‘Hardly a boy anymore.’
It was a criticism and Venter knew it. ‘He’s still my son and I hate to see him suffer.’
‘Quite.’ Jooste lost interest. There were other fish to fry this evening. He waited until the room had quietened. Nine were present, including himself. ‘Gentlemen, to order.’ The everyday business was quickly concluded – a by-election to fill an Orange Free State vacancy; changes to the department responsible for the inclusion of English in schools; consideration of membership for leaders in the newspaper industry; suggestions to attract younger members ... all were anxious to hear what their leader had to say next.
Finally, Jooste folded both hands over the agenda and looked around the table, a fond expression on his lumpy, crinkled face. ‘As you know, ’he intoned, ‘I am stepping down.’
The murmur of regret sounded louder than it was after the carefully calculated pause.
‘I do so of my own free will. My work here is done. The Broederbond needs a high-profile leader, someone who can command attention and keep it. Ballot papers will be available on Saturday. You have thirty-six hours to vote and return them. It has given me great pleasure, gentlemen, to participate in the formation of what I believe will become the most powerful organisation in the history of this country. I am proud to be associated with it. Not only does the Broederbond represent power, it shows a way this can be achieved without violence.’
A subtle stirring around the table was not lost on Paul Jooste. ‘Rumours are just that. There are forces beyond our present limitations which would undermine the great efforts made to date. God willing, these can no longer harm us. We are too far advanced, too trusted, to let would-be thugs ruin the reputation we’ve strived so hard to achieve.’
Colonel Schuyler van Deventer interrupted: ‘It is said that recent incidents of violence in Natal were perpetrated by us.’ He was still the only man in the room prepared to query their leader openly.
‘And that is precisely why we need more support from the newspapers, ’Jooste explained patiently. ‘They can create the truth.’
‘I don’t like it, Paul. Deceit could tarnish our image and I for one cannot risk my reputation.’
Jooste responded harshly. ‘Your reputation, sir, is like Venter’s son. It should be secondary to all else. Do not be so foolish, man. Your shining image is untouchable.’
Van Deventer flushed brick red with anger. ‘I didn’t mean – ’
‘I know what you meant, ’Jooste went on more quietly. ‘Our organisation is watertight. We do not resort to standover tactics – everyone knows that.’
‘So what of the man who was nearly killed in Durban?’ van Deventer continued remorselessly.
‘Deplorable.’ Jooste threw out his hands in a gesture of implied transparency. ‘What else can I say? It wasn’t us.’
‘Who then?’
‘I have no idea.’
Paul Jooste and his peaceful policies had changed. Those round the table knew he was capable of ordering – in fact, knew that he had ordered – similar warnings to others. A small-time trader by the name of Will Green was hardly a threat to their plans and yet he’d been viciously targeted by a few thugs only too willing to throw some weight around. Those men were now back inside the Transvaal where the Durban police couldn’t touch them. Uitlanders – Dutch on this occasion – easy to recruit for money, would always put up their hands for a job, keep their mouths shut and quietly drink or gamble away the meagre reward.
Jooste, the figurehead who wielded such power, was the first to admit that he had outlived his usefulness. The money flowed in, a seemingly never-ending stream of it. The Broederbond was well capitalised and, unless some unforeseen financial crisis arose, there would be no further need of his personal resources. It was time to move on.
Another man spoke, anxious to conclude the evening’s business. ‘Formalities, Paul.’ He smiled sympathetically. ‘Sorry, they’re your rules.’
Laughter, tinged with nervousness, greeted the unnecessary prompting.
Paul smiled. ‘Quite right.’ He rose and raised his drink. ‘To the Broederbond, my friends. Long may it last.’ Swallowing the brandy in one gulp, Jooste banged his glass down on the table with a satisfied ‘Ah!’ Then, catching the eyes of each man in the room, he said in a loud voice, ‘With regret, gentlemen, I hereby tender my resignation.’
It was recorded in the minutes, seconded and signed.
