Even then I could not shoot, but remained staring, helplessly fascinated
for a few minutes by the coming danger. At last, though, I turned to
Ti-hi, leaning back and touching him where he crouched, busily seizing
upon the arrows that came in his way and sending them back.
He crept up to me directly and I pointed to the bush.
His eyes glistened, and bending forward he drew an arrow to the head,
and was about to send it winging into the very centre of the bush when
we suddenly became aware of some strange excitement amongst the savages,
who undoubtedly now caught sight of the bush for the first time and sent
a flight of arrows at it.
The effect of this was that he who had been making use of it for a
shield suddenly darted from behind it and made for our shelter.
"Aroo, Aroo!" exclaimed the men with us, yelling with delight, while to
cover his escape we all fired at the savages, who had come out of their
concealment, but only to dart back again, for one after the other three
large stones came bounding down the mountain side, scattering the enemy
to cover, and the duel once more began, with our side strengthened by
the presence of a brave fighting man, and refreshed, for Aroo had his
water calabash slung from his shoulders, containing quite a couple of
quarts, which were like nectar to us, parched and half-dying with
thirst.
Its effects were wonderful. The heat was still intense; but after the
refreshing draught, small as it was, that we had imbibed, I seemed to
see clearly, the giddy sensation passed off, and we were ready to meet
the attack with something like fortitude.
We could think now, too, of some plans for the future, whereas a quarter
of an hour before there had seemed to be no future for us, nothing but a
horrible death at our enemies' hands.
Ti-hi contrived to make us understand now that as soon as the sun had
gone down, and it was dark, he would lead us away to the river side and
then along the gorge, so that by the next morning we could be far out of
our enemies' reach, when they came expecting to find us in the cave.
His communication was not easy to comprehend, but that this was what he
meant there could be no doubt, for we all three read it in the same way.
Encouraged then by this hope we waited impatiently for the going down of
the sun, which was now slowly nearing the broad shoulder of a great
hill. Another half-hour and it would have disappeared, when the valley
would begin to fill with shadows, darkness--the tropic darkness--would
set in at once, and then I knew we should have to lose no time in trying
to escape.
But we were not to get away without an attack from the enemy of a bolder
nature than any they had yet ventured upon.
For some little time the arrow shooting had slackened and we watched
anxiously to see what it meant, for there was evidently a good deal of
excitement amongst the enemy, who were running from bush to stone, and
had we been so disposed we could easily have brought three or four down.
But of course all we wished for was freedom from attack, and in the hope
that they were somewhat disheartened, and were perhaps meditating
retreat, we waited and withheld our fire.
Our hopes were short-lived though, for it proved that they were only
preparing for a more fierce onslaught, which was delivered at the end of
a few minutes, some twenty savages bounding along the slope war-club in
hand, two to fall disabled by a mass of stone that thundered down from
above.
We fired at the same moment and the advance was checked, the savages
gathering together in a hesitating fashion, when _crash_, _crash_,
another mass of rock which had been set at liberty far up the hillside
came bounding down, gathering impetus and setting at liberty an
avalanche of great stones, from which the savages now turned and fled
for their lives, leaving the valley free to a single black figure, which
came climbing down from far up the steep slope, waddy in hand; and on
reaching the level advanced towards us in the fast darkening eve,
looking coolly to right and left to see if any enemy was left, but
without a single arrow being discharged.
A minute later he was looking over our breastwork into the shallow cave,
showing his teeth, which shone in the gloom as he exclaimed:
"Black fellow dreffle hungry. Give Jimmy somefin eat. All gone now."