Overcome by fatigue, both the young hunters fell fast asleep. Watched
over by a merciful Providence, no savage animals came near them. Not a
growl or bark did Raff utter during the night; and when morning broke,
Denis, who was the first to awake, was somewhat dismayed to find that
the fire had completely gone out. He was not long in scraping the ashes
together, and with the remainder of the sticks he had gathered relighted
it and put on some venison steaks to cook.
When sufficiently done, he roused up Percy, who was greatly astonished
to find that night had passed away. They did not fail to return thanks
to God, who had taken care of them during the hours of darkness; for
they felt, as any persons with the least sense of religion in them must
have done, how utterly helpless they were under such circumstances.
"Oh, how I wish I had some water!" poor Percy kept saying, as he tried
to get down the meat. They neither of them could eat much, and Raff
came in for a larger share than he would otherwise have obtained.
The clouds had cleared away, a bright sun was shining. According to
their calculation, they had hitherto succeeded in keeping the course
they had intended. The country to the east, however, looked so barren
and uninviting, that they agreed to travel northward, where there
appeared to be a better prospect of obtaining water, without which they
could not hope to get on. As the sun rose in the sky, the heat became
more and more excessive. Not a breath of wind cooled the atmosphere,
and they consequently suffered more than ever from thirst. As before,
poor Raff crawled along at their heels, with his tongue hanging from his
mouth. In vain they looked out for trees of sufficient height to afford
them shade.
"It won't do to stop here," said Denis, whom no suffering could daunt;
"the faster we move, the better chance we shall have of finding water."
Percy agreed with him, and did his best to push on. The same rocky
ground, with shrubs growing amidst it, appeared ahead. At last they saw
before them a clump of mimosa bushes.
"Oh, do let us rest there for a short time," exclaimed Percy. "I think
I shall then be able to get on better. I am keeping you back, I know,
but I cannot help it."
"Don't let that trouble you. I feel pretty tired myself," answered
Denis; and they directed their course towards the bushes.
Their meat was rather high by this time, but they had no inclination to
eat, and were too tired to collect wood for a fire. Percy threw himself
on the ground in the shade, where Raff had already lain down. Denis
seated himself by his side. He had scarcely been there a moment, when
he started up, whispering--
"I hear some animal moving on the other side of the wood. It may be a
deer, and I must not lose the chance of killing it."
He stole cautiously among the bushes, endeavouring to discover the
animal he fancied he had heard. He had got a hundred and fifty yards or
so from his friend, when what was his horror to see rushing towards him
a huge black rhinoceros! The creature did not see him, and perhaps
would not have observed Percy, had not Raff started up and begun barking
furiously. This aroused Percy, who, getting on his feet, thus exposed
himself to the view of the rhinoceros. He would have been more prudent
had he remained perfectly quiet. The rhinoceros looked at him savagely,
when Percy levelled his rifle, but instead of waiting till the animal
had got near him, fired; the bullet grazing the creature's head, excited
its rage, and on it rushed, with its horn lowered, directly towards the
hapless lad. In another instant that fearful weapon would have been
plunged into his body. Denis trembled for the safety of his friend; for
he knew, should he fire, that his bullet was more likely to wound him
than the rhinoceros. Percy's death seemed certain, when at that moment,
bursting through the wood, a young Zulu warrior appeared, with rifle in
hand, shouting and shrieking to attract the animal's attention. This
had the effect of making the savage brute turn its eyes towards him. He
fired. The rhinoceros was still rushing on, when its knees bent, its
head sank down, and its horn ploughed along the ground. In another
instant it would have been up to Percy, had not the Zulu, bounding
forward, seized him in his arms, and carried him a few paces from the
spot where he had been lying, which the rhinoceros reaching, it fell
over on its side, and lay motionless.
"Thank you, whoever you are," said Percy. "You have saved my life; for
the animal's horn would have run me through, had you not come to my
assistance."
Though the Zulu might not have understood what Percy said, he
comprehended by the tone of his voice that he was expressing his
gratitude.
Denis in the meantime, dreadfully alarmed, was hurrying on, scarcely
expecting to be in time to save Percy, when the Zulu made his
appearance. At first he was unable to tell whether he came as a friend
or a foe, until he saw him fire, and knock over the rhinoceros.
"Thank heaven, he is safe! But who can that be? What, Mangaleesu!" he
exclaimed. "Thank you, my friend, thank you! You have indeed come at
the right moment. We feared that you were among those slaughtered by
Cetchwayo and his followers."
This was said partly in Zulu, and partly in such English as the young
chief understood. Denis had grasped his hand, and pressed it warmly to
express his gratitude.
"I had a narrow escape; but I slew six of my pursuers, and got off
free," answered Mangaleesu. "I could not, however, make my way directly
into Natal, as I had left my wife, when I joined Umbulazi, in a kraal,
with some of her relatives in this direction. On reaching it, I hurried
her away, for I knew that ere long our enemies would attack it.
Scarcely had we concealed ourselves in the woods overlooking the kraal,
when a party of Cetchwayo's forces appeared, and burnt it to the ground,
destroying all who remained within. We have since been journeying on,
but have been compelled to proceed cautiously, for fear of being
discovered; for, being known as opposed to Cetchwayo, I might have been
captured, and delivered up to him."
"And where is your wife?" asked Denis.
"She is in a cave at no great distance, where I placed her while I came
out to hunt; for, as game has been scarce in the country through which
we travelled, we have been sorely pressed for food; but now we have this
rhinoceros meat, we will at once return to her, as she will be
frightened at my long absence."
Saying this, the chief, who had just placed Percy on the ground,
commenced cutting through the tough hide of the rhinoceros, and was
about to slice off some of the flesh, when, observing how ill Percy
looked, he inquired what was the matter with him.
"We want water," answered Denis; "and he will die, I fear, if it cannot
soon be obtained."
"I will at once fetch some for him then," said Mangaleesu; and taking
the two empty bottles, he started away in the direction of some rocks
seen in the distance.