"Swallow"
This is a story of the Great Trek by the Boers of the Transkei in 1836. It is narrated by the Vrouw Botmar (nee Suzanne Naute), a woman of Huguenot descent married to farmer Jan Botmar. They live in the wilds of Transkei with the daughter Suzanne, the "Swallow" of the title.
When Suzanne (the daughter) was about seven or eight she expressed a wish for a brother. Her parents would like one too, but tell her, diplomatically, that if she wishes for one hard enough she might get one. That night she dreams that she sees a young boy alone on the veldt. Next morning, while ostensibly out to collect sea shells, she slips away from her Kaffir nurse and searches the distant coastline. As it chances - or perhaps because her dream was a true vision - she discovers the boy in a distant kloof. The children remain together through the night, and make their slow way home (due to the boy's weakness) to Suzanne's destraught parents.
He is Ralph McKenzie (or Kenzie as he is known hereafter), a passenger with his father and mother on the ship "India", which has been wreaked on the coastline on its way from India to Britain. Ralph's father remains on the sinking ship because only one boat can be launched in time, though the captain begs him to save himself, as he is an important man. However, Ralph and his mother, with a few women and children, and a small number of men to run the boat, get away in time. The coast is desolute, and they fall in with native, who kill the men. The women and children head south, in the hope of reaching safety, but after a while, due to hunger, thirst and the attacks of wild animals, only Ralp and his mother remain alive. They rest overnight in the kloof of which Suzanne dreamt, and in the morning the nine year old finds his mother has died in the night. She has placed a locket which she wore around his neck.
Jan and Vrouw Botmar adopt Ralph as their son, though they realise he is English (actually Scottish). Jan hates the English because the Cape Colony Government had executed his father and uncle for rebellion. To him the 'Scotch' were worse, since they cheated them into the bargain. However, politics didn't colour his desire for a son, and his sympathy for Ralph.
One day, nearly ten years later, Jan Botmar hears that a couple of 'Englishmen' are coming to inquire into Ralph. A 'Hollander' tutor who had joined the family for some time after escaping from the employment of their neighbour Heer van Vooren and his son Piet van Vooren (Black Piet) must have told tales. The family argue over what to do. They know Ralph came from a prosperous family - his clothes, though ragged - had shown that. But they didn't want him to go. Neither did he, for whom the farm was his home.
The 'Englishmen' arrive - with Ralph and Jan conveniently away, leaving the Vrouw Botmar to deceive them as well as she might. They are Lord Glenthirsk (Ralph's cousin) and his lawyer. From the resemlance to Ralph the Vrouw knows that Ralph must indeed be the man they are seeking. They tell the tale of the loss of the ship 'India' with almost all its passengers and crew (some had escaped into the bush and eventually found civilisation). The boy, had he lived, would have been heir to a title and extensive estates. The Lord himself wanted to ascertain the truth.
Vrouw Botmar explains that although there is a similarity of name and background, Ralph is not really the same person. She shows the family Bible as proof. This records that Ralph was rescued in 1825 (Jan had made a mistake, but didn't want to spoil the book by correcting it to 1824). The lawyer and Lord Glenthirsk are told Ralph was the son of a shephard, lost on the "Flora" the year after the "India" was lost. Had Ralph been there the family resemblance would have disproved the lie. But he wasn't, and both the Lord and lawyer were to benefit if Ralph was truly dead. The young man was genuinely mislead, but the lawyer knew Vrouw Botmar was lying. Since however he was to gain under the late Lord's will - which he wouldn't do it Ralph was alive, it wasn't in his interest to pry too closely.
Suzanne had been kept out of the way. She loved Ralph, and wanted him to stay. But she couldn't accept the deception, and ran after the "Englishmen" when the left the following morning. The Lord had gone on ahead, so she spoke to the lawyer, telling him that her mother has lied, and that Ralph is indeed the heir. The lawyer of course says he will catch up with the peer and tell him, but of course he remains silent.
Ralph and Suzanne are aware that they love each other, and Jan and Vrouw Botmar are delighted. They want them to marry as soon as possible, partly because Suzanne has been pursued by the obnoxious Black Piet, who loves her (or is infatuated with her).
