"Michener, James - The Covenant (uc) (txt)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Michener James A)

Doorn, De Groot and Saltwood families do not exist. A
few real characters do appear briefly - Van Riebeeck,
Shaka, Cecil Rhodes, Oom Paul Kruger and Sir Redvers
Buller, for example - and things said of them relate to
recorded history. The Battle of Spion Kop is faithfully
summarized, as are the principal events of the Great
Trek. Great Zimbabwe is accurately presented in light of
recent judgments. All incidents in the chapter on
apartheid are offered from the research of the author
alone and are vouched for by him.

The Covenant comes to its end as of December 1979 and
therefore can take no account of subsequent events, such
as the independence of Zimbabwe and the extended
rioting that is taking place in South Africa as these pages
are being proofread. It is believed that the narrative
prepares the reader for these happenings and others that
will follow.

It has, been impossible to avoid certain labels once
popularly accepted but now deemed pejorative: Bushman
(instead of San or Khoisan); Hottentot (instead of Khoi-
khoi); native, Kaffir and Bantu (instead of black).
Coloured is capitalized because in South Africa it 1
designates a legal classification.

VIK
1, Rologue

It was the silent time before dawn, along the shores of what h
been one of the most beautiful lakes in southern Africa. Fo
almost a decade now little rain had fallen; the earth had baked
the water had lowered and become increasingly brackish.
The hippopotamus, lying with only her nostrils exposed, kne
intuitively that she must soon quit this place and move her baby t
some other body of water, but where and in what direction, sh
could not decipher.
The herd of zebra that came regularly to the lake edged thei
way down the bare, shelving sides and drank with reluctance th
fetid water. One male, stubbornly moving away from the others
pawed at the hard earth, seeking to find a sweeter spring, bu
there was none.
Two female lions, who had been hunting fruitlessly all night
spotted the individualistic zebra and'by arcane signals indicate
that this was the one they would tackle when the herd left the lake
For the present they did nothing but wait in the dry and yello
grass.
Finally there was a noise. The sun was still some moments fro
the horizon when a rhinoceros, looking in its grotesque armo
much the same as it had for the past three million years, rumble