"Very well, field-cornet; how did you manage to get here?"
"'Cross the veldt," growled the man.
"Didn't you see any of your friends?"
"No," grumbled the Boer. "If we had we shouldn't be here. Have you got
the money for what we've got?"
"No."
"Stop, then. We're not going on."
"But you must now. The colonel will give you an order."
"Paper?" said the Boer sharply.
"Yes."
"Then we don't go."
"Yes, you do, my obstinate friend. It will be an order to an official
here, and he'll pay you a fair price at once--in gold."
"My price?"
"Oh, that I can't say," replied the captain. "But I promise you will be
fairly dealt with."
The Boer put his burning pipe in his pocket, snatched off his battered
slouch felt hat, and gave his shaggy head an angry rub, looking round at
his companions as if for support, and then staring back at the way they
had come, to see lanterns gleaming and the glint of bayonets dimly here
and there, plainly showing him that retreat was out of the question.
Then, like some bear at bay, he uttered what sounded like a low growl,
though in fact it was only a remark to the man nearest to him, a similar
growl coming in reply.
"Come, sir, no nonsense," said the captain sternly. "You have come to
sell, I suppose?"
"I shouldn't be here if I hadn't," growled the Boer.
"Then come along. You cannot go back now. I have told you that you
will be well treated. Please to recollect that if our colonel chose he
could commando everything you have brought for the use of our force; but
he prefers to treat all of your people who bring supplies as
straightforward traders. Now come along."
The Boer grunted, glanced back once more, and at last, as if he had
thoroughly grasped his position, said a few words to his nearest
companions and passed the word to trek, when, in answer to the crack of
the huge whip, the bullocks sprang to their places along the trek-tows,
the wagons creaked and groaned, and the little convoy was escorted into
the market-place, where, as soon as he saw him, the field-cornet made
for the colonel's side and began like one with a grievance.
But the amount of cash to be paid was soon settled, and the Boer's
objections died away. The only difficulty then left was about the
Boers' stay.
"If we go back they'll shoot us," he said to the colonel. "We've
brought you the provisions you asked for, and when you've eaten all
you'll want more, and we'll go and fetch everything; but you must have
us here now."
"My good sir," said the colonel, to the intense amusement of the
officers assembled, who enjoyed seeing their chief, as they termed him,
in a corner, "I have enough mouths to feed here; you must go back to the
peaceable among your own people."
"Peaceable? There are none peaceable now. Look here: do you want to
send us back to fight against you?" cried the Boer cornet indignantly.
"Certainly not," said the colonel; "and I would not advise you to, for
your own sake."
"Then what are we to do? We got away with these loads of mealies, but
it will be known to-morrow. We can't go back, and it's all your doing."
"Well, I confess that it is hard upon you," said the colonel; "but, as I
have told you, I am not going to take the responsibility of feeding more
mouths."
"But we've just brought you plenty."
"Which will soon be gone," cried the colonel.
"Oh, that's nothing," said the Boer, with a grin full of cunning; "we
know where to get plenty more."
The colonel turned and looked at the major, who returned the look with
interest, for these last words opened up plenty of possibilities for
disposing of a terrible difficulty in the matter of supplies.
"I don't much like the idea, major," he said in a low tone.
"No; couldn't trust the fellow," was the reply. "May be a ruse."
"At the same time it may be simple fact," continued the colonel. "Of
course he would be well aware of the whereabouts of stores, for the
enemy always seem to have abundance. But no; it would be too great a
risk."
"All the same, though," said the major, who afterwards confessed to
visions of steaks and roast mutton floating before his mind, "the fellow
would be forced to be honest with us, for he would be holding his life
by a very thin thread."
"Exactly," said the colonel eagerly. "We could let him know that at the
slightest suggestion of treachery we should shoot him and his companions
without mercy."
"Make him understand that," said the major; and while the Boer party
stood waiting and watching by the two wagons, which had been drawn into
the square, a little council of war was held by the senior officers, in
which the pros and cons were discussed.
"It's a dangerous proceeding," said the colonel, in conclusion; "but one
thing is certain--we cannot hold this place long without food, and it is
all-important that it should be held, so we must risk it. Perhaps the
fellows are honest after all. If they are not--"
"Yes," said the major, giving his chief a meaning look; "if they are
not--"
And the unfinished sentence was mentally taken up by the other officers,
both Lennox and Dickenson looking it at one another, so to speak.
