Nearly a week had passed, and the cortege was again setting out from
Heidelberg, where it had arrived three days previously. Lieutenant
Evetts greeted his old companions in arms with much cordiality, and they
had travelled in great comfort as well as safety under his escort. He
had expressed his great regret that he could not accompany them with his
men to Lichtenberg. The distance between these two towns was much
longer than between Luneberg and Standerton, or between Standerton and
Heidelberg. The country, too, was wilder and more sparsely inhabited.
His presence, and that of half a dozen of his men, would have made
everything smooth. But he was under orders to leave immediately for
Newcastle, as soon as he had performed his errand. All efforts to
engage trustworthy men at Heidelberg had proved vain; and they were
obliged to set out at last with the same party which had started from
Luneberg. It was with equal surprise and satisfaction that they
overtook, a few hours after leaving Heidelberg, some soldiers belonging
apparently to the Natal Contingent, with a corporal at their head, who
were escorting some prisoners, chiefly natives. These were handcuffed,
as well as linked together by lashings round their arms. The soldiers
were all white men. George, who was riding in advance of his party,
moved up and spoke to the corporal. He introduced himself as Mr
Rivers, late of the Mounted Infantry, and stated that his companions had
belonged to the same corps.
The man answered civilly enough, though with rather a confused manner,
that he remembered Lieutenant Rivers and his friends quite well, having
been present at the action at Ulundi. George then inquired whither he
was conveying his prisoners, and heard with much satisfaction that it
was to Lichtenberg. It appeared that there had been a riot there.
Houses had been plundered and murders committed, and these men, who were
believed to have been concerned in the riot, had been arrested on the
frontiers, and were on their way to Lichtenberg to be identified and
tried. George again expressed his satisfaction, and proposed that the
two parties should travel together for mutual convenience and security.
To this the corporal rejoined that he should be quite satisfied with
such an arrangement; and George rode off well pleased to give the
information to Vander Heyden and Margetts, who were acting as rearguard.
The Dutchman at once expressed his satisfaction, as did Margetts,
though in a more guarded manner, and George noticed, with some surprise,
that he scrutinised very closely the corporal and his men when he rode
up to speak to them. He made no remark, however, and George, riding
back, resumed his place by Margetts' side. It was still quite early.
Desirous of avoiding the mid-day heat, which for the last day or two had
been very great, they had started two hours before daybreak, and the
whole landscape had hitherto been wrapped in a gloom through which they
could not do much more than distinguish their way. But the dawn now
began to dapple the skies, and with the first light appeared a scene so
startling, that our two travellers drew rein to gaze with wonder on it.
As they had approached Heidelberg a few days previously, they had
noticed how dull and uninteresting the landscape appeared. The ground
had been rising continually for a long time past, until it had attained
the height of some hundreds of feet, and then a long undulating level
had succeeded, extending as far as the eye could reach, without rock or
forest or scrub to break the monotony. Nor were there, for vast
distances together, traces to be found of the hand of man. There were
few enclosures or habitations, and even flocks of sheep were of rare
occurrence. They had expected to find the country on the other side of
Heidelberg very nearly the same in appearance as that which they had
encountered before reaching it. But the landscape which they now beheld
formed the most striking contrast to it. In place of the sparse and
barren plain, varied only by dried clumps of dull vegetation and bare
heaps of sand or stone, there appeared a scene which might have vied
with that of fairyland. Rich forests, with a most picturesque variety
of outline, were seen environing the shores of a lake whose deep blue
surface was studded with verdant islets. In the foreground rose castles
and abbeys and picturesque ruins, grouped with a skill that no landscape
painter could have surpassed, and the distant view was closed by
mountain ridges, presenting the most striking effects of light and
shade.
"Pretty to look at," remarked Matamo, who had just ridden up, as he
noticed George's admiring gaze. "Pity it is not real."
"Not real!" returned George. "What do you mean?"
"You'll soon see," was the brief reply; and, sure enough, almost
immediately afterwards the brilliant landscape melted away like a
dissolving view in a magic lantern, and a long stretch of barren down
and rock and scrub was all that could be discerned.
"A mirage!" exclaimed George. "Well, I have often heard of them, but I
could not have believed the delusion was so perfect."
"Wonderful country for cheats of that sort," remarked Matamo; "it often
looks like that before sunrise."
