Marie: An Episode in the Life of the Late Allan Quatermain

but he would not, saying that he feared lest any movement should cause the bleeding to begin again or even the cut artery to burst. Moreover, the wound was not healing v

water, for antiseptics were then unknown, my young

in the company of her father. Once I managed to ask her why she did not come oftener and alone. Her face grew t

at tall young man who had argued with my father in the wagon-house. Marie had never spoken to me of him, but from

the name of Pereira, who had come to the Cape Colony to trade many years before and settled there. Both he and

since his father had made a large fortune by trading in wine and spirits under some Government monopoly which he held. Often he had been invited to visit Maraisfontein, bu

hat made Hernando Pereira very angry, although he needed no more money, and had caused him to throw himself heart and soul into the schemes of the disaffected Boers. Indeed, he was now engaged as one of the organi

to be-nay, who had already become-my rival for t

reading his evening portion of Scripture aloud, I plucked up my courage to tell him that I loved Marie

our secret. This was not wonderful, for he informed me afterwards that during my delirium I had done nothing except rave of Marie in the m

dding kindly, "My poor boy, I fear th

"Is it wrong that we s

st unfortunate. To begin with, I do not wish to see you marry a foreigner and become mixed up with these disloyal Boers. I ho

" I eja

sure is impossible will happen after all," words that made me angr

just now because you have saved the daughter whom he loves, you must remember that he hates us English bitterly. I believe that he would almost as soon see his gir

out of ivory, for instance.

d I know our record, up to the time of Henry VIII. at any rate. Not one of us was ever commercially successful. Let us suppose, however, t

father. Still, one m

fight against a man who has the luc

mean?" I aske

w, who they say is one of the richest men in th

ou know i

st saw her after your escape, which he had not done since she was a child, and as he stopped to guard the hou

I compete with this rich and fortunate man, who naturally would be favoured of my betrothed's father? Then on the blackness of my despair rose a star of hope.

ry Marie, but I don't think that H

ot, my

nd she is not one to change. I b

at whatever happens will be for the best for both of you. She is a sweet girl and I like her well, although she may be Boer-or French. And now, All

last torpor, or weakness, overcame me, and I fell into a kind of net of bad dreams which, thank Heaven! I have now forgotten. Yet when certain

fresh air, I began to study my surroundings. In front of the house, or what remained of it, so arranged that the last of them at either end we made fast to the extremities of the stoep, was arranged an arc of wagons, placed as they are in a laager and protected undernea

to the Heer Marais, together with those of his friends, who evidently did not wish to see their oxen vanish into the depths of the mountains. In the middle of this extemporised kraal was a long, low mound, which, as I learned afterwards, contained the dead who fell in the attack on the hou

lowed by Hernan Pereira. Catching sight of me, she ran to the side of my couch with outstretched arms as though she intended

eer in her life before-"I am so glad to fi

, biting my lips, "as you would have l

and her breast shake with something like a sob. However, it was Pereira an

ty to do caring for all these people during the last few days without running to look at the cut in your leg. However, I am glad t

my eyes fill with tears, tears of rage, for remember

bloody games as the defence of Maraisfontein with eight men against all the Quabie horde. Then Heaven help those who stand in f

hey say all Englishmen are, and who fought well when he was lucky enough to have the chance of protecting you, my dear cousin. But after all, you know, he

ith a laugh, "Allemachte! I fear that won't be just at present. Wh

health and vigour. Mentally I compared him with myself, as I was after my fever and loss of blood, a poor, white-faced rat of a lad, with stubbly brown hair on my head and only a little down on my chin, with arms like stick

pirit, in courage, in determination and in ability, in all, in short, that really makes a man, I was more than Pereira's equal. Yes, and that by the help

ten could read my heart before my lips spoke. At any rate, her demeanour changed. She drew herself up. Her fine nostrils expanded an

s, have

trike the steel of his tinder-box, and was now blowi

tion and Maraisfontein in wonderful time, as, for the matter of that, the roan did too. I have taken a fancy to her, after a gallo

id, speaking for the first time, "and I do not

g is for sale, at a price. I'll give you-let me see-oh, what does the money matter when one has plenty? I'll give you a hundred English pounds fo

as has always been my fashion, I acted on it at once. "But," I added slowly, "if you like, when I am

urst out

n wants to shoot a match with me, staking that fine mare of his against a hundred pounds British; against me, Hernando Pereira, who

ernment one of the frontier commandants, but owing to some quarrel with the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Andries Stockenstrom, had recently resigned that office, and at this date was engaged in organizing the tr

bragging of his prowess, Pieter Ret

alf a dozen miserable Hottentots and slaves, held this stead f

g that I had been about to shoot Ma

le story for myself from the Kaffirs and from this 'mooi meisje'" (pretty young lady), and he nodded towards Marie. "Also I have gone over the ground and the house, and have seen where each man fell-it is easy by the blood marks-most of them shot by yonder Englishman, except one of the last three, whom he killed with a spear. Well, I tel

, who just then joined us after his morning walk, "althoug

eye at Pereira, "your turkey cocks with all their tails spread. I think this little chap must be such another as that great sailor of yours-what

s they were just when I felt crushed to the dirt. Moreover, as I saw by Marie's and, I may add, by my father's face, there were ot

ist recht" (T

k and busied himself with relight

ief bega

im with spears, as he has done, he may be able to hit other things also. You say that you won't rob him of his money-no, it was his beautiful horse-because you have taken so many

propose a shooting match at Kaffirs charging wit

Well, Mynheer Allan, what

Marais knows the place-when the wild geese flight over an hour before sunset, a

th loopers that will not b

eer," I replied, "for they come over from sevent

ill want plenty of ammunition to hit

he who has killed the most birds wins, even if he has not brought down the full six. Does the Heer P

began to laugh at him. In the end he grew rather angry, and said that he was w

t is likely to be sometime before I am strong e

document. Then we both signed them, Hernan Pereira not very willingly, I thought; and if my recovery was sufficiently rapid, the date was fixed for that day week. In case of any disagreement, the Heer Retief, who was staying at Maraisfontein, or in its neighbourhood, for a while, was appoi

to me. As I finished eating it, for the fresh air had given me an appetite, my father came in, accompanied by the Heer Marais, and began to talk to me. Presently the latter asked me kindly e

e done had I been at the point of death,

whom I owe so much. But you and my nephew, Hernan, do not seem to get on very well together, and, as you may

r, that the Heer Pereira wished to make a mock of me and to bring it home to me wha

the strong or the race to the swift, he who is young and rich and handsome, a spoiled child from the first. I am sorry, but what I cannot help I must put up with. If I ca

ot quite know what to say it is often

n entered into without my knowledge or consent. If he wins he wi

ell the mare, which he had been riding without my leave, and kept bragg

ney; but that beautiful mare is your ewe-lamb, and I should be sorry to see you parted from a beast which has

on't," I answe

n this petty squabble why I should be glad if you could go away for a while. I must take counsel with my countrymen about certain secret matters which have to d

upon with suspicion for the crime of being English. By God's blessing, my son has been able to do some service to you and you

hen excited or under the influence of his race prejudices, began to apologise quite humbly, assuring my fat

sure and get well, since he did not wish to beat one who was still crippled, even at a game of goose shooting. I answered that I would do my best; as for my part, I did not like being beaten it any game which I ha

eyes that I trusted was not seen. Then, under pretence of arrangin

shall pray God that you may ever

lip and make a movement as though to interrupt her. But Pieter Retief thrust his

sje wish a good journey to the y

amed at the oxen in the usual fashion

d the Heer Retief bef