The sun had climbed some way into the heavens, and the day had already
advanced three hours on its course before Jack and his staunch little
following saw a horseman galloping across the veldt towards the
farmhouse.
He was a big, handsome man, well-dressed for a Boer, and wore a long
tawny beard. Attached to a stick which he held in his hand was a white
flag, and having ridden to within two hundred yards of the house he
waved it vigorously, and shouted to attract the attention of those
within. A moment later a handkerchief was fluttering from the window,
and Jack was waiting there in readiness to hold a parley.
"Good morning!" said the Boer in excellent English as he pulled up
alongside the window. "It's a grand day, and far too fine to be spoilt
by fighting. I've come from the commandant to offer you terms--liberal
terms. We believe Frank Russel is with you after all, and if so, as a
rebel he shall be shot. For the others, honourable captivity is
offered, and the girl shall be in my special charge. I have known her
for many years, and she shall be safe with my mother."
"Don't trust him, Jack," whispered Eileen, who had crept close up
against the window, where she looked through one of the rifle apertures
and listened intently to all that was said. "I know him well. He is an
Africander, and a British subject. His farm lies ten miles to the
north, and Father will tell you why he is anxious for me to be given
over to his care."
"Yes, it's true," growled Frank Russel, joining in at this moment. "He
is a rebel, and not to be trusted. He's been pestering round here for
many a day, and asking Eileen to become his wife. But she hates the
sight of him, and for my part, though I've no doubt he's smitten with
her, it's this farm and the fat acres attached to it he is more
interested in obtaining. Don't trust him, Jack; send him about his
business!"
"And what if we refuse these liberal terms of your commandant?" Jack
asked coolly. "How will he guarantee all he promises? Words are not
sufficient. Let him put it in writing, and we will consider it; but
understand, we will not accept captivity, nor will we give up Miss
Russel. As to Frank Russel, you did not find him here, and how can we
have done so?"
"Surely the word of Elof Visser is sufficient!" exclaimed the Boer.
"You have heard the terms, and they are the only ones I have to propose.
We will give you half an hour to discuss them, and then, if the white
flag is not waving from this window, we shall open fire. Only, if you
should foolishly still decide to resist us, I ask you to pass out the
girl. We do not wish to war with her sex. Hand her over to me, and I
swear, by the God who made us all, that she shall be safe from harm."
"We will consider your proposal," answered Jack, "and if you do not see
the flag at the termination of the time you mention, you are free to
fire on us again. But I warn you we are well prepared, and you would do
far better to leave us alone."
"Tush, boy, don't lecture me!" exclaimed the Boer angrily. "Discuss the
terms, and if you refuse, we will knock this house about your heads like
a pack of cards, and shoot every one of you."
Giving an impatient jerk at his reins, he pulled his animal round and
cantered away.
"Well, what answer shall we give?" asked Jack, turning to his
companions.
"What answer!" retorted Frank Russel grimly. "Lads, if you're ready and
willing to stand by me and my child, as I believe you are, I say let us
stand fast. The Boer promises aren't worth the breath that's wasted on
them, and that fellow Elof Visser has his own ends in view."
"Then we'll face it out," exclaimed Jack, "and after all, things are not
so very desperate. Last night was our worst time, and if we could beat
them back then we ought to be able to do the same during daylight.
We've lots of ammunition, food, and water. The only thing I don't like
the thought of is the shell which will soon be thrown at us, but the
Boer gunners are not such good marksmen as to be able to strike us every
time, and when the shell do strike, if they are like those used in Natal
and do not burst, they will go clean through these walls and do no
further damage. When they fire we shall have to take to the cellar, and
it seems to me that the sooner we make it bomb-proof the better. It
won't be difficult. The kitchen is paved with big slabs of stone, and
by forcing them up and placing them here on the floor, and half over the
trap, we shall have a secure place to hide in. The ponies must take
their chance, though I expect most of the poor beasts will be killed as
soon as the bombardment commences."
"George! The very thing!" cried Frank Russel, smacking Jack on the
back. "Now all hands to the job! There are plenty of tools to work
with in the kitchen, and I fancy a good strong poker will be the best to
use."
