"Give me a back up, Cocoeni. I'll push out this bit of rag. When the
moon rises they will see it."
"So will the Boers," said Cocoeni.
"Oh, we must risk that. If they do wander round that side, they may not
think anything about it. Besides, they are too lazy to do much knocking
about at night."
Cocoeni willingly placed his face against the wall, and bent his back
while Ned climbed up on to his broad shoulders. It was pitch dark
inside, but they could see the stars through the slits near the roof.
After the rag had been pushed half through so that one end hung outside
and the other inside, they agreed to watch and watch turn about. At the
first appearance of day they would take in the signal.
Clarence took the first watch of three hours, while the rest lay down to
sleep. By this time every Kaffir had been told by Cocoeni, and they
were prepared to obey orders.
Nothing disturbed Clarence. The Boers never troubled themselves to
visit their prisoners during the night, and doubtless not many bothered
themselves to keep awake.
He saw, however, by the rays of silver that the moon had risen and was
shining on the outer wall. It was a full moon, so that the rag must be
observed if any one was on the watch.
Fred took the next watch, nor had he anything to report when Ned
relieved him. The moon by this time had moved round to the other side.
Ned waited patiently for about two hours in the darkness, when, just as
he was beginning to think there would be no answer that night, Cocoeni
touched him, and whispered softly in his ear--
"Baas, some one outside creeping gently."
The keen ears of the savage had heard what Ned could not.
A few moments afterwards something heavy dropped upon his head, and fell
with a muffled thud on the clay floor. He stooped to lift it, and to
his delight felt the head of a small pickaxe wrapped in flannel. As he
was unrolling it, another article came through the slit, and this he
found to be the handle.
His friends had understood his signal, and this was their reply. He
hugged handle and head in his arms with an ecstasy of delight. Now, at
last, freedom was within sight.
It was too late, however, to do anything this morning. In another hour
dawn would be upon them. They must defer operations for another night,
and hide the treasure.
He explained what he had received to Cocoeni, who woke his friends to
tell them, while Ned did the same with Fred and Clarence. A deep grunt
of joy spoke the Kaffirs' feelings, while our heroes fairly danced with
pleasure.
To dig a small hole in the corner was the work of the next half-hour,
after which they placed the articles side by side and covered them with
the clay, which they pressed down, and moistening the top from their
water-jug, they smoothed it as carefully over as they could in the dark.
One of the Kaffirs lay down on the damp clay and dried it with his body,
while the others crawled about and picked up every portion of loose
clay, which they swallowed as they found them.
Before the first streak of dawn crept in the floor was as clear of
debris as it had been before, and the part over the pickaxe completely
caked and dry.
Then Ned looked up to see and remove the rag. It was gone. The one who
had brought the gift had removed the signal.