There was nothing about the premises of the Three Ace Club so far to
show its character. It was entered as a non-political club for British
Africanders. As drink and gambling were strictly prohibited, and its
object was more for reading than social intercourse or discussion, it
was regarded as a very slow affair by the majority of the community, and
only patronised by the most staid and respectable. A considerable
number of members, however, were entered upon its books, and as far as
subscriptions went, it was in a flourishing enough condition.
It had been organised since the fiasco of 1896, and although Uncle Paul
had regarded it with suspicion at first, its respectable and sleepy
character had allayed even his suspicions.
Philip Martin led the boys up to the second landing, and then, taking
them into a bedroom, he shut the door.
"I am about to confide in you, my lads, a secret which you must promise
never to reveal to any one."
"You may depend upon us."
"I feel I can, otherwise I should not have brought you here. You may
have read about the insurrection of 1896, when the Boers disarmed the
citizens. They were disappointed in only finding four thousand rifles
instead of the thirty thousand they were led to expect."
"Yes; it was generally thought that the reformers had been boasting."
"That was the general impression, and so I also thought before I came to
Johannesburg and was initiated."
"Had they this number of weapons?" asked Ned.
"Yes; more than that number, as you will see presently."
"Then why did the cowards hold back and allow Dr Jim to be defeated?"
"Because, firstly, they had a majority of cowards amongst them; and,
secondly, because they were not properly organised, and the leaders were
afraid to trust their men. Now, however, we have altered all that.
Come with me, and you will see our arsenal."
He opened the door of a wardrobe which stood at the side of the wall,
and, pulling out the drawer first, he touched a secret spring, and
immediately the bottom moved up and showed them a flight of stairs
underneath.
"This is the way down. You go first, while I close the entrance."
He had only to pull back the drawer from the inside, and the aperture
was securely fastened, wardrobe door and all.
He struck a wax vesta, and showed them their course down the steps,
which were like the steps down to the stoke-holes of an ocean liner.
"These steps can all be raised and laid flat against the ceilings of
each landing, as well as covered from sight, at a moment's notice,"
explained Philip, as they went down. "In the flat below, which we
entered, is a press, through which we pass, with shelves that drop down
when the ladders are raised."
"It is very ingenious."
"Very, and unless a traitor showed the working, quite impossible to
discover. We are now passing through the pantry on the ground floor.
Now we are below the street."
The steps they had used hitherto were composed of iron, felt covered,
but now they were descending solid stone stairs, also carpeted with
thick felt to deaden the sound of their feet.
The walls and roof were likewise composed of stone and covered with
cement, while at regular intervals along the ceiling were electric
globes, which gave them plenty of light.
They went down about forty of these stone steps before they came to
level ground, and then, before them, they saw a long, straight, and
well-lighted lobby with an arched roof.
"This is the secret of the Three Ace Club. We have to take precautions
when we have the like of Oom Paul to deal with," remarked Philip, with a
smile. "Here you may make as much noise as you like, for no one outside
could hear even a gun report. We have stopped the echo."
"It must have cost something to excavate this vault," said the boys.
"Yes; a good deal of Rand money has been sunk here. But come and see
our shooting-gallery, arsenal, and general meeting-place."
He led the way along the lobby until they came to a door, against which
he gave three loud knocks, at the same time pressing a knob.
Immediately the door opened, and they entered.
An underground hall of four hundred feet spread before them, in which
were assembled a number of men.
It was lighted like the lobby by electricity, and lined, floor, coiling,
walls, and doors, with felt. At the far end were placed three targets,
and all round on racks, from floor to ceiling, were rifles. Not thirty
thousand, but over a hundred thousand weapons, were here placed ready
for use.
Along two sides were placed a row of maxim guns. Ted counted thirty to
each side. He also noticed that there were several doors at different
parts of this vast gallery.
Philip Martin saw their amazement, and smiled again.
"You see we are not altogether so much at the mercy of the Boers as they
fondly imagine. That door to your right leads off to our magazine,
where we have sufficient ammunition for our purpose. That other door on
your left leads to a tunnel which we are at present engaged in boring.
When finished it will take us into the fort where Kruger has fixed his
Krupps. We are more than two-thirds on the way now. Those other doors
are exits, and lead to different parts of the city. Oh yes, when next
we rise, if we are forced, it shall not be against our wives and
children that the fort guns will be discharged. We'll use them for
another purpose, and be much obliged to Oom Paul for his valuable gift."
Philip Martin was treating these young novices as if they were sage men,
which proved his knowledge of human nature. If you wish a boy to act
like a man, treat him like a man, and respect his amour propre.
He was showing them round as if they were distinguished visitors, and
opening his mind to them with a frankness that won their hearts
completely. It flattered their self-respect and quickened their
reflective faculties. They felt that they were expected to feel, speak,
and act like the men they were amongst, and whose lives were entrusted
to their discretion.
Then they become grave, attentive, and observant, and got into the
proper mood for the work that lay before them. In England men are apt
to underrate boys, therefore they grow slowly. Napoleon never made this
mistake, but then he was young himself when he became a man, and moulded
his ideas from the youthful heroes of the great past.
Philip Martin, like Napoleon, had the timely quality of being able to
appreciate young men. He knew from experience that heroism comes more
natural to a youth than to a sage. Johannesburg had been chock-a-block
with prudent sages during the last conspiracy, which had so miserably
failed. He meant to work with enthusiasts this time--have men who
needed curbing instead of urging.
