"What does he want?" I muttered to myself as I looked on curiously, for
I could not hear what was said; but, to my horror, there appeared to be
something like a quarrel, as the foreloper suddenly threw down the long
bamboo he carried and then squatted upon the ground.
In an instant the shaft of Joeboy's assagai fell with a sounding thwack
across the man's bare shoulders, making him spring to his feet and
snatch a knife out from his waistcloth. My hand went to my revolver,
and I ran to Joeboy's aid; but there was no need. In an instant the
glistening blade of my companion's assagai was pointed at the
foreloper's throat, making him recoil; and then, in response to a
threatening thrust or two, the man picked up his long, thin bamboo and
replaced his knife, while Joeboy, pointing fiercely to me, rated the man
in his own tongue.
"What is it, Joeboy?" I asked as the man went back to the head of the
bullock-team.
"Um? Say want to 'top and rest bullocks and make fire for breakfast,
Boss. I say he go on till we get to laager. Say he won't, and Joeboy
make um. Boss Val put little 'volver pistol away and unsling gun;
pretend to shoot um."
I did as Joeboy suggested, and the man went down upon his knees and laid
his forehead upon the earth. I needed no telling what to say next.
"Get up! Trek!" I shouted as fiercely as I could. The man leaped to
his feet and urged the bullocks on, while the driver on the box made his
great two-handed whip crack loudly in the quiet of the morning. The
actions of these two being taken up by the men with the wagons behind,
the bullocks for a time went on at the rate of quite another half-mile
an hour extra.
"Um!" ejaculated Joeboy, with a look of satisfaction in his eyes; "rifle
gun reach long way. Boss Val see boy not driving well, pretend to send
bullet in um head, and make um jump along. Ha!"
Noticing that the black was using his hands like a binocular glass, and
looking back, I asked anxiously, "What is it?"
"Um? See Doppie coming now?"
I looked, but could make out nothing; yet I was satisfied it was so. I
now gazed eagerly in the direction of our goal, for Joeboy had first
turned his eyes there.
"Can you see help coming, Joeboy?" I asked anxiously.
"Um? No," he replied.
"Then it's all over," I said in despair.
"Um? Yes, here um come."
"Ah!" I cried, remembering now the signal agreed upon. "Is it the
Lieutenant--Mr Denham?"
"Joeboy can't see so far as that," replied the black. "Only see horses
coming fas'. Coming to fetch wagons and plenty mealies and flour. Boys
all say `Hurrah!' and make all horses laugh."
"But do you think they will get here first?"
"Um? Yes. Doppie got longer way to come."
"Ha!" I ejaculated, with a sigh of relief.
A few minutes later the foreloper on whom so much depended--guided, no
doubt, by our anxious looks in one direction--made out the coming of our
friends, and I saw his eyes open widely till there was a great opal ring
round the dark pupils. Looking at me despairingly, he pointed with his
long bamboo in the direction of the galloping troop.
I nodded, and pointed forward. After an uneasy glance at my gun, he
went on with his team in the direction we wished.
"Black boy run away fas'," said Joeboy, suddenly laughing merrily, "but
'fraid lead bullet run fasser."
"I suppose so," I said slowly as I turned to look back. The light being
now much increased, I readily detected a strong troop of the Boers in
motion, and doubtless coming in our direction. I drew my breath hard as
I looked at the long lines of slowly plodding oxen and then in the
direction of our rescuers, who must have seen we were pursued, for they
were galloping. Then, to my horror, Joeboy turned to me and nodded,
after gazing back.
"Um?" he said in a long, slow, murmuring way, "'nother lot o' Doppie
coming. Big lot."
I darted a look at our comrades, who came sweeping along over the veldt;
but they were still far distant, and we seemed to be creeping along more
slowly than ever.
"Not enough; not enough," I thought; but I wasted no time in regret.
There were fully fifty friends, all good horsemen and able shots, coming
to our help; so I need not despair. Thinking of what would be the best
tactics under the circumstances, there seemed to be two ways open to us:
for the troop to fall in on either side of the last wagon, and keep up a
running fight; or, if the Boer party proved too strong, the six wagons
could be drawn up laager-wise and turned into a temporary fort, with the
bullocks outside, our men firing, till help came, from behind an
improvised shelter formed by the sacks of grain and meal.
