“Nothing, Allan,” she answered.  “I received your letter at the camp, and we trekked away as you bade us, without telling the others why, because you remember the Commandant Retief wrote to us not to do so.  So we were out of the great slaughter, for the Zulus did not know where we had gone, and never followed us here, although I have heard that they sought for me.  My father and my cousin Hernan only arrived at the camp two days after the attack, and discovering or guessing our hiding-place—­I know not which—­rode on hither.  They say they came to warn the Boers to be careful, for they did not trust Dingaan, but were too late.  So they too were out of the slaughter, for, Allan, many, many have been killed—­they say five or six hundred, most of them women and children.  But thank God! many more escaped, since the men came in from the other camps farther off and from their shooting parties, and drove away the Zulus, killing them by scores.”

“Are your father and Pereira here now?” I asked.

“No, Allan.  They learned of the massacre and that the Zulus were all gone yesterday morning.  Also they got the bad news that Retief and everyone with him had been killed at Dingaan’s town, it is said through the treachery of the English, who arranged with Dingaan that he should kill them.”

“That is false,” I said; “but go on.”

“Then, Allan, they came and told me that I was a widow like many other women—­I who had never been a wife.  Allan, Hernan said that I should not grieve for you, as you deserved your fate, since you had been caught in your own snare, being one of those who had betrayed the Boers.  The Vrouw Prinsloo answered to his face that he lied, and, Allan, I said that I would never speak to him again until we met before the Judgment Seat of God; nor will I do so.”

“But I will speak to him,” I muttered.  “Well, where are they now?”

“They rode this morning back to the other Boers.  I think they want to bring a party of them here to settle, if they like this place, as it is so easy to defend.  They said they would return to-morrow, and that meanwhile we were quite safe, as they had sure tidings that all the Zulus were back over the Tugela, taking some of their wounded with them, and also the Boer cattle as an offering to Dingaan.  But come to the house, Allan—­our home that I had made ready for you as well as I could.  Oh! my God! our home on the threshold of which I believed you would never set a foot.  Yes, when the moon rose from that cloud I believed it, and look, they are still quite close together.  Hark, what is that?”

I listened, and caught the sound of a horse’s hoofs stumbling among the rocks.

“Don’t be frightened,” I answered; “it is only Hans with my horse.  He escaped also; I will tell you how afterwards.”  And as I spoke he appeared, a woebegone and exhausted object.

“Good day, missie,” he said with an attempt at cheerfulness.  “Now you should give me a fine dinner, for you see I have brought the baas back safe to you.  Did I not tell you, baas, that everything would come right?”