Ingleborough shaded his eyes and turned very grave, for on gazing in the
direction pointed out by his companion's finger he saw a column of
horsemen creeping over the veldt as if coming straight for their
resting-place, while as they came nearer the eager watchers could make
out that the party were guarding a long train of wagons drawn by great
teams of oxen. They found that there were two other teams, not of oxen,
but of ponies similar to their own, and not dragging the great
tilt-covered wagons, but something heavy and comparatively small.
"Guns!" said Ingleborough laconically.
"Yes, and heavy guns too!" cried West.
"You're right, lad; and they will not come near us. It's an ammunition
train, and they'll go straight for Mafeking! That's another false
alarm!"
Ingleborough was quite right, for the distant train crept slowly on
along the track till it grew dim and distant as the sun sank lower and
finally disappeared in the haze of dust. But the troubles of the
despatch-bearers were not at an end, and they lay watching the west with
its great masses of lit-up clouds, glorious in their colouring, till the
last bright lights had died out, before they turned to look in the
direction of the east. And then West drew his companion's attention to
the fact that behind them the sky was perfectly clear, and the pale
moon, a couple of days past the first quarter, was gradually growing
brighter and brighter in what promised to be a perfectly unclouded
night.
"Yes," said Ingleborough coolly; "we shall have a glorious time for our
ride."
"A glorious night for the Boer outposts to take aim at us as we ride
in."
"No," said Ingleborough coolly. "I think not!"
"What do you mean?" said West, turning sharply upon his companion. "You
have some fresh idea?"
"Well, yes. Being in such a pickle as this sets a man sharpening his
wits to try and make them keen."
"Of course. What are you going to do?"
"Wait a bit and see!" replied Ingleborough coolly. "I'm sharpening
still."
West turned away impatiently, to go, stooping as low as he could,
towards his pony, which was straggling away, and bring it back to the
bushes which had helped to hide them all the day, after which they sat
in silence for about an hour, until it was quite plain that the night
was as dark as it was likely to be. Then in a nervous excited way he
turned to Ingleborough again.
"Yes," said the latter, without waiting for West to speak; "it will grow
no darker unless we wait hours for the moon to set, and by that time I
hope we shall be in Mafeking."
"What do you mean to do then?"
"Mount and ride steadily on at a gentle canter till we get in touch with
that ammunition train."
"But we shall be challenged by their rear-guard."
"Perhaps," said Ingleborough coolly; "perhaps not. I reckon on getting
pretty close up without. If we are challenged, I want you to do as I
tell you."
"Of course," replied West. "Anything to fulfil our task!"
"Ready?"
"And waiting!"
"Then mount!"
Their ponies were waiting patiently by their sides, and the next minute
they had sprung into the saddles and rode off in the direction taken by
the train.
West asked no questions, for he was full of confidence in his long-tried
companion, and with the ponies well-refreshed and eager from their rest,
they rode steadily on, keeping a sharp look-out for danger, but meeting
with no adventure for quite a couple of hours, by which time both felt
that they must be getting near to the end of their journey.
But they had nothing to guide them, for they were off the track, and
even had they been on, it would have been impossible to follow it in the
strange eerie light shed by the quarter-moon. Once they had evidence
that they were in all probability going right, for a horrible odour
suddenly assailed their nostrils, making them press their ponies' sides
and go past something indistinct at a gallop, holding their breath till
they were well beyond what was in all probability the body of some
wretched horse or ox that had died of overwork and exhaustion.
"We must keep on now!" whispered Ingleborough. "I feel that we are
going right."
"But the Boer laagers and outposts!" whispered back West.
"Somewhere ahead, lad; but we must leave something to chance. We are,
say, within half-a-dozen miles of Mafeking, so I put it; perhaps not
more than two or three. Keep a sharp look-out for lights."
"The enemy's?"
"Or friends'," replied Ingleborough. "There's a good deal of chance
now, and we must trust a little to our luck."