All at once went into the kitchen and set to work as only men can whose
lives depend upon their exertions. Once the first slab was raised the
rest was easy, and while Eileen kept watch the others laboured at the
work, Frank Russel levering up the stones, while Jack and Wilfred
carried them into the room and laid them over the cellar.
"One will be sufficient to keep watch above, so the others had better go
below," cried Jack, as soon as the flooring was completed. "There is no
saying when a shell may pitch into the house. Light the lamp and make
all comfortable. Perhaps it will be a good plan to pass a few buckets
of water down also, in case they make it too hot for us to come up and
fetch it."
This was quickly done, and Eileen and her father climbed down the ladder
into the cellar, while Jack and Wilfred remained on top to watch for the
next attack by the enemy. The half-hour had already passed, and indeed
double that period had gone by, but still there was no movement. Then
Wilfred cried out that he saw a force of Boers approaching, and looking
through his field-glasses Jack made out a body of about sixty men
following a couple of guns. One of these was smaller than the other and
had no limber attached. The larger one, which was drawn by six horses,
galloped forward till within less than 1200 yards of the house and
commenced to unlimber.
"We'll just teach those fellows to keep at a more respectful distance,"
muttered Jack. "Put up your sights, Wilfred, and have a shot at them.
There is a good big lump to fire at, and with a little luck we might
pick a few of them off."
Both at once took a steady aim and fired, and a second later Jack seized
his glasses and saw one of the horses in the gun team rear up and fall
backwards.
Another and another shot followed, one of the gunners and a second horse
being hit. Then the gun was hurriedly limbered up again and galloped
back out of rifle fire. Ten minutes later there was a puff of smoke,
followed in about half a minute by a sharp report, and by the ominous
hum of a shell overhead.
"Ha, ha!" Jack chuckled coolly; "they'll want to do a deal better than
that to turn us out of this. Look out, here comes another!"
As he spoke there was a second puff, and this was followed by a
deafening thud overhead and by a loud explosion behind the house.
"Not a bad shot that," Jack remarked serenely. "It touched the roof,
ricochetted off, and burst away behind."
The next shot proved almost more alarming, for it was a shrapnel shell,
and exploded some hundred yards in front of the farmhouse, sending a
hail of bullets spattering in all directions.
"They've got the range now, and I think we had better get below," said
Jack. "We shall be quite safe from a rush, for the Boers cannot come
close while their friends are shelling us. I expect they will continue
firing till they have smashed the place to pieces, and then they will
gallop up full-tilt. That will be our time. We will lie low, and make
them think that the shelling has killed or wounded all of us. We will
hold our fire till they are at the railings, and then we will blaze into
them. I fancy we shall be safe enough till nightfall, but then, if help
does not reach us, it will go hard with us. Tim must have slipped into
the town by this, so we can hope for the best."
"I will play something for you, if you like," said Eileen Russel at this
moment. "You don't want any cheering up, but just to show you that I
feel quite safe in your hands, and have no fear of the Boers, you shall
have some music. What shall it be?"
"Let us have `God Save the Queen!' Miss Russel," Wilfred cried. "It
will make us feel all the better."
Accordingly the brave girl stood up at one end of the cellar, and in
that curious place, and with shell and bullets plunging through the
walls of the house above, and occasionally exploding with a deafening
noise which drowned the music for the moment, made the air throb with
those strains which no Englishman worthy of the proud name can listen to
unmoved. It was indeed a strange proceeding, and to the Boer horseman
who galloped up just then, during a lull in the firing, and approached
the farmhouse within fifty yards, it was totally inexplicable. Here
were a few mad Englishmen listening to the strains of their national
anthem with bullets flying all about them. "Surely they are a strange
people!" he thought. And plucky too, for that violin he heard was
played by a young girl's hands.
Eileen played right through the anthem, and was heartily applauded by
the men, who sat round her, rifle in hand, their faces dimly lit by the
rays from the oil-lamp which had been placed upon the floor.
By this time the farmhouse had been drilled through and through with
shell, most of which, however, had passed out without exploding. A few
had struck directly upon the stone slabs above the cellar, but all save
one had merely fizzled angrily and poured out a quantity of smoke. But
one burst, and blew part of the roof of the house away, also shattering
two of the stone slabs.
