The Mission

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER XVI.

  The first step taken by Alexander was to send for the Hottentots, and,after again reproving them for their former behavior, he asked who wereready to volunteer to proceed with him, as he had decided to leave thewagons with Major Henderson, and proceed on horseback the short distanceof his journey which remained to be accomplished.

  Several of the Hottentots immediately came forward; the heads of themutiny held back, and thus proved to Alexander that the men who had comeforward were persuaded into it by the others, and regretted what theyhad done. He therefore immediately accepted their services, and theirmuskets were returned to them. Alexander then stated his intentions tothe Caffre head man, who selected the thirty warriors that wererequired, and in the course of three hours every thing was ready fortheir departure.

  It was arranged that in case of danger arising to either party, theyshould, if possible, fall back to the newly established Mission ofMorley, on the sea-coast; but otherwise, the wagons would remain wherethey were till Alexander's return. Having packed up all they required insmall packages, to be carried by the Caffres, they bade farewell to theMajor, and set off, having no baggage but what we have mentioned; forAlexander would not be encumbered with a load of heavy articles whichmust prevent rapid progress, or rapid retreat if necessary.

  In two hours they arrived by difficult passes at the banks of the UmtataRiver, which they crossed, and soon afterward falling in with a Caffrekraal, they were informed that Daaka, the chief whom they sought, didnot reside more than twenty miles distant; and they easily procured aguide to show them the way.

  The reports of the advance of the Amaquibi army were here fullyconfirmed, and the natives were preparing to leave the kraal with alltheir cattle. It appeared, however, that at present the army wasstationary; the warriors carousing and enjoying themselves after thevictory which they had gained over the Caffres. As these had beenassisted by white men and their guns, the spirits of the Amaquibi wereraised to an extraordinary degree, and they were intending to carrytheir arms to the southward, as soon as Quetoo, their chief, hadsomewhat recovered from his wounds received in the late action. Indeed,it was the wounded state of their chief which was the principal cause ofthe army not having immediately proceeded to the southward.

  Having obtained this information, the travelers resumed their journeyalong the banks of the Umtata, over a country of surprising beauty, thedeep river being full of hippopotami, which were lying on the banks orsnorting in the stream. They could not wait to kill one during thedaytime, but promised the men they would allow them to make the attemptin the evening, after their day's march was over. Toward sunset, theystopped on the banks of the river on a rising ground, and the Hottentotsand some Caffres were then directed to go down to the river in chase ofthe hippopotami, as it was advisable to save their provisions as much aspossible.

  Before night they had succeeded, and the carcass of the animal washauled on shore. As soon as the party had taken as much as theyrequired, the native Caffres carried off the remainder of the flesh. Asthey were sitting down carousing by the fire which had been lighted, theCaffre head warrior came up to the interpreter, and told Alexander andSwinton not to say that they were Hinza's warriors if asked where theycame from. On being asked why, he told them that Hinza had married adaughter of the chief of this country, and after a time had sent herback again to her father, and that this had created ill blood betweenthe tribes, although no war had taken place. Alexander and Swinton, whoperceived that the advice was judicious, told him that they would not,and after partaking of the hippopotamus flesh they all lay down torepose under the far-spreading branches of a large tree.

  The next morning they set off, and after an hour's journey the guidetold them that they were at the kraal of Daaka, the descendant of theEuropeans. The bellowing of the cattle and noise of the calves soondirected them to the spot, and they entered a kraal consisting ofseveral very wretched huts. On inquiring for Daaka, a woman pointed outa hut at a little distance, and, as they dismounted and walked up, hecame out to meet them. Swinton and Alexander shook hands with the chief,and said that they were very glad to see him, and that they had come farto pay him a visit. The chief ordered a hut to be swept out for theiraccommodation, which they took possession of.

  "You have no idea, Swinton," said Alexander, "how much I am excitedalready by this interview."

  "I can imagine it, my dear Wilmot," said Swinton; "it is but natural,for he is your kinsman by all report, and certainly, although a Caffrein his habits and manners, his countenance and features are strikinglyEuropean."

  "That I have observed myself, and it has fully convinced me of the truthof the statement. I am most anxious to examine him--we must call theinterpreter."

  The chief entered the hut soon afterward, and took his seat; theinterpreter was sent for, and the conversation was begun by Daaka, wholike most of the Caffre chiefs, with the hope of obtaining presents,stated himself to be very poor, his cattle to be dying, and his childrenwithout milk. Our travelers allowed him to go on for some time in thismanner, and then sent for a present of beads and tobacco, which theygave him. They then commenced their inquiries, and the first questionthey asked was, why he resided so near the sea.

  "Because the sea is my mother," replied he; "I came from the sea, andthe sea feeds me when I am hungry."