A cheer for Paul Jooste broke any tension and the room rang with congratulations. More drinks followed and the meeting relaxed into a party atmosphere. Paul wondered, looking around at the men, what any of them would think if they knew just how damaging Will Green’s information could have been. It was no longer a worry. Jooste had been reliably informed that the man would not survive his injuries. The woman doctor tending him was apparently the daughter of Dallas Granger-Acheson, an influential – and pro British – Zululand farmer. That could still prove a problem. If either of them learned the truth, further action would be needed. A pity, but sometimes these things had to be done.
EIGHT
Will’s information turned out to be surprisingly accurate. On Monday 9 October 1899, President Kruger delivered an ultimatum to the British Agent in Pretoria demanding that Britain cease all interference in the Transvaal Republic, withdraw troops from the border and turn round others known to be in transit. Failure to comply within forty-eight hours would be taken as a formal declaration of war. The Johannesburg goldmines came to a virtual standstill as over thirty thousand fearful Uitlanders and unemployed black miners fled south to Natal and the Cape Colony.
It was Sunday 15 October, four days after the Boers’ ultimatum expired and three since fifteen thousand mounted Transvaal burghers under Commandant-General Piet Joubert invaded Natal from the north and east, linking up with six thousand more from the Orange Free State in an attempt to cut off British forces at Dundee and Ladysmith.
The Granger-Acheson family and close friends were gathered at Morningside. ‘This is serious, ’Dallas announced. ‘It’s decision time for the men.’
‘And women, ’ Ellie interrupted, correcting her father. ‘Those who can help, at least. Lindsay and I will be joining the NatalVolunteer Medical Corps.’
‘I thought you might, ’Lorna said quietly. ‘As I see it, we can all play our part.’
Dallas leaned sideways and covered her hands with one of his own. ‘That’s exactly what I was trying to tell you, ’ he said. ‘I too have decided to enlist.’
A stunned silence followed his words and he felt the sudden tension in Lorna’s clasped hands. For some unknown reason, Dallas had not recovered from his broken leg quite as quickly as might have been expected. He still limped and in colder weather often complained of bad circulation.
‘Darling, you’re too – ’ Lorna quickly bit off her words. ‘When?’
‘Not right away, ’he reassured her.
‘Better hurry up, Father, ’Cam joked, trying to lighten the moment. ‘Fifteen to fifty is the official call-up.’
‘I’m only forty-nine, ’Dallas pointed out. ‘That gives me a good couple of years. Anyway, this thing won’t last that long.’
Cameron said nothing, just smiled and shook his head.
‘I’m fit enough.’ Dallas needed to justify his decision. ‘If this damned leg would heal, I’d be as right as rain.’ Or possibly to divert attention. ‘What say you, Will?’ His friend of almost thirty years had not yet returned to Swaziland and, even at sixty-something years of age, knew exactly what had to be done. Before he could answer, a chorus of concern rose from several throats.
Will set his jaw, which gave him a more mulish look than ever. ‘No-one tells me what to do! That’s what I say.’
Ellie glanced at Lindsay in silent appeal. ‘Will! You sit around most of the time or hobble along with a wrecked spine. One hand doesn’t work properly. Anyway, you’re definitely too old. Lindsay, please tell him.’
Lindsay found himself the centre of atte
ntion. ‘Um ...she’s right, old chap. I hate to put it this way but, right now, you’d be more of a hindrance than a help.’
‘Says who? I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.’
Dallas suddenly understood what drove Will – his loyalty to the family was far greater than any to the British monarchy. Having put him on the spot, Dallas now sought to provide him with a way out. ‘Will won’t do anything he feels is beyond him. Am I right, Will?’ Dallas’s eyes pleaded with his friend to agree.
Will nodded. ‘Of course.’
That drama aside, at least for the present, Dallas found himself back in the family’s firing line. ‘It’s a fine thing, ’he grumbled out loud. ‘A man does all he can to protect his children and then, when it’s time to stand up and be counted, finds that they feel obliged to protect him. I’m young enough and fit enough. Damn it, General Buller is ten years older than I am and he’s due in Cape Town in a couple of weeks. I know the man. If he comes to Natal I, for one, will be joining him. If not, I’ll offer my services to a volunteer unit.’
