登陆注册
15731600000011

第11章

MOPO VENTURES HOME

I threw myself down on the grass and panted till my breath came back;then I went and hid in a patch of reeds down by a swamp. All day long I lay there thinking. What was I to do? Now I was a jackal without a hole. If I went back to my people, certainly they would kill me, whom they thought a thief. My blood would be given for Noma's, and that Idid not wish, though my heart was sad. Then there came into my mind the thought of Chaka, the boy to whom I had given the cup of water long ago. I had heard of him: his name was known in the land; already the air was big with it; the very trees and grass spoke it. The words he had said and the vision that my mother had seen were beginning to come true. By the help of the Umtetwas he had taken the place of his father Senzangacona; he had driven out the tribe of the Amaquabe; now he made war on Zweete, chief of the Endwande, and he had sworn that he would stamp the Endwande flat, so that nobody could find them any more. Now I remembered how this Chaka promised that he would make me great, and that I should grow fat in his shadow; and I thought to myself that I would arise and go to him. Perhaps he would kill me;well, what did it matter? Certainly I should be killed if I stayed ehre. Yes, I would go. But now my heart pulled another way. There was but one whom I loved in the world--it was my sister Baleka. My father had betrothed her to the chief of a neighbouring tribe, but I knew that this marriage was against her wish. Perhaps my sister would run away with me if I could get near her to tell her that I was going. Iwould try--yes, I would try.

I waited till the darkness came down, then I rose from my bed of weeds and crept like a jackal towards the kraal. In the mealie gardens Istopped awhile, for I was very hungry, and filled myself with the half-ripe mealies. Then I went on till I came to the kraal. Some of my people were seated outside of a hut, talking together over a fire. Icrept near, silently as a snake, and hid behind a little bush. I knew that they could not see me outside the ring of the firelight, and Iwanted to hear what they said. As I guessed, they were talking of me and called me many names. They said that I should bring ill-luck on the tribe by having killed so great a witch-doctor as Noma; also that the people of the headman would demand payment for the assault on him.

I learned, moreover, that my father had ordered out all the men of the tribe to hunt for me on the morrow and to kill me wherever they found me. "Ah!" I thought, "you may hunt, but you will bring nothing home to the pot." Just then a dog that was lying by the fire got up and began to sniff the air. I could not see what dog it was--indeed, I had forgotten all about the dogs when I drew near the kraal; that is what comes of want of experience, my father. The dog sniffed and sniffed, then he began to growl, looking always my way, and I grew afraid.

"What is the dog growling at?" said one man to another. "Go and see."But the other man was taking snuff and did not like to move. "Let the dog go and see for himself," he answered, sneezing, "what is the good of keeping a dog if you have to catch the thief?""Go on, then," said the first man to the dog. And he ran forward, barking. Then I saw him: it was my own dog, Koos, a very good dog.

Presently, as I lay not knowing what to do, he smelt my smell, stopped barking, and running round the bush he found me and began to lick my face. "Be quiet, Koos!" I whispered to him. And he lay down by my side.

"Where has that dog gone now?" said the first man. "Is he bewitched, that he stops barking suddenly and does not come back?""We will see," said the other, rising, a spear in his hand.

Now once more I was terribly afraid, for I thought that they would catch me, or I must run for my life again. But as I sprang up to run, a big black snake glided between the men and went off towards the huts. They jumped aside in a great fright, then all of them turned to follow the snake, saying that this was what the dog was barking at.

That was my good Ehlose, my father, which without any doubt took the shape of a snake to save my life.

同类推荐
  • 外科心法要诀

    外科心法要诀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 大乘北宗论

    大乘北宗论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 观经

    观经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 稽神录

    稽神录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 岩下放言

    岩下放言

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 越吃越瘦的10种水果

    越吃越瘦的10种水果

    拥有窈窕的身姿是当今女性最大的愿望之一,但是越来越多的女性为了追求娇好的身段而放弃了美昧的食品,认为只有少吃甚至于不吃才能瘦下来。事实上,这种做法不仅影响了健康,对美丽也是一种巨大的威胁。其实,一个人的美丽除了天生因素之外,还有后天的悉心调养。瘦身专家认为,好身材的关键在于对人体内部的调养,本套书介绍的这些有益于人体健康的食品对塑身美体将会起到意想不到的作用。
  • 江月何时照初人

    江月何时照初人

    庸王执政,小人当道,且看锦公子如何步步为营,运筹帷幄,巧谋江山,觅得初人。
  • 饲魔录

    饲魔录

    修士有四类,所擅长术法各有不同。法修者:元素道法!体修者:凝相道法!器修者:驭兵道法!?道修者:元神道法!修士与天地争命,有两种,一曰夺天!一曰逆天!夺天者:以己道融夺天道,我即天意,一念天地动,俯视世间众生!逆天者:独信己道,吾道最强,誓要冲破天地枷锁,逍遥己身!山村少年舒洛羽机缘得到一张黑色古卷《饲魔录》,《饲魔录》亦正亦邪、亦魔亦妖,少年惊惧,不敢学习。后拜入青灵剑宗,成为一名杂役弟子。一次回乡,不料发现全村人已遭受了灭绝之灾,为救爱人,他终于下定决心。——以身饲魔!
  • 异世之神凰

    异世之神凰

    洪荒谁都知道秦家七少是一个从废柴变成的天才,可又有谁知道这个天之骄子却是绝世倾城呢?
  • 英雄联盟之最强之星

    英雄联盟之最强之星

    一个17岁少萧峰高三刚刚毕业,被同学拉去打英雄联盟,刚接触这一款游戏,萧峰便恋上了这一款游戏,并且萧峰发现自己玩英雄联盟有一种与生俱来的天赋,便用俩月打上了最强王者,随着技术越来越娴熟,萧峰开始了职业生涯……。
  • 鼎与剑

    鼎与剑

    战国末年,周室沦亡,天下大乱,原本位列臣班的西陲诸侯——秦,乘势崛起,三分天下有其二,“有席卷天下、包举宇内、囊括四海之意,并吞八荒之心”,然而试图以强暴统一天下的秦廷却不得不面对来自诸子百家和江湖武林等各方利益的犄角和争斗,一幕大戏轩然拉开……
  • 家长如何做孩子才会学

    家长如何做孩子才会学

    从孩子眨着好奇的眼睛探索世界开始,到入幼儿园、上小学、升中学、考大学……家长的使命并不仅仅是抚养,更重要的在于教育。指导孩子学会做人、学会求知、学会生活……为孩子拥有成功的人生打下坚实的基础,是家长义不容辞的责任。本书就是为家长提供宝贵意见,为他们培养合格人才现身说法。
  • 民国那些年

    民国那些年

    民国,战乱纷纷,他何去何从?抗战八年,他如何选择?一统,还是死亡?
  • 影视专业高考完全攻略

    影视专业高考完全攻略

    具体来说,艺术文化类专业包括编导、戏文、文管三大类,具体又分为广播电视编导、影视学、戏剧影视文学、影视编剧、公共事业管理、文化产业管理等专业。这些专业的考试内容一般包括文艺基础知识、面试、影视评论,此外编导类专业还包括影视基础知识、电视纪录片评论等内容,戏文类专业还包括叙事散文写作、戏剧故事写作等内容,文管类专业还包括文化热点分析、文化产业常识等内容。
  • 星宿列神

    星宿列神

    大道修行缥缈路,苍穹雾海星如沙,万妖狂舞狼烟起,乱世英豪落谁家。青锋染血风云变,群魔荡尽天下臣,携美纵横逍遥步,笑傲无疆可列神。