Then I reasoned despairingly that the Boers would send forward troop
after troop to recover, the wagons. "If they can," I now muttered
through my teeth. For I was more hopeful now, as it soon became evident
that the enemy had twice as far to come as our men had. At last, when
the mental strain had become almost unbearable, Denham and his troop
dashed forward, cheering madly.
"Bravo! bravo, Val!" he shouted to me, pulling his horse up so suddenly
that it nearly went back on its haunches. "Here, you, Joeboy, keep the
teams going. Fall in, my lads! Dismount!"
The troop sprang from their saddles, swung round their rifles, and
waited. In obedience to Denham's next order I followed the last wagon,
rifle in hand. Seeing the uneasy glances the drivers and forelopers
directed at it from time to time, I felt convinced that if it had not
been for this they would have played some trick with the bullocks, or
have done something to stop the further progress of our prize-convoy,
now that they fully understood what was wrong.
For me the suspense was over, though the plodding of the oxen still
seemed maddening; but I had active work to do yet, with Joeboy for my
aid, keeping the blacks well to their work. This we did vigorously,
being called upon very soon even to threaten and command.
Just when least expected, and following upon a determined charge made by
our pursuers, there was a rattling volley delivered standing by our men,
who, steadying their rifles upon their horses' backs, emptied many a
saddle. But the Boers came on till within about a hundred yards, when a
second volley was poured into them, sending horses and men struggling to
the ground. The troop now divided in two, swinging round to right and
left and dashing back towards the second party, who were now well in
sight.
It was at the first volley that the alarmed black drivers nearly got out
of hand, while the teams began to huddle together and threatened a
stampede. The black boys, however, soon saw they had more to fear from
us than from the Boers; and by the time our friends had remounted and
trotted up to us the wagon-train was steadied again.
"Can't you get any more speed out of them, Val?" shouted Denham.
"No," I said; "this is the best they can do with the loads. You fellows
must save the prize now."
"And we will," cried Denham, waving his hat, with the result that his
men cheered.
Meanwhile the detachment of the enemy we sent to the right-about in a
headlong gallop had settled down to a trot to meet the reinforcements
coming up; but we had also a force coming to join us; so, when the enemy
had joined hands and came on again, we of the wagon-train had two troops
for our protection, who, coming on at a walk behind, readily faced
round, dismounted, and poured forth a withering fire, which again sent
the enemy scuttling away on their shambling ponies.
So the march went on for the next hour, during which troop after troop
of the Boers reinforced our pursuers, but always to find that our force
had been strengthened. Then the Colonel joined us with all he could
command, and a fierce little battle raged. Again the Boers were
repulsed. There being no cover for their men, which is so necessary for
the practice of their marksmanship to the best advantage, the clever
cavalry manoeuvres of the Light Horse proved too much for them.
Unsuccessful attempts to recapture the wagons were kept up till they
were drawn as close to the opening in the old fortress walls as they
could be got, the enemy being kept at bay while the bullocks were driven
in. Then followed troop after troop of our men, who dismounted and
hurried to the top of the walls, where they covered the retirement of
their comrades so effectually that the enemy were soon in full retreat,
gathering up their wounded as they passed without molestation from us.
That afternoon the Boers' wagons, surmounted by a white flag, were seen
coming across the plain, their attendants being engaged for a long time
in the gruesome task of collecting the dead.
It must not be supposed, however, that our men had not suffered; we had
a dozen slightly wounded. Inside the walls that evening there was a
triumphant scene of rejoicing, in which to a man the wounded took part.
The wagons had been emptied, and grain and meal stored under cover;
horses and bullocks had a good feed, and one of the wagons was
demolished for firewood, our whole force revelling in what they called a
glorious roast of beef.
I never felt so much abashed in my life, I could not feel proud; though,
of course, I had done my best. I tried to explain that it was poor old
black Joeboy we had to thank for the success of the raid; but the men
would not listen. If ever poor fellow was glad when the sentries had
been relieved and the fires were out, so that rest and silence might
succeed the wild feast, I was that person. I felt utterly exhausted,
and I have only a vague recollection of lying down upon some bags of
mealies, and of Denham, who was by me, saying:
"Hurrah, old fellow! The chief must make you a sergeant for this."
I don't think I made any reply, for I was nearly asleep; and that night
seemed to glide away in a minute and a half.