‘Times have changed, Father. The ZuluWar was twenty years ago. You can’t expect things to be the same.’ Cameron’s point was well made.
‘I can still make myself useful.’
‘This is different. Things are more organised.’
‘You could have fooled me, ’Dallas nearly shouted in frustration. ‘For God’s sake, man, all I ask is that they put my knowledge and experience to good use.’
Cam backed down. He knew a man who knew a man who, with any luck, would make sure his father was kept in the background. As for himself, however ... ‘Well, I’ve already put my name forward. The 2nd Gordon Highlanders have just arrived from India and are recruiting scouts who speak Zulu. I’m in. Sir George White is at Ladysmith and I expect to be sent there before the month’s end.’
Lorna’s face was ash white as she turned to Virginia and saw the same disbelief reflected in her features. Cameron’s announcement had been completely unexpected.
‘Infantry, ’ Torben sniffed. ‘Why not cavalry?’
‘What’s the difference?’
‘A horse, you damned fool.’ Duncan tried to lighten the moment and failed dismally.
‘Cam, ’Virginia stammered, ‘you didn’t say anything about this to me.’
‘No, my darling, and look what’s happening now that I have. It will be fine, Ginnie. Trust me. As soon as Natal is secure our chaps in the Cape will quickly have Bloemfontein and Pretoria in their sights.’
Frazer wasn’t so sure. ‘Rumour has it the Boers have already cut off Mafeking and Kimberley. I hear the “Lion of the Empire” is actually trapped in his den.’
‘Serves him right, ’Torben said scathingly. ‘Rhodes is a fool. All he thinks of is money.’
‘And you don’t?’ murmured Cameron.
‘De Beers’s diamond production will soon be worth more than five million pounds a year. I’d say that was well worth thinking about!’
‘Well, I hope he’s got plenty of Champagne on ice. Apparently the man drinks nothing else.’
‘Except tea.’ Torben had to have the last word.
Virginia tried to remain composed but the sparkle of tears let her down. ‘If anything happens to you ...’
Cameron crossed to where she sat, crouched until their faces were level and took her hands in his. ‘Nothing will, you’ll see.’ Still in the same position he looked across the room at Torben and asked the question that had been on all their minds. ‘How about you?’
Torben’s eyes shifted to his wife. Gerda was an Afrikaner and proud of it, while he made no apologies for being self-motivated. Money could be made from this war, lots of money, though now was neither the time nor the place to go into that. ‘I’m sure you can all appreciate what a difficult decision this is for me. In deference to my wife’s family, we must consider their feelings. I believe it would be prudent to refrain from making any decision until I absolutely have to.’
‘And then?’ Cameron would not allow him off the hook that easily.
‘Then ...’ Torben spread his arms, turning his hands up in a helpless gesture. ‘Then I’ll let you know.’
Gerda intervened, placing a hand on her husband’s leg. ‘Torben is very considerate that way. My parents understand what he is going through.’
‘So do we, young lady, ’ Dallas reminded her. ‘This war won’t go away.’
She nodded, serious for once. ‘Then leave him to make his own decision. Being badgered left and right is no help when it comes to conscientious deliberation.’
Lorna’s eyes flashed to Dallas in obvious surprise. Such genuine understanding was not what either of them expected from their daughter-in-law. Her choice of words aside, hysterics, tears, blackmail or even a threatened breakdown of the marriage would have been more in character. Instead they had received a calm rebuke, delivered straight from the heart. Mention of her family had been made with no underlying motive – she was simply stating the fact that they appreciated Torben’s dilemma.
‘I think you’re quite right, ’Lorna said sincerely. ‘It can’t be easy for your parents either. Living in Durban, they must feel quite ostracised at times.’
‘They do, ’Gerda agreed quietly. ‘They’re used to it. My mother says it’s born of ignorance.’ She tittered suddenly, sounding more like the usual Gerda. ‘Must we speak of the war? It’s so depressing.’
‘I’m afraid we must.’ Dallas tried not to sound aggressive.
Torben patted his wife’s hand. ‘Not for much longer, my darling. Then you can show us your new dress.’
