y of mine from death, as my love and spirit belong to you.
Therefore, I should have thought it no shame if I had been given to you
here and now before the people, and afterwards married by a clergyman
when we found one. But my father has sworn an oath which weighs upon
his mind, and he has shown you that within six months--a short six
months--that oath dies of itself, since, by the law, he can no longer
control me. So, Allan, as I would not grieve him, or perhaps lead him to
say and do what is foolish, I think it would be well that we should wait
for those six months, if, on his part, he promises that he will then do
nothing to prevent our marriage."

"Ja, ja, I promise that then I will do nothing to prevent your
marriage," answered Marais eagerly, like one who has suddenly seen some
loophole of escape from an impossible position, adding, as though to
himself, "But God may do something to prevent it, for all that."

"We are every one of us in the hand of God," she replied in her sweet
voice. "Allan, you hear, my father has promised?"

"Yes, Marie, he has promised--after a fashion," I replied gloomily, for
somehow his words struck a chill through me.

"I have promised, Allan, and I will keep my promise to you, as I have
kept my oath to God, attempting to work you no harm, and leaving all in
His hands. But you, on your part, must promise also that, till she is of
age, you will not take Marie as a wife--no, not if you were left alone
together in the veld. You must be as people who are affianced to each
other, no more."

So, having no choice, I promised, though with a heavy heart. Then, I
suppose in order to make this solemn contract public, Marais called the
surviving Boers, who were loitering near, and repeated to them the terms
of the contract that we had made.

The men laughed and shrugged their shoulders. But Vrouw Prinsloo, I
remember, said outright that she thought the business foolish, since if
anyone had a right to Marie, I had, wherever I chose to take her. She
added that, as for Hernan Pereira, he was a "sneak and a stinkcat," who
had gone off to save his own life, and left them all to die. If _she_
were Marie, should they meet again, she would greet him with a pailful
of dirty water in the face, as she herself meant to do if she got the
chance.

Vrouw Prinsloo, it will be observed, was a very outspoken woman and, I
may add, an honest one.

So this contract was settled. I have set it out at length becaus