e of
its importance in our story. But now I wish--ah! how I wish that I had
insisted upon being married to Marie then and there. If I had done so,
I think I should have carried my point, for I was the "master of many
legions" in the shape of cattle, food and ammunition, and rather than
risk a quarrel with me, the other Boers would have forced Marais to give
way. But we were young and inexperienced; also it was fated otherwise.
Who can question the decrees of Fate written immutably, perhaps long
before we were born, in the everlasting book of human destinies?

Yet, when I had shaken off my first fears and doubts, my lot and Marie's
were very happy, a perfect paradise, indeed, compared with what we had
gone through during that bitter time of silence and separation. At any
rate, we were acknowledged to be affianced by the little society in
which we lived, including her father, and allowed to be as much alone
together as we liked. This meant that we met at dawn only to separate
at nightfall, for, having little or no artificial light, we went to rest
with the sun, or shortly after it. Sweet, indeed, was that companionship
of perfect trust and love; so sweet, that even after all these years I
do not care to dwell upon the holy memory of those blessed months.

So soon as the surviving Boers began to recover by the help of my stores
and medicines and the meat which I shot in plenty, of course great
discussions arose as to our future plans. First it was suggested that
we should trek to Lorenzo Marquez, and wait for a ship there to take us
down to Natal, for none of them would hear of returning beggared to the
Cape to tell the story of their failure and dreadful bereavements. I
pointed out, however, that no ship might come for a long while, perhaps
for one or two years, and that Lorenzo Marquez and its neighborhood
seemed to be a poisonous place to live in!

The next idea was that we should stop where we were, one which I rather
welcomed, as I should have been glad to abide in peace with Marie until
the six months of probation had gone by.

However, in the end this was rejected for many good reasons. Thus half
a score of white people, of whom four were members of a single family,
were certainly not strong enough to form a settlement, especially as the
surrounding natives might become actively hostile at any moment. Again,
the worst fever season was approaching, in which we should very possibly
all be carried off. Further, we h