Ingleborough drew in his breath with a hiss, and once more stood on his
guard with his comrade right in the darkness, and in front of the two
ponies, where a good view of the stream outside and the corner rock
fringed with ferns could be obtained.
For voices could be heard as of two men talking together, while plash,
plash, plash their footsteps in the water echoed for some moments from
the rocky sides of the chasm, before they came leisurely into sight
round the corner and stood knee-deep looking straight into the cave,
little thinking of the peril in which they were, for a couple of rifles
covered them, and the slightest pressure upon the triggers would have
sent the long thin bullets upon their errand to pierce the Boers through
and through.
But no pressure came, those within the cavern seeing clearly enough from
the men's careless manner that they felt perfectly safe and were upon no
unusual errand.
They were roughly enough clad, and their outer garments showed that they
had been slept in for some time and exposed to all kinds of weather; but
there was something about their mien, and more in the words they let
fall, which showed them to belong to a superior type of Boer.
"Yes, there it is," said one of the two in Boer-Dutch, "just as it was
ten years ago when I was here on a hunting trip. The source is
perennial, and beautiful water. That's why I wanted Dietz to come out
of our way."
"Does it go in far?"
"About a hundred yards, and there the water suddenly gushes out of the
floor; but there are some nasty holes about, plunging down no one knows
how deep, and I shouldn't like to venture in without a light."
"Why didn't we bring a lantern?"
"Because we don't want to go burrowing into the kopje."
"Speak for yourself. I do!" said the second man. "Here, I've got
plenty of matches--come along."
"No, thank you," said the first. "One never knows what may be in a
place like that."
West pinched his companion's arm.
"What is likely to be there?"
"Who can tell? A lioness and her full-grown cubs, perhaps, or a pack of
jackals! Worse still, snakes or some of the wandering bushmen with bows
and poisoned arrows."
"Hardly likely!" said the second Boer.
"I think very likely," said the first speaker, peering so steadfastly
into the cavern that for a few moments West felt certain that they were
seen. "One of the Kaffir tribes would not enter that place to save
their lives."
"Why?"
"Because they believe that a great water demon hides in the spring who
rises up and seizes anyone who approaches, drags him down, and devours
him."
"All of which must be perfectly true!" answered the other Boer, with a
sneer. "Of course you are a believer?"
"I'm a full believer in its being dangerous to go into caves without
proper lights," said the first speaker coldly, "and I think we are
undergoing risks enough every day from the rooineks' rifles and their
lancers' spears, without chancing a fall down some horrible pit."
"Where there is a water demon!" said his companion, with another sneer.
"Just for the sake of gratifying a little idle curiosity."
"Oh, very well then! I don't like to come to such a natural curiosity
without exploring; so here goes alone."
The next moment the first speaker had stretched out his hand and barred
his companion's way with his rifle.
"What do you mean by that?" cried the Boer.
"To stop you going."
"What!" cried the other. "I shall go if I please!"
"No!" said the first speaker sternly. "I order you not!"
"You--you order me?" cried the other wrathfully.
"Yes; recollect that you are a soldier for the time being, and under my
command. I order you not to go, for we have too much need of all our
brave burghers to defend the country to let any man risk his life in a
foolhardy adventure."
"Pish!"
"Silence!" said the other sternly. "I am going back. Had I known of
this, I would not have let you come!"
"Look here," said the other insolently, "we are not on duty now, and
once for all I tell you that while I serve I am not going to put up with
bullying from any man who is a step above me in the ranks."
The first speaker looked at him sternly, and Ingleborough placed his
lips close to West's ear.
"Look here," said Ingleborough, "if we shoot, both take aim at that
obstinate brute, and give the other a chance to run for his life!"
A nod was the only answer, as both listened to what was said further.
"You fellows, because you get made field-cornets by a bit of luck, don't
know how to contain yourselves, and--"
"Back to your horse!" said the first speaker, the veins in whose
forehead stood out in a network beneath his flap-brimmed hat, while his
voice sounded full of suppressed fury.
