the English, were induced to lay downtheir arms, and the Hottentots to return to their former masters. Thecolony was then given up to the Dutch, and remained with them until theyear 1806, when it was finally annexed to the British empire. The Dutchhad not learned wisdom from what had occurred; they treated theHottentots worse than before, maiming them and even murdering them intheir resentment, and appeared to defy the British government; but achange was soon to take place."

  "Not before it was necessary, at all events," said Alexander.

  "It was by the missionaries chiefly that this change was brought about;they had penetrated into the interior, and saw with their own eyes thesystem of cruelty and rapine that was carried on; they wrote homeaccounts, which were credited, and which produced a great alteration. Tothe astonishment and indignation of the boors, law was introduced whereit had always been set at defiance; they were told that the life of aHottentot was as important in the eye of God, and in the eye of the law,as that of a Dutch boor, and that the government would hold it as such.Thus was the first blow struck; but another and a heavier was soon tofall upon those who had so long sported with the lives of theirfellow-creatures. The press was called to the aid of the Hottentot, anda work published by a missionary roused the attention of the public athome to their situation. Their cause was pleaded in the House ofCommons, and the Hottentot was emancipated forever."

  "Thank God!" exclaimed Alexander; "my blood has been boiling at thedescription which you have been giving. Now, when I hear that the poorHottentot is a free man, it will cool down again."

  "Perhaps it will be as well to leave off just now, Mr. Wilmot," said Mr.Fairburn; "we will renew our conversation to-morrow, if wind andweather permit, as the seamen say."