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

ughed through seas that grew ever more rough. Also, strong as I was, that fearful ride had overdone me. Added to these physical discomforts was my agonising anxiety of mind, which I leave an

of the ocean, much as he loved me, he would, I am sure, by one means or another, have left me to voyage in the Seven Stars alone. There he lay upon the floor of my little cabin, rolling to and fro with the violent motion of the brig, overcome with te

t he was now quite hollow "like a gourd." Also he declared that all these evils had fallen upon him because he had been fool enough to f

d them. Thereon he made a dreadful face, which even in the midst of my own woes caused me to laugh at him, uttered a prolonged groan, and became so silent that I thought he must be dead. Howeve

began to take a more cheerful view of things. Especially was this so when the hours for the "brandy medicine" came round. Han

ter of the Point in the beautiful bay upon the shores of which the town of Durban now stands. Then it was but a miserable place, consisting of a few shanties which we

esert, employing my time in picking up all the information I could about the state of affairs, especially with reference to the Zulus, a people with whom I was destined ere long to make an intimate acquaintance. Needless to say, I inquired both from natives and from white men whether anything was known of the fate of Marais's party, but no one seemed even to have heard of

favouring wind. Three days later we entered the harbour of Delagoa, a sheet of water many miles long and broad. Notwi

I pass over my troubles with the Customs, if such they could be called. Suffice it to say that ultimately I succeeded in landing my goods, on which the duty chargeable was apparently enormous. Thi

Madagascar, where a profitable trade was to be done in carrying cattle and slaves. Captain Richardson said he might be back at Lorenzo Marquez in two or three months' time, or he might not.

e date she left it. So if I had not caught her at Port Elizabeth I could not have come at all, except, of course,

ack to my s

elf a half-breed. Here good fortune befriended me. Don José, when sober, was a trader with the natives, and a year before had acquired from them two good buck wagons. Probably they were stolen from some wandering Boers or found derelict after their murder or death by fever. These wa

beads and so forth. The result was that within two days I had forty or fifty to choose from, small animals of the Zulu character and, I should add, unbroken. Still they were sturdy and used to that veld and its diseases. Here it was that

g and breaking in the wild oxen, purchasing provisions, hiring native servants-of whom I was lucky enough to secure eight who belonged to one of the Zulu tribes and

er had said that they were encamped on the bank of the Crocodile River, about fifty miles from Delagoa Bay. I asked everyone I met among the Portuguese-who, after all, were not many-if they had

immediately concern them. Moreover, the natives whom they flogged and oppressed if they were their servants, or fought with if they were not, told them little, and

ule of a chief who was hostile to them, and killed any of their people who ventured thither. Therefore they knew nothing for certain. Still, one of them stated that a woman whom he had bought as a slave, and who had passed through the

th the man and finally agreed for her purchase for three pounds of copper wire and eight yards of blue cloth. Next morning she was produced, an extremely ugly person with a large, fla

o make her talk, for she had never seen a white man, and thought I had bought her for some dreadful purpose or other. However, when she found that she was kindly treated, she opened her

she had travelled many roads

so intense that it became a nuisance. She followed me about everywhere, trying to do me service in her savage way, and even attempted to seize my food and chew it before I put it into my own mouth-to save me the trouble,

ny good horse would cover in eight hours, or less. But we had no horses, and there was no road-nothing but swamps and bush and rocky h

ers could take no help? If everyone at the camp was dead, as rumour told us-well, they were dead. And if they lived, the hope was that they might live a little longer. Meanwhile, I dared not part with my guide, nor dared I lea

so, since I found afterwards that this river wound about a great deal and was joined by impassable tributaries. Also it was bordered by forests. Jeel's track, on the contrary, followed an old slave road t

er to make a way for the wagons. The oxen had to lie in their yokes all night, since we dared not let them loose fearing lest they should stray; also lions were roaring in the distance, although, ga

of plain covered with mist, and to the north, on our right, several

nto vapour that vanished away as the sun rose. As I watched it idly, the woman, Jeel, crept up

e wagon tilts. Just then the Zulu who understood Jeel's talk came up. I asked him as well as I could, for at that time my knowledge of his tongue was very imperfect, what she wished to

eak. There were the wagons at last, but-oh! who and what should I find in them? I called Hans

e answered. "There is no hurry, for though the wagons

ng of death like a crow. And listen: I am going to walk forward to th

you should go alone. Kaffirs

f you think it wise, tell two o

istance to the camp, in quicker time than I did that morning. Indeed, I left those active Kaffirs so far behind that when I approached the trees they were not in sight. Here I dropped to a walk, as I said to myself-to get my breath. R

"rude houses" of which Marie had written. But I could not see anyone moving about the

myself, Hans is right.

through the outlying trees and between two of the wagons. One of these I noticed, as we do notice things at such times, was th

ught that I heard a faint sound as of someone reciting slowly. I crept along the end of the outermost house and, rubbing the cold sweat from my eyes, peeped round the corner, for it

ragging between them the body of a woman, which evidently they had not strength to carry, as its legs trailed upon the ground. From the shape of the corpse it seemed to be that of a tall young woman, but the features I coul

l. I went forward to the men and

do you

e trouble to look at me. As I listened to those words my heart, which had stood still

eading by the hand a mere skeleton of a child, who was chewing some leaves, I saw-I saw Marie Marais! She was wasted to no

e child, she cast up her hands, through which the sunlight

men in an indifferent voice. "I tho

the grave turned. Lifting his hand, he pointed

quite mad. Look! there stands the spook of young Allan,

rd the voice I k

d, "I am no ghost, I am Alla

eemed bewildered. But one o

nless you are ready to be eaten? D

ns and food,

d laugh, "do you hear what your English spook says

I wrenched myself free of him and ran to Marie, who was lying face upwards on the ground

Allan, or do I dr

et, for she seemed to weigh no more than a child. Her

r, I turned to t

nd I pointed to two fat elands strolling among the

. Those buck," he added, with a wild laugh, "come here to mock us every morning; but they wil

e it was so light to carry. I held up my hand for silence, set Marie gently on the ground, and began to steal towards the elands. Taking what shelter I

gain between two clumps of bush about two hundred and fifty yards away. Hastily I raised the full sight on the rifle, w

was very long, and the beast very large to bring down with so small a bullet. I aimed righ

as this? Suddenly the great bull swung round and began to gallop towards us. When it was not more than fifty y

ed breathless and stre

stop to skin it," I said in my broken

th their assegais. Then I looked about me. Near by

of the skeleton Boers, fo

ey answered; "ou

up, for iron pots were not wanting-only food to put into them. I think that for the rest of that day those poor creatures did little else but eat, sleeping betw