Our eternal curse II

by Simon Rumney

  Hearing his sad tone, Helen broke away from her conversation for the first time. Leaning into her father, she kissed his cheek. "Please don't do this, father. That was another time and a different place."

  Robard watched Robert wrap his arm round Helen and say, "Bloemfontein ain't so different to Atlanta as far as I can see."

  Robard was pleased and a little surprised to find he understood the gist of what was being said. He listened closer as Robert spoke softly into the ear Helen had pressed against his face. "If I could meet your mother again, I would protect her. I would save her as I should have done back then. She was the only good thing to come out of that southern hellhole."

  Helen gave her father a supportive peck on the cheek as she spoke through a warm smile. "You are a good thing, pop, and you came out of that hellhole."

  Smiling, Robert kissed Helen back. "And you, my daughter. And you."

  With that, Robard lay down where he sat and left father and daughter to ponder their private memories.

  Sleep came upon him rapidly, and as he slept, he dreamed of standing on the deck of an ancient galley. It was the dream he had dreamed many times as a child and, just as then, he was looking out to a great ocean. Helen was there beside him, and in that moment, he understood why she seemed so eerily familiar.

  Trapdoor rifles

  When Robard woke late the next morning, he found himself surrounded by a busy camp.

  Ahh and Ceeya had already cooked a large breakfast for their guests and were in the process of cleaning up and putting away the cooking gear.

  Robert was standing by his wagon showing Beeya a brand new rifle of a kind Robard had never seen before. Standing up, he walked over to Robert to get a better look at the shiny weapon.

  Seeing Robard on the move, Helen carried a plate of eggs and bacon over to him and, as though competing for his attention, Julii poured a mug of coffee from the pot on the fire and rushed it over to Robard.

  Overwhelmed by the attention, Robard gratefully accepted the plate and the mug and looked around for somewhere to put them down. He said in his newly learned English, "Thank you. Thank you very much."

  As Robard placed his plate and mug on the top of one of the long wooden cases in the back of Robert's covered wagon, Julii looked at Helen and spoke in hushed awe. "Is he like you? Can he learn languages quickly like you?"

  Helen nodded her head 'yes' to Julii's question, but spoke to Robard. "Just like my mother."

  Pointing to Robard's wrist, she added, "My mother had exactly the same birthmark."

  In an overly flirtatious and competitive tone, Julii spoke over Helen's words. "Helen's mother was my namesake, you know? She was there at my birth."

  Annoyed by the attention-seeking interruption, Helen swiftly added, "But neither of us can really remember my mother."

  "She brought me into the world and she saved my life!"

  Realizing her excited tone was less than subtle, Julii calmed a little. Robert gave the two competing women a piteous look before reaching into one of the open cases in the back of the wagon and handing Robard one of the brand new rifles.

  Ignoring the look, Helen glanced at Robard and smiled. "My mother was going to visit Rome with Uncle Anton but she was murdered."

  Then Julii jumped in with, "My father was murdered too. And she saved my life!"

  Shaking his head, Robert said, "For heaven's sake girls. Give the man a chance."

  By way of taking attention away from his humiliated daughter, Robert grabbed a rifle for himself and opened the trapdoor breach block by pushing down on a lever below the trigger guard. Inserting a large cartridge, he closed the breach block and said, "This is what I did to the coward who murdered your mother."

  Holding the rifle to his shoulder, Robert fired at a distant rock. The bullet exploded with unbelievable force in the dead center of the rock. Repeating the loading process, Robert fired a second bullet within a matter of seconds.

  Robard and Beeya were amazed by the rapid and efficient workings and the accuracy of the incredible rifle. Robert said with pride, "This is the Westley Richards 1869.45 number 1 carbine hunting rifle. She's a beauty, isn't she?"