"In other words, you mean make a bold dash?"
"Yes, but not a blind one! I want to put a little gumption into what we
do! You'll trust me?"
"I will!"
"Forward then, and give the ponies their heads!"
West gave vent to a deep low "Hah!" of satisfaction, and away they went,
with their mounts seeming to exult in the freedom from pressure on their
bits, keeping close together, and bounding along over the level veldt as
if perfectly familiar with the way, though their riders knew it to be
bespread with pitfalls in the shape of the burrows made by the aardvarks
and other animals that made the wide open veldt their home.
The moon shone brightly now, though the light was puzzling, and the
distance ahead looked strange and weird; but the pace at which they were
going had a peculiarly exhilarating effect upon both of the riders, who
seemed to share the excitement of their ponies.
For, guesswork though it was, West felt that Mafeking must lie right
ahead, and as they dashed on he began to feel a kind of certainty that
if left to themselves their sagacious steeds would take them right into
the town.
A good four miles must have been passed over in this way, and at last a
fresh sensation began to attack West, filling him with anxiety lest they
should be going in the wrong direction. For he argued that they must
before now, if right, have come upon signs of the besiegers, and he was
in the act of leaning over towards Ingleborough to make him acquainted
with his fears, when all doubt was chased away by a loud challenge from
his right, followed by a flash and a report.
That one shot was the opening note of an overture, for directly after
the balls began whistling over their heads, and the first reports grew
into a loud rattle followed by the trampling of horses and loud
shouting.
"It's all right," said Ingleborough coolly; "they're firing at random.
It's impossible to take aim on a night like this! Can you see them?"
"No; only the flashes!" said West excitedly.
"That's enough! Then they can't see us! We're through their lines too,
for they're firing behind us, and I'll back our horses to beat theirs in
a race."
Reports now began to ring out on their right, and directly after they
came from their left.
"Shall we shout?" whispered West.
"No. What for?"
"We must be getting among our own people!"
"No such luck, my lad! Keep steadily on! Ah! Poor beast!"
"What is it?" said West excitedly, as his mount stopped short, obeying
its natural instinct and the love of companionship of a gregarious
animal. For Ingleborough's pony had suddenly uttered a peculiar
neighing cry, reared up, and fallen backwards.
"Are you hurt?" whispered West again.
"No; I just escaped! Quick; jump down."
West was on his feet directly, and Ingleborough grasped his arm.
"I'd say ride for it alone, lad," he whispered, with his lips close to
his companion's ear; "but my way is safest. Now down on your hands and
knees and let's play wild dog or baboon!"
"I don't understand you!" whispered West.
"Never mind; do as I do!" and the next minute they were going along on
hands and knees over the level ground, feeling it quiver with the
trampling of galloping horses all round, while the flashing of rifles
and the crackling reports seemed to be coming from all directions.
So near to them came some of the horsemen that West felt certain they
must be seen; but there was no hail, no whistling bullet, and, wearisome
though the way of progression was to the muscles and painful to hands
and knees, West kept on side by side with his companion till the firing
began to drop off and then ceased, though the hurrying to and fro of
horses still went on.
"It was sooner than I intended," said Ingleborough at last; "but I meant
for us to dismount at last and crawl. If we are seen the enemy will
take us for hyaenas or dogs."
He had hardly whispered these words before a shot was fired from, their
left, the bullet whistling over them, when to the astonishment of West,
Ingleborough uttered a snarling yelp, followed by an excellent imitation
of a dog's bark.
"Do as I do!" he whispered, and the next moment he had thrown himself
upon his side and lay perfectly still.
"What folly!" West was disposed to say; but he followed his companion's
example, letting himself sink sidewise like a dying quadruped, feeling
the despatch crackle beneath him as he lay listening to the trampling of
horses growing more distant, and waiting for Ingleborough to speak.