"Back yourself!" cried the other. "I'll obey your orders in the field,
but we of the Free State are getting tired of the overbearing ways of
you men of the Transvaal. Put down your rifle, sir! By all that's
holy, if you hold it towards me in that threatening way, I'll send a
Mauser bullet through you. If I die for it, I will."
At that moment, just as there seemed to be every possibility of a deadly
encounter between the two men, there was a loud hail from beyond the
rock, and, as it was not replied to, another cry was heard, in company
with loud echoing splashes in the water, and half-a-dozen Boers waded
into sight, evidently in a high state of excitement.
"Hullo there!" shouted the foremost, "didn't you hear us call? We began
to think you had fallen into an ambush! Quick, back with you: there's a
patrol of the rooineks out yonder coming this way, the mounted men with
the spiked poles."
"Many or few?" said the man addressed as the field-cornet, and,
apparently forgetting his anger in the excitement, he began to hurry
away from the cavern mouth, talking loudly the while. "I'll see! If
they'll come on, we'll stay here; if not, we might try and surround them
and capture the whole gang!"
The next minute the walls of the gully were echoing the hurried
splashing made by the party, as the last of them turned the corner and
disappeared across the veldt.
"Phew! What a pity!" said Ingleborough, taking off his hat to wipe his
forehead.
"A pity!" cried West. "What: the news that some of our people are
near?"
"No, no; I meant that the row came to an end. I was in hopes that we
were going to have a new version of the Kilkenny cats, and two enemies
of Old England were going to tear each other to pieces and leave only a
tail behind."
"Oh, be serious, Ingle!" said West excitedly. "We might venture out
now."
"Don't be rash! We've got to find out what they mean to do."
"Come along then, and let's leave the horses where they are. We must
try and climb up somewhere to see what is going on."
"Very well, but take care! These are awfully breakneck walls to mount."
"Yes, but it has to be done! Why not up that crack?"
West pointed to a rift half-full of wiry-looking shrubs mingled with
ferns, which ran up the rocky wall of the gully diagonally.
"Think you can do it?"
"Yes, it's easier than it looks. Let's try!"
"Right!" said Ingleborough. "Up you go!"
West waded across to the side, slinging his rifle as he went, then
pulling his hat on tightly, he reached up as high as he could, and drew
himself up a foot or two. Then, carefully taking advantage of the
angles and edges of projecting rocks for his feet and getting hand-hold
of the tough shrubs, he was soon up twenty feet above the rushing
stream.
"Come along!" he said. "It's not bad climbing!"
"Matter of opinion," replied Ingleborough, "but here goes!" and he began
to mount, while West went on.
"Oh yes," he said, "it's all right! Why, it puts one in mind of the
Lady--I say, lad, ugh!--that was slippy!"
"Hold on then!" cried West excitedly, for one of Ingleborough's feet
glided over the edge of a stone, which yielded, and he was left hanging
by his hands, to strive to get a footing.
"Get out!" said Ingleborough, panting. "That's better. Just as if I
shouldn't hold on! Think I wanted a cold bath?"
"You gave me quite a turn!" said West. "Will you leave it to me? I can
manage it!"
"Go on, you vain young coxcomb! So can I manage it! If you don't look
out, I'll be up first! Well, what are you stopping for?"
"Look down there!" said West.
Ingleborough held on tightly while he twisted his head to see that the
two ponies had hurried out of the cave to wade to the place where they
had started from, and were looking up wonderingly.
"Ha, ha!" laughed Ingleborough. "They're afraid of being left behind!
Here, you two, be off back into your stable," he continued, getting hold
of a loose piece of rock with the intention of dropping it into the
water to scare the lookers-on.
"No, no, don't do that!" said West softly. "You may scare them into
cantering down into the midst of the Boers!"
"Right," said Ingleborough, replacing the stone. "I don't suppose
they'll mind."
At that moment one of the ponies whinnied, and the other took up the cry
of discontent.