  Robert handed Robard and Beeya a cartridge each. Robard and Beeya both followed Robert's simple procedure and loaded their rifles and fired out into the veldt; both hit the rock dead center. Robard turned to Robert and said in his, as yet primitive but excited English, "These are good guns."

  Robert reloaded as he replied, "This here rifle is gonna win the war for you Afrikaner boys."

  Robert fired his rifle and reloaded as Robard asked, "War? What war?"

  Julii and Helen walked closer as Robert replied, "You ain't heard? Them British Redcoats are marching on the Transvaal. Seems they don't like you declaring independence and they definitely don't like your Boer boys keeping them Redcoats locked up in their own garrisons."

  Pointing to the wagon, he added, "Our first batch of rifles stopped the Brits at a place with some crazy name like Bronkhorsebut."

  After a moment's thought, Robard asked, "Do you mean 'Bronkhorstspruit'?"

  "Yeah, that's the place."

  Robert laughed at his own mistake. "Your boys killed something like a hundred and fifty Redcoats without taking a single casualty because of these here rifles."

  Pointing to the wagon, Robert added, "That's why your new government ordered this here second batch of rifles and a ton of ammo. We're supposed to deliver them to your brave boys at the front. They're waiting for us at a place called..."

  Pausing, Robert turned to Julii. Because of her need to be noticed by Robard, Helen answered, "The foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains."

  Smiling and shaking his head, Robert watched as Julii searched the inside pockets of her beautiful riding jacket and pulled out a piece of paper. Reading aloud she said, "A place where the road from Newcastle to Standerton passes through the mountain range. Laing's Nek Farm."

  Not to be ignored, Helen added, "We were supposed to meet our guide in Bloemfontein, but you already know what happened there."

  Robard felt embarrassed and inadequate. He had not been showing his true feelings, but he had been secretly enjoying the attention of two beautiful women. His inflating ego had assumed they saw him as a decent, kind, competent man, but now he wondered if they would think him an ignorant fool. 'How could he not know any of the things he had just been told?' 'How could he not know about something as important as his country being at war?' 'At best a fool.' 'At worst a coward.' 'This was embarrassing.' 'How could he let himself be so ill-informed?'

  Turning to Beeya, Robard spoke his Ndebele language with great authority. "You must take the ladies home with you and the supplies. You must tell my mother that Julii is to stay in the big house until I return. You must tell her I insist upon this."

  Beeya simply walked to Ahh and Ceeya and spoke a few words. Ahh and Ceeya silently set about clearing and packing up the camp as Beeya crossed to saddle Helen and Julii's horses. As the three brown men toiled, Helen asked Robard, "What did you tell them?"

  Robard was still trying to prove himself a man and repair the perceived damage done by his ignorance of events, so he sounded much too forceful. "You will go to my father's farm. I will show Robert to Drakensberg Mountains."

  Helen spoke first. She sounded angry. "You think you can send us away?"

  Robard walked to the ox cart as he said, "You must go. I must fight."

  Helen and Julii were not used to being spoken to in this way and, both together, they let Robard hear their protests. What came out of their mouths was a cacophony of busy Italian, English and French words that Robard could not fully understand, but their negative sounds made it very clear they had no intention of following his orders. Robard tried to reason with the ladies in his limited English, but he could see they were not going to back down. Helen even said, "You cannot risk your life. Your life is far too important to be thrown away on a battlefield!"

  Julii then continued with, "It is your duty to
return with us to Rome. Uncle Anton is not well."

  Helen interrupted with, "You are the only one who can unlock the secret for him!"

  Then Julii added, "He must find the truth before he dies. You are the only key to that truth!"

  Robard did not fully understand what he was being told, it all sounded crazy. He repeated his earlier point. "You must stay here and I must go to fight. It is my duty to fight."

  Helen and Julii crossed their arms and defiantly stood their ground. Giving up on the very determined women, Robard told Ahh, Beeya and Ceeya that he was sending the three of them home because the people on the farm were in urgent need of some of the supplies loaded on the ox cart, but that was a lie. There were still plenty of supplies stored on the farm.

