"What's wrong?" said Ingleborough, in a whisper.
"Look out at the bottom of the wagon," was West's reply.
Ingleborough rose to his knees, and at a glance grasped the meaning of
his companion's troubled look.
"Going to adopt our little Basutos for their own use, eh?" he said
coolly. "Well, I wonder they haven't done it before! Bah! There are
plenty more horses about! What worries me is how I'm to get a couple of
rifles and the ammunition. I was rather too cock-a-hoop about that when
I talked to you, for these beloved Dutch cuddle up their pieces as if
they loved them with all their hearts."
West smiled.
"Oh, don't do that because I said cuddled."
"I smiled because I see the way to get a couple of rifles as soon as
it's dark," said West, and he told what he had noted.
"Then there's no reason for you to look glum. I'll get a couple of
horses somehow if you'll get the guns. Here, I'd whistle or sing if I
were not afraid of taking the sentry's attention. We're all right, lad,
and that bit of sleep has taken away the miserable pain in my head which
I keep on having since my fall. Now then, what are they going to do
with those ponies?"
Sitting well back, the prisoners watched all that went on, and saw the
ponies mounted and put through their paces by a couple of big Boers of
the regular heavy, squat, Dutch build.
"Bah! What a shame!" whispered Ingleborough; "it's murdering the poor
little nags. A regular case for the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals. Those fellows want a couple of dray-horses to carry
them."
"Yes, and they've found it out," said West softly.
For as they looked on they saw the two Boers pull up after a canter up
and down the full length of the laager, and then drop clumsily off, with
the result that the ponies spread out their legs and indulged in a good
shake which nearly dislodged their saddles.
Then a couple more of the onlookers tried the little mounts, but stopped
after one trot up and down, and a general conversation ensued, resulting
in the ponies being led off and tied up again in the same place, making
West's heart beat as fast as if he had been running hard, while all the
time he tried to crush down a feeling of elation, lest he should be
premature in his hopefulness and be met with a fresh disappointment,
for, though he saw the reins fastened in the same places, there was
plenty of time before dark for the ponies to be removed.
Just then their examination of the Boers' proceedings was brought to an
end by one of their captors bringing the roughly-prepared portion of
food that was served out to them every day.
It was rough, but good of its kind, for the Boers seemed to like to live
well, and they did not stint their prisoners, who, at a word from
Ingleborough, fell to at once.
"Appetite or no appetite, eat all you can," he said. "We may have to
work very hard to-night, and shall need all our strength."
There was a fair amount left after they had done, and this was carefully
tied up ready for taking with them if they were successful that night.
After this there was nothing more to be done but to wait till darkness
fell, and they sat back watching while the sentry was again changed,
when the fresh man visited the wagon, to climb in, look carefully round,
and eye them suspiciously before returning to his post.
"Does that fellow suspect anything?" whispered West.
"Of course; but nothing fresh. He comes on duty under the full
impression that we mean to escape if we can, and he feels that if we
attempt it his duty is to send a bullet through each of us."
"Then you don't think he suspects that we are going to make an attempt
to-night?"
"Pooh! How could he? But look! There goes Anson! Not coming here, is
he?"
"No: going to his own wagon! I say, Ingle, do you think he has any
illicit-diamonds with him?"
"I'm sure of it! He could not, according to his nature, have come away
without robbing the company somehow. I only wish I had the searching of
his wagon! I suppose Norton did not have a chance!"
"Yes, look! He has gone to his wagon. Where should you search if you
had the chance?"
"Not quite sure yet!" said Ingleborough gruffly. "But don't talk to me.
I want to think of something better than diamonds."
"You mean liberty?"
"That's right. And now, once for all, we don't want to make any more
plans: each knows what he has to do, and as soon as it is dark he has to
do it."
"No," said West gravely; "your part must wait until I have managed to
get the rifles."
"Well, yes; I must not be in too great a hurry. But I say, wouldn't it
be better for us to go together to the horses, and hide by them or under
them till the Boers muster?"
"But suppose the sentry takes it into his head to come and examine the
wagon, and gives the alarm?"
"Oh, don't suppose anything!" said Ingleborough impatiently. "We must
chance a good deal and leave the rest to luck."
West nodded, and fixed his eyes upon the wagon he had previously singled
out, noticing that the Boers who occupied it were lying right beneath,
sleeping, each with a rolled-up blanket for a rug.
A little later he saw a big heavy-looking Kaffir come up, look
underneath at the sleepers, and then go off for a short distance, to lie
down upon his chest, doubling his arms before him so as to make a
resting-place for his forehead, and lying so perfectly motionless that
it became evident that he also was asleep.
