It was a weird march in the silence and darkness, but the men were as
elastic of spirits as if they had been on their way to some festivity.
There may have been some exceptions, but extremely few; and Dickenson
was not above suggesting one, not ill-naturedly, but in his anxiety for
the success of the expedition, as he explained to Lennox in a whisper
when they were talking over the merits of the different non-commissioned
officers.
"I don't believe I shall ever make a good soldier, Drew," he said.
"What!" was the reply; and then, "Why?"
"Oh, I suppose I've got my whack of what some people call brute courage,
for as soon as I get excited or hurt I never think of being afraid, but
go it half-mad-like, wanting to do all the mischief I can to whoever it
is that has hurt me; but what I shall always want will be the cool, calm
chess-player's head that helps a man to take advantage of every move the
enemy makes, and check him. I shall always be the fellow who shoves out
his queen and castle and goes slashing into the adversary till he
smashes him or gets too far to retreat, and is then smashed up himself."
"Well, be content with what you can do," said Lennox, "and trust to the
cool-headed man as your leader. You'll be right enough in your way."
"Thankye. I say, how a trip like this makes you think of your men and
what they can do!"
"Naturally," said Lennox.
"One of the things I've learnt is," continued Dickenson, "how much a
regiment like ours depends on its non-commissioned officers."
"Of course," replied Lennox. "They're all long-experienced,
highly-trained, picked men. See how they step into the breach sometimes
when the leaders are down."
"By George, yes!" whispered Dickenson enthusiastically.--"Oh, bother
that stone! Hff!--And I hope we sha'n't have them stepping into any
breaches to-night."
"Why?"
"Why! Because we don't want the leaders to go down."
"No, of course not," said Lennox, laughing softly. "But, talking about
non-commissioned officers, we're strong enough. Look at James."
"Oh yes; he's as good as a colonel in his way."
"And the other sergeants too."
"Capital, well-tried men," said Dickenson; "but I was thinking of the
corporals."
"Well, there's hardly a man among them who mightn't be made a sergeant
to-morrow."
"Hum!" said Dickenson.
"What do you mean?" cried Lennox shortly.
"What I say. Hum! Would you make that chap Corporal May a sergeant?"
"Well, no: I don't think I would."
"Don't think? Why, the fellow's as great a coward as he is a sneak."
"Don't make worse of the man than he is."
"I won't," said Dickenson. "I'll amend my charge. He's as great a
sneak as he is a coward."
"Poor fellow! he mustn't come to you for his character."
"Poor fellow! Yes, that's what he is--an awfully poor fellow. Corporal
May? Corporal _Mayn't_, it ought to be. No, he needn't come to me for
his character. He'll have to go to Roby, who is trying his best to get
him promoted. Asked me the other day whether I didn't think he was the
next man for sergeant."
"What did you say?"
"Told Roby that he ought to be the very last."
"You did?"
"Of course: right out."
"What did Roby say?"
"Told me I was a fool--he didn't use that word, but he meant it--and
then said downright that fortunately my opinion as to the men's
qualities wasn't worth much."
"What did you say to that?"
"`Thankye;' that's all. Bah! It set me thinking about what a moll the
fellow was in that cave business. It was sheer cowardice, old man. He
confessed it, and through that your accident happened. I don't like
Corporal May, and I wish to goodness he wasn't with us to-night. I'm
hopeful, though."
"Hopeful? Of course. I dare say he'll behave very well."
"I daren't, old man; but I'm hopeful that he'll fall out with a sore
foot or a sprained ankle through stumbling over a stone or bush. That's
the sort of fellow who does--"
"Pst! We're talking too much," whispered Lennox, to turn the
conversation, which troubled him, for inwardly he felt ready to endorse
every word his comrade had uttered.
"Oh, I'm talking in a fly's whisper. What a fellow you are! Always
ready to defend anybody."
"Pst!"
"There you go again with your _Pst_! Just like a sick locomotive."
"What's that?"
"I didn't hear anything. Oh yes, I do. That howl. There it goes
again. One of those beautiful hyenas. I say, Drew."
"Yes?"
"My old people at home live in one of those aesthetic Surrey villages
full of old maids and cranks who keep all kinds of useless dogs and
cats. The old folks are awfully annoyed by them of a night. When I've
been down there staying for a visit I've felt ready to jump out of bed
and shell the neighbourhood with jugs, basins, and water-bottles. But
_lex talionis_, as the lawyers call it--pay 'em back in their own coin.
What a game it would be to take the old people home a nice pet hyena or
a young jackal to serenade the village of a night!"
"There is an old proverb about cutting your nose off to be revenged upon
your face. There, be quiet; I want to think of the work in hand."
"I don't," replied Dickenson; "not till we're going to begin, and then
I'm on."
The night grew darker as they drew nearer to their goal, for a thin veil
of cloud shut out the stars; but it was agreed that it was all the
better for the advance. In fact, everything was favourable; for the
British force had week by week grown less demonstrative, contenting
itself with acting on the defensive, and the reconnoitring that had gone
on during the past few days had been thoroughly masked by the attempts
successfully made to carry off a few sheep, this being taken by the
enemy as the real object of the excursions. For the Boers, after their
long investment of Groenfontein and the way in which they had cut off
all communications, were perfectly convinced that the garrison was
rapidly growing weaker, and that as soon as ever their ammunition died
out the prize would fall into their hands like so much ripe fruit.