  "In that reply he evidently refers to the wreck of the ship," observedSwinton; "and I presume, from the fish-bones, which we have seen aboutthe kraal, that these Caffres feed on fish, which the other tribes donot, and therefore it is that he says his mother feeds him."

  "Was your mother white?" inquired Alexander.

  "Yes," replied Daaka, "her skin was white as yours; her hair was justlike yours, long and dark; but before she died it was quite white."

  "What was your mother's name?"

  "Kuma," replied the chief.

  "Had you any brothers and sisters?"

  "Yes, I had; I have one sister alive now."

  "What is her name?" inquired Swinton.

  "Bess," replied the chief.

  "This is very confirmatory," said Alexander; "my aunt's name wasElizabeth; she must have called her child after herself."

  "Whom did your mother marry?"

  "She first married my uncle, and had no children; and then she marriedmy father; both were chiefs, and I am a chief; she had five children bymy father."

  THE CAFFRE CHIEF. P. 195.]

  A long conversation took place after this, the substance of which we mayas well communicate to our reader in few words. From the children ofKuma, supposed to be Elizabeth, the aunt of Alexander, were produceda numerous race of the European blood, who were celebrated inthe Caffre land for their courage; they were continually engaged in war,as their alliance was eagerly sought, and in consequence had nearly allperished. Daaka himself was renowned for warlike exploits, but he wasnow a very old man. In the evening the chief took his leave, and went tohis own hut.

  As soon as they were alone, Alexander said to Swinton, "I have now sofar fulfilled my promise to my worthy relation that I have seen thisdescendant of his child; but what am I to do? An old man like him is notvery likely to consent to go to England, and as for his sister Bess, hestates that she is equally infirm; the progeny of the rest of the familyare scattered about, and he himself knows nothing about them; to collectthem would be impossible, and if collected, equally impossible to removethem, for they would not leave. My old relative fancies, in his mind'seye, his daughter weeping over her captivity, and longing to be restoredto her country and her relations; still retaining European feelings andsympathies, and miserable in her position; her children brought up byher with the same ideas, and some day looking forward to theiremancipation from this savage state of existence: I think if he werehere, and saw old Daaka, he would soon divest himself of all theseromantic ideas."

  "I think so too; but there is one thing which has struck me veryforcibly, Alexander, which is, if this Daaka is the son of your aunt howcomes it that he is so old?
When was the _Grosvenor_ lost?"

  "In the year 1782."

  "And we are now in 1829. Your aunt you stated to have been ten or twelveyears old at the time of the wreck. Allowing her to marry at theearliest age, Daaka could not well be more than forty-eight years old;and surely he is more than that."

  "He looks much older, certainly; but who can tell the age of a savage,who has been living a life of constant privation, and who has been sooften wounded as his scars show that he has been? Wounds and hardshipwill soon make a man look old."

  "That is very true, but still he appears to me to be older than thedates warrant."

  "I think his stating that his sister was named Bess is fullcorroboration."

  "It is rather circumstantial evidence, Wilmot: now what do you proposeto do?"

  "I hardly know; but I wish to be in Daaka's company some time longer,that I may gain more intelligence; and I think of proposing to him thatwe should go down to visit the remains of the wreck of his mother, as heterms it. I should like to see a spot so celebrated for misfortune, andbehold the remains of the ill-fated vessel; I should like to have totell my good old uncle all I can, and he will wish that I should be ableto give him every information."

  "Well, I think it is a good plan of yours, and we will propose it to himto-morrow morning."

  "And I should like to visit his sister Bess--indeed, I must do so. Hesays she is much younger than he is."

  "He did, and therefore I think his age does not correspond with ourdates, as I observed before," replied Swinton; "but, as you say, youmust see his sister."

  Daaka had sent an old cow as a present to Alexander, which was a veryseasonable supply, as the hippopotamus-flesh had all been eaten. Thenext morning they proposed that he should accompany them to where the_Grosvenor_ had been wrecked.

  Daaka did not at first appear to know what they wished, and inquired,through the interpreter, whether they meant the ship that was wrecked onthe sea-coast, pointing to the eastward. On receiving an answer in theaffirmative, he agreed to set off with them that afternoon, saying thatit was about forty miles off, and that they could not get there untilthe next day.

  About noon they set off on their journey, and as they made but slowprogress over a rugged although most beautiful country, they stopped atnight at a kraal about half-way. Early the next morning they were led byDaaka and some Caffres who accompanied him to the sea-shore, and whenthey had arrived at the beach, it being then low water, Daaka pointed toa reef, upon which were to be seen the guns, ballast, and a portion ofthe keelson of a ship--all that remained of the unfortunate _Grosvenor_.

