The Settler and the Savage | Page 4

stand on ceremony," said the other, with a laugh. "When you are
satisfied we can converse. There are fifteen of us: father, mother, sister,
and eleven boys besides myself. I'll tell you about them all after supper;
meanwhile I'll go fetch the horses, for there are lions about, as I daresay
you know, and some of them are nearly as ravenous as yourself."
Hans rose, put his pipe in the band of his broad-brimmed hat, and
sauntered heavily out of the thicket.
In a few minutes he returned, leading the horses, and then busied
himself in surrounding the camp with an almost impenetrable wall of
mimosa-thorn branches, the spikes of which were so tremendous that it
seemed as if nothing smaller than an elephant could force its way
through. This done, he sat down and quietly refilled his pipe, while
Considine, having at last finished his meal, drew the embers of the fire
together, disposed his limbs comfortably on the ground, lay back on his
saddle, and prepared to enjoy a contemplative gaze at the cheering
blaze and an interrogative conversation with his new friend.
"Do you smoke?" asked Hans.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because it makes me sick, and I don't like it."
Hans looked surprised. This was a new idea to him, and he sat for some
time pondering it; indeed, we may say with truth that he "smoked it" In
a few minutes he looked earnestly at the youth, and asked why he came
to the Cape.
"To make my fortune," answered Considine.

"Fortunes are not easily made at the Cape," was the grave reply. "My
father has been making his fortune for the last quarter of a century, and
it's not made yet.--Why did you choose the Cape?"
"I didn't choose it."
"No?" said the Dutchman, with a look of surprise.
"No," responded the Englishman; "my coming here was not a matter of
choice: it was necessity. Come, I will make a confidant of you and
relate my history. Don't be alarmed, I won't keep you up all night with
prosy details. My life, as you may see, has not yet been a long one, and
until this year it has been comparatively uneventful."
He paused a few moments as if to recall the past, while his companion,
picking his pipe with a mimosa thorn, settled himself to listen.
"Father, mother, brothers, and sisters I have none," began Considine as
he whittled a stick--a pastime, by the way, which is erroneously
supposed to be an exclusively American privilege. "Neither have I
grandfathers, grandmothers, aunts, nephews, nieces, or anything else of
the sort. They all died either before or soon after I was born. My only
living relation is an uncle, who was my guardian. He is a sea-captain,
and a good man, but tough. I bear him no ill-will. I would not speak
disrespectfully of him; but he is tough, and, I incline to think, no better
than he should be. Infancy and boyhood with squalling and schooling I
pass over. My uncle ordered me to study for the medical profession,
and I obeyed. Wishing to see a little of the world before finishing my
course, I sailed in a vessel bound for Australia. We touched at Table
Bay in passing. Obtaining leave, I went ashore at Capetown. The ship
also went ashore--without leave--in company with six other ships,
during a terrific gale which sprang up in the night. Our vessel became a
total wreck. The crew were saved, but my effects went with the cargo
to the bottom. Fortunately, however, I had carried ashore with me the
little cash I possessed."
"I found the Capetown people very kind. One of them took me by the
hand and offered me employment, but I preferred to proceed into the

interior with a trader and work or shoot my way, in order to save my
money. No trader being about to start at that time, I was obliged to
accept the offer of a frontier farmer, who, for a small sum, agreed to
allow me to accompany his waggons, on condition that I should make
myself generally useful. I grudged the cash, but closed with the offer,
and next day started on our journey of six hundred miles--such being
the distance we had to go, according to my employer or comrade, Jan
Smit."
"Who?" exclaimed Hans, with sudden energy.
"Jan Smit," repeated Considine. "Do you know him?"
"Ja--but go on," said Hans, with a nod and a smile.
"Well, I soon found that my Dutch comrade--"
"He's only half Dutch," interrupted Hans. "His mother was Dutch, but
his father is English."
"Well, Dutch or English, he is the most unmitigated scoundrel I ever
met."
"Ja," muttered Hans, "he is."
"And I soon found that my trip of pleasure became a trip of