The brief truce of cultures was over.
Ellie and Lindsay were clear about their own roles. Doctors would be needed – in the field as well as hospitals far from the front line. Lindsay had tried to convince Ellie she should stay in Durban. She disagreed. ‘It will be immediate attention that matters most, ’ she said. ‘I’m nearly qualified. I should be out there.’
Lorna suddenly saw her entire family at risk. ‘But you’re a woman.’
The comment was met by an outburst of derision. ‘That’s never stopped you, Mother!’ was Meggie’s immediate reaction.
‘So what?’ said Ellie.
‘I know, ’ Lorna capitulated. ‘Call me a hypocrite, I probably am. This is my family I’m talking about.’ She turned to Frazer.
A loud and very eloquent silence met her questioning expression.
‘No, darling. Not you too?’
‘I must, I’m twenty next month, Mother.’
She could see he was right. ‘What will you do? Do you know where?’
‘Thought I might tag along and take care of the old man.’ Frazer grinned at his father’s outraged expression. ‘See if all those stories he tells us are true – give him a chance to prove himself.’
Dallas’s eyes had narrowed to slits. ‘You little shit’ began a string of expletives which would have caused a sailor to blush.
‘Have you quite finished?’ Frazer asked as the rest of them sat spellbound. Not even Gerda had blinked.
‘Quite.’
‘So that’s settled then.’
Dallas turned to Lorna in mock despair. ‘Speak to the boy.’
She pulled a face but it didn’t hide her tears.
In the silence that followed, Meggie tried to sound positive. ‘I’ll stay with you, Mother. We can make bandages and splints, things like that.’
‘That would be lovely, darling, ’ Lorna murmured, frustrated that she and Meggie could do little more than behind-the-scenes bits and pieces. Still, someone had to knit all those useless little scarves, gloves and hats which held water, ripped at the slightest hint of barbed wire and more often than not became lost in the bottom of kitbags.
Tanith quickly declared her decision to help and turned a questioning look at Duncan, as though they’d already discussed what he would do. Resigned to hearing his decision, Lorna made the unspoken a question: ‘Well?’
‘Thorneycroft’s lot, most likely. T
oo much spit and polish for me in the regular army.’
Dallas tapped out his pipe – smoking had become a habit he increasingly enjoyed of late. ‘You might not be given an option.’
‘I’ll find out when the time comes.’
‘I think it’s here already, Duncan, more’s the pity.’
‘So.’ Lorna’s practical nature needed to sum up. It also stopped her worrying too much about the future. ‘Between the lot of us we can muster four women to help wherever– I’m assuming you’ll be with us, Ginnie – two medics, a scout for the infantry, three, possibly four, mounted volunteers to do as directed and two abstentions delaying any decision for cultural or conscience considerations. That’s not bad going. I’d say Buller should have nothing to complain about from here, wouldn’t you?’ The question may have been directed at nobody in particular but Dallas sensed a bitterness in her words. Lorna resented the inevitable intrusion of imposed politics, just as she had when the Zulu War came into their lives.
‘I wonder if Boyd will come out?’ Cameron speculated, referring to an uncle on his father’s side who had spent his entire working life in the army.
‘He’s retired, ’Dallas reminded him, not wishing to discuss his older brother, who had fought in the Zulu War while managing to remain totally ignorant of the enemy and their culture.
Torben chose to take Lorna’s words as an accusation. ‘It’s not my fault, Mother.’
‘No-one said it was, ’Dallas cut back crossly.
‘Yes, but – ’
‘But nothing. Gerda put it as well as anyone might.’
Still feeling surprised by his daughter-in-law’s succinct understanding of Torben’s problem, Dallas turned to Gerda. ‘I think it’s time to get ready for dinner. Torben said something about a new dress, my dear. We’re all dying to see it. Why don’t we meet for drinks in, say, an hour?’
It was the first time Dallas had picked her out for special attention and she glowed in the limelight of his approval. ‘Of course, Poppie.’ Gerda dimpled at Torben. ‘We have some welcome news for you all but will save it for then.’
Footprints of Lion Page 11