Then the colonel turned to the Boer cornet.
"Look here, sir," he said; "I am a man of few words, but please
understand that I mean exactly what I say. You and your companions can
stay here upon the condition that you are under military rule. Your
duty will be to forage for provisions when required. You will be well
treated, and have the same rations as the men; but you will only leave
the place when my permission is given, and I warn you that if any of you
are guilty of an act that suggests you are playing the spy, it will mean
a spy's fate. You know what I mean?"
"Oh, of course I do," growled the Boer. "Just as if it was likely! You
don't seem to have a very good opinion of us burghers."
"You have not given us cause to think well of you," said the colonel
sternly. "Now we understand each other. But of course you will have to
work with the men, and now you had better help to unload the wagons."
The cornet nodded, and turned to his companions, who had been watching
anxiously at a little distance; and as soon as they heard the colonel's
verdict they seemed at ease.
A few minutes later the regimental butchers had taken charge of one of
the oxen and a couple of sheep, whose fate was soon decided in the
shambles, and the men gathered round to cheer at the unwonted sight of
the carcasses hung up to cool.
Meanwhile an end of one of the warehouses had been set apart for the new
supply of grain, and the Boers worked readily enough with a batch of the
soldiers at unloading and storing, with lanterns hung from the rafters
to gleam on the bayonets of the appointed guard, the sergeant and his
men keeping a strict lookout, in which they were imitated by the younger
officers, Lennox and Dickenson waiting, as the latter laughingly said,
for the smuggled-in Boers, who of course did not appear.
Lennox made it his business to stand close to the tail-board of one of
the wagons, in which another lantern was hung, and with the sergeant he
gave every sack a heavy punch as it was dragged to the edge ready for
the Boers to shoulder and walk off into the magazine.
Seeing this, the Boer chief, now all smiles and good humour, made for
the next sack, untied the tarred string which was tied round the mouth,
opened it, and called to the sergeant to stand out of the light.
"I want the officers to see what beautiful corn it is," he said.
The sergeant reached up into the wagon-tilt to lift down the lantern
from where he had hung it to one of the tilt-bows.
"No, no," cried the Boer; "you needn't do that, boss. They can see.
There," he cried, thrusting in both hands and scooping as much as he
could grasp, and letting the glistening yellow grains fall trickling
back in a rivulet again and again. "See that? Hard as shot. Smell it.
Fresh. This year's harvest. I know where there's enough to feed four
or five thousand men."
"Yes, it looks good," said Dickenson, helping himself to a handful, and
putting a grain into his mouth. "Sweet as a nut, Drew, but as hard as
flint. Fine work for the teeth."
"Yes," said the Boer, grinning. "You English can't grind that up with
your teeth. Wait till it's boiled, though, or pounded up and made into
mealie. Ha! Make yours skins shine like the Kaffirs'."
"You don't want these sacks back, I suppose?" said the sergeant who was
superintending. "Because if you do I'd better have them emptied."
"Oh no, oh no," said the Boer. "Keep it as it is; it will be cleaner."
"Why are some of the sacks tied up with white string and some with
black?" said Lennox suddenly.
"Came from different farms," said the Boer, who overheard the remark.
"Here, I'll open that one; it's smaller corn."
He signed to one of his fellows to set down the sack he was about to
shoulder, and opening it, he went through the same performance again,
shovelling up the yellow grain with his hands. "Not quite so good as
the other sort," he said; "it's smaller, but it yields better in the
fields."
"Humph! I don't see much difference in it," said Lennox, taking up a
few grains and following his friend's example.
"No?" said the Boer, chuckling as he scooped up a double handful and
tossed it up, to shine like gold in the light. "You are not a farmer,
and have not grown thousands of sacks of it. I have."
He drew the mouth of the sack together again and tied it with its white
string, when it too was borne off through the open doorway to follow its
predecessors.
"That roof sound?" said the Boer, pointing up at the corrugated iron
sheeting.
"Oh yes, that's all right," said the sergeant.
"Good," said the Boer. "Pity to let rain come through on grain like
that. Make it swell and shoot."
The first wagon was emptied and the second begun, the Boers working
splendidly till it was nearly emptied; and then the cornet turned to
Captain Roby.
