Project Gutenberg's Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland, by Olive Schreiner

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Title: Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland

Author: Olive Schreiner

Posting Date: September 15, 2008 [EBook #1431]
Release Date: August, 1998

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TROOPER PETER HALKET ***

Produced by Sue Asscher

TROOPER PETER HALKET OF MASHONALAND

by Olive Schreiner

Author of "Dreams," "Dream Life and Real Life," "The Story of an African
Farm," etc.

Colonial Edition

(A photographic plate at the front of the book shows three people
hanging from a tree by their necks. Around them stand eight men, looking
not at all troubled by their participation in the scene. Of this event
all the survivors appear to be white, the victims black. The plate is
titled "From a Photograph taken in Matabeleland." S.A.)

To a Great Good Man, Sir George Grey,

Once Governor of the Cape Colony, who, during his rule in South Africa,
bound to himself the Dutchmen, Englishmen, and Natives he governed, by
an uncorruptible justice and a broad humanity; and who is remembered
among us today as representing the noblest attributes of an Imperial
Rule.

"Our low life was the level's and the night's;
He's for the morning."

Olive Schreiner.

19, Russell Road,
Kensington, W.,
February, 1897.

Aardvark - The great anteater.
Cape Smoke - A very inferior brandy made in Cape Colony.
Kopje - Little hillock.
Kraal - A Kaffir encampment.
Mealies - Maize (corn).
Riem - A thong of undressed leather universally used in South Africa.
Vatje of Old Dop - A little cask of Cape brandy.
Veld - Open Country.

Chapter I.

It was a dark night; a chill breath was coming from the east; not enough
to disturb the blaze of Trooper Peter Halket's fire, yet enough to make
it quiver. He sat alone beside it on the top of a kopje.

All about was an impenetrable darkness; not a star was visible in the
black curve over his head.

He had been travelling with a dozen men who were taking provisions of
mealies and rice to the next camp. He had been sent out to act as s