"Volunteers to replace the damaged stone roof!" sang out Jack, pushing
his head up through the trap and inspecting the havoc. "Two of the
slabs above us have been blown to pieces and must be replaced at once,
or else an unlucky shell will pitch through the boards and come in here
on top of us."
Wilfred at once rose to his feet, and the two darted up the ladder and
into the kitchen. Here they found that a brick wall, built to carry the
cooking range, stood between the Boer fire and the ponies, so that the
hail of Mauser bullets had for the most part failed to reach them. But
one had entered through the wall at the back and had killed a pony,
while a shell burst through the thin layer of brick just as Jack and
Wilfred entered, and, throwing a shower of dust and debris in all
directions, inflicted a fearful wound upon another of the captured
ponies and flew out through the other wall.
"Poor beast!" exclaimed Jack with a shudder. "I will put it out of its
agony. They will not hear my Mauser from such a distance."
Stepping up to the wounded animal, he placed his pistol close against
its chest and pulled the trigger. The bullet passed through its heart
and killed the suffering animal instantly.
"Now for the stones!" he said quietly. "I'll lever them up, and then
help you to put them in position. Hurry up! I see those fellows are
getting the other gun into place, and preparing to fire it."
Jack took a hasty view through one of the loopholes with his glasses,
and then proceeded to prise up the slabs from the kitchen floor. Five
minutes sufficed to complete the work, and just as they were preparing
to descend into the bomb-proof chamber once more, a loud and incessant
rat, tat, tat sounded in the distance, followed an instant later by a
continuous hum overhead, and then, as the range was found, by a stream
of one-pounder shells which hurtled through the farmhouse, smashing
walls, chairs, and everything in their way into matchwood.
"Come down, lads!" cried Frank Russel anxiously. "That's a quick-firing
Vickers-Maxim barking. They'll give us a long dose of that while the
mounted men ride closer, and then there'll be a rush. Get your guns
ready, and immediately the firing ceases climb out of this and man the
walls. I expect they'll come mostly from the front, for they don't know
of this cellar, and will fancy we are all wiped out. Well, we'll teach
them something, that's all."
"Then it is agreed we hold our fire till they are within a few yards of
the railings," said Jack. "A volley to start with will be the thing,
and then when they reach the garden we will use our magazines."
"That's it, lad!" Frank Russel answered. "We all understand, and we'll
hold our fire till you give the word. George! they are pouring it in
this time!"
There was good cause for this last remark, for above their heads there
was a perfect pandemonium, in which the loud rip, rip, and scream of a
flow of shells predominated, while now and again a dull, heavy thud, as
one struck the slabs above, caused all to start nervously.
But they were well protected, and although the position was not exactly
pleasant, or devoid of danger, they bore the bombardment with a serenity
which was wonderful. At any moment one of the iron missiles might find
its way into the cellar, and deal a sudden and awful death to all.
Indeed Jack began to wonder what would be the best course to adopt
supposing one of the bombs did happen by ill-luck to find an entry, and
lie in front of them fizzling and spluttering ere it shattered itself
and its immediate surroundings to pieces. He had seen that some of them
did no more than splutter and smoke, and he at once determined in his
own quiet dogged way that he would take immediate action and remove it
to the slabs above. If it burst in his hand--well--neither he nor his
friends would ever know much about it. But if the fuse were not
expended he might be able to remove it in time, and so save all their
lives.
But he was never called upon to take such a desperate risk, and instead
sat silently in his corner, smoking furiously, and watching the smoke
which Frank Russel and Wilfred blew out from their lips. It was quite
fascinating to see it curling slowly up from the dark cellar into the
bright light overhead, and then suddenly cut in twain by a rushing
shell. Even Eileen was interested in it, and, catching Jack's gaze
fixed in the same direction, smiled at him just to show how steady she
felt. "Look out, lads!" exclaimed Frank Russel a few minutes later.
"They've done pumping those shells into us, and we had better get back
to our posts."
All four at once scrambled up the ladder, and, darting across the floor,
looked out over the sunlit veldt. In front it was covered by a number
of galloping ponies, with wild-looking Boers upon their backs.
Jack at once rushed to the other side of the house and gazed in that
direction, but there was no one to be seen.