The mid-day halt was made under some high cliffs, which threw a long
shadow and afforded some protection from the heat. Here Vander Heyden
had some conversation with the corporal, and agreed with him that, as
his party could not proceed beyond a certain distance every day, all of
them, except the corporal himself, being on foot, the soldiers should be
allowed occasionally to change with the mounted men of Vander Heyden's
party, while the prisoners were permitted to take their seats in the
waggon. Margetts uttered a hasty exclamation when this arrangement was
reported to him, but he said nothing more, and everything went on
prosperously till the halt took place. They sat down in three parties--
the corporal and his men by the side of one waggon, Matamo, Haxo, and
the Hottentots by the other, while the third, consisting of what might
be termed the gentry of the party, took their places under some mimosas,
on the brink of a small fountain, almost immediately under a high and
steep rock.
The meal was half over, when suddenly there was heard a loud jabbering
noise above, and the party, looking up, saw several hideous faces
peering over the ridges of the rocks.
"Bushmen!" exclaimed Redgy. "I have been expecting to fall in with them
for some time. We are not so very far from their country, I believe.
Hallo up there?" he continued, as a number of large stones came rattling
down from above. "Stop that, do you hear, or you'll find two can play
at it." He raised his gun as he spoke, and pointed it at the rocks.
"It is no use talking to them," observed Hardy, laughing; "I don't
suppose they would understand you if they _were_ Bushmen. But they are
not. They are baboons--mandrils, I believe, is their exact name. There
are great numbers of them in this part of the country. I wonder we
haven't fallen in with them before."
"Baboons, hey!" cried Redgy. "The mischievous brutes!" he added a
minute or two afterwards, as another large stone passed over his head,
which it very narrowly missed. "I say, I am not going to stand this
sort of thing! I'll just give them a shot or two to improve their
manners."
"Stop, Mr Margetts, don't fire!" cried Vander Heyden. "They are the
most revengeful and malicious creatures in the world, and as strong and
fierce as tigers. There are hundreds of them, and they'll attack us in
a body if you provoke them."
His warning came too late. Redgy had already fired, and a yell of pain
from above announced that his aim had been successful. The next moment
a dozen huge mandrils had sprung over the rocks and began to descend the
cliffs, leaping from point to point as nimbly as squirrels.
"Run for it!" shouted Hardy. "Take shelter in the waggons. We may keep
them off there, but it is about our only chance."
There was no need of further warning. Matamo, Haxo, and the Hottentots,
the corporal, his men, and his prisoners, though they had been too far
off to hear what was passing, no sooner saw the baboons coming down the
rocks, screaming and gesticulating with fury, than they became aware of
the danger of the situation, and made straight for the waggons as the
only haven of shelter. Nor were they a moment too soon. The front and
back boards of the waggons were only just secured, when they were
surrounded by a multitude of infuriated brutes, endeavouring to pull
down the tilt and boards of the waggons. Others climbed on to the top
and tore away the tarpaulin covering from the ribs, endeavouring to
wrench out the ribs themselves with their strong, sharp claws. They
became, however, in this manner an easy mark for the party inside.
These at first only loaded their guns with powder, hoping to scare their
assailants without further rousing their fury. But they were soon
obliged to try sterner measures. The brutes, some of which were nearly
five feet high and extremely strong and agile, succeeded in loosening
more than one of the ribs of the waggon, and would soon have forced
their way in, if the bullets which followed one another in rapid
succession had not laid assailant after assailant in the dust. But
undeterred apparently by the deadly shower, they continued their attack,
gibbering and screaming with fury. The whole of the covering of the
waggon was now torn away, and the baboons, thrusting down their long
sharp claws, endeavoured to clutch their enemies within, rendering it
almost impossible for them to continue to load.
"I say, George," exclaimed Redgy, as he rid himself with difficulty from
a huge baboon which had seized him by the hair, firing his revolver
directly into his chest, "these brutes are worse than the Zulus. I wish
I had my bayonet here. That would have been the thing for them."
"You are right, Redgy," answered George. "I am just going to use my
wood-knife. My revolver is empty, and I have no time to reload. The
knife isn't as good as the bayonet, but it is the next best thing."
