I think it was two
nights after this that four Zulus came, two men and two women,
and led me away, as I thought to kill me. But they did not kill
me; indeed they were very kind to me, although when I spoke to
them they pretended not to understand. They took me a long
journey, travelling for the most part in the dark and sleeping in
the day. This evening when the sun set they brought me through a
Kaffir town and thrust me into the hut where I am without
speaking to any one. Here, being very tired, I went to sleep,
and that is all."
And quite enough too, thought I to myself. Then I put her
through a cross-examination, but Kaatje was a stupid woman
although a good and faithful servant, and all her terrible
experiences had not sharpened her intelligence. Indeed, when I
pressed her she grew utterly confused, began to cry, thereby
taking refuge in the last impregnable female fortification, and
snivelled out that she could not bear to talk of her dear
mistress any more. So I gave it up, and two minutes later she
was literally snoring, being very tired, poor thing.
Now I tried to think matters out as well as this disturbance
would allow, for nothing hinders thought so much as snores. But
what was the use of thinking? There was her story to take or to
leave, and evidently the honest creature believed what she said.
Further, how could she be deceived on such a point? She swore
that she had seen Anscombe and Heda dead and afterwards had seen
their graves.
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