The covenant - James A. Michener [507]
11. Give us this day our daily bread.
12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
He pointed out how relatively simple this was, and how direct. He then asked the Van Doorns to study other sheets of paper, where the same verses appeared in the Old Dutch of their 1630 Amsterdam Bible.
9. Onse Vader die daer zijt inde Hemelen: uwen name worde geheylicht.
Drijckje kome. Uwen wille ghejchiede op der Aerden gelijck inden Hemel.
Gheeft ons heden ons daghelijcks broodt.
Ende vergheeft ons onse schulden. Gelijch wy oock vergheven onsen schuldenaren.
He read this aloud twice, stressing the beauty of the flowing Dutch they had learned as children and still used when reciting their prayers. He obviously cherished the rhythms of this version, but indicated that it would be better when translated into Afrikaans, of which he gave a sample:
9. Onse Vader wat in die hemele is, laat u Naam geheilig word;
10. laat u konindryk kom; lat u wil geskied, soos in de hemel net so op die aarde;
11. gee ons vandag ons daaglikse brood;
12. en vergeef ons ons skulde, soos ons 00k ons skuldenaars ver-gewe . . .
'Ah!' he cried triumphantly. 'How excellent!' And he went over the new translation, line by line, indicating its superiority: 'See how much simpler the Afrikaans is, how purified of old encrustations. This is to be the language of the future, believe me.'
When the two older Van Doorns protested that they did not want their Bible tampered with, he said bluntly, 'The generation that is forty years old when the change comes will know an agony of the soul. After that we will be a new people.' When Coenraad tried to voice another doubt, he said abruptly, 'Remember, if John Calvin were alive today, he would be using a Bible in Afrikaans.'
Detleef, back in his room, balanced the two versions of a word he loved: The old Nachtmaal becomes the new Nagmaal. I don't like it. The mystery of night is lost. And for the first time he sensed that many great good things of ancient virtue might be lost during a normal lifetime: the women he had loved so much in the concentration camp, the sturdy virtues of General de Groot. He stared at the night and could not sleep, but as dawn broke he thought: It's my duty to save the good old things.
While Detleef was enjoying these varied experiences, the young men of the Saltwood families were pursuing their studies in a much grimmer classroom. Near the city of Amiens and east of the great battle site of St. Quentin was a hunting preserve known as d'Ellville Wood, and both the Allies and the Germans realized that this grove of trees would prove crucial in the tremendous Battle of the Somme.
The German high command issued the order, 'D'Ellville shall be taken, regardless of cost,' at exactly the time when the Allied command said, 'The wood must be held at any cost.' A titanic battle to the death had become inescapable.
On 14 July 1916 Colonel Frank Saltwood, fifty-six years old and one of the first volunteers in his country's expeditionary force, received orders to take and hold d'Ellville Wood. In his command were four of his nephews Hilary and Roger of the Cape Town Saltwoods, Max and Timothy of De Kraaland they, too, had volunteered early.
Throughout four unbroken days the two armies battled, calling upon every great gun in the area until the trenches shuddered from explosives. Without any rest or hot food, the five Saltwoods defended their terrain heroically, with Colonel Frank moving from spot to spot to encourage his nephews.
On the second day Hilary was shot through the head. On the third day young Max led a valiant charge, which was annihilated. And on the last day Colonel Frank, rushing to an endangered point, was struck full in the face by seven German bullets, and with his death the South African position was doomed.
But into his place leaped Roger, who at twenty years old assumed command of the battle. He would have led his men to defeat had not Timothy gone totally berserk, as heroic young men sometimes will, and held off a platoon of Germans, killing