"Don't you want some left out," he said, "to use at once?"
"Yes," said the captain; "leave out six, and we'll hand them over to the
bakers and cooks."
Three of the white-tied and three of the black-tied sacks were selected
by the field-cornet, who told his men to shoulder them, and they were
borne off at once to the iron-roofed hut which was used as a store.
Then the wagons being emptied, they were drawn on one side, and the
captain turned to consult Lennox about what hut was to be apportioned to
the Boers for quarters.
"Why not make them take to the wagons?" said Dickenson.
"Not a bad notion," replied Captain Roby; and just at that moment, well
buttoned up in their greatcoats--for the night was cold--the colonel and
major came round.
"Where are you going to quarter these men, Roby?" said the former.
"Mr Dickenson here, sir, has just suggested that they shall keep to
their wagons."
"Of course," said the colonel; "couldn't be better. They'll be well
under observation, major--eh?"
"Yes," said that officer shortly; and it was announced to the
field-cornet that his party were to make these their quarters.
This was received with a smile of satisfaction, the Boers dividing into
two parties, each going to a wagon quite as a matter of course, and
taking a bag from where it hung.
Ten minutes later they had dipped as much fresh water as they required
from the barrels that swung beneath, and were seated, knife in hand,
eating the provisions they had brought with them, while when the colonel
and major came round again it was to find the lanterns out, the Dutchmen
in their movable quarters, some smoking, others giving loud announcement
that they were asleep, and close at hand and with all well under
observation a couple of sentries marching up and down.
"I think they're honest," said the colonel as the two officers walked
away.
"I'm beginning to think so too," was the reply.
A short time before, Lennox and his companion had also taken a farewell
glance at the bearers of so valuable an adjunct to the military larder,
and Dickenson had made a similar remark to that of his chief, but in a
more easy-going conversational way.
"Those chaps mean to be square, Drew, old man," he said.
"Think so?"
"Yes; so do you. What else could they mean?"
"To round upon us."
"How? What could they do?"
"Get back to their people and speak out, after spying out the weakness
of the land."
"Pooh! What good would that do, you suspicious old scribe? Their
account's right enough; they proved it by the plunder they brought and
their eagerness to sack as much tin as they could for it."
"I don't know," said Lennox; "the Boers are very slim."
"Mentally--granted; but certainly not bodily, old man. Bah! Pitch it
over; you suspect every thing and everybody. I know you believe I
nobbled those last cigarettes of yours."
"So you did."
"Didn't," said Dickenson, throwing himself down upon the board which
formed his bed, for they had returned to their quarters. "You haven't a
bit of faith in a fellow."
"Well, the cigarettes were on that shelf the night before last, and the
next morning they were gone."
"In smoke," said Dickenson, with a yawn.
"There, what did I say?"
"You said I took them, and I didn't; but I've a shrewd suspicion that I
know who did smoke them."
"Who was it?" said Lennox shortly.
"You."
"I declare I didn't."
"Declare away, old man. I believe you went to sleep hungry."
"Oh yes, you may believe that, and add `very' to it. Well, what then?"
"You went to sleep, began dreaming, and got up and smoked the lot in
your sleep."
"You're five feet ten of foolishness," said Lennox testily as he lay
down in his greatcoat.
"And you're an inch in height less of suspicion," said Dickenson, and he
added a yawn.
"Well, hang the cigarettes! I am tired. I say, I'm glad we have no
posts to visit to-night."
"Hubble, bubble, burr,"--said Dickenson indistinctly.
"Bah! what a fellow you are to sleep!" said Lennox peevishly. "I wanted
to talk to you about--about--about--"
Nothing; for in another moment he too was asleep and dreaming that the
Boers had bounded out of their wagons, overcome the sentries, seized
their rifles, and then gone on from post to post till all were well
armed. After that they had crept in single file up the kopje, mastered
the men in charge of the captured gun, and then tied the two trek-tows
together and carried it off to their friends, though he could not quite
settle how it was they got the two spans of oxen up among the rocks
ready when required.
Not that this mattered, for when he woke in the morning at the reveille
and looked out the oxen were absent certainly, being grazing in the
river grass in charge of a guard; but the Boers were present, lighting a
fire and getting their morning coffee ready, the pots beginning to send
out a fragrant steam.