"Seems a stupid sort of dodge!" said the latter at last; "but I thought
it better to let them think we were hyaenas than human beings."
"But we had a narrow escape of being shot!" replied West.
"Yes, and escaped. If they had taken us for human beings we should have
been either shot or taken prisoners. Now we're safe!"
"Safe, with this bright moon shining ready to show every movement?"
"Then why move until we are safe, lad? The enemy will not come near us
so long as they think we are dead animals."
"But if they make out what we are--how then?"
"How then?" said Ingleborough, with a low sarcastic laugh. "Why, then
they'll behave like Boers, and come and see if there's anything worth
taking in our pockets. They are sweet people! But wait a bit. As soon
as they are farther off we'll continue our journey."
"Without our horses?"
"Yes; poor beasts! I'm sorry they're gone; but daybreak will show us
that we are close to Mafeking, I feel sure. We'll crawl on as far as we
can, and then get up and run for our lives."
"Yes; but you know how clever they are at bringing down a running buck!"
"Some of them!" said Ingleborough drily.
"Well, if I am brought down, don't hesitate a moment: out with your
knife, rip open my jacket, get the despatch, and run on."
"Do you mean that?"
"Of course."
"What about you? Are you to be left wounded here on the veldt?"
"Yes: until the despatch reaches the proper hands. Then come and save
me if you can."
"I understand," said Ingleborough drily. "That's if matters come to the
worst! Let's hope they will not!"
He raised his head a little and had a good look round as soon as he had
finished speaking, for all was now very still, and as far as he could
make out in the eerie light there was not a Boer within sight.
"Now then," he said softly; "let's go on! No, no; not like that.
Crawl, man, crawl."
He only spoke in time, for West was about to spring up. Then their
painful imitation of some quadruped recommenced, West following his
comrade patiently and unquestioningly till a change seemed to come over
the light.
"Morning coming fast!" said West.
"The sooner the better," was the reply; "for I'm not sure that we are
going right."
"I'm sure we're going wrong," said West quickly.
"Why?"
"Because we are going straight for that great wagon laager."
"Yes; there's Mafeking, with its corrugated-iron roofs, off to our
right."
"Hah!" ejaculated West, for at that moment there was a flash from the
front of the laager they were approaching, followed by a tremendous roar
and a hissing sound overhead, as a shell winged its way towards the
town, whose outskirts were certainly not more than a couple of miles
away.
"We've wasted ever so much strength," said Ingleborough; "but never
mind: we know exactly where we are. It's about two miles' run to the
nearest houses. What do you say--go on crawling, or make a dash?"
"It will be broad daylight directly," replied West, "then we shall be
discovered, and become the mark for every rifle within range. I say
let's get up and walk steadily on till we see that we are discovered,
and then run for our lives."
"Wait a moment! Do you know how we shall find out that we are
discovered?"
"Yes," said West coolly; "we shall have the bullets whistling about us."
"Well, you are cool!" said Ingleborough. "That's it; and in addition we
shall have some of the mounted Boers coming at full gallop."
"Perhaps," said West; "and perhaps the Mafeking outposts will begin
firing to cover us. Now then, I feel breathless to begin, for it's
rapidly getting lighter. Come on!"
They rose quietly, and set off, making straight for the nearest
building--a long, low, broad place with a corrugated-iron roof which
seemed to be perfectly deserted; but it had one advantage--it was the
nearest object to where they were, and it would, if they could reach it,
form cover from which they could fire upon any mounted Boer who came in
pursuit.
Then with the day broadening rapidly they walked steadily on, with shell
after shell arching over their heads, to fall and burst far in advance,
right away in the town; but there was no sign of pursuit for quite ten
minutes, and not a friend anywhere visible in the outskirts the
fugitives approached.
"Now then," shouted Ingleborough suddenly; "be cool, and as you run
unsling your rifle and be ready for a shot, for I'm going to fight to
the last."
"Make for that shed?"
