"OOMPH! OOMPH! OOMPH!"
"Are you much hurt, Dick?" cried Jack anxiously, as he knelt on one knee
by his brother.
"No, I think not," panted Dick, opening his eyes. "I came over all
giddy, and couldn't sit my horse. Did he throw me?"
"No: you fell."
"But where are the buffaloes?"
"Yonder they go," replied Jack. "Don't you hear the dogs? There, lean
on me, and let's walk in to the camp."
"Oh, no," cried Dick. "I'm better now."
"No, no; don't try to mount."
"Yes, I shall," was the reply. "I was overdone from being weak; but I'm
better now, and I'm going with you to bring in the buffalo we shot."
"Oh no, Dick, don't try," cried his brother anxiously.
But Dick would not be persuaded, and, mounting his horse, he rode with
his brother up to the waggon, gave the necessary instructions to Peter
and Dirk, and in a few moments those sable gentlemen were leading a
small ox-team over the plain to where the General and his boys were
busily dressing the fallen bull; and by the time Mr Rogers reached the
waggon, the choicest parts of the buffalo were there, the remainder
having been left for the vultures and wild creatures of the plain.
They trekked on for some miles that evening, and soon after sundown
halted by the side of a wood, whose edges were composed of dense thorns,
and here, at the General's suggestion, all set to work, after the waggon
had been drawn up in a suitable position, to cut down the bushes so as
to make a square patch, with the dense thorns on three sides and the
waggon on the fourth, the lower part of the waggon being fortified with
the bushes that were cut down.
The object was to form a sound enclosure, which was duly strengthened,
so as to protect the horses and bullocks from the wild beasts that
haunted the neighbourhood.
It was very hard work, and Dinny grumbled terribly, till Dick said
quietly to his brother, in Dinny's hearing,--
"I wonder that Dinny don't work harder. The General says this part
swarms with lions; and they'll be down upon us before we've done if he
don't make haste."
Dinny seemed to be turned for the moment into stone, at the bare mention
of the word lion; but directly after he was toiling away with feverish
haste, and in quite a state of excitement, bullying Coffee and Chicory
for not bringing in more dead wood for the fire.
By dint of all working hard, however, a satisfactory place was
contrived, into which, after a good long feed, and a hearty drink of
fresh water from a bubbling stream, the bullocks and horses were shut,
the horses having a division of their own, where they would be safe from
the horns of their friends as well as the teeth and claws of their
enemies. Then the blazing fire in front of the waggon was utilised for
cooking purposes, and buffalo steaks and thick rich soup from Dinny's
big pot soon restored the losses felt by the little party in their
arduous evening toil.
The waggon was on the very edge of the forest, and a couple of trees
stood out on either side, spreading their branches over it as shelter,
while the ruddy fire that was being steadily fed to get it into a good
glow, with a bright blaze free from the blinding smoke emitted by
burning wood, seemed to turn the waggon and trees into gold.
"I'll take the first watch, my boys," said Mr Rogers, who, after their
hearty supper, had read his sons a lecture about the necessity for care
in hunting, "for," said he, "but for the dogs your lives would certainly
have been sacrificed."
"Yes, father, we'll be more careful; but how is it the dogs have not
come back?"
"They overtook and pulled down one of the buffaloes," said Mr Rogers.
"They will glut themselves, and, after a long sleep, take up our trail
and follow us. I dare say they'll be here to-morrow."
The boys, who were fagged out, gladly crept into the waggon, the last
thing they saw being Dinny putting some pieces of buffalo flesh and half
a pail of water in the big pot, so as to let it stew by the fire all
night. Then they drew up the canvas curtains of their tent-bed as they
called it, leaving Mr Rogers and Peter to keep up the fire, and to call
them in four hours' time, the boys having begged that they might keep
one of the watches together.
They were fast asleep directly, and in five minutes' time--so Jack
declared--Mr Rogers aroused them to relieve guard.
"Come, boys," he said, "be quick. Do you know how long you've been
asleep?"
"Five minutes," said Jack, sleepily.
"Nearly five hours, sir."
"Then they weren't good measure," grumbled Jack.
"There's plenty of wood, Dick," said Mr Rogers, "and I'd keep up a good
blazing fire. I have not heard a sound; but if you are alarmed, a piece
of blazing wood thrown in the direction is better than firing at random;
but keep your rifles ready."
These words drove drowsy sleep from the boys' eyelids, and clambering
out of the waggon, the fresh cold night air finished the task.
They saw Mr Rogers climb into the waggon and their black followers
crawl under it; then taking the rifles, they saw to there being a ball
cartridge in each, and big slugs in the shot barrel; and after throwing
on a few sticks to make the fire blaze, they walked slowly up and down.
"How dark and strange the forest looks, Jack," said Dick, "I say, I'm
not ashamed to say that it does make one feel timid."
"It makes two feel timid," said Jack, sturdily. "Look at the dark
shadows the fire throws. Why it almost looks as if there were all sorts
of horrible creatures watching us. If I didn't feel that father had
been sitting here watching, and wasn't afraid I'd give it up."
"Perhaps he did feel afraid," said Dick.
"Not he," said Jack sturdily. "If he had felt afraid, he wouldn't have
let us watch here."
"Oh, yes, he would," said Dick thoughtfully. "Father wants us to grow
up manly and strong, and ready to laugh at what would alarm some lads.