  The truth was he knew Ahh, Beeya and Ceeya would insist upon fighting alongside him to protect him, and he just didn't want “his brown brothers” risking their lives for a nation that gave them few human rights and absolutely no respect.

  When all three of his brown brothers protested, he kept repeating the lie about how the people at home would suffer without these provisions until they reluctantly agreed to let him go with the strangers with the fancy guns.

  It soon became a tragic parting of four lifelong friends who feared what the future held. Three wondered if they would ever see the fourth again, and the fourth wondered what kind of life the three would have if something happened to him. 'How will his brothers be treated without the color of his pale skin working on their behalf?'

  Using manful gestures, bravado-filled words and imaginary “dust in the eye” to mask their true fears, they muddled through strong handshakes and clumsy embraces rectified by rugged slaps on the back until Robard broke free, walked to Robert's covered wagon, took his seat next to Robert, and never looked back.

  Battle of Laing's Nek

  The wagon ride took three days of uneventful plodding through the vast, unpopulated African countryside, so Robard decided to use the time to his advantage. While riding next to Robert on the wagon he learned English. When he rode one of the horses with Helen he learned Italian, and when he rode with Julii he learned French.

  By the time the small band of travelers reached the pass at the place near the farm called “Laing's Nek”, Robard had been pleaded with, begged and cajoled in all three languages.

  None of them wanted Robard to fight. They told him he had a more important mission and his life was too valuable to be thrown away in a stupid conflict. Robert, Julii and Helen had all spoken of the man called Count Anton and a woman by the name of Cecelia. They all told Robard how desperately this man and woman needed him to travel to Rome.

  Robard pointed out this was impossible because these people could never have even heard of him. All three tried to convince him, but none of them could fully explain how the count and Cecilia even knew Robard existed. However, they made it very clear the man and woman, who were far too old to make the trip to Africa, had been searching for him for many years.

  As each in turn reiterated their pleas for him not to fight in the upcoming battle, Robard became angry in English, French and Italian but each of his traveling companions simply repeated the exact same words in all three languages. "In war there are no winners, only losers."

  Robard was free thinking and “odd”, but even he had trouble believing their tall tales of searching the world looking for someone with his birthmark wherever there was a war, and their years of arms dealing and “blockade-running” simply to search for him. None of it made any sense and, had it not been for their obvious intelligence and mental stability and their new languages and fascinating tales of new and exciting countries, he would have broken free and ridden on alone.

  Despite his obvious skepticism, not one of them gave up trying to convince him to return to Europe with them. It was during such an attempt, being made in English by Robert, that the sound of the British artillery told Robard the battle was already underway and he was late.

  Climbing into the rear of the wagon, Robard found himself a new rifle and, ripping open an ammunition box, filled a leather cartridge belt with pristine bullets. Then, standing in the rear opening in the canvas’ cover, he called for Helen to come closer. Knowing exactly what he wanted to do, she rode further away from the wagon.

  Frustrated, Robard called to Julii but she did the same as Helen. Jumping down from the moving wagon, Robard walked towards the two lady riders but they cantered away until there was half a mile between them and him.

  Angry, Robard turned and walked after the wagon that was speeding up. While running to catch the wagon, Robard noticed a large group of white tents at the foot of a tall, free-standing mountain. Giving up on catching the wagon, Robard turned towards the tents and ran to the place he recognized as a Boer camp. He would find a horse there or, if the fighting was on foot, he would find someone to tell him where to go.

  As he ran, Helen cantered up to Robard and expertly instructed her horse to match his pace. Her pleading voice was edged with defeat and desperation. "Please do not do this, Robard. You will be killed, and trust me, it will be for nothing. It is always for nothing."

  Julii also appeared at Robard's other side. Talking down from her horse, she sounded as desperate as Helen. "There is so much for us to learn together. If you die here it will be an unforgivable waste. You are our only hope of learning the truth."

