Dickenson dashed off and climbed the low kopje, zigzagging among rough
stone walls, rifle-pits, and other shelter, and noting that, if the
Boers came upon them before they could retreat, there was a strong
position for the men from which they could keep the enemy at bay; and,
soldier-like, he began calculating as to whether it would not have been
wiser to decide on holding the place instead of hurrying back to
Groenfontein, with the certainty of having to defend themselves and
fight desperately on the way, small body as they were, to escape being
surrounded and cut off.
To his great satisfaction, though, upon reaching the highest part of the
mound and using his glass, there were only a few straggling parties of
men dotting the open veldt, where everything stood out bright and clear
in the light of the early morning. Some were mounted, others walking,
and in two places there was a drove of horses, and all going in the
direction of the next laager held by the Boers.
He stood with his glass steadied against a big stone and looked long,
searching the veldt to right and left and looking vainly for the main
body of the enemy retreating; but they were out of reach of his vision,
or hidden amongst the bushes farther on. But even if the foremost had
readied their friends, these latter were not riding out as yet to make
reprisals, and, as far as he could judge, there was no risk of an attack
for some time to come.
For a moment a feeling of satisfaction pervaded him, but the next his
heart sank; and he lowered his glass to begin looking round the kopje
where here and there lay the men who had fallen during the surprise.
"Where can poor old Drew be?" he almost groaned.
At that instant his eyes lit upon the figure of the major, waving his
hand to him angrily as if to draw his attention; and raising his own to
his lips, he shouted as loudly as he could, "Nothing in sight."
The major's voice came to him clearly enough, in company with another
wave of the hand in the other direction: "Ambulance?"
Dickenson swung round his glass to direct it towards Groenfontein, and
his spirits rose again, for right away beyond the long string of oxen
and wagons, as if coming to meet them, he could make out three light
wagons drawn by horses, and a knot of about twenty mounted men coming at
a canter and fast leaving the wagons behind.
"Ha!" sighed Dickenson; "that's good. The colonel must have started
them to meet us the moment the firing was heard."
He turned directly to shout his news to the watching major, who signed
to him to come down; and he descended, meeting two men coming up, one of
them carrying a field-glass.
"To watch for the enemy, sir," said the latter as they met. "Which is
the best place?"
"Up yonder by that stone, my lad," replied Dickenson, pointing. "Any
news of Mr Lennox?"
"No, sir; I can't understand it. I think I saw him running down the
side of the kopje just as we were getting on, but it was so dark then I
couldn't be sure."
"I can't understand his not being found," said Dickenson to himself, as
he hurried down to where the major was posting the men in the best
positions for resisting an attack, if one were made before the party
could get away.
Dickenson's attention was soon too much taken up with work waiting, for
the wounded had to be seen to. Rightly considering that before long the
enemy would advance to try and retake their old position, the major gave
orders that the Boer wounded be rearranged so that they were in shelter
and safety; and then, as there was still no sign of danger, the few
injured of the attacking force were borne to the nearest spot where the
ambulance party could meet them. Then the final work of destruction
began.
"Seems a thousand pities," said Captain Edwards, "badly as we want
everything nearly here."
"Yes," said the major; "but we can take no more, and we can't leave the
stores for the enemy.--Here, Dickenson, take Sergeant James and play
engineer. I have had the trains laid and fuses placed ready. You two
must fire them as soon as we are a few hundred yards away."
Dickenson shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.
"Take care, and make sure the fuses are burning; then hurry away. Don't
run any risks, and don't let Sergeant James be foolhardy."
"I'll mind, sir," said Dickenson shortly.
"The wagons will be fired before we start, so that the wind will keep
them going."
"What about the powder?" said Dickenson gruffly. "That is all together.
There are three wagons wheeled down into the shelter of the rock, so
that the blast will not reach the fire."
"It'll blow it right up," growled Dickenson.
"No," said the major; "the rocks will deflect it upwards. I've seen to
that."
"Couldn't we make the mules carry off the wagons? All three ambulances
will not be wanted."
"My dear boy, you mean well," said the major impatiently; "but pray be
content with taking your orders. Edwards and I have thought all that
out. The fire will not go near the wounded Boers, and the explosion
will not touch the fire. As to carrying off these wagon-loads of
cartridges that will not fit our rifles or guns, what is the use? Now,
are you satisfied?"
"Quite, sir," said Dickenson. "I was only thinking that--"
"Don't think _that_, man; obey orders."
"Right, sir," said Dickenson stiffly, and he went off to look up
Sergeant James. "Hang him!" growled the young officer. "It doesn't
seem to be my work. Making a confounded powder-monkey of a fellow!"