"They are all in front," he cried. "All the better for us! Each of you
lie full-length on the floor and push your rifle a few inches only
through the wall. That's it! Now wait till I give the word."
Lying flat on their faces the gallant little band held their fire, and
waited in dead silence while the horsemen galloped towards them. Soon,
as they got within 200 yards, one of them gave a shout and threw his
hand in the air. All at once drew rein and walked their ponies forward,
laughing and shouting joyfully to one another; for the fact that no
sharp reports had greeted their rush seemed to show that the shells they
had poured into the farmhouse had been effective, and that all the
defenders had been killed.
Laughing, therefore, and smoking their pipes, they rode slowly towards
the farm, gradually drawing close together as they directed their ponies
towards the entrance to the garden.
"Get your magazines ready!" whispered Jack. "We scarcely hoped for such
luck. Wait till they reach the opening, and then fire into them as fast
as you can."
His companions obeyed him silently, and then waited grimly for the word
which would send a death-dealing stream of lead into the Boers.
It seemed an hour before it was given, but Jack was not the lad to be
flurried, or to allow excitement to get the better of his judgment. He
waited calmly till some of the enemy had ridden through the opening,
while the remainder were in a close body outside.
Then he shouted, "Fire!" and instantly the four rifles spoke out,
spouting forth a continuous stream of bullets and angry puffs of flame.
Then they stopped as suddenly, as the magazines emptied.
"Now volley-firing!" shouted Jack; and each, slipping in a cartridge,
waited till he gave the word. Four times in rapid succession they
emptied their rifles, but on the last occasion only into flying men, for
the Boer slimness had for once been dormant, and neglect of ordinary
precautions had led them into a trap which proved a bitter lesson to
them. At such close quarters, and grouped together as they were, the
long Lee-Metford bullets, with their tremendous velocity and penetrating
power, had drilled through and through the mass, and had almost
annihilated the band. Had a Maxim been turned upon them for a minute
the slaughter could scarcely have been greater, and as it was, a pile of
dead and wounded Boers blocked the entrance to the homely English
flower-garden, while injured ponies struggled and lashed out madly with
their heels, adding to the ghastly picture.
It had been a sudden and terrible blow, and those of the enemy who yet
lived turned their animals, and, extricating themselves from the heap of
fallen comrades, galloped madly away in the desperate desire to escape
from the murderous rifles of the few dauntless "Rooineks" whom they had
hoped to find dead and mangled beneath the ruins of the farmhouse.
"That will teach them something, my lads!" exclaimed Frank Russel
hoarsely. "It's awful to have to kill so many of them, but it's their
lives or ours, and besides, we've a glorious cause to fight for."
"It is truly awful," murmured Eileen, sitting down on the floor and
suddenly turning deadly pale. "Oh, I cannot bear to hear their groans!"
"She's done up, and no wonder, poor girl!" cried Frank. "Slip below,
Jack, and fetch up a glass of brandy. There, that's it, Eileen dear!
pull yourself together, and remember it is all for our queen and
country."
Jack at once dived into the cellar and reappeared with some brandy and
water, some of which was poured between Eileen's lips. But she was now
in a dead faint, and it was some minutes before she regained
consciousness again. Naturally a somewhat timid and gentle-mannered
girl, to be called upon to use a rifle in earnest and deal mortal wounds
was a sore trial to her. The need for strength, and the stern struggle
in which she had so bravely borne a part, had, however, braced her for
the work. But now, when it was all over, or rather when the hostilities
had ceased for a time, and she saw the wounded and heard their groans,
the terrible sight and the unusual sounds unnerved her, and she was
prostrate in a moment.
A little later she had recovered, and, stimulated by the brandy and
soothed by her father's kind words, was soon herself again and able to
stand up.
Meanwhile Wilfred and Jack had dragged a table from a corner in the
kitchen, and having placed it beneath the gap in the iron roof, and
lifted a chair upon it, the latter jumped up, and, standing on tiptoe,
waved a handkerchief. It was answered from a distance, and as soon as
one of the enemy had galloped up, Jack informed him that for an hour
they were at liberty to send a party of fifteen men to remove the killed
and wounded.