"Quiet, will you? Look here!" said Ingleborough, speaking as if in the
full belief that the two animals understood every word. "If you make
that row, you'll have the Boers down upon us, and that will mean new
masters, with worse treatment than you get from us! That's settled
them," continued Ingleborough, speaking again to his companion, and as
it happened the two animals did not repeat their challenging cry, but
began to nibble at the greenery overhanging the water.
Meanwhile the climbing grew more difficult as the adventurers got higher
and more excited, for all at once the rapid crack-crack-crack of rifles
began telling of attack and defence, and making the climbers strain
every effort to get to the top, which was at last accomplished by West,
who drew himself over the edge of the rocks and lay panting for a few
moments before looking down.
"Can't you manage it?" he said; for Ingleborough had come to a stand
some twenty feet below.
"No!" was the reply. "My right foot has slipped into a crack here, and
is wedged tight. Don't wait for me! Go on, only let's have all the
news as soon as you can!"
West's first idea was to lower himself down; but, feeling that one was
enough to find out all they wanted, he obeyed his comrade's orders and
went on climbing upon all-fours what was now an easy slope with plenty
of cover in the shape of bushes and huge blocks of stone.
A few minutes brought him to the top of the kopje, whence he had a clear
view of all that was going on, while the firing was now general.
He saw at a glance that the Boers had not attempted to hold the natural
stronghold, for upon discovering their numbers, the half-troop of
lancers, some thirty in number, had begun to retire, and the Boers, of
whom there seemed to be about a hundred and fifty, were streaming out in
two directions, evidently with the intention of surrounding and taking
them prisoners, both sides keeping up a steady fire the while. West
stopped no longer than was necessary to satisfy himself that the Boers
were getting rapidly farther and farther from the kopje, and then
hurried back down the slope to the top of the gully, where, leaning
over, he found Ingleborough busy at work, apparently driving his
rifle-barrel down into a crevice. "Ahoy!" cried West. "Hallo there!
What news, lad?"
"Small party of lancers in full retreat, and the Boers very strong in
pursuit. They're a mile away now."
"Then we shall get no help from our people; but, if they are taking the
enemy away, that's all we want. Coming down?"
"Yes," said West, lowering himself over the edge very cautiously, for it
was terribly dangerous work, and Ingleborough shivered and hung back,
watching him till his companion reached the ledge where he had been
checked.
"Hah!" sighed Ingleborough; "that's better. I've been wishing for the
last five minutes that the stream below was ten feet deep!"
"Why?" panted West, who was breathless from his exertions.
"For you to fall into! But now help me to get my boot! I'm afraid to
lever it out with my rifle-barrel, for fear of bending it."
"Let me try!" said West, and, thrusting his arm down into the crack, he
got well hold of the boot, gave it a jerk sidewise, and it was free.
"Look at that now!" said Ingleborough. "My word! it's a fine thing to
have been born clever. How did you do it?"
"Pulled it out," replied West, smiling.
"Of course; but _I_ couldn't! It took me all my time to get it unlaced
and to draw out my foot. Stuck, for it was so wet!"
In another five minutes, while the cracking of the rifle-fire was
growing more distant, the boot was replaced, the dangerous descent
continued, with several slips and slides, each saving his friend in turn
from a bad fall, and the pair reached the water only minus a little
skin, to be welcomed by their ponies, who came up to them at once, ready
to be led cautiously to the entrance of the gully.
But there was no need for the extra care, inspection proving that no
Boers were left behind, and that they were too far distant now to
distinguish what went on at the resting-place they had left.
"Think they'll make the lancers prisoners?" said West, after they had
stood scanning the level veldt for some minutes.
"Not unless they can surround them, and I should give our cavalry credit
for being too cautious to let them do that!" said Ingleborough. "Now
then, what do you say for another try Mafeking-ward?"
"Forward!" was the reply, and after a glance at the compass to lay down
their course, the friends mounted and, refreshed, though not much
rested, they cantered off, making a bee-line almost due north, with the
intention of cautiously approaching some farm on their way to purchase
food.