  As the sea washed over the reef; now covering and now exposing thesemementoes of misery and suffering, Alexander and Swinton remained forsome time without speaking; at last Alexander said--

  "Swinton, you have read the history of this unfortunate vessel, I know,for you asked me for it to read. What a succession of scenes of horrordo these remains, which from their solid weight only have defied thepower of the winds and waves, conjure up at this moment in my mind. Ithink I now behold the brave vessel dashed upon the reefs--the scream ofdespair from all on board--the heart-rending situation of the women andchildren--their wonderful escape and landing on shore, only to besubjected to greater suffering. See, Swinton, that must have been therock which they all gained, and upon which they remained shiveringthrough the night."

  "It is, I have no doubt, from its position," said Swinton.

  "Yes, it must have been; I think I see them all--men, women, andhelpless children--huddled together, half-clothed and suffering,quitting that rock by this only path from it, and setting off upon theirmad and perilous journey; the scattering of the parties--their perilsand hunger--their conflicts with the natives--their sufferings from heatand from thirst--their sinking down one by one into the welcome arms ofdeath, or torn to pieces by the wolves and hyenas as they lagged behindthe others. How much more fortunate those who never gained the shore."

  "Yes, indeed," replied Swinton; "except the eight who reached the Cape,and the five that Daaka asserts were saved, all the rest must haveperished in that dreadful manner."

  Alexander remained for some time in painful thought; at last he turnedto Daaka and said, as he pointed to the remains of the wreck, "And thisthen is your mother?"

  Daaka looked at him and shook his head, "No, not my mother this,"replied he; "my mother down there," pointing out in a northerlydirection.

  "What does he mean, Swinton? he says this is not his mother."

  "I will speak to him, Wilmot; you are too much agitated," repliedSwinton.

  "Is not that the vessel which your mother was lost in?" said Swinton,through the interpreter.

  "No," replied Daaka; "my mother came on shore in a vessel up the littleriver out there; I was a boy when this large ship was wrecked; and gotsome iron from her to make assaguays."

  "Merciful heaven! what joy I feel; I trust it is true what he says."

  "I have no doubt of it, Wilmot; I told you he was too old a man,"replied Swinton; "but let me question him further."

  Our readers may imagine the impatience of Alexander while the questionsof Swinton were being answered, and by which it appears that Daaka'smother was lost at the mouth of the Lauwanbaz, a small river some milesto the eastward of the Zemsooboo. An old Caffre, who had come down withDaaka, now gave a particular account of the wreck of the _Grosvenor_,corroborating all Daaka's assertions.

  "Were there none of the _Grosvenor's_ people left in the country?"inquired Swinton.

  "None," replied the old man; "they all went to the southward."

  "Did you hear what became of them?"

  "Some lay down and died, some fought the natives and were killed; thewolves ate the rest; not one left alive; they all perished."

  "Were none of the women and children saved and kept as slaves?"

  "No, not one; they had no meat, no milk, and they all died."

  After some other inquiries, the old man, who at first did not replywillingly, stated that he had, with other Caffres, followed the lastparty; had seen them all dead, and had taken off their clothes, and thatas they died were buried by those who still survived.

  "A better fate, cruel as it was, than living as they must have lived,"said Swinton.

  "Yes, truly," replied Alexander; "you don't know, Swinton, what a loadhas been removed from my mind, and how light-hearted I feel,notwithstanding this recital of their sufferings. My poor uncle! Godgrant that he may live till my return with this distinct intelligence,with the assurance that he has no grandchildren living the life of aheathen, and knowing no God. What a relief will it prove to him; howsoothing will it be to his last days! How grateful am I to God, that Ihave had so happy an issue to my mission! Now, Swinton, we will returnas soon as you please; as soon as we arrive at Daaka's kraal, I willtake down in writing the statement of these people, and then we willhasten back to the Major."

  "And I dare say," said Swinton, as he remounted his horse, "that youwill make old Daaka a more handsome present, for proving himself norelation to you, than if he had satisfactorily established himself asyour own first cousin."

  "You may be sure that my gratitude toward him is much greater than evercould have been my kindred feeling from friendship. I am so lighthearted, Swinton, and so grateful to God that I almost wish to dismountin my anxiety to return my thanks; but I do so in my heart of hearts, atall event."

  On the following day they arrived at Daaka's kraal, and then Alexandertook down very carefully in writing the statements made by Daaka and theother Caffres. They all agreed on the one point, which was, that theEuropean descendants now living in the country were wrecked in anothervessel many years before the loss of the _Grosvenor_, and that not oneof the _Grosvenor's_ people--men, women or children--had survived,except the few who arrived at the Cape.

