When the night swiftly settled down, a ring of fires sprang up about the
little camp, and the warriors seated round chanted their battle songs
with many a burst of merriment. But in the camp thus hemmed in there
was silence--the silence of despair. Though they had beaten their foes
off the victory would not lay with them, as they had to abandon their
waggon, the home of many happy days; their possessions, which became
more valuable with each day's move from civilisation; and had to face
the hardships and dangers of progress through savage country on foot,
themselves their own porters.
"Is there no hope of holding out?" asked Webster.
Hume glanced significantly at Miss Anstrade, who, with head averted, was
listening, with evident nervousness, to the ominous chants of the Zulus.
"We must escape," he muttered.
"At least, let us scuttle the ship before we leave her, lay a train to
the powder-room, and blow her up."
"And so tell them that we have left the camp. No; I'm afraid we must
leave everything standing. I have made four large bundles, and we can
take away enough to last."
Blankets and rugs, rolled up and tied at their ends, were slung like
horse-collars over their shoulders and across their breasts, rifles were
picked up, bundles tied on with the ox rheims; and so prepared they
waited the return of Sirayo, who had gone off scouting into the night.
And as they waited their first regret at leaving gave place to a nervous
anxiety to be off, for the darkness brought to them a thorough sense of
the insecurity of their position. A rustle in the leaves of the huge
tree rising above them like a dome made them look up apprehensively,
lest some daring savage was already in lurking amid the branches, and
when at last Klaas signalled the approach of Sirayo, they stepped
forward eagerly to meet him.
"Is the way open, chief?" whispered Hume.
"They watch like jackals when the lion has killed," he said gloomily.
"The order has gone round."
"What! do they fear we will attempt to escape?"
"They know. Their white chief has told them."
"Could we not get through while they are singing?" asked Hume, looking
moodily into the darkness.
"Those who sing are not those who watch; they are nearer, and will close
in until they are a fence right round."
Hume turned despondently to explain, and all tightened their grasp on
their weapons, and listened for any sign of this living and deadly ring,
narrowing its coil for the final crush.
"Baas, I have a plan," said the Gaika suddenly.
"What is it?"
"Which way would the baas go?"
"Towards the river," said Hume impatiently.
"My plan is this. I will creep out on the other side and cry out that
you have escaped there. The men will then run up and you may then
quickly move for the river."
"It is a good plan," growled Sirayo. "I also will go, and when we meet
those in the way we will fight and at the sound all will rush up."
"And you would be killed," said Hume, after weighing it over, "and they
would follow on after us. No, no, if we cannot escape together we will
fight here and die together."
"Let it be so," said Sirayo, squatting by the fire and proceeding to
eat.
The others looked at him for some time, then Miss Anstrade, with a
sudden start, laid her hand on Hume's shoulder.
"I have it," she said breathlessly. "Those rockets; you remember you
bought some at Pretoria in case we wished to signal from the camp to any
lagger. Let us fire them off, and perchance these strange fiery stars
will terrify the natives."
"By Jove!" exclaimed Hume, "there's something in that," and he dived
into the waggon to emerge presently with a bundle of fireworks.
"You'll get the full effect in this darkness," remarked Webster dryly,
"and the blacks should be greatly pleased."
"The idea may seem to you childish," said Hume, fixing a couple of
rockets, "but try and imagine your sensations if for the first time you
saw a rocket streaming into the night."
The experiment was tried. Into the darkness rushed the rockets,
exploded high up, and sent down a shower of coloured sparks, which,
slowly fading as they sank, left a blacker darkness than before.
From the two Kaffirs in the camp there rung exclamations of surprise,
and Sirayo strove hard to conceal his astonishment; but from beyond
there was no response, either in fear or admiration.
"Fire the next just close to the ground," suggested Webster; and they
gathered behind Hume, peering into the dark, their faces coming and
going out of the shadow as the light from the match fell on them. There
was a flash, a long stream of light darted out, hissing, and as the
light swiftly flashed, they say a row of shields, the glint of assegais:
then there was a yell, as the warriors, who had been arrested in their
stealthy advance by the mysterious fire, now broke and fled.
"They run!" said Sirayo loudly; "they say it is witchcraft, that you
talk with the stars. Come!"
