HANS DETERMINES TO FOLLOW KATRINE--HE JOURNEYS BY NIGHT--HANS WATCHES
THE ENEMY.
No sooner had Hans discovered that the Matabili had taken the two Dutch
girls to a distant kraal, than he determined at all risks to attempt
their release. During the first halt that occurred after the slaughter
of the Matabili, he called his two great friends, Victor and Bernhard,
to him, and said--
"I have failed to persuade the Governor-General to attack the enemy
where he would be able utterly to defeat him and prevent him from again
attacking us; for this defeat at Mosega is only like cutting off one of
his fingers, whereas, if we went on to Kapain, we should attack his
body. But I am going to try to release Katrine; and I have a plan in my
head which may succeed, so to-night I shall leave the camp."
Victor and Bernhard looked at one another for some time; and then, as
though reading each other's thoughts, they turned to Hans, when Victor,
speaking first, said--
"I don't know what your plans are, Hans; but you shall not go alone. I
will go with you, and I think Bernhard will go also."
"Yes, I will go," said Bernhard, "so let us talk over your plans."
The three friends, having thus agreed to share each other's fate,
separated themselves from their companions, and sat down beneath a tree
whose wide-spreading branches sheltered them from the heavy dew that was
falling. Each having lighted his pipe and remained quiet for several
minutes, was ready to listen or speak, according to circumstances.
"My plans," said Hans, are these: "to travel to the northward, and
conceal ourselves and our horses in the range of hills that overlook
Kapain. With my telescope I can observe all that goes on in the kraals,
while we run no risk of being seen. Our spoor will scarcely be
recognised, because so many horses have been travelling here lately; and
the attention of all the Matabili will be occupied in either watching
the main body of our people or in making preparations for an expedition
against them. They would never suspect that two or three of us would
remain in their country; and thus we, by daring, may avoid detection.
If we are discovered, we can ride away from the Matabili; and thus,
though at first it seems a great risk, yet it is not so bad after all.
These are my ideas."
"But," inquired Victor, "how are you going to get Katrine away, or her
sister?"
"I will take two spare horses with me, and they can then ride with us."
"You can't let Katrine know where you are, even if she is in the kraal
at Kapain," said Victor; "and without we can get to her, our journey
will be useless."
"Victor," said Hans, "will you trust me? I know what I am about, and
will not do any thing without seeing to what the spoor is leading; we
will start in half an hour."
A few words from Hans to the leader of the Boers informed him of his
intention of leaving the party; and though the chief urged upon Hans the
recklessness of his proceedings, he had yet no actual authority to
prevent him and his two companions from acting as they wished; so,
cautioning him of the risk he ran, he wished him success, and bade him
good-bye.
It was about midnight when Hans and his companions left the Boers'
encampment and started on their perilous journey. They rode for a
considerable distance on the back spoor of their track, then, turning
northward, they followed the course of some streams which flowed from
the ranges of hills in the North-East. They continued their journey
with rapidity, for the moon shone brightly and enabled them to see
clearly for some distance around them. Many strange forms were seen
during their journey, for Africa is full of night wanderers, and
occasionally the deep growl of the lion, or the cry of the leopard was
audible, within a few yards of them; but Hans and his companions were
bent upon an expedition, and against foes of such importance, that even
lions and leopards were looked upon as creatures not to be noticed,
unless they seemed disposed to attack the travellers. The rapidity with
which Hans and his companions rode, the silence maintained by them, and
the purpose-like manner in which they continued a straight course,
turning neither to the right nor left, even though a lion roared before
them, gave to their journey a weirdlike character and reminded them of
the dangers to which they were exposed; for, the Matabili, smarting as
they just were from the defeat at Mosega, were not likely to delay the
slaughter of any white men who might fall into their hands. Hans and
his companions knew that the expedition was one for life or death; but
it was not the first time that these men had looked on death calmly; and
they were so confident in their own expedients that there were few
circumstances for which they were not prepared.
As soon as the first light of morning began to appear, the three hunters
rode into a ravine covered with brushwood and trees; having ascended
this for some distance they found that it was possible to ride out of it
in three directions besides that in which they had entered, and thus
that a retreat was easily effected, should they be attacked from any one
direction. They then dismounted, slackened the girths and took off the
saddles, removed the bits from their horses' mouths, and allowed the
animals to enjoy a roll in the grass, this being a proceeding which
invariably refreshes an African steed, and without it he seems only half
capable of enjoying his feed of grass; no sooner, however, had the
animals rolled, than each was again saddled, and with the exception of
loosened girths, was ready to be mounted in half a minute. The guns
were examined, to see whether the night dew had rendered a miss fire
probable; and then, having made a careful examination of the surrounding
country with his telescope, Hans announced that after eating some of the
_beltong_, [Meat dried in the sun], with which each was provided, two
had better sleep whilst one watched, and so they could all have enough
rest to fit them for the journey of the following night; having
volunteered to watch first, Hans requested his companions to go to
sleep, a request with which every thoroughly trained hunter should be
able to comply; for he should always eat, drink, and sleep when he can,
for when he wants to perhaps he may not be able. And when a hunter has
nothing to do, he should sleep, for then he will be ready to dispense
with his rest when it may be of importance that he should be watchful.
In a very few minutes Victor and Bernhard were snoring as though they
were sleeping on a down bed instead of on the ground in an enemy's
country, whilst the horses were making the best use of their time by
filling themselves with the sweet grass in the ravine.
Hans had not been on watch more than an hour, when by the aid of his
telescope he discovered a large body of Matabili who were following the
spoor of his horses, and seemed as though bent on pursuing him. This
sight caused him considerable anxiety, not on account of the numbers of
his enemies, but because a fight with them, or a retreat from them,
would defeat his plans for liberating Katrine. Hans therefore watched
his enemies with the greatest interest, and could distinguish them
distinctly, though they were distant nearly three miles. They
approached to within two miles, and he was about to awaken his
companions when he noticed the Matabili halted, and the chiefs' seemed
to be talking about the spoor, as they pointed to the ground several
times and then at different parts of the surrounding country. The
ground was so hard and the dew had fallen so heavily immediately before
sunrise, that Hans hoped the hesitation on the part of his enemies might
be in consequence of a dispute or difference of opinion as regarded the
date of the horses' footprints; for the probability was, that those left
by his own and his companions' horses might be supposed to be those of
stragglers of the expedition which had attacked the Matabili at Mosega.
This he believed to be the case when he found that the numerous body of
enemies, after a long consultation, quitted his spoor and turned away
towards the West, moving with rapidity in the direction in which the
main body of the Boers had retreated, and thus almost taking his back
trail, instead of following him to his retreat. Several other small
parties of armed Matabili were seen during the day; but none approached
the ravine in which Hans was concealed, and the day passed and night
arrived without any adventure.