  From behind, Robard heard Robert calling to him from the wagon. "I have fought in many battles Robard. I have seen what becomes of heroes like you and it is never good. Even if you are not killed or maimed, you will never be the man you are now! Do not do this Robard!"

  Completely fed-up with how confused Helen and Julii and Robert's logical arguments made him feel, Robard fought back against the desire to give into their requests. He would not back down and at the top of his voice he shouted, "I am not a coward!"

  Helen, Julii and Robert used all of the languages at their disposal to agree with Robard. None of them had ever questioned his bravery. They even told him how "Confronting that man Wynand when nobody else would made him a hero in their eyes."

  But Robard simply jogged on without commenting or answering any of the requests to stop. When Helen rode her horse in front of him, he simply ran around it. When Robert steered the wagon alongside him, he ignored it and kept running.

  By the time he reached the Boer camp Robard was tired. He was fit but the great height of the mountain had deceived him. The distance to the camp had been far greater than it looked. He had maintained completely the wrong pace for such a long journey. He was also carrying a heavier rifle than he was used to and far too much ammunition for such a run.

  Stumbling into the camp, Robard found water by the chuck wagons and drank it desperately down. Resisting the urge to rest, his second action was to find someone who knew what was going on, but no one had been left behind. The only living things in the camp were a long line of tethered horses, which told him the next leg of his journey was also going to be on foot.

  Robard's only course of action was to follow the sound of pounding artillery and hope he found himself on the same side of the battlefield as his comrades. 'Could he even call them comrades?' 'None of them had ever liked or respected him.' 'Was this even his fight?'

  Fighting these urges to think logically about what he was doing, Robard was determined to show them all he was not the coward Janco always said he was. He would represent his father and his family name, and if he had to die to do that, then so be it.

  As he crossed the camp and broke free of the tents on the far side, Helen, Julii and Robert took up their following positions and tried desperately to talk him out of going to war; but Robard was having none of it. He was the son of a Voortrekker. His father was the son of a Voortrekker. He may be odd, he may not agree with the exploitation of human beings because of their color, but he was a Boer. Fighting for freedom against the greedy British was his birthright. This moment was his rite of passage, his duty to the country he loved, nothing was goi
ng to stop him.

  The guns were sounding very loud as he approached the foot of the high mountain. He was relieved to hear the shells from the cannons were exploding on the other face of the high mountain. That meant the cannons were firing from the far side and he was in the Boer side of the field.

  In order to get a better understanding of what was going on, Robard walked his way around the very broken ground at the base of the mountain. The going was very uneven and care had to be taken not to break an ankle.

  As he rounded the base of the mountain, Robard saw the red coats of the British soldiers charging across uneven open ground towards the center of the mountain. In the middle of the pack, two men held huge flags on long poles. The bright red, white and blue colors of the flapping Union Jack were very dynamic, but they were simply making a target of the man who carried it.

  Sure enough, the Boer marksmen picked off the man who held the British flag. As he went down, another man proudly retrieved and raised the colors. In that moment, the man holding the other ornate flag took a bullet to the chest and fell. As with the first flag, someone else picked up the second and the process of cutting the flag-bearers down carried on across the field.

  So many of the men surrounding the flags were felled by the rocky obstacles on the ground. Robard could see a number of them grasping their ankles as they lay on the ground trying not to be shot by the Boer riflemen on the top of the mountain.

  The rate of fire from the Boer positions was withering, and British soldiers were falling all over the field. Robard was about to return to the other side of the mountain in order to climb the slope and join his comrades, when he saw the terrible impact the artillery shells were having on the men above him.

  He also noticed a large group of Redcoats climbing the mountain in good order on the far side of the mountain. Robard realized if those men reached the higher ground above the Boer position, his countrymen would be cut off and caught between rifles and artillery.