Quickly they slipped out, Hume remaining a moment to fix two other
rockets with slow fuses, and then, after closing up the opening in the
fence, he overtook the others. With Sirayo ahead, Webster and Hume on
either side of Laura, and Klaas behind, they felt their way cautiously
over the rough ground, and, as they went, there streamed out towards the
sky the other two rockets. A deep murmur arose from the awestruck
natives, who would, no doubt, remain fixedly gazing towards the camp for
more portents; and the little party, taking advantage of their
opportunity, pushed on rapidly till they reached the long slope
stretching down to the thick bush on the banks of the river. Now they
could advance with less caution and more speed, and their spirits rose
as the hope of safety increased, for they had not time yet to realise
this disaster that had overwhelmed them. At last the outlying mimosas
of the thick woods arrested their progress, and, for the first time,
they halted to readjust their burdens.
"Which way does your path lie?" asked Sirayo.
"Down the river, and then up into the mountains."
"Yoh!" exclaimed the chief, astonished, "the safe path is back on the
way you came, and into the white man's country."
"We undertook this journey for a purpose, and it is not now we will turn
back. You will come with us?"
"When Sirayo sets forth on a journey, he knows beforehand whither he
goes and why. You are not hunting, and your lives are dearer to you
than the sight of the mountain."
"We have heard a tale of a yellow rock that lies beyond the mountain,
and we would see whether the tale is true."
"Soh! I have heard that tale from the people we have left. They have
talked much about it, and of a strange man who knows of it. Many, they
say, have set out to find that rock, but never one came back."
"Then it is there?" said Hume.
"Oh, ay; yet if it has not been found it may not exist. A tale grows
easily out of nothing, and lives long on the tongues of old men. This
rock has been polished by the gossips till it shines like a flame, but
the man who set the tale going may have seen only the sun striking on a
girl's armlet."
"Well, we will search for it, and with your aid."
The chief took a pinch of snuff, as could be judged from the loud sniff.
"We must cover up the spoor. Let your friend come with me so that we
may lay a new spoor away from this, and do you keep on the river."
This was done. Webster remained with Sirayo, while the others went on
slowly and with many pauses till they heard the river flowing, when they
waited for the dawn, wrapping themselves up in their blankets to keep
off the night chill. At dawn they continued their flight for several
miles along the bank of the river until they reached a place where the
bed narrowed between granite banks, where a halt was cried and they
waited for the other two, who came up close on noon, having smothered
the trail and laid a false track up stream. Preparations were made to
cross, for it was feared the Zulus might lay dogs upon the spoor, and
Webster, in a marvellously short time, made a small raft out of
driftwood. It was large enough to hold Laura, the rifles and goods, and
the men, stripped to the waist, swam at the sides, splashing vigorously
to frighten the crocodiles. Without accident they reached the further
shore, landing amid a confused mass of boulders, over which they
struggled to the shelter of the woods. As before, Webster and the chief
remained behind, this time to watch if the enemy discovered their
crossing, while the others pushed on wearily down wide game tracks into
a patch of forest trees, where they rested, at last, under a wild
fig-tree, whose light-coloured branches stretched wide and high. Here,
with the driest of wood, a fire was made, and carefully nursed so that
it should not give forth thick smoke; a tin hold-all was produced from
one of the bundles, the kettle set to boil, the blankets spread on the
branches, and a small leafy shelter made for Laura. This work occupied
them until they were joined by the others, who reported that they had
heard only the distant shouts of the Zulus, but had seen no one.
"They are content," said Sirayo; "they have got what they wanted--your
waggon, your oxen, your goods, and if they have lost a few men there are
less to share the spoil."
"But the white men who were with them will not give up the pursuit so
readily."
"Oh, ay; the white man's hate, like his bullet, reaches far, and strikes
when you are out of sight and have forgotten, but those were not of your
race; they are yellow men from the coast, and maybe they, too, are in
search of the flaming stone."
"Portuguese!"
"I know not, but they chatter much, make much trouble with the women,
and show their teeth when they are angry; moreover, they are idle and of
little stature."
"They are certainly Portuguese," said Hume, with a sly glance at Laura,
as he interpreted.
"You may depend," she said, "that Lieutenant Gobo is still following us,
though surely he must have some other motive than that of revenge. His
persistence would be out of all proportion to the injury he has
received. And you remember the offer he made to me if I disclosed the
object of our mission."