They were thus lulled as it were into a state of security, which enabled
the little surprise force to reach the place made for without
encountering a single scout. Then, with the men still fresh, a halt was
made where the character of the ground suddenly changed from open,
rolling, bush-sprinkled veldt to a slight ascent dotted with rugged
stones, which afforded excellent cover for a series of rushes if their
approach were discovered before they were close up.
This was about a mile from the little low kopje where the Boers were
laagered; and as soon as the word to halt had been whispered along the
line the men lay down to rest for the two hours settled in the plans
before making their final advance, while the first alarm of the sentries
on guard was to be the signal for the bayonet-charge.
"I don't think we need say any more to the lads," whispered the major as
the officers crept together for a few final words. "They all know that
the striking of a match for a furtive pipe would be fatal to the
expedition."
"Yes," said Captain Roby, "and to a good many of us. But the lads may
be trusted."
"Yes, I believe so," said the major.
"There's one thing I should like to say, though," said Roby. "I've been
thinking about it all the time we've been on the march."
"What is it, Roby?" said the major.--"Can you hear, Edwards--all of
you?"
"Yes--yes," was murmured, for the officers' heads were pretty close
together.
"I've been thinking," said Captain Roby, "that if we divided our force
and attacked on two sides at once, the Boers would believe that we were
in far greater force, and the panic would be the greater."
"Excellent advice," said the major, "if our numbers were double; but it
would weaken our attack by half--oh, by far more than half. No, Roby, I
shall keep to the original plan. We don't know enough of the kopje, and
in the darkness we could not ensure making the attack at the same
moment, nor yet in the weakest places. We must keep as we are. Get as
close as we can without being discovered, and then the bugles must
sound, and with a good British cheer we must be into them."
"Yes, yes, yes," was murmured, and Captain Roby was silent for a brief
space.
"Very well, sir," he said coldly. "You know best."
"I don't know that, Roby," replied the major; "but I think that is the
better plan--a sudden, sharply delivered surprise with the bayonet. The
enemy will have no chance to fire much, and we shall be at such close
quarters that they will be at a terrible disadvantage."
"Yes," said Captain Edwards as the major ceased speaking; "let them have
their rear open to run, and let our task be to get them on the run. I
agree with the major: no alterations now."
"No," said Dickenson in a low growl; "no swapping horses when you're
crossing a stream."
"I have done," said Roby, and all settled down into silence, the
officers resting like the men, but rising to creep along the line from
time to time to whisper a word or two with the non-commissioned
officers, whom they found thoroughly on the alert, ready to rouse up a
man here and there who was coolly enough extended upon his back
sleeping, to pass the time to the best advantage before it was time to
fight.
Every now and then there came a doleful, despairing yelp from some
hungry animal prowling about in search of prey, and mostly from the
direction of the Boer laager, where food could be scented. Twice, too,
from far off to their left, where the wide veldt extended, there came
the distant, awe-inspiring, thunderous roar of a lion; but for the most
part of the time the stillness around was most impressive, with sound
travelling so easily in the clear air that the neighing of horses was
plainly heard again and again, evidently coming from the Boer laager,
unless, as Lennox suggested, a patrol might be scouting round. But as
each time it came apparently from precisely the same place, the first
idea was adopted, especially as it was exactly where the enemy's camp
was marked down.
The two hours seemed very long to Lennox, who lay thinking of home, and
of how little those he loved could realise the risky position he
occupied that night. Dickenson was flat upon his back with his hands
under his head, going over again the scene in the cavern when he was
looking down the chasm and watching the movement of the light his friend
had attached to his belt.
"Not a pleasant thing to think about," he said to himself, "but it makes
me feel savage against that corporal, and it's getting my monkey up, for
we've got to fight to-night as we never fought before. We've got to
whip, as the Yankees say--`whip till we make the beggars run.' What a
piece of impudence it does seem!" he said to himself a little later on.
"Here we are, about a hundred and fifty hungry men, and I'll be bound to
say there's about fifteen hundred of the enemy. But then they don't
grasp it. They're beggars to sleep, and if we're lucky we shall be on
to them before they know where they are. Oh, we shall do it;" and he
lay thinking again of Corporal May, feeling like a boy once more; and he
was just at the pitch when he muttered to himself, "What a pity it is
that an officer must not strike one of his men!--for I should dearly
like to punch that fellow's head.--Ha! here's the major. Never mind,
there'll be other heads waiting over yonder, and I dare say I shall get
all I want."
He turned over quickly, not to speak, but to grip his comrade's hand,
for the word was being passed to fall in, and as he and Lennox gripped
each other's hands hard and in silence, a soft, rustling movement was
heard. For the men were springing to their feet and arranging their
pouches and belts, before giving their rifles a thorough rub to get rid
of the clinging clew.
"Fall in" was whispered, and the men took their places with hardly a
sound.
"Fix bayonets!" was the next order, and a faint--very faint--metallic
clicking ran along the lines, followed by a silence so deep that the
breathing of the men could be heard.
"Forward!"
There was no need for more, and the officers led off, with the one idea
of getting as close to the Boers as possible before they were
discovered, and then charging home, keeping their men as much together
as they could, and knowing full well that much must be left to chance.
The next minute the men were advancing softly in double line, opening
out and closing up, as obstacles in the shape of stone and bush began to
be frequent. But there was no hurry, no excitement. They had ample
time, and when one portion of the force was a little entangled by a
patch of bush thicker than usual, those on either side halted so as to
keep touch, and in this way the first half-mile was passed, the only
sound they heard being the neighing of a horse somewhere in front.