"It is a wonderful story, boys. With those stones and bric-a-brac to
support it, I am the last man in the world to cast doubts upon its
veracity. I wish, however, that you had brought with you that quarter
cohort of young amazons; we could do with them now in Rhodesia.
However, go on and finish your yarn. What did you do with this poor
girl?"
Dr Jim had received our heroes at Bulawayo.
At present they were on their way from the capital of Rhodesia to
Mafeking with a train-load of native allies. Other laden trains were
following in their track.
Much had happened during their absence from the field of progress, as
their captain informed them. The Transvaal Government only, like the
kingdom of Karnadama, stood still.
The suzerainty dispute had swallowed up many mouths, while Kruger, with
his usual policy of aggressive arrogance and false professions, had lain
like a great tortoise in the way, pushing its head out, and drawing it
back again before it could be chopped off.
He was making a move at last. Emboldened by the quiet deportment of
Britain, he considered that the hour had arrived when he could show his
head plainly, and walk on as he wanted.
Crafty and timid although he was, Kruger had not been idle inside his
shell. He had watched the political troubles that threatened his enemy,
until now he considered their hands too full with outside affairs to be
able to send much help to South Africa.
It was a fixed belief with Kruger and his countrymen that England was in
the same position that the Roman Empire had been when her legions were
recalled from Albion. He knew how her power was envied by the other
great nations, and how isolated she stood facing the world. He had
intrigued with those ill-wishers until he considered himself sure of
support.
Only blind hatred moved him now. To break the power of this abhorred
race, he was prepared to sacrifice the Republic and make his countrymen
serfs, so that he might be allowed to have a life-post as governor, and
see the Uitlanders crushed.
"You have just come in time to take a hand in clearing the board, if you
are not afraid to venture once more into Krugerland," Dr Jim had told
them when he met them.
"We have sure intelligence that he intends to abrogate the Convention of
London, and declare the absolute independence of the South African
Republic on the tenth of this month. We have a copy of his intended
ultimatum. He will allow the Uitlanders only twenty-four hours to
decide whether they will declare themselves as enemies to their native
land, or else be driven from the country, or imprisoned, with their
property confiscated. A general massacre is clearly intended of all who
dare resist.
"It is now the third of October, so that we have seven days before us to
prepare for the old murderer. We have not been idle any more than
Kruger has, and this time we have played his own game, the hiding one.
From Fourteen Streams to the Portuguese border on the north we have the
Transvaal environed and practically hemmed in; from Fourteen Streams to
Usuta they are also isolated, although they do not know it; the natives
of Swazi and Gaza lands are ready to rise at the signal, and pour across
the border; a fleet of warships protects Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and
Durban, so that the tactics of Mr Schreiner are so far defeated.
"We have hundreds of volunteers on their way from Canada, Australia, and
New Zealand. They are bringing arms and ammunition enough for all
purposes. They will land at Durban and Cape Town in a few weeks at
latest. Yes; I think we are nearly ready this time for the tortoise
when he puts out his head, without having to trouble our mother for too
much help, except those who man her fleet."
"And what can we do?" asked our heroes. "Command us, for we are ready."
"Well, I want you, Romer, to take a message into Johannesburg, and wait
there till the fun begins."
"Yes," replied Ned.
"You must have some kind of disguise. I see you have grown a crop of
down on your cheeks. I think you might sacrifice that, and you'll make
as smashing a young woman as one of your amazons."
Ned laughed, and said he was willing to change his sex for the time.
"All right," replied the doctor. "We'll put the dressmaker of Mafeking
on to you and your chums, and send you in to cajole the Boers. You,
Raybold, must go to Pretoria. And you, Weldon, to Bloemfontein. I
shall want Cocoeni and his fellows along with me.
"There must be no hesitation this time amongst the Uitlanders. On the
midnight of the eleventh they must rise to a man, and hold the different
towns until the outside forces join you. If all goes well, as I cannot
see how it can miss, take possession of the trains and telegraph
offices, so as to let no message go out or enter the land. Our part of
the game must be finished before the world can hear about its opening,
and this rotten Republic will then be a thing of the past. We intend to
hold the kopjes this campaign, and force these skunks into the open;
also to avoid bloodshed as much as possible, only the victory must be on
our side--and complete."
Dr Jim gave our heroes a great many other details and instructions on
the journey down. He had been training and moving men to different
parts for the past seven months in anticipation of this event, as
settlers and their servants, as unostentatiously as he could manage it.
While Kruger had been busy coquetting with foreign powers, and buying
the latest improvement in weapons, Cecil Rhodes had been quietly
stocking and populating the lands adjacent to the Transvaal.
"By the way, Romer, I have some personal news for you, which might have
interested you more deeply than it is likely to do now that you have
made your own fortune."
"Yes?" asked Ned, curiously.
"Mr Rhodes has been home, and looking into your affairs. He always
finds time to attend to the interests of those he takes in hand, with
all his other big concerns."
"And what has he discovered about me?"
"That your father first, and afterwards you, trusted as scoundrelly a
thief as was ever transported, to manage your fortune."
"Ah!"
"Yes; this Jabez Raymond, the solicitor, has robbed your late father and
you systematically for many years, forging papers and creating mortgages
wholesale. Mr Rhodes knew your father and the position he held during
his life, so he set ruthlessly to work and unveiled the sanctimonious
scoundrel. He is at present doing a seven years' stretch at Dartmoor
for his delinquencies, while your property is being looked after by a
respectable agent. You are at present the possessor of a comfortable
fifteen hundred per annum and a fine estate in Devon, free of all
incumbrances. This, however, is a flea-bite to what you will have when
these stones are sold."