The effect of this treatment was that our heroes, however much amazed
they were at what they saw, managed to control their feelings, and look
coolly about them. The only thing which caused them regret was, every
arrangement had already been made, and they seemed to have arrived too
late to be of the slightest use.
"Johannesburg seems to be already in the hands of your party, Mr
Martin. I fear we can be of but small service to you," said Ned, sadly.
"Don't think such a thing, my lad," replied Philip, warmly. "The
message you brought in from Cecil Rhodes entitles you to our deepest
gratitude, as you will know perhaps presently. It was too important a
bit of paper to be trusted to an ordinary messenger, and as you are a
new-comer and young, you and your friends are just the kind we most
urgently require. As for Johannesburg being in our hands because we
have weapons, and will soon be able to hold the fort, that is of very
little advantage to us while the Home Government work with the Boers and
forbid us to claim our rights. We are helpless, even with this arsenal
in our midst, to do more than protect our lives if our masters wantonly
attack us. We must wait for them to begin hostilities. Say, are you
fair marksmen?"
"Not first rate, but we have had some practise in Stellenbosch."
"Then go over to the rack there and select rifles, and amuse yourselves
by trying to get some bull's-eyes, while I talk to the committee about
the news you have brought us. I'll introduce you presently, and get you
enrolled as members of our Three Ace Club."
"What a strange name! Why do you call it this?"
"Because we believe we hold `three aces' at present in the game we are
playing against this rotten Republic. Oom Paul believes he holds all
the aces. We give him credit of one, but that, we fear, is the trump.
However, we don't despair. With good luck and hanging on, I hope we may
yet be able to call our party the four ace club yet. Then we can
exhibit our hands."
He took the boys over to where a party of young men were standing, and
introduced them, telling them to fix them up with cartridges and have
some practice. Then he went and joined some of the elders, amongst whom
Clarence saw his father.
They were received in a very friendly way by the young fellows. That
they were there at all was guarantee enough for their principles.
For the next half-hour their attention was fully occupied by the target
in front of them. Out of a dozen shots each, Ned put nine into the
centre, Clarence eight, and Fred ten, at the four hundred yards.
They were congratulated by their companions, and would have been fairly
satisfied only that they found the others so much better. Out of six
dozen of the other cartridges, only one struck the other edge of the
mark; the other seventy-one went straight, one over the other, right in
the centre. The man who struck the edge looked disgusted with himself.
As for those other nine misses, they could easily be counted on the
white.
The self-satisfaction of our heroes died away at their own miserable
display. They felt suddenly as if they were worthy only of contempt.
"It isn't at all bad shooting for the first try at a new target," said
the young men, encouragingly. "You must remember that we spend most of
our evenings here, drilling and practising."
That was something in their favour certainly.
"You must join our squad; we go through our manoeuvres here every night
from seven till ten o'clock. We have the very best instructors in the
British Army to teach us, and I reckon we will make a good show when the
time arrives to show our paces above the ground."
Our heroes resolved that, while they remained in Johannesburg, they
would fill out their evenings in this way.
While they had been shooting, Philip Martin and the council were engaged
in another part of the hall discussing politics. The message which
Philip delivered to them seemed to give them universal satisfaction.
But they were finished now, for Philip came forward and called the boys.
"I am happy to tell you that you have been accepted as members of this
society. Come and be sworn in."
They followed him over to a table, where the secretary of the society
was seated with the roll-book in front of him.
"Young gentlemen," he said, "I am pleased to welcome you to
Johannesburg, and proud to accept you as volunteers to the cause of
liberty and the rights of Englishmen. Our cause is a just and a holy
one, which must commend itself to every loyal member of the British
race, whichever home he hails from. Our objects are threefold: first,
to uphold the power and honour of our Empire, which means the spread of
civilisation and humanity; secondly, the harmony and unity of Africa,
and the federation of all our colonies under the protection of this
Empire of Great Britain; thirdly, the downfall of all tyrants and
traitors to the Empire. Experience has taught us that the Boer
Government is an impossibility, and that while they, the Boers, have
authority, there can be no peace or progress in Africa. They have
denied us all the rights of human beings, and disgraced our name. They
have shown us that they are our enemies and evil wishers. They have
cajoled us too often for us to trust them any more, for they have proved
themselves to be crafty, cruel, and pitiless savages, utterly unworthy
of a place among nations. Therefore we are banded together to destroy
this Dutch Republic in Africa, and restore the land, that traitors to
England gave to these enemies, once again to the Empire as it was
before. We are banded to unite the whole of South Africa under one
flag, and that flag must be the British flag. Are you prepared to swear
that you will help us to achieve this end, and wipe away the stains
which these savages have placed upon that flag?"
"We are," answered our heroes, earnestly.
"With all your energies--with the last drop of your blood, if called
upon?"
"We are."
"Swear also that you will be faithful to the trust we repose in you from
this night, obedient to the command of those officers who may be placed
over you, and true to your comrades."
"We swear to be faithful, obedient, and true to the cause."
"These are the three aces which form our watchword--loyalty, obedience,
and good faith. Now sign your names here, and receive your badge."
Our heroes went home with Mr Raybold that night proud that they were at
least members of this noble brotherhood, and prepared to live and die
worthy of the small joined aces which they carried in their pockets.