第25章
THE BABOON-WOMAN
Hendrika obeyed， leading the horses to the side of the tree.
"Now， Mr. Allan，" said Stella， "you must ride on my horse， and the old black man must ride on the other. I will walk， and Hendrika will carry the child. Oh， do not be afraid， she is very strong， she could carry you or me."Hendrika grunted assent. I am sorry that I cannot express her method of speech by any more polite term. Sometimes she grunted like a monkey， sometimes she clicked like a Bushman， and sometimes she did both together， when she became quite unintelligible.
I expostulated against this proposed arrangement， saying that we could walk， which was a fib， for I do not think that I could have done a mile； but Stella would not listen， she would not even let me carry my elephant gun， but took it herself. So we mounted with some difficulty， and Hendrika took up the sleeping Tota in her long， sinewy arms.
"See that the 'Baboon-woman' does not run away into the mountains with the little white one，" said Indaba-zimbi to me in Kaffir， as he climbed slowly on to the horse.
Unfortunately Hendrika understood his speech. Her face twisted and grew livid with fury. She put down Tota and literally sprang at Indaba-zimbi as a monkey springs. But weary and worn as he was， the old gentleman was too quick for her. With an exclamation of genuine fright he threw himself from the horse on the further side， with the somewhat ludicrous result that all in a moment Hendrika was occupying the seat which he had vacated. Just then Stella realized the position.
"Come down， you savage， come down！" she said， stamping her foot.
The extraordinary creature flung herself from the horse and literally grovelled on the ground before her mistress and burst into tears.
"Pardon， Miss Stella，" she clicked and grunted in villainous English， "but he called me 'Babyan-frau' (Baboon-woman).""Tell your servant that he must not use such words to Hendrika， Mr.
Allan，" Stella said to me. "If he does，" she added， in a whisper， "Hendrika will certainly kill him."I explained this to Indaba-zimbi， who， being considerably frightened， deigned to apologize. But from that hour there was hate and war between these two.
Harmony having been thus restored， we started， the dogs following us.
A small strip of desert intervened between us and the slope of the peak--perhaps it was two miles wide. We crossed it and reached rich grass lands， for here a considerable stream gathered from the hills；but it did not flow across the barren lands， it passed to the east along the foot of the hills. This stream we had to cross by a ford.
Hendrika walked boldly through it， holding Tota in her arms. Stella leapt across from stone to stone like a roebuck； I thought to myself that she was the most graceful creature that I had ever seen. After this the track passed around a pleasantly-wooded shoulder of the peak， which was， I found， known as Babyan Kap， or Baboon Head. Of course we could only go at a foot pace， so our progress was slow. Stella walked for some way in silence， then she spoke.
"Tell me， Mr. Allan，" she said， "how it was that I came to find you dying in the desert？"So I began and told her all. It took an hour or more to do so， and she listened intently， now and again asking a question.
"It is all very wonderful，" she said when I had done， "very wonderful indeed. Do you know I went out this morning with Hendrika and the dogs for a ride， meaning to get back home by mid-day， for my father is ill， and I do not like to leave him for long. But just as I was going to turn， when we were about where we are now--yes， that was the very bush --an oribé got up， and the dogs chased it. I followed them for the gallop， and when we came to the river， instead of turning to the left as bucks generally do， the oribé swam the stream and took to the Bad Lands beyond. I followed it， and within a hundred yards of the big tree the dogs killed it. Hendrika wanted to turn back at once， but Isaid that we would rest under the shade of the tree， for I knew that there was a spring of water near. Well， we went； and there I saw you all lying like dead； but Hendrika， who is very clever in some ways， said no--and you know the rest. Yes， it is very wonderful.""It is indeed，" I said. "Now tell me， Miss Stella， who is Hendrika？"She looked round before answering to see that the woman was not near.
"Hers is a strange story， Mr. Allan. I will tell you. You must know that all these mountains and the country beyond are full of baboons.