John Buchan

Name: Prester John — VIII: I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa
Author: John Buchan

Prester John — VIII: I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa (1910)

Summary

“Prester John — VIII: I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa”, published in 1910, is a work by John Buchan. It explores elements such as Colin, kraal and Berg.

Quotes from Prester John — VIII: I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa (John Buchan)

John Buchan, Prester John — VIII: I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa (1910)

“ I had resolved on a short cut to Umvelos', avoiding the neighbourhood of Sikitola's kraal, so when the river emerged from the glen I crossed it and struck into the bush. I had not gone far before I realized that something strange was going on. It was like the woods on the Berg a week before. I had the impression of many people moving in the bush, and now and then I caught a glimpse of them. My first thought was that I should be stopped, but soon it appeared that these folk had business of their own which did not concern me. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Buchan, Prester John — VIII: I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa (1910)

“ I had forgotten for a moment the folk in the bush, and when a man stepped out of the thicket I pulled up my horse with a start.
It was a tall native, who carried himself proudly, and after a glance at me, stalked along at my side. He wore curious clothes, for he had a kind of linen tunic, and around his waist hung a kilt of leopard-skin. In such a man one would have looked for a ting-kop, [1] but instead he had a mass of hair, not like a Kaffir's wool, but long and curled like some popular musician's. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Buchan, Prester John — VIII: I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa (1910)

“ I stopped for my midday meal at a place called Taqui, a grassy glade in the bush where a tiny spring of water crept out from below a big stone, only to disappear in the sand. Here I sat and smoked for half an hour, wondering what was going to become of me. The air was very still, but I could hear the rustle of movement somewhere within a hundred yards. The hidden folk were busy about their own ends, and I regretted that I had not taken the road by Sikitola's and seen how the kraals looked. They must be empty now, for the young men were already out on some mission. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Buchan, Prester John — VIII: I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa (1910)

“ I had hoped for food and drink yonder. I have travelled far, and in the chill nights I desire a cover for my head. Will the Baas allow me to sleep the night in an outhouse?'
By this time I had recovered my nerve, and was ready to play the part I had determined on. 'Willingly,' I said. 'You may sleep in the storeroom if you care. You will find sacks for bedding, and the place is snug enough on a cold night.'
He thanked me with a grave dignity which I had never seen in any Kaffir. As my eye fell on his splendid proportions I forgot all else in my admiration of the man. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Buchan, Prester John — VIII: I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa (1910)

“ I dismounted once to drink, and in that green haven of flowers and ferns I was struck sharply with a sense of folly. Here were we wretched creatures of men making for each other's throats, and outraging the good earth which God had made so fair a habitation. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Buchan, Prester John — VIII: I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa (1910)

“ I told him that I meant to sleep the night here, and go back in the morning to Blaauwildebeestefontein, and then to Pietersdorp for stores. By-and-by I could see that he had ceased to pay any attention to what I said. I was clearly set down in his mind as a fool. Instead he kept looking at Colin, who was lying blinking in the doorway, one wary eye cocked on the stranger.
'You have a fine dog,' he observed.
'Yes,' I agreed, with one final effort of mendacity, 'he's fine to look at, but he has no grit in him. Any mongrel from a kraal can make him turn tail. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Buchan, Prester John — VIII: I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa (1910)

“ But he thought also that the storekeeper might be an exception, for his presence would give rise to no suspicions. Almost his last words to me were to come back hell-for-leather if I saw the game was hopeless, and in any case to leave as soon as I got any news. 'If you're there when the march begins,' he said, 'they'll cut your throat for a certainty.' I had all the various police posts on the Berg clear in my mind, so that I would know where to make for if the road to Blaauwildebeestefontein should be closed. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Buchan, Prester John — VIII: I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa (1910)

“ At first this puzzled us both, and then I thought of Colin. I had trained the dog to go home at my bidding, for often when I used to go hunting I would have occasion to visit a kraal where he would have been a nuisance. Accordingly, I resolved to take Colin with me, and, if I got into trouble, to send word by him. ”

John Buchan

Summary

Quotes from Prester John — VIII: I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa (John Buchan)

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