"Um!" murmured Dick, as the feeble throbbing of the man's pulse met his
finger tips; "quite as I expected. Very low and weak. Evidently
sinking from exhaustion. I must have him out of this into a better
light, although I am almost afraid to run the risk of moving him.
Still, it must be done. I can see nothing here."
He went to the door of the hut and looked out, the crowd still grouped
on the outside of the curve he had described on the ground respectfully
making way before him. There was a small but densely foliaged tree
growing at no great distance from the hut, and casting a strong shadow
upon the ground; that, Dick decided, would be as good a place as any for
his purpose. As he was about to re-enter the hut there arose a slight
commotion upon the outskirts of the crowd, and presently Jantje, the
Hottentot driver, appeared, endeavouring to force his way through to his
master. The sight was a welcome one, for Dick felt very much at a loss
with no one to interpret for him, and in tones of unmistakable relief he
lifted up his voice and shouted:
"Come along, Jantje; you are just the man I wanted." Then, as the
Hottentot joined him, he continued: "See here, Jantje, I want the
wounded man very carefully removed from the hut, and carried over yonder
into the shadow of that tree. Just explain to these fellows, will you,
and ask them to help me."
No sooner said than done; with the passing of the last word through
Jantje's lips half a dozen stalwart Kafirs dived into the hut and in
another moment reappeared, bearing between them the unhappy patient,
stretched upon an eland's skin. It was an exceedingly awkward job to
get the poor fellow out through the low, narrow doorway of the hut, but
they managed it somehow, and in another minute had him satisfactorily
disposed beneath the shadow of the tree. Then Dick approached and
proceeded to examine his hurts.
They had been severe enough to start with; but now, after nearly forty-
eight hours of neglect, their condition was so indescribably loathsome
that even Dick, seasoned hand though he was, nearly vomited at the sight
of them, while as for Grosvenor, he was compelled to beat a precipitate
retreat, but returned gamely, some five minutes later, to see if he
could be of any assistance. Dick, however, although he had never in his
life before beheld anything approaching such a dreadful sight, quickly
pulled himself together and, his professional instinct promptly
asserting itself, ordered some hot water to be brought to him, and,
while it was being prepared, opened his medicine chest and his case of
surgical instruments, the rest of the inhabitants of the village
gathering round in a wide, silent, awestruck circle. They had often
before seen similar sights, and were therefore in a measure accustomed
to them; they knew what the patient's condition meant, and there was not
one among them who did not regard the injured man as already as good as
dead. Nevertheless their curiosity was powerfully aroused; for they had
heard many wonderful stories of the white men who had lately come into
the country toward the south, and were eager to see whether or not it
was true that they could perform miracles, as had been asserted.
As for Dick, he found himself confronted at the outset by a very serious
difficulty. His patient's condition was such that he could not possibly
do what was necessary without inflicting upon the unfortunate man an
amount of suffering that in his low and exhausted condition threatened
to result in collapse and death. The man was too far gone, indeed, to
justify the use of anaesthetics, yet without them Dick feared to
proceed. What was he to do? Suddenly he bethought himself of
hypnotism. Yet, how hypnotise a man whose language he could not speak?
Then he remembered a very remarkable statement which Humphreys had made
when discussing this same subject of hypnotism. "It is not the actual
words which you address to a patient," Humphreys had asserted, "but the
commands which your will imposes on him that produce the desired effect,
which can be obtained without the employment of words at all, if your
will be strong enough. And remember, also, that no abnormal strength of
will is needed if your patient be passive, unresisting." "Surely,"
thought Dick, "that ought to meet the present case, and at all events it
is well worth trying; so here goes." Therewith he bent over his patient
and, fixing the man's gaze in the peculiar manner which Humphreys had
taught him, silently willed him to sink into so deep a sleep that he
should feel nothing of what was about to be done to him. Almost
immediately the man's eyelids fluttered, closed, and he sank into a
profound sleep, breathing slowly and deeply, as could be seen by the
regular rise and fall of his bare, brawny chest.