The evening was closing in fast now, and the men began to move about
more as if making preparations for some excursion which they had in
view.
"That looks well!" said Ingleborough. "There's going to be some
movement to-night. All was so still half-an-hour ago that I began to
think we should have to put off our attempt."
"Oh, don't say that!" said West. "We _must_ go!"
Further conversation was checked by the coming of the sentry to look in
upon them, scowling heavily before he slouched away.
Ten minutes or so later the darkness began to fall, increasing so fast
that within half-an-hour the laager would have been quite black if it
had not been for a lantern inside a wagon here and there; but, in spite
of the darkness, the camp began to grow more animated, a buzz of
conversation seeming to rise from the wagons like the busy hum of the
insects outside.
All at once, as Ingleborough was going to draw his companion's attention
to this fact, he felt a hand steal along his arm to grip his hand. Then
it was withdrawn, a very faint rustling followed, and the listener felt
that he was alone.
"Good luck go with him!" he muttered. "I wonder whether he'll succeed?"
Leaning a little forward, he seemed to strain his ears to listen, though
he felt that this was absurd, till all at once it struck him that he
heard the soft sound of stealthy steps approaching from the other end of
the wagon, and, creeping towards the sounds, he felt more than heard two
men approaching, and as he got his head over the wagon-box he heard a
whisper.
"Anson and the sentry!" he said to himself. "The spy, come to find out
whether we're safe. Yes, that was Anson's whisper! Then we're done if
he brings a lantern and finds me alone."
He paused for a moment or two, asking himself what he should do; and
then the idea came.
Subsiding into a reclining position, he suddenly gave his thigh a sharp
slap and started as if the blow had roused him up.
"Don't go to sleep, stupid!" he said aloud. "One can't sleep all these
awful long nights! Oh dear me, this is precious dull work. I wish we
had a lantern and a box of dominoes! I wonder whether there is a box in
the laager?"
"Bother!" he said, in a low smothered tone, with his hands covering his
face. "I wish you wouldn't! I was dreaming about old Anson and that
he'd got ten thousand pounds' worth of diamonds in a bag aboard his
wagon."
"Like enough!" continued Ingleborough, in his natural voice. "Ha, ha,
ha!" he laughed. "I should like to serve the beggar out!"
"How?" he said, in the smothered sleepy voice.
"How? I'll tell you how it might be done if he had got them. Find out
where his wagon is in the laager, and then wait till the sentry's
asleep, and crawl out of this thing, and nobble the lot."
"Rubbish!"
"Not it! We could get them easily enough and bring them back here.
Nobody would suspect us! But there would be no getting them away! I
say, are you asleep again?"
"No," said West quietly. "What's the matter with you? Are you talking
in your sleep? I was afraid to come in, thinking someone was with--"
He got no farther, for Ingleborough clapped a hand over his mouth and
continued.
"Heigho! What bosh one does talk! I wish there wasn't a blessed
diamond in the world!"
He removed his hand, and feeling that there was some reason for all
this, West said quietly: "Why?"
"Why? See what a lot of trouble they cause! This fighting is as much
about the diamond-fields as anything, and--Hullo! how you startled me?"
It was quite true: he was horribly startled, feeling that their plan was
spoiled, for there was a faint sound at the end of the wagon and the
door of a lantern was suddenly opened, throwing the light within, and
giving the prisoners a glance of the sentry's and Anson's faces looking
in.
"All right?" said the sentry, in his own tongue.
"Oh yes, all right!" replied Ingleborough; "but look here: you might as
well leave us that lantern! We won't set fire to the bed-curtains, I
promise you!"
"No," said the Boer, and with a chuckle he closed the door of the
lantern and walked whistling away to his companion.
"Anson!" said West, with his lips close to Ingleborough's ear.
"Yes: the fox! How you startled me! I didn't hear you come! I was
keeping up a sham conversation, for they were stealing down upon us to
catch us on the hop! You failed, then, or were you obliged to turn
back?"
"Neither: I succeeded!"
"What? You got the rifles?"
"Yes."
"Then they must have seen them when the light was thrown in!"
"No," said West quietly; "they are outside, leaning against the near
hind wheel."
"West, lad, this seems too good to be true. How did you manage?"
"Easily enough. I had marked down one wagon--the one I pointed out to
you while it was light--and as soon as I dropped down from here I went
on my hands and knees to crawl towards it. You know what a short
distance it was, and by going very slowly I passed two others where the
Boers were sitting outside talking. This was easy enough, for they were
so much interested in their conversation that they took no notice of any
noise I made."
