Forging the Blades Part 3

Verna rose and went into the house, returning with a large bottle of the excellent ale they brew in Maritzburg, and a long gla.s.s.

"Good!" exclaimed the guest, as he drained the foaming brew. "_Wou_!

Our people cannot make such _tywala_ as this." The while he had been noting, with calm approval, every movement of the girl: the fine erectness of her carriage, the firm walk, straight from the hips. As he talked he noted, too, the quick movements of her floury hands and arms, for she had resumed her occupation. At last he rose to take leave. The sun was getting low, he said, and he had still far to travel.

"Wait," said the girl. Then she walked round to the store, returning immediately with a few unconsidered trifles, such as a large sheath-knife and belt, a packet of snuff and some bra.s.s b.u.t.tons, also strings of beads.

"This is something that even a chief may find useful," she said, handing him the knife, which he accepted with a pleasant murmur of thanks.

"These," she went on, handing him the smaller things, "will please Nonente and Malima," naming two of Sapazani's youngest and favourite wives.

These, too, he took. Verna, putting up both hands to adjust the pins in the large and rather untidy knot of brown hair at the back of her well-shaped head, stood contemplating him with a flash of roguish mischief in her eyes; the joke being that she was morally compelling so great a chief as Sapazani to carry something, however small, for a couple of mere women. But she reckoned without that potentate's power of resource.

"Ho, Samhlu!" he called to the stable boy, who was pa.s.sing, and now turned hurriedly, obsequiously.

"Thou wilt bear these behind me," said Sapazani, handing him the other things. Then, unconcernedly belting the knife round his own exalted person, he took a pleasant farewell of his very attractive entertainer, and, followed by the boy, who was one of his own people, strode away over the veldt.

Verna, looking after him, laughed to herself. Her guest had not merely--and readily--cut the knot of his own dilemma, but had turned the tables on her by depriving her of the services of her boy for the rest of the day. But she thoroughly enjoyed the joke. Soon the tramp of hoofs struck upon her ear, and she turned with a smile of welcome to meet her father.

"Well, girlie, and what have you been doing with yourself? Busy as usual?" sung out the latter, as he swung himself from his horse and shouted for the boy.

"Yes; bread-making. But it's no use calling Samhlu, dear. You won't see him again to-day, because he's gone with Sapazani to carry five strings of beads and a couple of dozen bra.s.s b.u.t.tons, which that debilitated weakling was too feeble to carry himself."

"Sapazani? Has he been here, then? Pity I missed him."

"Just gone." And then she told him about her little bit of innocent mischief, at which the trader threw back his head and roared with laughter.

"You mustn't play tricks on these big swells, darling," he said, proceeding to do his own off-saddling. "But Sapazani's a real good 'un, bang the opposite of his crusty, slippery old father."

Ben Halse was a tall, fine-looking man, with a large beard; just the sort of man to command the respect of savages; in his dealings with whom he was invariably straight and reliable. But as a setoff against this there were stories about him--stories of shady transactions in the gun-running and liquor-smuggling line, and those in charge of the administration of the country held him in no very favourable regard.

Indeed, it was whispered that there was one even darker count against him, which, though a thing of a tolerably remote past, the law might take cognisance of even yet. But all these things, although known to Verna, made no difference in the affection and confidence which existed between the two. Of her--his only child--he was inordinately fond and proud; and, so far as he was concerned, desired nothing more to complete his happiness in life.

But she? In the full vitality of her splendid youth, was she not bound to "pair"? This was a question he frequently asked himself, and--it needed no answer.

CHAPTER FOUR.

THE TRADING STORE.

Ben Halse's store was full of native women, some with babies and some without; and all were chattering. Two or three had come there to do a deal, and the rest had come to see them do it.

"_Au_! but this is not the right kind," muttered one, with a dissatisfied shake of the head, holding up a blue skirt; the others joining critically in its examination. "I want one red and striped, not spotted like this."

"Here it is, then," cheerfully returned Verna, producing another. She was presiding G.o.ddess on this occasion, as indeed she often was.

But the other, although red and striped, did not seem to please. It was examined critically by the whole committee, except one or two, who, squatted on the floor, were giving undivided attention and, incidentally, nutriment to their infants. The stripes were white instead of yellow, and they ought to be yellow. No white things were worn now.

