His father turned and left the stable.
‘Pa!’
Willem walked, stone-faced, up to the house.
Roeloff felt hot and cold at the same time. He looked at his brother. The hate in David’s eyes told him all he needed to know: that that was for Soela, for what Roeloff had done to his leg. They would never be brothers again.
‘Kleinbaas,’ said someone behind him.
He turned. It was Kupido, Hennerik’s eldest son.
‘We all know you didn’t do it.’
Then Vinkie came running down from the house.
‘Roff, what happened? Pa says Boerhaan’s dead!’
‘Yes. He says I did it. That I killed my own horse. He chucked me out.’
‘But you didn’t, Pa’s wrong!’
‘He is wrong,’ Sanna said. ‘Tell him, Hennerik. Tell him what you told me.’
Hennerik opened his mouth to speak, then saw David walking towards them with a shovel in his hands. David barked some orders at the Koi-na, and Hennerik left.
Roeloff started for the barn, the women and children following him.
‘Hennerik saw something last night,’ Sanna said, walking alongside Roeloff. ‘Your brother was with Soela in the barn. She was crying. That’s why Hennerik looked through the hole and listened. David was pulling at her clothes, and when she wouldn’t let him, he hit her. He said, ‘You like it with him, you like it with me.’ Then he did it. Afterwards, Hennerik said, Soela went back to the house and your brother stayed behind in the barn.’
‘Hennerik saw this?’
‘Yes. You must go in and tell the grootbaas. We’ll all tell him what Hennerik said if Hennerik’s too scared to talk.’
The Koi-na nodded.
‘It’s no good, Sanna. He’s made up his mind. And Kloot Nek’s too small for David and me anyway.’
Vinkie started to cry.
‘You can’t go away, Roff. I’ll miss you. And Pa doesn’t mean what he says. Who will I have when you’re gone?’
‘You’ll have your mother and Sanna.’
‘I can’t do without you. And where will you go, anyway? To the neighbours?’
‘I don’t know. Vinkie, you mustn’t worry about me. I have too many things in my head right now. Pa threw me out, and I can’t think of anything else.’
‘Did you find the book and the newspaper I left in your room?’
‘Yes.’
Vinkie wanted to tell him about Oupa Krisjan and his grandson, but it was not the time to talk of such things, and anyway, all the excitement had gone out of it.
‘I am ready.’ Twa appeared at Roeloff’s side with his kaross and quiver of arrows.
‘Ready for what?’
‘For our journey.’
‘There’s food for you here, you must stay.’
‘I’ve lived before without food. I know this land. You need someone to watch over you.’
Roeloff was touched by the offer.
‘I have nowhere to go.’
‘You have. We will go that way,’ he pointed north.
‘There’s nothing up there—except rock and sand and the bones of dead animals. And it’s too hot.’
‘But we’ll come to a river with trees, and animals coming right up to our feet. It’s the place where I was born. We can live there, Kudu, you and me.’
‘This is no time for imaginings.’
‘You’re right. It’s the time of your freedom. You’re lucky that this is happening when you are young.’
‘He’s talking nonsense again,’ Sanna said. ‘Don’t listen to him. Your father doesn’t mean what he says. He shouts now, tomorrow he forgets. Stay a few days, Roff, and wait for him to calm down. You can’t go out there to nothing. Twa’s used to eating lizards, you’re not.’