The permission was again accepted with grateful thanks, and while the
gruesome work was going on, the little garrison once more took advantage
of the time to snatch a hasty meal. When all the Boers who lay in front
of the house had been removed, a man with a grey beard and wrinkled face
rode forward alone and asked for a parley.
From his post in the roof Jack beckoned to him to advance, and asked him
what he wanted.
"Elof Visser is dead," he began sadly, "and so are many more of my poor
comrades; but, for all the loss we have suffered, we are none the less
determined. We will capture you if we have to smash the house to
pieces. But you are brave men, and I again offer you terms, and if you
refuse them, beg that you will send out the girl. She shall be taken
and handed over to the English pickets outside Kimberley. Think well of
what I say. Frank Russel shall not be injured if he is with you. That
is all; but I will remind you that they are honourable terms, which men
such as you are might well accept."
"Thank you," replied Jack courteously. "I will discuss your terms with
my comrades. Draw off as far as the railing and wait till I call you."
"Now, what shall we do?" he asked, jumping from the table. "Whatever
happens, I think Eileen had better trust herself to these men. The Boer
outside looks an honest sort, and I am sure he will do exactly as he
promised."
"I refuse to leave you!" exclaimed Eileen indignantly. "If you are not
going to surrender, I shall certainly not say `good-bye' now. My rifle
has proved of some help to you, and will be wanted badly later on. You
can settle the point as to surrender or not, Jack, but I am mistress of
my own actions, and shall throw in my lot with you."
"George! then I expect there's only one answer to be made!" cried Frank.
"We've shown them that this is a precious tough nut to crack, and we're
no worse off now than we were early this morning. Let us stick to it, I
say, and trust to the boys from Kimberley reaching us by nightfall."
"And I think the same," exclaimed Wilfred excitedly. "We've got the
cellar to hide in, and since it has already stood a long bombardment, it
will serve our purpose for a few hours longer. We've plenty of
ammunition and food and water. Yes, I quite agree. `Stick to it!' is
our motto."
"Very well, then," said Jack, with a grim chuckle, "I'll let this fellow
know."
Jumping up on the table he called to the Boer, and as soon as he bad
approached near enough told him the decision of the little garrison.
"We are much obliged for your kindness and for the terms you offer," he
called out, "and are only sorry we cannot accept them. We are willing
to retire from this house to Kimberley, if you will promise to let us go
unmolested, but we will not surrender. Miss Russel, too, refuses to
leave us. Now let me advise you again to leave us alone. We have
already shown you that we are determined not to be taken, and we mean it
more now than we did before. Grant us a free and safe passage into
Kimberley and end the matter. If you refuse, then you must take the
consequences, for my men are fully prepared to fight till they are
killed."
"How many of you are there?" asked the Boer craftily.
"Ah!" replied Jack with a knowing smile, "there are just as many here as
there were last night. Promise us a safe pass into the town and I will
give you our numbers."
"It is impossible," was the curt answer. "I have done all that man can
do. My comrades and I admire your bravery, and therefore have offered
you these terms. You refuse for the second time. Very well, I am
sorry, my young friend, for you compel us to kill you. It is a pity
your wisdom does not match your bravery. I shall return now, and when I
reach our lines the guns will commence again."
The Boer nodded and cantered away, and five minutes later the storm of
shell had once more commenced to plunge through the farmhouse.
First plugged shells were used, that is, shells without explosive
contents and devoid of fuses; and these for the most part rushed through
the walls, merely increasing the havoc already wrought. Then the
one-pounder, quick-firing gun, familiarly known as the pom-pom, a
terrible weapon against troops exposed in the open, joined in the awful
din, and sent murderous projectiles hurtling through the house. But by
some lucky chance the majority of the shells failed to explode (probably
because the foreign contractors had filled a large proportion of them
with saw-dust), and merely burst their way through the shattered house
without doing much damage. For an hour the cannonade continued, and
just before it finished it was increased by the firing of a Maxim, which
had been galloped up to closer quarters.
By this time Frank Russel's farm was a ruin; doors, windows, and walls
were in pieces, and the roof was gashed in all directions. Only the
kitchen seemed by some chance to have escaped. And down below it all,
in the bomb-proof cellar, Jack and his friends sat waiting for another
rush, Eileen quietly boiling a kettle over a spirit-stove and preparing
to make some tea, while the men smoked on serenely, laughing and
chatting when a momentary lull allowed them to do so, and ready at any
moment to hurry upstairs and man their posts again.