"Do you think they will realise much?"
"Two or three hundred thousand pounds at the least, I should say."
"But by rights they belong to our employer, Mr Cecil Rhodes."
"He will be content with a share in the mine you have discovered, if it
ever gets into the market. These were presents given to you, therefore
they are undoubtedly your own property," said the doctor.
"And our followers."
"Nonsense! These Kaffirs were your servants. Besides, so much money
would ruin them. Divide the stones between you three, for they are
undoubtedly your property. As for the idols and cups, you can lend a
few of them for our Salisbury Museum. Now finish your yarn."
Dr Jim leaned back on the cushion, smoking his pipe, while Ned resumed
his story. As he told the tale, the train ran smoothly over that
country which so lately had been an unexplored wilderness.
"We had no time to mourn long over the poor young amazon who had fallen
a victim to friendship. We knew that our pursuers would spare no
efforts to reach us as soon as they could do so.
"Therefore, satisfied that she, Rhae, was no more, we opened one of the
mummy-cases, and, taking out the original lodger, we placed her inside
instead. We wrapped her up in the outer linen of the mummy, after
reading the service over her, and replaced the lid of the sarcophagus.
Properly, I suppose, she should have been embalmed, for, according to
her religion, her soul was in jeopardy by her being entombed in this
fashion. But I dare say she'll find her body again at the resurrection
day quite as easily as any of her countrywomen will find their more
carefully preserved earthly shells.
"This done we started up the stairs, carrying the mummy with us. We did
this so as not to horrify the Karnadamains too much with our sacrilege.
We reached the top all right; then, remembering the dying advice of Rhae
about breaking down the steps, I took back with me a good charge of
gunpowder and dynamite, and, placing this in a wide crevice about a
couple of dozen steps from the top, I ran up a train of gunpowder to the
hall above.
"I had hardly finished this operation when we heard them coming. We
could hear their shouts and the clashing of their armour as they filled
the chamber below and crowded up the stairs. At once I fired the train,
and bolted as hard as I could spin to the outer door of the hall.
"I had only taken about a dozen leaps when the explosion took place.
Into the vast hall the smoke and dust flew from the smaller room,
accompanied by the crushing and tumbling of the blasted slabs.
"As soon as the sounds ceased and the smoke cleared, we ventured back to
look at the damage done. We had demolished not only the stairs, but
torn great masses out of the walls of the room as well. Where the
entrance to the stairs had been now lay several tons of broken masonry;
the passage was completely blocked up.
"We listened, but heard no sounds from below; then, satisfied that we
were at last safe, we left the large painted hall.
"Outside we went on the walls and looked over. There a vast crowd of
chariots were standing, with a number of amazon guards. They saw us,
and several bent their bows, but we could afford to laugh at this
display, as the arrows only reached a short distance up the cliffs.
"We at once hurried away, however, for suddenly a thought occurred to me
that there might be some other way up, and we had no desire to be
captured.
"Another thing made us not linger in that deserted citadel. We had
plenty of ammunition and wealth, etc., but we had very little
provisions, and only about one bag full of water.
"Fortunately we were going down the hill, and knew exactly how long we
should take before we reached the Rhodes fountain. But for all that, we
were nearly dead from thirst before we reached it.
"Those awful bashikonay ants were in our minds also, all down that hot
and parching defile. If we should meet them here, there was no hope for
us. Luckily we did not, nor did we see any of them again.
"The stream was still running as clearly as ever. We felt happy when we
reached it, even although we had not half a meal each left out of our
scanty stock.
"Nor did we taste anything after that until we were a full day's journey
from the mountain. Then we killed a couple of lions, and had to satisfy
our appetites on them until we got once more amongst the game.
"Here we were all right. We stayed three weeks on the plains, hunting
and drying meat, and otherwise preparing ourselves for the dismal
forest. We had not lost a man since starting, and for this we all
rejoiced; but in the return through the forest we were not quite so
fortunate, and I am sorry to have to report the loss of ten, whom we had
to bury there.
"One day we ran right into a camp of those active little nomads, who
surrounded us and gave us battle. How many they were we could not tell,
as they dodged us amongst the trees and brushwood.
"There must have been thousands, for although we shot about fifty of
them and kept the rest at bay, yet we suffered from them night and day
afterwards. Not until we were clear of the forest were we able to shake
them off.
"They were dreadful and revengeful pests; nor were we ever sure when we
might be pierced with one of their poisoned arrows.
"Three of our boys went down during the first conflict, and after that
the rest of the ten died from the effects of the poison, one after the
other. They had been touched in vital parts, or else neglected to look
after their wounds at the time.
"I got one arrow in the ankle, but my boot so far protected me, that my
wound was better in a week. Cocoeni was wounded in the arm, and
suffered dreadfully for three weeks. The others who were hit managed to
suck the poison out quickly and wash the wounds with disinfectants, so
that they managed to escape.
"None of us had fever, however, coming back. The constant excitement we
were kept in by these dwarfish, light-coloured savages, with the quick
marches we took, must have saved us from that evil.
"After the forest was over, the rest of our journey was only a matter of
time. You may judge of our astonishment, however, when one day we saw
the corrugated iron roof of a railway station where some months before
we had passed through a country peopled only by natives. You cannot,
however, realise our delight when amongst those who came to welcome us
we beheld you--the hero of South Africa."
"I was as delighted to see you, my lads, and so will Mr Rhodes, when he
lands in Cape Town and gets my telegram announcing your safe return.
Let me congratulate you on your remarkable success. You have more than
answered our expectations, and I am proud of your achievements."
"That repays us tenfold for all we have gone through," answered our
heroes, with beaming faces and exultant hearts.