He glanced up, and saw that the men were busy on high with the
field-glass, but making no sign. Then he noted that the ambulance, with
its escort, was coming on fast; and soon, after a little inquiry, he
came upon the sergeant, busy with the men, every one with his rifle
slung, linking wagons together with tent-cloth poles and wood boxes and
barrels so that the conflagration might be sure to spread when once it
was started, to which end the men worked with a will; but they did not
hesitate to cram their wallets and pockets with eatables in any form
they came across.
"Make a pretty good bonfire when it's started, sir," said the sergeant.
"Humph! Yes," said Dickenson. "But what are those two barrels?"
"Paraffin, sir, for the beggars' lamps."
"Well," said Dickenson grimly, "wouldn't it help the fire if you opened
them, knocked in their heads, and bucketed out the spirit to fling it
over the wagon-tilts?"
The men who heard his words gave a cheer, and without orders seized the
casks, rolled them right to the end where the fire was to be started,
drove in the heads with an axe, and for the next quarter of an hour two
of the corporals were busy ladling out the spirit and flinging it all
over three of the wagons and everything else inflammable that was near.
"Now pack the paraffin-casks full of that dry grass and hay," cried
Dickenson, who had been superintending. "It will soak up the rest, and
you can start the fire with them."
The men cheered again, and in a very short time the two barrels stood
under the tail-boards of two wagons, only awaiting the flashing-off of a
box of matches to start a fire that no efforts could check.
"Here is the ambulance party," cried Dickenson. "Come with me now,
sergeant. Let your corporals finish what there is to do."
"I don't see that there's any more to do, sir," said the sergeant,
wiping his wet face. "Want me, sir?"
"Yes; I've something to say. You will go down and see the wounded off.
Oh dear! oh dear! I've been thinking of what we were doing, and not of
poor Mr Lennox. You've heard nothing, I suppose?"
"Neither heard nor seen, sir," replied the sergeant. "Seems to me that,
in his plucky way, he must have dashed at the enemy, got mixed, and they
somehow swept him off."
"If they did," said Dickenson, "he'll be too sharp for them, and get
away."
"That he will, sir."
"I was afraid the poor fellow was killed."
"Not he, sir," cried the sergeant. "He'd take a deal of killing.
Besides, we should have found him and brought him in. He'll turn up
somewhere."
"Ha! You make me feel better, James," said Dickenson. "It took all the
spirit out of me. Now then, I've some bad news for you."
"Let's have it, sir. I've had so much that it runs away now like water
off a duck's back."
"It has nothing to do with water, sergeant, but with fire."
"That all, sir? I see; I'm to stop till the detachment's well out of
the way, and then fire the laager?"
"No," said Dickenson; "that will be done before the men have marched.
You are to stop with me and light the fuses."
"To blow up the ammunition, sir? Well, I was wondering who was to do
that."
"It's a risky job, sergeant."
"Pooh, sir! Nothing like advancing against a lot of hiding Boers
waiting to pot you with their Mausers. Beg pardon, sir; who was
Mauser?"
"I don't know, sergeant. I suppose he was the man who invented the Boer
rifles."
"And a nice thing to be proud of, sir! I'm not a vicious sort of
fellow, but I do feel sometimes as if I should like to see him set up as
a mark, and a couple of score o' Boers busy trying how his invention
worked."
"Come along," said the lieutenant.--"Then you don't mind the job?"
"Not I, sir. I always loved powder from a boy. Used to make little
cannons out of big keys, filing the bottoms to make a touch-hole. I was
a don at squibs and crackers; and the games we used to have laying
trains and making blue devils! Ha! It was nice to be a boy!"
"Yes, sergeant; and now we've got something big to do. But there,
you're used to it. Remember getting away the powder-bags with Mr
Lennox?"
"Remember it, sir? Ha! But I was in a fright then."
"Of being blown up?"
"Well, sir, if you'll believe me, I never thought of myself at all. I
was all in a stew for fear the powder should catch from the lantern and
make an end of Mr Lennox."
"I believe you," said Dickenson; and they stopped at the spot where the
ambulance-wagons had trotted up, and the leader of the mounted escort
had dropped from his panting horse to speak to the major.
"Then you've done it, sir?"
"Yes, as you see. What message from the colonel?"
"Covering party advancing, sir, to help you in. You are to get all the
provisions and cattle you can, and retire. But that I see you have
done. Enemy near, sir?"
The major glanced at the top of the kopje before replying, and then said
briefly, "Not yet."