The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-03-14
MY KAFFIR.
CHAPTER I.

| GERS, InfODDlnS away up tHeIe III TIC
blue from one horizon to the other; and
the sea, a wondrous mass of iridescence
| through which the sharp forefoot OF the
| Cape Liner shears, sometimes WIZ
noise like the tinkling of numberless
| little glass bells, at others with
| hoarse rush that casts great blobs and
| flakes of living light into the air. TO
| fall again in radiant showers of opa-
descent beauty into the screaming mass
| that glows and seethes under the bows.
| The wind was right aft, and the fore
staysail, hauled down, made comfort
able nest on the fox slehead. In the
| folds of this / lay back and smoked,
| gazing now on the wonderful spectacle
| cupboard, now up at the big lamp that
hung from the foretopmast stay, look
| ing mean and yellow, by contrast, I'M
| der the pure starlight, and wondered
nightly the while whether I should
ever find my Kaftir.
| In vain I had attempted to raise a
loan upon him in Melbourne, where,
| after a series of miSchances, l had,
| one winter, found myself remarkably
| hard up.
What people I knew-very few-who
had any money laughed cheerfully at
my proffered security, and refused to
invest. Even those who had no money
the great majority laughed also.
With one exception; he was news
paper man-at least he wasn't perma-
nently on any staff-but what is vague
ly known as literary contributor. u
And he paid my passage on that White
Star boat and gave me a few shillings
l.; 70 for
lily pretty we'll cleaned out until pay
night.
But Osborne had the spice of ro-
nance accentuated in his case by dab
bling in psychomancy, ode forces, and
such stuff. Also, just then he had con-
slant employment along the wharves
Jumping cargo at one shilling per hour
and siXpence overtime. And he was
into the bargain, expecting a boom In
the literary contributor business. Evil
IDENTIFY that was the only thing that
made him uneasy at leaving Australia
He was afraid the boom might com
mence during his absence and when he
would be unable to take advantage
of it.
Anyhow, there's copy in the bust
ness, old man, if there's nothing else,
said he, as he ran over from the Loeb
Lee, alongside which famous clipper he
was singing bales of wool, to say good
by. Still, if / We're you, in spite OF
the odic rremontions you have told me
so much about, | wouldn't be too san
guine with regard to dropping across
that niger. Five years, you know
is a good time to have neglected him.
Still, have hopes. So long. And good
luck" Yes, it was almost five years tC
the day since, weary and disheartened
by run Of bad fortune, l had come in
with a prospecting party from Bech-
uanaland, and, perforce, taken a job
with a Dutch farmer not far from
where johannesburg was, even then
growing into city on the Rand Cd
White Water.
My boss wasn't a bad sort of fellow
for a Boer. But if 1 had not been able
to speak little Dutch 1 should never
have stood a show of getting work
from him. After few months, it hap
pened that he and some others made 6
long trek down to the Bay port Eliza
beth)
/ went, too, and was glad of thu
chance, for 1 was getting tired of life
on the grass veldt; tired of scabby
mutton and square gin, and of having
nobody to talk to but "aunts'' anC
"uncles," and big-headed young Dutcl
bucks full of gas and blow at the ex
pense of the 'Britishers.''
Camping one night on the Vaal Rive
a Kaffir, old and evidently very i'll
came up and begged for something t
eat.
But the Beers only swore at him fo
a black schepsel, and one of them gave
the poor wretch cut over the legs will
his bullock whip that made him 5umI
again. Then he went away and la!
down under a great, shady, broad
leaved tree some 800 yards from ou
camp. After supper / carried him :
quart of tea and something to eat
| But he was too far gone to do any
thing but sip the warm sweet stuff
eat he could not. He. however, wa.
very grateful.
You are very good man, Bass" sale
he. Not like those Dutch aasvogel
) (vultures) over yonder. / am a Swat
and thought to die in my own land
and 10. I die where I lie. But before
, go / will make you rich. Never mouth
fuls of drink shall be paid for Xix,
these. Listen, my son! Two moons
ago I worked in the company's kraal
and dug for the white stones that shin,
in the dark when the white man pol
ishes them, and are worth many cattl
and many guns.
1T came to pass that on a day
found four-four, mark you-all at once
Two were big as the biggest mealie
ears. and two were bigger again. Clos
beside each other they lay in the mes
: that they were born in at the maxim.
, of the world, and there, my son. I found
, them, even 1. old Coca, whom the Pal
Man death hath gripped. And as
picked them up, so, one after the othe
/ swallowed them. And now they ligh
up, may be, the darkness of my belly
: But they are sharp and cold. I fee
: them even now And a grin passet
| like a sudden flicker of freight into
) dark corner across the wrnkled. leath
cry old face as he patted his make,
stomach.
"Ay" he continued, as I stared a
him, then gave him another mouthfu
of tea. Il swallowed them. And higl
though the fence and watchful tn
: guards, I escaped from the big kraal
: Take them, my son. Would that I ha'
, never seen them; very heavy they b.
in the new nest that they have mad
, for themselves Hearken, when / &c
which will happen when the first ligh
shines across the veldt behind yonde
l koppie." motioning towards a peculia
) hat-topped hill some quarter of a mil
: away, and the aasvogels have laag
} ered-up and gone, turn back from
In. n,,I her int