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Updated: June 2, 2025
At least, you are safer with them than in the hands of Swart Piet." At this moment, Zinti, who was watching the plain over which they had travelled, uttered a cry of warning. Looking back, they saw the reason of it, for there, crossing the crest of a wave of ground, not more than a mile away, were five horsemen riding hard upon their spoor.
Now, Zinti, loose the mule, for we have our lives to save, and ride on, remembering that Death is behind you."
"Sihamba," said the chief Sigwe, "this man who was found wandering upon the outskirts of the town, declares that he is your servant, and that he comes to seek you. Is it so?" "It is so, indeed, chief," she answered, "though I scarcely expected to see him again," and she told how they two and Zinti had parted.
"Now, Swallow," said Sihamba as she slipped from the saddle, "you must choose between that raging torrent and Swart Piet. If you choose the torrent the great horse is still strong and he may swim through; I can say no more." "And you?" asked Suzanne. "I? I bide here, and oh! I would that Zinti had left the gun with me." "Never," cried Suzanne. "Together we will live or die. Mount, I say mount.
"Well, I will come with you a little way if you wish it, but I must be back immediately," he said, and the listeners heard them walk off together. "Now, Zinti," whispered Sihamba, "lead me through the hole in the rock." So he took her by the hand and felt along the face of the cliff till he found the bush which covered the entrance.
While he was taking note of these and other things Zinti saw some of those who were working at the hut leave it and start to walk towards the cleft. So having learnt everything that he could he thought it was time to go, and slipped away back to the bush, and thence homewards by the road which the cow had shown him.
"You can go away, or if you will you may sit by the waggon here till it is light, and then when the Boers, my masters, wake up you can tell your story, of which I believe nothing." So, having no choice, Zinti sat down by the waggon and waited, while the man with the gun watched him, pretending to be asleep all the while.
Presently she came, followed by Zinti, who was in good case, though somewhat thin, for Zinti was clever and provident, and, foreseeing what would come, he had hidden water for himself among the rocks. "Zinti," said Sihamba, "I would speak with you of secret matters."
Not far from the base of this point Sihamba began to search in the starlight till she found what she wanted, the body of a young woman who had crept here to die of thirst, and whose death and the place of it had been reported to her. Now she took the jar of white clay, and, aided by Zinti, set about her ghastly task, daubing the stuff thickly upon the cold features and the neck and arms and feet.
"Do you see that peak among the mountains which has a point like a spear, the one that seems as though it were on fire? Well, behind it lies Bull-Head's kraal." "It is far, Zinti, but we must be there by night." "That may be done, lady, but if so we must spare our horses." "Good," she answered. "Here is a spring; let us off-saddle a while."
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