"Yes. Forward; here they come."
Away they went, for West at his companion's warning had looked sharply
round, to see about a score of mounted Boers dashing after them at full
gallop, and the fugitives had hardly got into the full swing of their
stride before they heard _cracky crack, crack_, the reports of rifles
far in the rear, and _ping, ping_, _ping_, the whistling buzz of the
thin bullets, several of which came unpleasantly near.
"Open out half-a-dozen yards," said Ingleborough, "and lessen their
mark! Think we shall reach that shed?"
"No," said West coolly. "It's farther off than I thought. Let's stop
at that clump yonder, and lie behind it to fire back."
"Very well; but they'll ring round us and we shall be taken in flank and
rear."
"Not till we've brought down two of them," said West, through his teeth.
"Two apiece," said Ingleborough. "Now then, put on a spurt, and let's
get to that heap, or they'll be down upon us before we're half-way to
the shed. Run!"
They did run, with all their might; but out on the open veldt distances
are horribly deceiving, especially in the early morning light, and to
the despair of the fugitives the Boers came rapidly nearer, while the
clump of earth for which they made seemed to be as distant as ever. The
only thing they made out was that it became more diffused, and they
plainly saw that it was a long ridge of earth freshly thrown up,
evidently from a ditch beyond.
"Why, it's a long rifle-pit," cried Ingleborough. "Run, lad, run; we
must do it now!"
But the pursuing Boers were coming on fast, and the fugitives felt that
in a minute or so they would be overtaken.
There was something, though, in their favour, for as the enemy converged
upon them the firing from a distance ceased, those who were using their
rifles fearing to hit their own friends.
"It's of no use; we can't do it!" panted West, as Ingleborough, now that
there was no need to try and diminish the mark at which the Boers fired,
closed in again.
"Not two hundred yards away now!" said Ingleborough hoarsely.
"Let's turn and have a couple of shots at them!" cried West.
"No: we should be bound to miss. Run, run!"
It was not the distance but the pace that was killing, and Ingleborough
was right. To have stopped and turned to fire, with their pulses
throbbing, breath coming in a laboured way, every nerve and muscle on
the jump, must have resulted in missing; and the next moment the enemy
would have ridden over them and they would have been either shot or
prisoners.
Knowing this, they tore on till the rifle-pit was only a hundred yards
away. The foremost Boers spread out like a fan not fifty yards distant,
and came on at full gallop, with the result appearing certain that
before the fugitives had torn on despairingly another score of yards
their enemies would be upon them.
"My despatch!" groaned West to himself, and then aloud: "Halt! Fire!"
True to his comrade in those despairing moments, Ingleborough obeyed the
order, stopped short, swung round, and following West's example, he was
in the act of raising his rifle to his shoulder with his quivering
hands, when--
_Crack, cracky crack, crack, crack, crack_, half-a-dozen flashes and
puffs of smoke came from over the ridge of the low earthwork in front,
emptying four saddles, while one horse went down headlong, pierced from
chest to haunch by a bullet, and the fleeing pair saw the rest of their
pursuers open out right and left, to swing round and gallop away back,
pursued by a crackling fire which brought down six more before they were
out of range.
Meanwhile twice over the big gun from its earthwork far away sent a
couple of shells right over the fugitives' heads on their way to the
beleaguered town, and a few seconds later a cheery English voice had
shouted: "Cease firing!" Then a dozen men came hurrying out of the
rifle-pit where they had lain low, to surround the exhausted pair.
"Hands up!" shouted their leader loudly. "Who are you--deserters?"
"Deserters!" cried West hoarsely, as he pressed his left hand upon his
breast and let his rifle fall to the ground. "Despatch--Kimberley--
Water--for Heaven's sake--help!"
He sank upon his knees, for everything seemed to be swimming round him
before he became quite blind.
But he could hear still as he swooned away, and what he heard was a
hearty British cheer.