ie and I wished to forget.

"I hope you will come to our wedding to-morrow," I added, "and wipe them
out with a father's blessing."

"To-morrow! Are you really going to be married to-morrow?" he exclaimed,
his sallow face twitching nervously. "O God, it was another man that
I dreamed to see standing by Marie's side. But he is not here; he has
disgraced and deserted me. Well, I will come, if my gaolers will suffer
it. Good-bye, you happy bridegroom of to-morrow, good-bye."

Then he swung round and departed, followed by the guards, one of whom
touched his brow and shook his head significantly as he passed me.

I think that Sunday seemed the longest day I ever spent. The Vrouw
Prinsloo would scarcely allow me even a glimpse of Marie, because of
some fad she had got into her mind that it was either not proper or not
fortunate, I forget which, that a bride and bridegroom should associate
on the eve of their marriage. So I occupied myself as best I could.
First I wrote a long letter to my father, the third that I had sent,
telling him everything that was going to happen, and saying how grieved
I was that he could not be present to marry us and give us his blessing.

This letter I gave to a trader who was trekking to the bay on the
following morning, begging him to forward it by the first opportunity.

That duty done, I saw about the horses which I was taking into Zululand,
three of them, two for myself and one for Hans, who accompanied me as
after-rider. Also the saddlery, saddle-bags, guns and ammunition must be
overhauled, all of which took some time.

"You are going to spend a strange wittebroodsweek [white-bread-week, or,
in other words, honeymoon], baas," said Hans, squinting at me with his
little eyes, as he brayed away at a buckskin which was to serve as a
saddle-cloth. "Now, if _I_ was to be married to-morrow, I should stop
with my pretty for a few days, and only ride off somewhere else when
I was tired of her, especially if that somewhere else chanced to be
Zululand, where they are so fond of killing people."

"I dare say you would, Hans; and so would I, if I could, you be sure.
But, you see, the commandant wants me to interpret, and therefore it is
my duty to go with him."

"Duty; what is duty, baas? Love I understand. It is for love of you that
I go with you; also for fear lest you should cause me to be beaten if I
refused. Otherwise I would certainly stop here in the camp, where there
is plenty to eat and