Suzanne saves Sihamba Ngenyanga ("She-who-walks-by-the-moonlight"), a doctress, from being hung by Piet van Vooren and his henchmen, ostensibly for theft of his cattle (he is veld-cornet of the district), but in reality because she rejected his advanced. Suzanne must content to kiss Piet in return for Sihamba's life. She shrinks from doing so, but agrees. Sihamba is a chieftainess from the north, who fled her tribe because of differences of policy (and because they wanted her to marry - which she didn't want to do). Since her kraal has been destroyed by Piet, and because she has constituted herself Suaznne's body servant, she moves onto the Botmar farm. Ralph and Jan are furious with Piet, but Suzanne makes Ralph promise he won't kill Piet. He reluctantly agrees, and instead whips Piet with a heavy sjambok. Piet takes a shot at Ralph. Piet, because of his discovered ill-conduct, leaves the district before a complaint can be laid against him.
Piet writes a letter (he is educated) to the family, declaring his intention to stay away. They don't believe it - it is too humbly worded. Sihamba manages to ingratiate herself with the messenger by providing medicine which cures his son. As payment he brings her a cow. Sihimba employs a herd - Zinti - to follow the half-wild cow back to its home, and thereby discover the hiding place of Piet. Zinti overhears women talking. Piet has native wives in his kraal, and is preparing to take delivery of a white wife - obviously Suzanne - which the wives resent. They plan to ambush family as they travel home from visiting a neighbour. Zinti gets back to tell Sihimba his tale just in time. Sihimba rides Jan's favourite horse to intercept them before they reach the place of ambush, where Suzanne is to be seized and the others killed. She just manages to do so in time.
Sihamba has a vision of evil, including her own death. Ralph and Suzanne are married as quickly as possible, at the farm. The preacher however has gossiped, and when they outspan near the farm on their way to neighbours where they will stay until their new home is ready, they are surprised by Piet and his henchmen. Ralph is shot and thrown into the sea, and Suzanne is carried off. Sihamba, who has been following at a distance with Zinti, rescues Ralph, who is serious injured but will live. While Ralph heads back to the farm in the care of his servants, Sihamba and Zinti follow the track of the would-be murderers and ravishers. As Sihamba expected they head for the hidden kraal of Piet.
Sihmba manages to enter the enclosure, and rescue Suzanne, just as she is choosing between fire, steel or rope as a means of escaping Piet. Sihamba kills the sentry at the door of Suzanne's hut. He is the man who would have hung her at Piet's behest. They flee on horseback, and Zinti shoots a guard, alerting the kraal. They cross the Red River in flood, on the schimmel, and take refuge with Sigwe, the paramount chief of the red Kaffirs. Sigwe is about to go to war with the Endwandwe, whose chief Sikonyana has insulted Sigwe by passing off an elderly relative as his beautiful sister Batwa, whom Sigwe craves.
Out of consideration for Sihamba, Sigwe offers to spare the Umpondwana, her own people. Bull-Head, as Piet Van Vooren is known to the blacks, is beaten out of the town when he demands Suzanne of Sigwe. Both of these occur because a witch-doctress has had a vision that the tribe will proper in its war if a white swallow accompanies it north. Suzanne because de facto general, and is unable to get a message to her family, for Sigwe fears (rightly) that they would try to rescue her. However Suzanne has a dream that she is in the farmhouse, and speaks with Ralph, who is lying delirious. She tells him she has escaped Piet, and they will meet again on a mountain built in a form like a human hand. Ralph does indeed see such a vision of Suzanne, and they do meet as forefold.
Suzanne manages to persuade Sikonyana to give up his sister Batwa (the right one - all the family bear this name) and her 1,000 cattle dowry, and a fine of 1,200 cattle. Sigwe is pleased with Swallow, but he will not allow her to go south, for this would risk incurring ill-luck. Swallow and Sihamba decide to go to Sihamba's home, the Umpondwana (which is four days march to the west). They are escorted hence by Sigwe's army, which frightens the peaceful people of the Umpondwana. Sihamba's half-brother, Koraana, who has ruled since her departure 12-years ago, is newly dead of the smallpox - as is his son. Sihamba is welcomed as chieftainess, with the Swallow. The home of the Umpondwana is in fact a mountain shaped unto the likeness of a human hand, and the people's name means "Mountain of the Great Hand". They are destined to remain here over two years.