"_Wao! 'mtagati_--_'mkulu 'mtagati_ (a wizard--a great wizard)!"
murmured the astonished crowd of onlookers behind their hands, gazing
wonderingly in each other's eyes.
Again Dick laid his fingers on his patient's pulse; already it was
stronger and more steady. Very gently he raised one of the man's
eyelids and lightly laid his finger upon the eyeball; the patient might
have been dead for all the effect that the touch had upon him. Then,
the warm water opportunely arriving, the young doctor got to work
without further delay. Strongly impregnating the water with an
antiseptic, he proceeded rapidly to cleanse the wounds, taking a pair of
scissors or a knife from time to time and removing the already
putrefying flesh; then he proceeded to dress the wounds, one after the
other, with healing ointments, drawing the edges together, where
necessary, with a few stitches; and when at length, after more than an
hour's diligent, careful work, his labours came to an end, he ordered
the wagon cartel to be brought to the village, the door of the man's hut
to be enlarged, and a window opening to be made; and finally, when all
these things had been done to his satisfaction, he caused a comfortable
bed to be arranged upon the cartel, with skins borrowed from other huts,
and the man to be laid thereon and taken back to his hut. And all this
time the patient had been sleeping as calmly as an infant! The time had
now, however, arrived when he must be aroused, in order that an anti-
febrifuge might be administered; Dick therefore once more bent over the
man, strongly willing him to awake, which he instantly did, when,
through Jantje as interpreter, the question was put to him how he felt.
He immediately replied, in a wonderfully strong voice, considering his
condition, that he felt much better, and that his wounds were no longer
so painful as they had been; whereupon Dick administered the draught,
telling him, still through Jantje, that immediately after taking it he
would again fall asleep and so remain until the evening, when he would
awake much refreshed and stronger. And while the words were being
spoken Dick strongly willed that they should be fulfilled. The man
obediently gulped down the draught, Dick gently lowered the patient's
head to the pillow, and again deep sleep fell upon the poor fellow.
"Now," ordered Dick, "I want two women to come and watch by this man.
They must constantly fan him with leaves, to keep him cool and prevent
the flies from troubling him; and when he wakes someone must immediately
fetch me. I shall be in my tent by the wagon, yonder." Then, turning
to Grosvenor, who had remained at his elbow all the time, he said:
"No more trekking for us to-day, Phil, or for the next week, I expect.
I must stay, and pull this poor chap through, if I can, now that I have
taken him in hand."
"Oh yes! rather; of course; that goes without saying," cheerfully
assented Grosvenor. "But, I say, Dick, old chap," he continued, "you
have astonished me to-day, fairly taken my breath away; I hadn't the
slightest notion that you were such a swell at your profession as you
have just proved yourself to be. Never saw anything like it in my life
before, y'know, and couldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. Why,
I wouldn't have given three ha'pence for that Kafir's life when I first
set eyes upon him; but now, dash it all, I believe you're going to set
him on his feet again. If you do, your fame will spread far and wide
through the country, and do us a lot of good. But, I say, it was a
jolly lucky thing for you that the poor chap dropped off into that sound
sleep just when he did, eh? Because it enabled you to do several things
that, it seems to me, you couldn't possibly have done had he remained
awake. What puzzles me is that he continued to sleep all through it.
And I noticed that you didn't seem to worry in the least about whether
you awoke him or not. I suppose it was sleep, was it not?"
"Oh yes!" answered Dick airily; "it was sleep, right enough; nothing in
the nature of swoon about it, if that is what you mean. But now, what
about those lions? My patient will sleep for several hours to come, and
I can quite well leave him. It is now,"--consulting his watch--"only a
few minutes past eleven o'clock, and we ought to be able to organise the
hunt and bag the beasts comfortably before tiffin. Are you game?"
