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Abdul Jemalee, the Malay slave, was there; also Booby the Bushman the former grave and silent, almost sad; the latter conducting himself like a monkey to which animal he seemed closely related and evoking shouts of laughter from a few youths, for whose special benefit he kept in the background and mimicked every one else.
Look at Jemalee!" The Hottentot pointed with violent action to the Malay, who, with a calm and sad but dignified mien, stood listening to the small-talk of Booby, while the light of the camp-fire played fitfully on their swarthy features. "Well, what of Jemalee!" asked Considine. "You know dat him's a slave a real slave?" "Yes, I know that, poor fellow."
"You never hear how him was brought up here?" "No, never tell me about it." Hereupon the Hottentot related the following brief story. Abdul Jemalee, a year or two before, had lived in Capetown, where his owner was a man of some substance. Jemalee had a wife and several children, who were also the property of his owner. Being an expert waggon-driver, the Malay was a valuable piece of human goods.
If I lived alone, for instance, like poor Horley, or with a disagreeable family like that of Jan Smit by the way, that reminds me that we have heard news of the three runaways, Ruyter, Jemalee, and Booby." "Oh! I'm so glad," cried Bertha, her fair face brightening up with pleasure, "for I am very fond of Ruyter.
Not long previous to the period of which we write he had been reinforced by Ruyter, Jemalee, Booby, and several other runaway slaves, besides some "wild Bushmen," men who had never been in service, and were so called to distinguish them from men who had been caught, like our friend Booby, and "tamed." A few deserters from the Cape Corps, who possessed fire-arms, had also joined him.
A faint gleam of day entered the cave, which was further illuminated by three fires, over which a band of savage-looking dark-skinned men were roasting chops and marrow-bones. Abdul Jemalee the Malay slave and Booby the Bushman were there, assisting at the feast. At the inner end of the cave, seated beside two men, was Ruyter the Hottentot.
Just before their arrival at this point, the old waggons, with the drivers who had accompanied them from Algoa Bay, were exchanged for fresh teams and men, and here Ruyter, Jemalee, and Booby left them, to proceed over a spur of one of the mountain ranges to Jan Smit's farm on the karroo.
But Abdul Jemalee was not a man of observation. He did not care a straw for these things, and although we should like much to enlarge on them, as well as on other topics, we must hold our hand for the new and eastern, not the old and western provinces of South Africa claim our undivided attention in this tale.
"And can you tell what brought about this change?" asked Considine. "Oh ja, I knows," replied Ruyter, with a decided nod and a deep chuckle; "Jemalee him's got a powerful glitter in him's eye now and den bery powerful an' strange!" "And what may that have to do with it?" asked Considine.
In the course of his early wanderings Orpin managed to search out Ruyter the Hottentot robber, and so influenced him as to induce him to give up his lawless career, and return to the colony. Ruyter drew with him Abdul Jemalee, Booby the Bushman, and one or two others, who settled down to peaceful occupations.
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