Meanwhile, back at the home farm, Jan and Vrouw Botmar are horrified at the news of the near-murder of Ralph and the kidnapping of Suzanne. They search far and wide, but without success. After Ralph is recovered he searches for the mountain of his vision, but in vain. The family decide, partly because the farm constantly remind them of Suzanne, and partly for other reasons, to join the trek into Natal. Ralph is happy to go north, since he has already searched south, west and east. The 12,000 acre farm is sold for a mere £50. They join a group led by Carl Celliers. Their laager of 50-60 people is attacked at vechtkop, near the Rhenoster River, by 4,000 of chief Moselikatse's men led by Kalipi, but survive. Ralph spares the youth Gaasha, slave carrier. They continue north.
Six months after the laager was attacked Gaasha, who has become a servant, asks for leave to visit his parents, who are of theUmpondwana. He describes the home as being a mountain shaped like a man's hand. He also tells them that the chieftainess is called Sihamba. He knows nothing of Suzanne, however. The family realise that this must be their goal, and ask the Commandant, Celliers, to detour towards the mountain. He declines, and the family make their own way towards the mountain.
By this time Piet has invested the mountain, harrying the people, and killing them if he might. Dingaan, King of the Zulus, sends an impi to stamp them flat, because Sihamba has stolen some royal white cattle (actually placed there by Piet, who himself tells Dingaan about the 'theft'). The people take refuge on the mountain, but take their cattle with them. The Zulu cut the water supply, and the tribe start to die of thirst because the cattle trample the small spring on the mountain. Piet, who is working with the Zulu captain, offers to free the people if they surrender Sihamba, and Suzanne (and their cattle). Sihamba and Suzanne agree, as they have no choice, since the Umpondwana are craven.
As the people file out of the narrow pass to the mountain, Suzanne accompanies her, dressed (or rather undress and stained) as a black. Meanwhile, to lead Piet to believe that Suzanne is still on the mountain, Sihamba sits beside a corpse of a woman, stained white, placed on a chair-like rock near the peak of the mountain. Suzanne, though embarassed at her enforced nudity, escapes, carrying with her a child she takes from a young woman who has perished. Jan and party arrive in time to see Piet Van Vooren torturing Sihamba to make her reveal the hiding place of Suzanne. Ralph pursues Piet to the chair, where he kills him. Sihamba tells them Suzanne is heading for the laager of the Boers, but the family have heard from a dilirious Zulu soldier that an impi is on the way to stamp them flat. Sihamba sees Ralph ride off on the schimmel, and dies happy that Suzanne will soon be back with Ralph.
Ralph rides literally through an impi, and finds Suzanne (whom he at first mistakes for a soldier). They are surrounded by Zulu, but ride through them, to arrive at the laager in time to warn the Boers of the impending Zulu attack - which is beaten off. However, the horse is mortally wounded, and dies (after having killed some Zulus - some by worrying them to death). Ralph, Suzanne, and Jan and Vrouw Botmar settle at this spot.
In later years Suzanne dies, and Ralph and his son (whose wife died in childbirth) are killed at Isandlhwana. Ralph and Suzanne's granddaughter, also called Suzanne, is the young woman to whom Vrouw Botmar narrates the story.
In an addendum, the annanuensis, Suzanne Kenzie, reveals the improbable, though predictable, sequel. She herself falls in love with a British officer, Lieutenant Lord Glenthirsk, who is stationed at Durban (at this time she didn't know the details of the grandparents history). It turns out that she, and not her fiancee, is the true head of the family. The story is edited at Glenthirsk Castle, by the Baroness Glenthirsk (aka Suzanne Kenzie).
This story contains several common Haggard elements, including the Trek, and the supernatural (or fortuitious) rescue of Ralph McKenzie by the child Suzanne Botmar. Jan Botmar is something of a caricature, a hater of the 'English', and a simple Boer farmer. But he is not as hard as he pretends to be, and willingly adopts Ralph. Suzanne is the stereotypical Haggard young woman, but less well developed than usual. The escape from the Umpondwana kraal is typical Haggard, as is the sacrifice of Sihamba.
This novel has its share of unpleasant details, from the initial shipwreck (which has some moving passages), to the torture of Sihamba and the massacre of the Umpondwana. Even Ralph and his son later die at Isandlhwana (though this is mentioned only and not narrated as part of the story). The weakest part of the story is the coincidence of the marriage of the writer to the heir of the dishonest cousin to Ralph, her own (unknown) kinsman. Though this united the family fortune with the rightful heiress, it is an example of Dickensian-like improbability.