"You bet I am, rather!" responded Grosvenor. "It is just what I was
itching to suggest, but I thought it would seem callous to propose that
you should leave your patient, and it would not have been sporting to
have proposed to go off alone, leaving you behind."
"Oh, that is all right!" returned Dick confidently; "my patient will not
need me for hours yet, so let us see about it at once. Where is
Jantje?"
Jantje was close at their elbows, and already "putting on side" among
the villagers upon the strength of being in the service of an _'mkulu
'mtagati_. He stepped forward at the question and answered, with an air
of proud humility:
"I'se here, sar. What you please to want?"
"Mr Grosvenor and I are going to have a try for those lions, Jantje, if
they are still lurking in the neighbourhood," observed Dick. "I believe
you said that these people report the beasts to be somewhere in yonder
clump of bush? Very well. Now, I want a party to enter the bush on the
windward side and carefully beat down-wind in order to drive the brutes
into the open. Mr Grosvenor and I will place ourselves on the down-
wind side of the bush, and if the lions can be induced to break cover we
will do our best to bowl them over. We shall also require two steady,
reliable men to come with us to carry our spare rifles; but, understand
this, they must be men of courage, who will not be scared out of their
seven senses and bolt, carrying our rifles off with them, if the lions
should show in the open."
"Yes, sar," answered Jantje, "I understan' you puffekly. You leave
everyt'ing to me, sar; I arrange it all, jus' as you wish. An' I will
come wid you myself, sar, to carry gun. I am a brabe man, sar; no
pusson in dhis worl' more brabe as me; you shall see, sar."
"Very well," answered Dick, suppressing a smile at the Hottentot's
vainglorious boast; "you, being so exceedingly brave and reliable shall
go with Mr Grosvenor; but you must pick me out a good man to come with
me. Just see about it, will you, and bring the whole party to the
wagon, where we are now going to get our rifles."
Puffed up with the honour of having so important a matter confided to
him, the Hottentot saluted, and turned to address the crowd that still
hung about the white men awaiting possible further developments,
explaining to them what was required. A few words sufficed, and the
moment that the white man's intentions and wishes were understood the
crowd dissolved, as if by magic, the men hurrying away to their huts to
procure their weapons, while Dick and Grosvenor sauntered away toward
the wagon, noting, as they went, that their team of oxen had been driven
to a spot where the grass was especially good, close to the banks of the
river, and that it was being zealously watched and guarded by a dozen
well-grown lads armed with hunting assagais and knobkerries.
Arrived at the wagon, the two friends proceeded to bring forth and don
their bandoliers, having first satisfied themselves that the belts were
filled with the kind of cartridge required for the particular pattern of
weapon which they were about to employ; and then, having taken down and
loaded the four rifles which they intended to use, they awaited the
arrival of the beating party, conscious now, for the first time, of a
peculiar and not altogether pleasant feeling compounded of excitement
and--was it "funk"? No, certainly not, for neither of them would have
backed out of the adventure on any account; yet, if the sensation was
not "funk", it bore some sort of family resemblance to it, something
perhaps, in the nature of stage fright. The fact is that each realised,
at nearly the same moment, that they were about to embark upon a
perfectly new experience, an adventure in which they were as yet
untried, in which courage and the most perfect _sangfroid_ were of the
utmost importance, and they were by no means certain how they would
emerge from the ordeal. To put it plainly, they were just a little
afraid that at the critical moment they might fail to exhibit that
superlative coolness and aplomb, the slightest lack of which would cause
each to feel for ever humiliated and disgraced in the eyes of the other.
Besides, there were the natives, keen of eye, and quick to observe the
smallest sign of anything approaching to perturbation; it would be awful
beyond words to fail before them! By a curious coincidence the mind of
each had been following precisely the same line of thought, and as they
saw Jantje approaching, followed by some forty beaters and every mongrel
cur belonging to the village, the same resolution came to each--they
simply would not disgrace themselves and their colour by displaying the
slightest sign of nervousness or trepidation in the eyes of those
savages; so, drawing a deep breath, they pulled themselves together and,
resolutely dismissing their apprehensions, prepared to do or die.