Hark! what's that?"
He caught his brother's arm, for just then, apparently from beneath
their feet, they heard a peculiar noise.
"Oomph! oomph! oomph!" a peculiar, vibrating, shuddering, deep-toned
cry, which seemed to make the air, and the very earth beneath them,
vibrate.
There was no mistaking it. Over and over again they had heard Coffee
and Chicory imitate the cry; but how pitiful their attempts seemed now,
as compared to the noise heard there in the solemnity of the silent
night! "Oomph! oomph! oomph!" a peculiar grunting, shuddering roar,
which made a perfect commotion in the strongly-made cattle-kraal or
enclosure, the oxen running about in their dread, and the horses
whinnying and stamping upon the hard ground.
"How close is it!" whispered Jack, stretching out his hand to get hold
of his rifle.
"I don't know. It seems sometimes just by this patch of bushes, and
sometimes ever so far away. Hark! there's another."
"Yes, and another."
"Or is it all made by one lion?" said Dick.
"I don't know," replied Jack, in an awe-stricken whisper.
"Shall we call father, and tell him there are lions about?"
"No," said Dick sturdily. "He'd laugh at us for cowards. We've got to
get used to lions, Jack; and it's our own doing--we wanted to come."
"Yes, but I didn't know they'd come so close," replied Jack. "Hark at
that!"
There was a deep-toned quivering roar, apparently from the other side of
the fire, and Dick felt his heart beat rapidly as he threw a handful of
small twigs upon the fire to make it blaze up.
"Let's go and talk to the horses," he said. "Yes; that's right," for
Jack had also added an armful of dry wood to the fire, which now blazed
up merrily.
They went to the thorny hedge which protected the horses, and on making
their way through to where they were haltered to a pole, carried on the
waggon for the purpose, they found the poor creatures trembling, and
with dripping flanks, while when they spoke to them they rubbed their
noses against their masters' hands, and whinnied with pleasure, as if
comforted by the presence of the boys.
"What's that, Dick?" cried Jack excitedly, for there was a crashing
noise as if something had leaped at the hedge.
The answer came in the panic of the bullocks and the dread of the
horses; and, without hesitating, Jack lowered his piece in the direction
of the sound, to fire both barrels rapidly one after the other.
There was a savage roar for response, and a rush as of some creature
bounding through the bushes. Then all was silent.
"I wonder whether I hit him," said Jack, proceeding to throw out the
empty cartridges and reload.
"Is anything wrong? Shall I come?" shouted Mr Rogers, from within the
waggon.
"No, father," replied Dick steadily. "You needn't come. We only fired
at a lion."
But as they reached the fire again, a tall dark figure crawled to their
side, and nodded to them gravely.
"Plenty of lion here. I stop and help you."
It was the General, and glad enough the boys were of his company.
Almost before they had seated themselves they heard a sound on the
right, and taking a burning stick from the fire the General whirled it
in the direction, the wood blazing up in its rapid passage through the
air, and falling amongst some dry grass, which it set on fire, to burn
for a few moments vividly, and then leave the surroundings apparently
darker than before.
As the burning brand fell in the forest there was an angry snarl, and
these snarls were repeated again and again as from time to time the
General skilfully threw the wood wherever his quick ears told him there
was one of the lurking beasts.
"Is there more than one lion?" said Dick, in a whisper at last.
"Three, four, five," said the General. "They want horse or bullock.
Hist! look! see!"
He pointed to a dark patch at the edge of the forest, where, upon Dick
directing his eyes, he could see nothing; but the next moment there was
the reflection of the fire to be seen in a couple of glaring orbs.
"Can you shoot him?" said the General.
"Let me by, Dick. My hand's steady," whispered Jack. "I think I could
hit him."
"Go on," was the whispered reply.
To fire it was necessary for Jack to take aim across the Zulu, who
leaned forward so that the barrel of Jack's rifle rested upon his
shoulders; while, kneeling, the boy took along and careful aim, right
between the two glowing orbs, and drew trigger. There was the sharp
report, a furious roar, a rush, the falling of some heavy body, and the
scattering of the fire-brands. Then all was silent; and they rapidly
collected the scattered embers to make the fire blaze up again; for the
lions, far from being scared by the noise of the shot, renewed their
awe-inspiring "Oomph! oomph!" on all sides; and the fear of the cattle
was such that they threatened to break out of the kraal.
Again Mr Rogers roused himself, and asked if there was any need for him
to come. But Dick replied steadily that there was not--feeling as he
did pretty confident, in spite of his dread, that they could keep the
lions at bay.
The fire blazed up so brightly, that the boys glanced anxiously at the
supply of wood, thinking of the hours they had yet to pass before
daylight, and what would be the consequences if the fire went out.
One thing was very certain, and that was that a large fire would be
necessary now every night. And though the boys felt a strange kind of
tremor as they felt the risks they were incurring, there was so much
romantic excitement in the life they were leading, that they would not
have given it up on any consideration.
The lions roared and prowled about them during the remainder of the
night, sometimes coming very close, sometimes retreating, for the fire
was very bright. And then came the two boys, Coffee and Chicory, with
Peter the driver, to relieve them, just as day was breaking, and the
young travellers gladly went back into the waggon for a sleep.