"I'll have to ask for tick for meself for awhile," he said "But if that
won't pay for all me mate's had there's another where they came from. He
was always independent and would never take charity."
The hard lines about his mouth were very marked just then, and the
outstretched hand seemed fiercely defiant but the Maluka reading in it
only a man's proud care for a comrade's honour, put it gently aside,
saying: "We give no charity here; only hospitality to our guests. Surely
no man would refuse that."
They speak of a woman's delicate tact. But daily the bushman put the
woman to shame, while she stood dumb or stammering. The Maluka had
touched the one chord in the man's heart that was not strained to
breaking point, and instantly the fingers closed over the sovereigns, and
the defiant hand fell to his side, as with a husky "Not from your sort,
boss," he turned sharply on his heel; and as he walked away a hand was
brushed hastily across the weary eyes.
With that brushing of the hand the inevitable reaction began, and for a
little while we feared we would have another sick traveller on our hand.
But only for a little while. After a day or two of rest and care his
strength came back, but his thoughts were ever of those seven years of
steadfast comradeship. Simply and earnestly he spoke of them and of that
mother, all unconscious of the heartbreak that was speeding only too
surely to her. Poor mother! And yet those other two nameless graves on
that little rise deep in the heart of the bush bear witness that other
mothers have even deeper sorrows to bear. Their sons are gone from them,
and they, knowing nothing of it, wait patiently through the long silent
years for the word that can never come to them.
For a few days the man rested, and then, just when work - hard work - was
the one thing needful, Dan came in for a consultation, and with him a
traveller, the bearer of a message from our kind, great-hearted chief to
say that work was waiting for the mate at the line party. Our chief was
the personification of all that is best in the bush-folk (as all bushmen
will testify to his memory) - men's lives crossed his by chance just here
and there, but at those crossing places life have been happier and
better. For one long weary day the mate's life had run parallel with our
chief's, and because of that, when he left us his heart was lighter than
ever we had dared to hope for. But this man was not to fade quite out of
our lives, for deep in that loyal heart the Maluka had been enshrined as
"one in ten thousand."
CHAPTER XVII
The bearer of the chief's message had also carried out all extra mail for
us, and, opening it, we found the usual questions of the South folk.