Proudly leading his party of beaters, the Hottentot approached and,
giving a sort of semi-military salute, announced that the villagers but
awaited the orders of the white chiefs to proceed. Then, leading
forward a tall savage of some thirty-five years of age, of magnificent
physique, he introduced the man as Mafuta, the half-brother of the
injured man, and informed Dick that he, Mafuta, had specially requested
the honour of being allowed to act as gunbearer to his brother's
benefactor on this occasion. Dick ran his eye over the man, noted the
splendid development of his thews and sinews, marked several ugly scars
on his body and limbs bearing mute testimony to the fact that he had
already proved himself a warrior, met his unflinching glance, proud and
resolute, yet respectful, and instantly decided that here was a man who
might be absolutely trusted. Without hesitation he placed his spare
rifle in Mafuta's hands, explaining to him, through Jantje, exactly what
he wished him to do with it; and then issued his final instructions to
the beaters, who at once moved off to work round to the windward side of
the clump of bush in which the lions were said to be hiding, while
Grosvenor and he, followed respectively by Jantje and Mafuta, took their
leisurely way toward the points where they intended to station
themselves. For a considerable part of the distance they walked
together; and when at length they separated, Dick, who somehow seemed to
have assumed the direction of affairs as a matter of course, with
Grosvenor's tacit consent and approval, said:
"Now, Phil, anything that may break cover to the right of that baobab,
as we stand facing it, belongs to you, while anything that emerges to
the left belongs to me, neither of us to interfere with the other's
chances unless the brutes seem likely to get away and make good their
escape. And, just one caution, old chap: don't fire until your quarry
has passed out clear of the line of bush, or you may quite
unintentionally shoot one of the beaters. Ah! there are the dogs giving
tongue; the beaters are putting them into the bush. To your station,
old man, and good luck to you!"
"Thanks! same to you, old chap," cheerily responded Grosvenor, as he
wheeled and strode away to the spot fixed upon as his station.
The clump of bush in which the lions were said to have secreted
themselves was an isolated one, with nothing in particular to
distinguish it from the thousands of other clumps that dotted the
visible country, except that one extremity of it abutted upon the edge
of a small shallow ravine, through which trickled a tiny rivulet
discharging itself into the larger stream which flows through the long
valley that intersected the landscape. Close to the spot where the
clump of bush touched the edge of the ravine the rivulet flowed into and
through a shallow basin of rock, which formed an ideal drinking place
for animals; and it was possibly this circumstance that had caused the
lions to take up their temporary abode in that particular clump. There
was the possibility that the lions, when breaking cover, might attempt
to escape by bolting into and up the ravine; and accordingly, when this
fact had been pointed out and explained to Dick, he had very unselfishly
placed his friend Grosvenor on that side in order that the latter might
have the benefit of the most likely chances.
The barking and yelping of the dogs grew steadily louder and more
insistent, and to it was presently added the shouts and shrill
whistlings of the Kafirs as they forced their way through the thick
undergrowth. A few birds flew out with startled cries, but for about a
quarter of an hour there was no further result. Then suddenly the dogs
burst into a chorus of sharp, savage barks, entirely different in
character from their former utterances, and quite sufficient in itself
to inform even the veriest novice that game of some sort was afoot; the
Kafirs' cries of encouragement were redoubled; an occasional rustling
and crackling of branches became audible to the intent watchers.
