had to deal, and that there was bush where anyone could hide
to within a hundred and twenty yards of his washing place. So it proved
indeed, for just as Ralph had mounted his horse and was about to ride
on, he felt a sharp stinging pain across his shoulders, as though
someone had hit him on the back with a stick, and heard the sound of
a gunshot fired from the cover of the bush, for there above the green
leaves hung a cloud of smoke.

"That is Swart Piet who has crept round to cut me off," Ralph thought to
himself, and for a moment was minded to ride to the smoke to seek him.
Then he remembered that he had no gun, and that that of his enemy might
be loaded again before he found him, and judged it wisest to canter into
the open plain and so homewards. Of the hurt which he had taken from the
bullet he thought little, yet when he reached the house it was seen that
his escape had been narrow indeed, for the great ball had cut through
his clothes beneath his shoulders, so that they hung down leaving his
back naked. Also it had furrowed the skin, causing the blood to flow
copiously, and making so horrible a sight of him that Suzanne nearly
fainted when she saw it. For my part I made certain that the lad was
shot through the body, although, as it turned out, in a week, except for
some soreness he was as well as ever.

Now this matter caused no little stir among us, and Jan was so angry
that, without saying a word to anyone, he mounted his horse and, taking
some armed servants with him, set out to seek Black Piet, but not to
find him, for the man had gone, nobody knew whither. Indeed this was as
well, or so we thought at the time, for though Jan is slow to move, when
once he is moved he is a very angry man, and I am sure that if he had
met Piet van Vooren that day the grasses would have been richer by the
blood of one or both of them. But he did not meet him and so the thing
passed over, for afterwards we remembered that Ralph had been the
aggressor, since no one would take count of this story of the kissing of
a girl, and also that there was no proof at all that it was Piet who had
attempted his life, as that shot might have been fired by anyone.

Now from this day forward Suzanne went in terror of Swart Piet, and
whenever Ralph rode, he rode armed, for though it was said that he had
gone on one of his long journeys trading among the Kaffirs, both of them
guessed that they had not seen the last of Van Vooren. Jan and I were