‘The Jouberts are coming for a meal,’ Vinkie said. ‘Ma says there’s water for baths.’
‘Are you sure? The rain hasn’t been that plentiful,’ Willem said.
‘Yes. Ma wants you to hurry.’
Willem grunted. A bath was a luxury, requiring patient co-operation. Daily cleanliness was a wipe of the face; a full bath required privacy in the kitchen where the tin tub was set up in front of the hearth late at night while other members stayed politely behind their partitions. With the Jouberts coming for the evening meal and Roeloff arriving with two weeks’ dirt on him, there would scarcely be enough time or hot water, and besides, Drieka would surely be upset about the kitchen being occupied at a busy hour. He would inspect the water level himself, to see if his wife had been correct. Water for the animals came before baths. Even drinking water was limited.
‘Don’t the two of you have anything to do?’ Willem addressed the two children in front of him.
‘Kleintje has done his jobs already. We want to wait for Roff.’
‘Doesn’t Kleintje have a mouth of his own?’
Vinkie turned to Kleintje. Kleintje looked back at her, his eyes wide.
‘He can speak, but he’s afraid of you, Pa.’
‘Why’s he afraid? He must only be afraid if he’s done something wrong. Has he done something wrong?’ Willem asked sarcastically.
‘No, Grootbaas,’ Kleintje said quickly.
‘Tell your father to fetch the lambs, and to put these ewes out of their misery. Tell him to cut up the ewes and bring the meat to the house. The lambs are for you people.’
‘Yes, Grootbaas.’ Kleintje ran off to tell his father the good news.
Vinkie stayed behind to watch Roeloff and Twa come slowly over the rise with the sheep.
‘Had any trouble?’ Willem asked when they arrived.
‘I knew them.’
‘You knew them?’
Roeloff dismounted, looking at the carnage.
‘Baboons?’
‘Yes.’
‘One of the thieves was the bosjesman I cut loose years ago,’ said Roeloff.
‘What? How did you know it was him?’
‘I saw him again when they came for Zokho.’
‘I thought Zokho ran away.’
‘They came the night of your wedding and took her.’
‘You didn’t tell me.’
‘I didn’t want to spoil things. They came unexpectedly.’
David smiled. ‘I said he knew more about that bosjesman girl. It was too easy, the way she just disappeared.’
‘I knew nothing.’
‘You know, if you hadn’t set him free, this wouldn’t have happened,’ Willem said.
‘They are not the only group out there, Pa. Why do you think they didn’t kill us that night? It’s because of Toma, because of what I did.’
‘You know his name.’
‘I know them, and they know me, and they all know each other. They split up during the year, and come together again when food’s plentiful. If we killed one lot, another would come. It’s better to reason with them. Setting Toma free gave us the chance to speak.’
‘You can’t reason with a bosjesman,’ David said. ‘He has no conscience.’
‘I did, and here’s the result. They gave back the sheep. No one got hurt. Now you know why I didn’t want you along. You lose your head, and next week, next month, we lose more sheep. Maybe even our lives. Where will it end?’
‘When we show them who’s boss,’ Willem said.
‘No, Pa. As long as there’s drought and no game, they’ll come for the farmers’ sheep. The best we can hope for is that it rains, or that they go somewhere else to find food.’
‘Somewhere else is everyone we know. The Jouberts, the Steenkamps, the Retiefs, a few others.’
‘We can’t worry about the neighbours. They must take care of their own.’
‘There are only ten sheep here. Where’s the rest?’