Presently there arose a terrific outburst of furious snarlings, growls,
and yappings, intermingled with the violent swishing and crackling of
dry leaves and twigs, evidence conclusive that a fight was proceeding in
the heart of the bush. Then the sudden, sharp, agonised pow-wow of a
dog in pain rang out, accompanied by a horrible sound of worrying; a
still further increase of the hubbub followed, then a heavy crashing of
bushes, and out sprang a magnificent tawny-maned lion into the open. He
broke into view immediately opposite to Dick, and not more than twenty
yards distant, stopping dead as he sighted the lad standing rifle in
hand, with Mafuta like a bronze statue behind him. As the splendid
beast stood at gaze, with blazing eyes, and his tail switching in short,
angry jerks from side to side, the feeling of anxiety and nervousness
that had been oppressing Dick seemed to drop from him like a garment.
In an instant he became absolutely cool, steady, and self-possessed, and
lifting his rifle to his shoulder with a lightning-like movement, while
the sights of the weapon seemed to line themselves of their own volition
upon the centre of the beast's broad forehead, right between the eyes,
he pressed the trigger. There was a flash, a sharp, whip-like report, a
faint puff of smoke, and the lion dropped stone dead where he stood.
Meanwhile the hubbub in the bush was raging even more fiercely than
ever, showing that the beast which had just fallen to Dick's rifle had
not been the cause of it, and that the sport was by no means over.
Dick's weapon was a magazine rifle, and with a quick movement he jerked
another cartridge into position, just as the uproar grew so loud and
near at hand that it became evident another break was imminent.
The next instant it occurred. A splendid lioness, carrying a small cub
in her mouth, crashed into the open, with a dozen or more yapping and
snarling curs at her heels. She broke cover well on Grosvenor's side of
the baobab; and, like the lion, came to an abrupt halt as soon as she
saw Grosvenor, straight toward whom she was charging. In an instant the
white man's rifle leapt to his shoulder, and the next instant he fired.
But even as he pressed the trigger, a dog, more valiant or more
foolhardy than the rest, dashed in upon her, and with the rapidity of
lightning she turned to meet his rush, dropping her cub, and nearly
tearing the miserable cur's head from his shoulders with a single stroke
of her powerful fore paw. At the same instant Grosvenor's bullet, aimed
at her head, crashed into her flank, passing right through it and
utterly paralysing her hind quarters. With a whining, snarling roar the
poor beast rolled over on her side, but instantly recovered herself so
far as to raise herself on her fore legs--between which the cub, but a
trifle bigger than a well-grown cat, took refuge--her jaws champing and
foaming, and her eyes blazing lightnings at the dogs, which, recognising
her helplessness, closed in round her.
"Save the cub!" shouted Dick; "don't let the dogs worry it; I want to
keep the little beast alive." And, leaving his position, he hurried
forward, regardless of danger, to beat off the dogs. Grosvenor and
Jantje also rushed forward at his shouts, and were quickly joined by
Mafuta, who seemed to divine what Dick required. Dashing fearlessly in
among the snarling and snapping dogs, the Kafir and the Hottentot at
length succeeded in beating them off, upon which Grosvenor stepped close
up to the lioness and gave her the _coup de grace_ by sending a bullet
through her brain. As she rolled over dead, Mafuta sprang in and
grabbed the cub by the skin of the neck, despite the fact that it
snarled and spat like an angry cat and struck out viciously with its
claws, which were already strong enough to inflict quite a painful
scratch, and carried it off to the wagon, tying it to a wheel by a stout
reim.
Having ensured the safety of the cub, Dick, carrying his own and the
spare rifle which he had snatched from Mafuta, hurried back to the point
which he had so hurriedly deserted; for the commotion in the heart of
the bush clearly evidenced the fact that the remaining members of the
troop of lions still clung to cover, and that the beaters and dogs were
doing their utmost to dislodge them. Laying the spare rifle at his
feet, Dick stood facing the great clump, with the rifle in his hand at
the ready, prepared for any emergency. The noise and confusion,
however, seemed to indicate that the next event would occur in the area
under Grosvenor's jurisdiction, and, sure enough, about a minute later
another lion and lioness broke cover together, followed by the remainder
of the dogs. The noble beasts, both of which were apparently young
animals, and but barely full-grown, evidently intended to make for fresh
cover in the ravine, but, finding Grosvenor blocking the way, came to a
sudden halt, upon which the dogs instantly gathered round them, yapping
and snarling furiously, while individual members made sudden feints of
dashing in, only to retreat precipitately with their tails between their
legs as the infuriated beasts turned this way and that to meet the rush.