  Having obtained these satisfactory documents, they made a handsomepresent to Daaka and the other Caffres, and immediately set out upontheir return to the wagons. As they journeyed back to the westwar
d, theyfound the Caffres quitting their huts, and driving away the cattle, thatthey might not fall into the power of the army of Quetoo, which it wassaid was now in motion, and scattering the tribes before them. As ourtravelers were not at all anxious to have any communication with thesesavage invaders, in two days they crossed the Umtata, and toward theevening were within sight of the wagons. A shout from the Hottentots andCaffres gave notice of their approach. The shout was returned, and in afew minutes they were shaking hands with the Major, who was delighted tosee them.

  "I did not expect you back so soon," replied the Major; "and as Iperceive that you are unaccompanied, I presume that your Caffrerelations would not quit their kraals."

  "You shall know all about it, Major, very soon; it will be enough atpresent to let you know that we have nothing but good news."

  "That I rejoice to hear; but it was well you came back as you did, for Ihave been making every preparation, and had you not returned in a fewdays, I should have retreated; the invaders are close at hand."

  "We know it, and, if they are told that there are wagons here wellloaded, they will come on quickly, with the hopes of plunder, so we mustdelay no longer," replied Alexander; "to-morrow we will yoke and setoff. We can determine upon our route as we are traveling, but the firstpoint is to retreat from this quarter."

  "Exactly; the oxen are in prime order and can make a long day's march,and we know our country for some days, at all events; but enter myfortress, dismount, and let us go into the tent which I have pitched.You shall then tell me your adventures, while Mahomed fries a delicatepiece of elephant's flesh for you."

  "Have you killed an elephant?"

  "Yes, but not without much difficulty and some danger, I assure you; Iwanted your help sadly, for these Hottentots are too much alarmed totake good aim, and I had only my own rifle to trust to; but I have donevery well considering, and I shall prove to our commander-in-chief thatI have supplied the garrison without putting him to any expense duringhis absence. We have been feeding upon green monkeys for three days, andvery good eating they are, if you do not happen upon a very old one."

  When they entered the inclosure made by the Major, they were surprisedat the state of defense in which he had put it. His hedge of thorns uponrocks piled up was impregnable, and the wagons were in the center, drawnup in a square; the entrance would only admit one person at a time, andwas protected by bars at night.

  "Why, Major, you might have held out against the whole force of theAmaquibi in this position."

  "Yes, provided I had provisions and water," replied the Major; "but Ifear they would soon have starved me out; however, it was as well to beprepared against any sudden night-attack, and therefore I fortified mycamp: now come in, and welcome back again."

  The news which they had to impart to the Major was soon given, and hewas highly delighted at the intelligence:--"And now," said he, "what doyou mean to do, Wilmot?--go back again, of course, but by what route?"

  "Why, Major, you and Swinton have been so kind in coming with me thusfar, and I have been so successful in my expedition, that I shall nowleave you to decide as you please. I have effected all that I wished, mybusiness is over, and I am ready to meet you in any way you choose; anything you decide upon I shall agree to willingly and join in heartily,so now speak your wishes."

  "Well, I will speak mine very frankly," replied the Major. "We have hadsome sport in this country, it is true, but not so much as I could havewished; for game is rather scarce, with the exception of elephants andsea-cows. Now I should like to cross the mountains, and get into theBechuana and Bushman country, where game is as plentiful as I believewater is scarce; we can return that way, if you please, almost as wellas we can through the Caffre country--what say you, Swinton?"

  "Well, I am of your opinion. As Wilmot says, business is over and wehave nothing to do but to amuse ourselves; I am very anxious to passthrough this country, as I shall add greatly to my collections, I haveno doubt; but it must not be expected that we shall fare as well as wehave done in this; it will be the dry season, and we may be in want ofwater occasionally."

  "I am equally desirous of going through that country, where I hope toshoot a giraffe,--that is my great ambition," replied Wilmot; "thereforewe may consider that we are all agreed, and the affair is settled; butthe question is, how shall we proceed back? We must return to Hinza'sterritory and send back the Caffres. Shall we return to Butterworth?"

  "I think that must depend upon circumstances, and we can talk it over aswe go along: the first point to ascertain is, the best passage over themountains; and it appears to me that we shall be diverging much too farto the eastward if we return to Butterworth; but the Caffres will soongive us the necessary information."

  "I wonder if the quarrel between Hinza and Voosani has been made up,"said Alexander; "for we must pass through the Tambookie tribe if wecross the mountains, and if there is war between them we may meet withdifficulty."

  "We shall hear as soon as we have crossed the Bashee river," repliedSwinton; "and then we must decide accordingly. All that can be settlednow is, that to-morrow we start on our return, and that we will crossthe mountains, if we possibly can."

  "Yes, that is decided," replied Alexander.

  "Well, then, as soon as you have finished your elephant-steak, Wilmot,we will get out a bottle of wine, drink the first half of it tocongratulate you upon the success of your mission, and the other halfshall be poured out in bumpers to a happy return."