Kafir Stories Seven Short Stories

iday shortly afterwards, and followed her. He asked her to be a helpmeet unto him, and she agreed. Whatever love existed between them was mainly o

led to talk of her expulsion. During the holidays she had volunteered to stay at the mission rather than go back to her mother's kraal. She was allowed to stay on condition that she did the house-work, helping the old domestic, who was far fr

er lover were sitting together in a little summer-house in the garden, Samuel had watched them enter and then, stealthily as a cat, had crept up to the trellis, and taken a position where he could hear every word spoken. What he heard left no room for any doubt as to t

Gozani is," said Mr. Wilson; "I have

he girl, and she then

areer at t

that he may have presumed

; and for some time back I have hardly been able to be

equality with us," said Mr. Wilson, after a pause; "it always leads to un

e asked if I thought all men, black and white, were equal, It was not so muc

did you sa

ht one who was white could ever look on a black man as really his equal. I di

uly believe what they say. The equality idea is quite an exploded one, and the black savage, superficially civilised, is no more

will. But I pity

tem which filled his head with nonsense. These old missionaries have done a lot of harm

gh. He crept away as

in metropolitan pulpits and pouring vials of saving grace over the heads of the elect of the children of Shem. He dwelt on the inconveniences of mission life in South Africa, and drew a moving picture of the contrast between such, and existence in a civilised, European city-comforted by the appliances of Science and cheered by the achievements of Art. He again called upon the children of Ham to thank their common Maker for the blessings bestowed on th

drunken men and women often staggered past; the mission, and during the fascinating description of life in a European city, she could not help recalling certain accounts she had recently read

ce had, if possible, a more exult

the ideas were original, the illustrations were commonplace, and what passed for argument was rather threadbare. The fundamental axiom was there, but was not aggressively flaunted: it was rather implied than expre

the last hymn, and before the final prayer and blessing. When the junior teacher

e and the others in the dining-room, where supper awaited them. He softly whistled the tune of a hymn as he went along the path, thinking how very inconvenient it was that he had to return home on the following day. It had been agreed that the engagement was to be announced that evening to the kind old missionary and his wife. He also thought of the inevitable opposition to a short engagement, as he knew how difficult it would be to find a

e footpath into the thickest part of the shrubbery, and there came into violent

f the most frantic terror. Her face was of a dull, ash colour; her mouth hung open and her eyes were dilated. She gasped for breath, pointed towards the visitors' house, and then sank senseless to the ground. The missionary returned to the dining-room, seized a candle, and walked quickly down the shrubbery path, the flame of the candle hardly flickerin

alarm was given. Miss Blake was led by Mrs. Schultz into the house. Then hands, tremulous with terror and pity, lifted tenderly what had so recently been a human being brimming with youthful, healthy life, and exalted with anticipation of the crown of

voice raised as though in anger, but had been unable to distinguish the words, and just afterwards a dull thud. She then walked quickly to

responding with his were found in suspicious localities in the shrubbery. He was arrested and tried for the crime, but was acquitted on the evidence of Martha Kawa. When, shortly after the t

nd went to live in one of the larger colonial towns. He drew a small pension which, with the interest upon the sca