The crowding, clamouring dogs, with their quick rushes, and the
incessant twists and turns of the regal pair to meet those rushes, were
anything but conducive to good shooting, and Grosvenor, with rifle to
shoulder, held his fire, watching for a favourable opportunity.
Suddenly it came: a dog more venturesome than the rest sprang at the
lion, and was caught by him. Planting both his front paws on the body
of the unhappy cur, the lion stood for a moment glaring at his foes, and
in that moment Grosvenor pulled trigger, the bullet striking the great
beast full in his massive chest. For perhaps a quarter of a minute the
lion stood absolutely motionless, his eyes blazing defiance; then he
suddenly collapsed, and, with a half-whine, half-roar, slowly rolled
over on his side, his great head sank to earth, his limbs stretched
themselves stiffly out, and with a violent shudder he yielded up his
life.
Grosvenor chose this moment to inject a fresh cartridge into the chamber
of his rifle. But something went wrong with the weapon, and while he
was still fidgeting with it, forgetful of the fact that Jantje was
standing behind him with a second rifle, fully charged, in his hand, the
lioness, with a mighty, snarling roar that sent the dogs scuttling in
all directions, crouched with the evident intention of springing upon
the slayer of her lord. For a moment Dick, who was interestedly
watching the scene, took no action, for, according to the arrangement
come to between them, the lioness belonged of right to Grosvenor. Then,
realising that his friend was in peril, he shouted excitedly:
"Shoot, Phil, shoot, or the brute will be upon you!" at the same time
lifting his own weapon to his shoulder.
"Can't," returned Grosvenor, still struggling with his rifle; "the
beastly thing's--"
Crack! Dick instantly pressed the trigger; and as he did so the lioness
rose into the air with a curious writhing movement, falling short of the
spot where Grosvenor stood by about a foot. As she fell she rolled
headlong, but instantly recovered herself, standing upon three legs,
with the fourth broken close to the shoulder, while Grosvenor, stepping
back hurriedly in the long grass to avoid her, was tripped up and fell
flat upon his back. Fearing that, despite her broken leg, the lioness
might spring upon his prostrate friend and badly maul him, Dick
impetuously sprang forward, injecting a new cartridge as he ran, but
stopped short, convulsed with laughter, at the sight of his friend, his
long legs flourishing in the air, rolling with frantic energy out of the
reach of the lioness. Then, as Grosvenor finally scrambled to his feet,
minus his rifle, which he had dropped during his hurried retreat--while
Jantje had incontinently bolted, carrying Grosvenor's second rifle with
him, as the lioness sprang--Dick again levelled his piece and bowled the
great tawny brute over with a bullet behind the ear, which penetrated
the brain.
Thus satisfactorily terminated the adventurers' first experience with
big game, each of the sportsmen bagging a lion and lioness, while the
cub might be regarded as the joint property of the two. A very
satisfactory feature of the day's sport was that nobody had received so
much as a scratch, the actual casualties amounting to two Kafir dogs
slain. As for the Kafirs, they fell upon the carcasses and with
incredible rapidity and skill stripped off the hides and pegged them out
preparatory to treating them in the native fashion, afterwards removing
the heads and carefully depositing each in the near vicinity of an ants'
nest, in order that the insects might remove--as they very speedily
would--every atom of flesh from the bones. Then, having rendered this
service to the champions who had delivered them from their formidable
enemies, they departed, dancing, to the village, singing a triumphant
song to the glory of the white men, in which each incident of the recent
hunt was graphically described with appropriate gesture.