The others followed his example--all excepting Hardy, who, with the
coolness of an old campaigner, had lain himself down on the floor of the
waggon out of the reach of the assailants, and from thence took aim with
his revolver, bringing down one baboon after another, and always
singling out those which seemed to be the most likely to break in. But,
notwithstanding the vigorous resistance offered, it seemed as if the
strong ribs of the roof must speedily give way, when suddenly there
burst forth a volume of flame which enveloped for a minute or two the
whole waggon. Screaming, not with rage now, but with fright, the
mandrils leaped down and rushed away, scrambling up the sides of the
rocks more quickly than they had come down. At least twenty were left
on the ground, either dead or too severely wounded to effect their
retreat; while several others limped in the rear of their companions,
scarcely able to accomplish the ascent.
"Stop, Mr Margetts," cried Hardy, as he saw Redgy raise his rifle;
"don't fire at them. You may provoke them to come back. Well, that was
as near a thing as I remember to have seen. How did you manage it,
Matamo?"
"Koboo and Utango and I had been piling a big heap of reeds to make
fires of," answered the Bechuana. "It was lucky we made the heap so
large. When we saw Mr Margetts fire at the baboons, we knew what would
happen, and we heaped the reeds round the waggon while the brutes were
coming down the rocks. I dropped a match among the reeds as soon as
they began the attack, but for a long time it wouldn't catch. Lucky it
did catch at last, or we should have been torn to pieces!"
"Well, you managed famously, Matamo," said Hardy, "and we all owe our
lives to you."
"Yes, sir, and your dinners too. Very good eating is baboon, and there
is enough for a great many dinners."
"Eating!" repeated Redgy in great disgust. "You don't suppose any one
would eat these brutes, do you?"
"Wall, Redgy, I agree with you,--the idea isn't pleasant," said George.
"But they can be eaten, I believe. An old messmate told me that when
his ship was at Gibraltar, many years before, the colonel of one of the
regiments there sent Captain Waters the haunch of a large ape, which had
been shot a few days before. The captain didn't see the haunch, but
invited all the officers of the ship to dine off it. The colonel, who
had only intended a joke, sent a note explaining it. But somehow it
wasn't delivered until just as the haunch was being removed from the
table, having been declared to be excellent. The captain put the note
into the fire, and said nothing about the matter."
"He was a wise man," said Hardy, "and we shall be wise to follow his
example, and make a good dinner off our late enemies."
His advice was at once followed. Fresh fuel was collected and fires
lighted, and presently the cooks were busily engaged over their roasting
and frying.
"Come and take a look at the soldiers," suggested Margetts to Vander
Heyden and Rivers. "I wonder how they came off in their waggon."
"They were much luckier than we were," said Rivers. "Either the baboons
didn't take any notice of their waggon, or they were bent, like Hardy's
elephant, on punishing the culprit who fired on them. The soldiers were
not attacked at all."
"I am very sorry, I am sure," said Redgy; "I'll promise to be good
another time, that is all I can say. But they made their preparations
against attack, I suppose."
"Yes," said Vander Heyden, "they took off the prisoners' handcuffs of
course. They couldn't have left them in that helpless state to the
mercy of those ferocious brutes. But I see they are going to put the
handcuffs on again now."
They moved nearer to the prisoners, and stood for a while watching the
replacing of the handcuffs. Then Rivers called out to Margetts, who was
standing at a short distance, and asked him and Vander Heyden to ride a
little way on the road by which they had come that morning, to search
for his revolver, which he must have dropped. The other two assented,
and they went away together.
About half an hour afterwards, when the dinners were nearly ready,
Vander Heyden and Rivers returned, looking a good deal put out.
"Corporal Sims," said the Dutchman, riding up to the person named, "this
is vexatious, but I am afraid we must stay here to-night. Mr Rivers
cannot find his revolver, and thinks he must have dropped it a long way
back--at the first stream which we crossed. Mr Margetts has offered to
ride back, and look for it, and I am afraid we shall, in consequence, be
obliged to remain here all night. As some repairs must be made to our
waggon, perhaps it is not of so much consequence. But are you able to
stay?"
The corporal hesitated a moment, apparently a good deal surprised. Then
he answered civilly that he saw no reason why they should not remain, as
there was plenty of food and a good spring of water, and there was no
particular need for haste.
