He was the freeman of ten cities, London and Edinburgh and the rest. He had been a general in the Boer forces and now he was general in the army of the British Empire, a Privy Councillor, a Companion of Honour, a King's Counsel, a bencher of the Middle Temple and a Fellow of the Royal Society. His chest was not wide enough for all the stars and ribbons he was entitled to wear. He was without question the cleverest, wisest, most charismatic and influential man that South Africa had ever produced. It was almost as though his spirit was too big to be contained by terrestrial borders, as though he were a true citizen of the wide world. This was the one chink in his armour, and his enemies had sent their poison-tipped arrows through it. His heart is across the sea, not with you, and it had brought down his government of the South African Party of which he had been prime minister, minister of defence and of native affairs. Now he was leader of the opposition. However, he was a man who thought of himself as a botanist by preference and a soldier and politician by necessity.
We should wait for the others to catch up. General Jan Smuts paused on a lichen-covered rocky platform and leaned on his staff. The two of them peered back down the slope.
A hundred paces below them a woman plodded grimly up the path; the outline of her thighs through her heavy calico skirts were thick and powerful as the haunches of a brood mare, and her bare arms were as muscled as those of a wrestler.
My little dove, Sir Garry murmured fondly as he watched his bride. After fourteen long years of courtship she had only acceded to his suit six months before.
Do hurry, Anna, the boy behind her on the narrow path entreated. 'It will be noon before we reach the top and I'm dying for breakfast. Shasa was as tall as she was, though half her bulk.
Go ahead if you are in such a big hurry, she growled at him. The thick solar topee was pulled low over her red, round face. Her features were as folded as those of a friendly bulldog. Though why anybody should want to reach the top of this cursed mountain- I'll give you a shove, Shasa offered, and placed both hands on Lady Courtney's massive round buttocks. Heave ho! And up she rises! 'Stop that, you wicked boy, Anna gasped as she scrambled to adjust to her sudden rapid ascent, or I'll break this stick over your backside. Oh! Stop now. That's enough. Until she had become Lady Courtney, she had been plain Anna, Shasa's nurse and his mother's beloved maid. Her meteoric rise up the social ladder had in no way altered their relationship.
They arrived gasping and protesting and laughing on the ledge. 'Here she is, Grandpater! Special delivery! Shasa grinned at Garry Courtney, who separated them firmly and fondly. The beautiful boy and the homely red-faced woman were the most precious of all his treasures, his wife and his only grandson.
Anna, my sweeting, you mustn't tax the boy's strength so, he warned her with a straight face, and she struck him on the arm half playfully and half in exasperation.
I should be seeing to the lunch rather than gallivanting around on this mountain. Her accent was still thick Flemish, and she relapsed thankfully into Afrikaans as she turned to General Smuts. How much further is it, Ou Baas? Not far, Lady Courtney, not far at all. Ah! Here are the others. I was beginning to worry about them. Centaine and her companions emerged from the edge of the forest further down the slope. She wore a loose white skirt that left her legs bare from the knees and a white straw hat decorated with artificial cherries. When they caught up with the leaders, Centaine smiled at General Smuts. 'I'm winded, Ou Baas. May I lean on you for the last lap? And though she was barely glowing with exertion he gallantly offered her his arm and they were first to reach the crest.
These annual picnics on Table Mountain were the traditional family way of celebrating Sir Garrick Courtney's birthday, and his old friend General Smuts made a point of never missing the occasion.
On the crest they all spread out to sit in the grass and catch their breath. Centaine and the old general were a little apart from the others. Below them lay the whole sweep of the Constantia Valley, patchworked with vineyards in full green summer livery. Scattered amongst them the Dutch gables of the great chateaux glowed like pearls in the low rays of the sun and the smoky mountains of the Muizenberg and Kabonkelberg formed a solid amphitheatre of grey rock, hemming in the valley to the south while in the north the far mountains of the Hottentots Holland were a rampart that cut off the Cape of Good Hope from the continental shield of the African Continent. Directly ahead, wedged between the mountains, the waters of False Bay were ruffling and flecking at the rising importunity of the southeaster. It was so beautiful that they were silenced for many minutes.
General Smuts spoke first. So, Centaine, my dear, what did you want to talk about? You are a mind-reader, Ou Baas. She laughed ruefully.
How do you know these things? These days, when a pretty girl takes me aside, I can be sure it's business and not pleasure. He twinkled at her.
You are one of the most attractive men I've ever met Ah ha! Such a compliment! It must be serious. Her change of expression confirmed it. It's Shasa, she said simply.
No problem there, or I miss my guess., She took a single-paged document from her skirt pocket and handed it to him. It was a school report. The embossed crest was a bishop's mitre, the emblem of the country's most exclusive public school.
The general glanced at it. She knew how swiftly he could read even a complicated legal document, so when he handed it back to her almost immediately she was not put out. He would have it all, even down to the headmaster's summation on the last line: Michel Shasa is a credit to himself and to Bishops. General Smuts smiled at her. You must be very proud of him. He is my entire life. I know, he said, 'and that is not always wise. A child soon becomes a man, and when he leaves he will take your life with him. However, in what way can I help you, my dear? He is bright and personable and he has a way with people, even those much older than himself, she replied. I would like to have a seat for him in Parliament, to begin with. The general removed the Panama hat from his head and smoothed back his sparkling silver hair with the palm of his hand. I do think he should finish his schooling before he enters Parliament, don't you, my dear! he chuckled.
That's it. That is exactly what I want to know from you, Ou Baas. Should Shasa go home to Oxford or Cambridge, or will that count against him later when he goes to the electorate? Should he rather attend one of the local universities and if so, should it be Stellenbosch or the University of Cape Town? I will think about it, Centaine, and I will give you my advice when it is time to make the final decision. But in the meantime may I be bold enough to warn you of something else, a state of mind which could prejudice your plans for the young man. Please, Ou Baas, she begged. A word of yours is worth! she did not have to find a comparison, for the general went on softly.
That word "home", it is a fatal one. Shasa must decide where his true home is, and if it is across the sea, then he must not count on my assistance. How foolish of me. He saw that she was truly angry with herself. Her cheeks darkened and her lips hardened. Soutpiel.
She remembered that jeer. One foot in London, the other in Cape Town. It was no longer amusing.
It won't happen again, she said, and she laid her hand on his arm to impress him with her sincerity. So you will help him? Can we have breakfast now, Mater? Shasa called across.
All right, put the basket on the bank of the stream over there. She turned back to the old man. Can I count on you? I am in opposition, Centaine You won't be for long. The country must come to its senses at the next election. You must realize I cannot promise you anything now. He was choosing his words carefully. He is still a child. However, I will be watching him. If he fulfils this early promise, if he meets my standards, then he will have all my support.