West started up into wakefulness the next morning from a dream in which
he was galloping for his life with the Boers in full pursuit, and then
he sighed and wondered when and how he had dropped asleep, for he could
only recall being miserable, awake, and puzzled as to what to do, and
then all seemed to have become blank till he was awakened by his
captors' busy stir and the crackling of the fires being lighted.
West's first steps were to see to his companion, who did not seem to
have moved, and the first feeling was one of satisfaction; but directly
afterwards he felt uneasy, for Ingleborough seemed to be unnaturally
still, and a shiver ran through him as he leaned over where his friend
lay on the floor of the wagon, to place a hand upon the injured man's
forehead below the bandage which made him look so ghastly.
Then came reaction as it was proved that the sufferer had only been in a
deep sound sleep.
For Ingleborough's eyes opened, to gaze at him wonderingly.
"What's the matter? Oh, it's you, Noll!"
"Yes; you startled me!"
"Eh? What did I do?"
"You lay so still!"
"Did I? Oh, of course. I've been very fast asleep, I suppose. What
time it is--nearly sundown?"
"No, it's morning--sunrise."
"I'm blessed! What, have I slept all night?"
West nodded and smiled.
"Soundly, I suppose!" he said. "But how are you?"
"Horribly stupid and muddled! I don't quite make out! Oh yes, I do
now. I came down such a quelch that it knocked all the sense out of me,
and my head feels all knocked on one side. But tell me: what about the
despatch?"
"I have it all right so far!"
"That's good. Where are our ponies?"
"Tied up yonder to the wheel of a wagon."
"That's good, too, lad! Then all we've got to do is to help ourselves
to them the first chance and ride away."
"Yes," said West drily, "the first chance; but will there be a first
chance?"
"Why not? It's of no use to look at the black side of things! Where
there's ill luck there's always good luck to balance it, and we're bound
to have our share of both. We had the bad yesterday; the good will come
to-morrow, or next day, or the day after--who knows? We were not
killed. You had your ear nicked and I had a bad fall which will cure
itself as fast as the slit in your ear grows up. I call it grand to
have saved the despatch! Are they going to give us any breakfast?"
"Hah!" sighed West; "you've done me good, Ingle. I was regularly in the
dumps."
"Keep out of them, then!" was the reply. "You didn't expect to get your
message delivered at Mafeking without any trouble, did you?"
"No, no, of course not! Then you think we might make a dash for it some
time?"
"Of course I do; but I don't suppose the chance will come to-day. Let's
hope that our next move may take us nearer our goal, for I don't suppose
the Boers will take us with them. They'll send us prisoners to
Pretoria, I suppose; and we must make our dash somewhere on the road."
Ingleborough was right: the chance for the dash did not come that day,
nor the next, nor the next. For the Boer commando did not stir from the
natural stronghold which had been made its halting-place. In fact, two
fresh parties, for which there was plenty of room, joined them, and a
good deal of business went on: men going out on expeditions and
returning: wagons laden with provisions and ammunition and two big
field-pieces arriving, as if the force was being increased ready for
some important venture--all of which busy preparation took place under
the eyes of the two prisoners, who, while being fairly well treated in
the way of rations, were carefully guarded.
"One would like to know a little more what it all means!" said
Ingleborough. "As it is, one seems to be quite in the dark!"
"And we're doing nothing!" sighed West. "Oh, it's terrible! I must
begin to stir, even if it is only to bring about another check."
"What would be the good of that?"
"Ease to one's brain!" said West passionately. "Here have I been
trusted with this mission and am doing nothing, while all the time the
poor fellows at Mafeking must be watching despairingly for the despatch
that does not come."
"Look here, old lad," said Ingleborough sympathetically; "when a
fellow's chained down hand and foot it's of no use for him to kick and
strain; he only makes his wrists and ankles sore and weakens himself, so
don't do it! Believe me, the proper time to act is when they take you
out of your chains! It's very depressing, I know; but what can't be
cured--"
"Must be endured. I know, Ingle; but here we are prisoners, and I can't
help getting more hopeless."
"But you must! Things can't go on like this much longer! Either our
troops will come here and attack the Boers, or the Boers will go and
attack the British. Just have patience and wait!"
"But here we are, just as we were nearly a week ago, and nothing has
happened."
"Oh yes, something has!" said Ingleborough, with a smile. "I've got
well again! The first morning I couldn't have mounted my pony and
ridden off even if they had brought it to the end of the wagon here and
said: `Be off!' To-day I could jump on and go off at full gallop. Do
you call that nothing?"
"No, of course not!" said West. "There, you must forgive me! I'm very
discontented, I know; but you see why."
"To be sure I do! I say, though, you've been at that satchel! The
sandwiches are gone."
West nodded.
"Haven't eaten them, have you?"
"No, they're sewed up in the belt of my jacket. I did it two nights
ago, and I'm living in hopes that they will not search us again."
"That's it, is it? Well, I'm glad you did that! There, keep a good
heart; something is sure to happen before long!"
"I only hope it may; even evil would be better than this miserable state
of inaction. I think till I feel half-mad."
"Well, we won't hope for the evil, only for something in the way of
change, if it's only to pay a visit to Pretoria gaol."
"What!"
"Only so as to get some news to give to old Norton when we get back. It
will interest him. I wonder whether he's keeping his eye on Master
Plump-and-Pink. Well, I am blessed!"
"What is the matter? Are they making a move?" cried West excitedly, for
Ingleborough had sprung to the end of their wagon prison to stand
looking out.
"Someone has!" cried Ingleborough angrily. "Look here! Why, old Norton
must have been asleep."