"Very well, then," said Vander Heyden, riding on, "we will stay here
till to-morrow."
Nothing was said until the two horsemen were out of hearing. Then one
of the prisoners said in a guarded tone,--"Do they suspect anything, do
you think, Andrewes?"
"No," answered Andrews, "I am pretty sure they do not. Why do you ask
that, Bostock?"
"I have been uneasy all day," was the answer, "lest either Rivers or
Vander Heyden should recognise us. It is quite true that I am stained
as dark as any Zulu in the country, and so are Gott and Sullivan. And
our beards and whiskers have been shaved, and our hair frizzled and dyed
black, so that we could hardly recognise ourselves in the glass. But
they are both of them wide-awake fellows, and I shouldn't like this kind
of thing to go on long. I suppose our intention holds good, to make the
attack to-night, doesn't it?"
"I don't see why not," answered the pseudo-corporal. "It was agreed
that we should, all of us, approach the waggon together as soon as the
moon sets, and that will be before twelve o'clock. They keep a watch
all night, I know. One of them stands sentinel at the fire near the
waggon. But a rifle bullet will quiet him. Then we rush up and shoot
the others. We shall have only four to deal with instead of five now.
The Hottentots are sure to run off at the first shot."
"Margetts may return," remarked Gott.
"If he does, he'll hardly reach the camp," returned Bostock. "Some one
had better be on the look-out for him a mile or so on the Heidelberg
road. There will still be twelve of us left. That will be enough to
settle four men, won't it, even if they should not be asleep."
"You forget the women," said the corporal with a smirk.
"No, I don't forget them, Andrewes," answered Bostock angrily. "But you
had better do so--forget Miss Vander Heyden, at all events. You will
remember that she is to become my wife as soon as we can reach Doomberg,
where the missionary has promised to marry us. You had better all keep
that in your heads, or you may chance to find an ounce of lead there."
"Well, you needn't be so cranky about it, John Bostock," said Sullivan.
"Will Andrewes and the others have been your pals ever since we came
into the country, nigh upon a twelvemonth ago, and Jem Gott and I was
your pals long before. And we've never done nothing but please you, and
we ain't going to now."
"Well, that's as it should be, Sullivan. We need have no more words
about that. And now dinner's ready, I see, so we had better fall to at
that."
Meanwhile Vander Heyden and his two friends had no sooner completed
their meal than they hastened to the waggon, and summoned Matamo and
Haxo to assist in repairing the damage sustained. Their first step was
to renew the canvas covering, which had been torn down. Then they
nailed thick boards all round the lower part of the waggon, and
constructed a kind of citadel in the middle, consisting of four strong
boxes, about three feet high, inside which two persons might take
refuge.
"I wish you would not think so much of me," urged Annchen, from whom it
had been impossible to conceal the approaching danger. "My life is of
no more value than any one of yours. And you are neglecting, I am sure,
your own safely. Henryk, will you not listen to me? Mr Rivers, will
not you?" She blushed deeply as she spoke.
"Say no more, Annchen," returned her brother sternly, though with
evident tenderness of feeling. "We shall all do our best for ourselves
as well as for you. And there is every hope that Margetts will return
before these scoundrels even begin their attack. It cannot be more than
a two hours' ride to Heidelberg. I could myself do it in little more
than one; but then, unfortunately, I was only on terms of distant
civility with Lieutenant Evetts."
"It will take Margetts at least two hours," observed Hardy; "and then
there may be difficulty in finding Mr Evetts and in getting his men
together. It was three o'clock when Margetts rode off. If he is back
by ten, it is as early as can reasonably be hoped."
"Ten will be time enough," remarked Rivers. "They will wait for the
moon to set, or they would be an easy mark for our bullets."
"And the moon does not set till eleven," said Vander Heyden. "Besides,
even if they do make their attack, it remains to be seen whether we
cannot keep them off. It can hardly be worse than it was at Rorke's
Drift, when we three stood side by side together. But I think we have
now been as long at work in the waggon as it is safe for us to be. We
might awaken suspicion if it was thought that we were fortifying it. We
must get out, and not return to it until after the moon has set.
Annchen, I shall wish you good-bye now. You must be in your place of
shelter when we return."
He folded her in a warm embrace, and then leaped from the waggon,
forgetting that George still remained, or unwilling perhaps to witness
his adieux.
