Zokho didn’t answer him.
‘I went to look at the oubaas. He was lying in his own mess. What will you tell them when they come back and find out you’ve left him like this? When he can talk and say what you’ve done? I cleaned him up. His blankets are in the bucket. Wash them so they can dry before they come tonight. You’re in charge now, I’m going.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘To look for the sheep. If I’m not back when they come, tell them what happened.’
‘You’ll leave me here by myself?’
Twa laughed.
‘You’ve been with the devil, Zokho, what are you afraid of? Be afraid of Eyes of the Sky and of what he will do when he finds out that you tried to kill his son. And I will tell him if you don’t do as I say. Go in there and give the oubaas his food. And make sure you take care of that baby.’
Zokho challenged him with her eyes.
‘I mean it, Zokho, don’t disobey me. Twa’s old, but he’ll find you. You will wish then that you’d been found by a lion.’
He was fond of Zokho, more than she knew. Looking at her was like looking at his sister, Shy Little Tortoise. The same spirit and naughtiness. Zokho was hurt, she wanted revenge. He understood. But he understood the other also. What would Zokho say if she knew who he was? She, who sometimes forgot to feed him and had answers for everything?
Roeloff knew the moment they came within sight of the house that something looked wrong. It got dark quickly on the Cederberg mountains, and it was just at that twilight time when he could still see the outline of the dwelling, but not make out people or animals.
‘There’s no smoke in the chimney. I hope everything’s all right.’
‘It looks too quiet.’
They arrived at the empty kraal and saw the dead ewe.
‘We’ve been raided!’
Neeltje felt suddenly cold.
‘Oh, my God, Pa! Come with me to the house, Roff.’
They passed Twa’s hut and stopped.
‘Look at this. Bones.’
Roeloff had already seen them.
‘Twa!’ he called to the hunter.
There was no answer.
They arrived at the buitekamer where Roeloff had his quarters. Neeltje waited at the door while he went inside.
‘Neeltje!’
She went into the dark room, and looked to where he was pointing to something on the bed.
‘She’s had the baby …’ Neeltje whispered.
Roeloff opened the kaross and they looked down at a pink-skinned infant. His navel was raw and his face was wet, as if he had cried himself to sleep.
‘A son,’ he said hoarsely. ‘I’m a father.’
‘He’s beautiful, Roff. Look at his hair. It’s the colour of a moon, almost silver.’ She put her finger into the tiny hand. The hand tightened around it immediately. She leaned down and picked him up.
‘Where’s his mother?’
‘She must be in the house with my father.’
Roeloff went to the little hollow in the wall where Zokho kept her beads and antelope strips. There was nothing there. ‘Her digging stick’s gone.’
‘Zokho wouldn’t just walk off and leave her baby.’
‘She has.’
‘Let’s go to the house and see if she’s there. I hope nothing’s happened to Pa.’
‘We can’t tell him anything about the sheep, Neeltje. We don’t know ourselves. It will set him back. What about the baby?’
‘I’ll take him and dress him in something warm. Do you think Twa could have done that—to make it look like we’ve been raided, and taken the sheep?’
He stepped in front of her.
‘Never say that about Twa, Neeltje. He’s not like that. And where would he go with the sheep? I thought you knew his character.’
‘What about the bones at his fire?’