"And they couldn't see you?"
"I couldn't see them," replied West; "so, of course, they did not see
me."
"Go on."
"I did," said West, "and then I thought it was all over, for the next
wagon faced in another direction, and I saw what I had not seen before--
a lantern was hanging in front over the driver's box, and it sent a dull
path of light forward on the ground, and I stopped, for I had to cross
that path, and I felt that I must be seen."
"Tut-tut-tut!" clicked Ingleborough.
"But after a few moments I recollected how much my drab brown jacket was
like the soil, and I determined to risk it."
"And crawled on?"
"Yes, but not on my hands and knees. I lay flat on my chest and worked
myself along upon my hands and toes. It was only about a dozen yards
where it was light, but it seemed like a mile."
"Never mind that!" said Ingleborough impatiently. "You did it unheard?"
"Yes; but a man sitting in the wagon suddenly moved when I was half
across, and I was about to spring up, thinking that he was searching for
his rifle."
"Phew!" whistled Ingleborough softly.
"It was well I did not; for directly after, to save getting up and
opening his lantern, the Boer struck a match, and as I lay perfectly
still, fully expecting to be shot, the whole place seemed to be lit up,
and instead of hearing a rifle cocked I smelt a whiff of strong coarse
tobacco, and I felt that I was safe."
"Go on and get it over!" whispered Ingleborough. "You are making my
hands feel wet."
"I lay some time before I dared to move."
"That you didn't, for you weren't gone long."
"Well, it seemed an hour to me: and then I crept on and out of the light
into the black darkness again, rose to my hands and knees, wondering
whether I was going right, and the next minute my hand rubbed softly
against a wagon-wheel, and I knew I was right."
"Bravo!" whispered Ingleborough.
"I rose up directly, and began to feel about carefully for the tilt, and
once more my heart seemed to rise to my mouth, for from under the wagon
there came a dull deep snoring, and I felt it was impossible to do more
for fear of being heard."
"But you made a dash for it?"
"No: I waited to get my breath, for I was just as if I had been running.
But as soon as I could I went on feeling along the edge of the tilt,
and then my heart gave a jump, for my hand touched the barrel of a rifle
and directly after that of another."
"Hurrah!" panted out Ingleborough, and West went on.
"I began to draw the first towards me, but, as soon as I did, to my
horror the other began to move, and I felt that if I kept on the second
one would fall and wake the sleeping Boers. So I reached up with my
other hand, got well hold, and drew both together. But it was terrible
work, for they would not come readily, because the bandoliers were
hanging to them, and as I pulled I fully expected that something would
catch and discharge one of the pieces, to alarm the whole laager for
certain, even if it did not kill me. But by lifting and easing and
turning the rifles over I at last got the two pieces nearly out, when
they suddenly seemed to be held fast, and I stood there gradually
getting drenched with perspiration."
"Why, the edge of the tilt must have caught them!" said Ingleborough
excitedly.
"Yes, that's what I found to be the case, and by turning them over again
they came free, and I was standing by the wheel with what we wanted."
"Hah!" sighed Ingleborough.
"But even then I had a chill, for the snoring ceased and the sleeper
began to mutter, taking all the strength out of me, till I felt that
even if he or they beneath the wagon should rouse up I could escape
through the darkness if I was quick."
"So you slung the rifles and bandoliers over your shoulders, went down
on your hands and knees, and crept back?"
"No, I did not. I felt that there was not time, and that I had better
trust to the darkness to escape, so I just shouldered the pieces and
stepped out boldly walking across the broad path of light."
"Good; but you should have struck off to your right, so as to get where
it would be more feeble."
"I thought of that," said West quickly; "but I dared not, for fear of
missing our wagon. So I walked boldly on, and almost ran against a
Boer."
"Tut-tut-tut! Did he stop you?"
"No: he just said: `Mind where you are coming!' and passed on."
"Well?" said Ingleborough.
"That's all. I marched along to the wagon here and stood the rifles up
before venturing to get in, for I fancied that you were talking in your
sleep and would bring the sentry upon us. There, I've got the arms, and
I don't want such another job as that."
"Pooh! Nonsense, lad! The game has only just begun! You ought to feel
encouraged, for you have learned and taught me how easy the rest of our
job will be! Just a little cool pluck, and we shall succeed!"
"Very well!" said West. "I'm ready! What next?"
"We must lie down and wait till we hear the commando on the stir, and
then--"
"Yes," said West softly; "and then?"
"Let's wait and see!"