George took her hand and looked earnestly into her face. "This may be
the last time we shall meet," he said. "I know I can never have my
wish, but I should like you to know how fondly I love you."
The tears rose in her eyes and streamed down her face. "I do know it,"
she murmured,--"I do know it, George; I prize and I return it."
Their lips met for a moment, as if by a mutual impulse, and then Rivers
leaped down and joined his companions, who had taken their places by the
fire.
The night came on clear and bright, as is the night of those regions,--
the moon, a dazzling globe of crystal; the stars studding the sky with
brilliant specks of light. The three friends affected to converse
carelessly together, intermingling their talk with bursts of merriment.
But every ear was in reality strained to catch the distant tramp of
horses' feet--the more keenly because the hour had now indeed come when
Margetts' return was not only possible, but might be reasonably looked
for. Anxiously they watched the moon as it sank slowly down the heaven,
disappearing at last behind the distant mountain range, and comparative
darkness succeeded, which under the shadow of the cliffs rendered
objects even at a little distance scarcely distinguishable. Then they
rose, and somewhat noisily bade the Hottentots good-night, desiring them
to keep a careful watch. Moving off to their own waggon, they crept
stealthily behind and round under its cover to the other which was
reserved for Annchen and her attendant, and got inside, joining Matamo
and Haxo, who were anxiously expecting them. They had lighted a
lantern, whose light just showed the interior of the waggon.
"Hark! what was that?" exclaimed Hardy, as a sound resembling that of
the discharge of a gun was heard at some distance. "Can that be
Margetts' signal?"
"It is most unlikely that he would discharge his gun," said Rivers. "It
would have the effect of putting these ruffians on their guard. He
knows that we have no need to be warned."
"True," said Hardy; "but if he is coming at all it ought to be soon. It
is nearly half-past eleven. These fellows will make their attack almost
immediately now. Ha! listen! Yes, I hear them coming!"
Even as he spoke, a hand was laid on the shutter by which the back of
the cart was closed, and attempt made to pull it open.
Vander Heyden put his head out. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"This is my sister's sleeping-place."
"I know that, Mr Vander Heyden, and I know you, and you too know me. I
am Langley Cargill, of the Nassau Regiment--your equal by birth and
station. I design your sister no harm, but to make her my wife. Give
her up to me, and I will ensure her safety and the most honourable
treatment."
"_I_ would as soon give her into the hands of Satan!" cried Vander
Heyden fiercely. "You and your ruffians will do wisely to move off at
once, or we will fire on you without mercy."
"Then take the consequences of your own folly. Fire into the waggon,
boys!" he shouted; "we'll soon make an end of this."
A dozen guns were discharged, and the leaden hail came rattling between
the ribs of the tilt above them. It did not produce much effect, as all
those within had thrown themselves on the floor, where the solid sides
of the waggon, strengthened by the recent defences, prevented the
bullets from penetrating. The next moment the fire was returned with
more effect. Two of the pretended soldiers were shot dead on the spot,
Bostock and one of his men were severely wounded.
"Rush up and smash the shutters in before they can load again?" shouted
Bostock, regardless of his wound. He caught up a heavy piece of timber,
which shattered the stout boards at a blow, and was about to mount to
the attack, followed by his comrades, when a volley of musketry was
suddenly poured in, which stretched two or three more of the banditti on
the ground, and a voice was heard calling them to surrender, or no
quarter would be shown.
Vander Heyden and his companions leaped from the waggon to shake hands
with Margetts and Evetts, who, with a couple of dozen of his men, had
now completely surrounded the robbers, nearly all of whom indeed were
either killed or wounded. But the danger was not entirely at an end, as
they had supposed. Bostock had been pierced by a second bullet, and it
was plain that he had received his death-wound. But his fierce spirit
still bore him up. He heard Evetts' challenge with a scornful laugh.
"Surrender?" he cried. "Not I, at all events. I believe I am done for
this time, but there is still some fight left in me. Henryk Vander
Heyden, I told you I should one day return your fire; there is time to
do so yet."
He raised himself with difficulty, and, levelling his revolver, fired at
his antagonist, who was only a few feet from him. With fell
satisfaction he noted that the shot had taken effect. Then he fell back
and expired without a groan.