Verna laughed good-humouredly. She knew her customers. No deal was ever effected with such without seemingly endless discussion--and objections.

"No white things!" she echoed. "Why, _I_ wear white things."

"_Inkosikazi_!"

"Well, why not you?"

"_Au_!" and the intending buyer brought a hand to her mouth with a smothered laugh. "Inkosikazi does not belong to the chief."

"The chief. What chief?"

"U' Sapazani."

"Sapazani?" rejoined Verna. "But he does not like the clothing of white people at all. Yet you are buying it."

This was a fact. Though on terms of friendship with Ben Halse Sapazani was anything but fond of the trader's compatriots, and discouraged as far as he could the introduction of European customs and clothing. With the latter, in consequence, the store was but scantily supplied.

"It is for wear in the towns, _Nkosikazi_," was the answer, and then after some haggling the deal was completed. Then others came forward.

Some wanted one thing, some another, but all haggled. Verna, of course, was used to this. It was all in the day's work, and took up some time.

The deal completed, the buyers went outside to talk it over. Two young men came in next. One wanted a sheath-knife and one a green blanket.

These were paid for without haggling, Verna throwing in a length of roll tobacco by way of a _bonsela_, or gift to seal the bargain.

The interior of the up-to-date trading store in Zululand presents a very different appearance to the old-time one. There are the knives, and strings of beads, and three-legged cooking-pots, and tobacco of the old days; but there is also a large and varied a.s.sortment of European clothing--male and female--the latter preponderating in quant.i.ty and degrees of gorgeousness. Umbrellas, too, and looking-gla.s.ses, even boots, form no unimportant items in the general "notions" displayed.

This particular store, however, did less trade in such things than most; and the reason may be found in the dialogue set forward above.

Sapazani, the powerful chief of that section, was the most conservative of Zulus, and discouraged any sort of aping of European ways. But if Ben Halse's trade suffered in this respect it more than gained in others.

Now Verna, for all her attractiveness, was a shrewd and practical young woman, and a.s.sisted her father materially in the management of his trade. He did more than a little cattle raising and cattle jobbing, and thus had his hands more free than would otherwise have been the case.

In fact, it was a prevalent idea among the people that they could always get more favourable terms in the inevitable haggle when "U' Ben"

happened to be presiding at the receipt of custom than when the same held good of his daughter.

By the way, there was a curious jagged hole in the thin plank lining of the corrugated iron wall of the room, about a yard to the right of the door and less than twice that measure from the ground, and its history was this: One day a Zulu had come in to buy things. He was a big man and unringed, and hailed from the other end of the country. Moreover, he had been away working at Johannesburg and so had lost much of his inherent awe of the white man, and still more of the white woman. This fellow's demeanour, at first bold and off-hand, became insolent, even threatening. Verna was alone, and he knew it.

He flung down a pair of boots that he was haggling over, flung it violently onto the counter, so that one of the pair almost hit her, using the while loud and violent language. But he was out of his reckoning.

There crashed forth a loud report, and with a whizz and a scatter of splinters the bullet pierced the wall planking, but so near that the aggressive ruffian felt the breath of it on his arm.

"That for a warning, _ishinga_," [rascal], said the girl. "The next carries death."

The startled savage stood as though petrified. He stared at the tall, fine, commanding figure. He took in every detail--the compression of the lips, the hard glint in the dilated eyes, the uncommonly dangerous-looking "bull-dog" revolver, held in a firm grip without a tremor, and pointing direct at his chest. Then he uttered a single word--subdued, respectful--

"_Inkosikazi_!"

Verna looked him steadily in the face for a moment. Then she said--

"Now go. Go, do you hear, before I change my mind. People who insult me are not safe. Go."

And he went.

Some time afterwards she mentioned the incident to Sapazani, quite in a light, casual way. The chief was strangely angry, far more so than the occasion seemed to warrant, she had thought, with a mild, pa.s.sing astonishment.

"I would I had known of this at the time, Izibu," he had said. "That _ishinga_ might have found some difficulty in returning to his own part of the country. He is not one of our own people, he belongs to Induba.