"That is the last burst!" exclaimed Frank Russel, with an easy laugh as
the distinctive rat, tat, tat, tat of the Maxim reached their ears.
"Get ready, lads! they'll be coming soon. When they find we're still
alive and kicking, they will be wondering whether we are ordinary men or
not. It was a splendid idea of yours, Jack, to make use of this cellar.
Tim and I, with another of the Kaffir boys, dug it out and bricked it
round some years ago. It's a good storehouse for cartridges, but I
never thought it would mean the saving of our lives. Ah, that is the
very last!" he added as a one-pounder shell burst overhead and carried
away a good portion of the roof.
Jack immediately pushed his head up through the trap, and as the Maxim
had stopped, crawled across the floor, clearing a path through the
scattered woodwork and debris. Then he peered through a small aperture
made by a shell, and looked earnestly across the veldt. As he had
expected, the Boers were advancing, bringing their guns with them.
"They are pushing forward," he cried, "but I fancy they do not mean to
rush us. It looks as though they would shell us again. If they do we
must still keep quiet, for if they attack at close quarters and in
force, a surprise will help us more than anything."
By this time the horsemen were within 600 yards, and here the guns
halted, while the Boers spread out and advanced towards the front of the
little farmhouse. Almost immediately the Hotchkiss opened fire, and
soon after the rattle of the Maxim and the continuous rip, rip of the
bullets overhead told the defenders that it was as yet unsafe to venture
up from their cellar. Jack had already slipped down there, but now,
rifle in hand, with bayonet fixed, he stood close to the ladder, ready
to rush up as soon as the time arrived. A glance at him was sufficient
to show that this young Englishman had firmly made up his mind not to
give in till the last drop of his blood had been shed; and Frank Russel
and Wilfred were evidently determined to back him up through thick and
thin. They were without doubt in a tight corner, and might expect to be
rushed at any moment; but for all that, the dangers they had already
passed through seemed only to have increased their doggedness.
Dressed in corduroy riding-breeches, gaiters, and spurs, and with the
sleeves of his shirt turned up over his elbow, Jack looked fit for any
work. A pipe was in his mouth, and his thin lips encircled the stem
closely with what was next door to a smile, showing that, however young
and inexperienced he might be, Jack was certainly by no means dismayed
at the thought of the coming struggle.
"This is going to be the hottest and stiffest fight of all," he cried,
so that all could hear; "and mind you, it will not do for any one of us
to show so much as a finger. They are coming from the front, and we
three will look after them there, opening fire when they are about sixty
yards away. Some of them who have the pluck will get close up to the
house, and will try to force their way in through the broken walls. If
we fail to shoot them down Eileen will be able to stop them, for she
will take her post half-way up this ladder, so as to be out of the
fire."
"But, Jack," Eileen began to expostulate.
"You will do as I say, or else we will show the white flag at once,"
exclaimed Jack earnestly.
"The lad's right, Eileen," Frank chimed in. "It's going to be hot work
up above, and you can help us far more by doing as Jack says than by
taking a place by our sides. But--look out, lads! It's time we hopped
up again."
All three instantly scrambled out of the cellar and took their places,
while Eileen climbed a few rungs of the ladder and stood there, rifle in
hand, and with her head just below the level of the floor.
Meanwhile Jack had darted to the back, and then to either side of the
house, and having made sure that none of the Boers were in that
direction, rejoined his comrades. Looking out through an aperture, he
saw that about forty men had dismounted and were creeping forward in
extended order, while in the centre was the Maxim, which had just
stopped work for fear of injuring its own side.
"Mark that Maxim!" said Jack sharply. "If we drive off these fellows we
can easily make it next door to impossible for them to remove it, for at
this distance we could shoot down any man who approaches it. But our
duty now is to look after these fellows. Frank, you take those of the
left. I'll look after those directly in front of me, and Wilfred will
manage those on the right. Let them get within sixty yards, and then
fire fast and steady. Keep the magazine for closer quarters."
Lying full-length on the ground, they pushed the muzzles of their rifles
a few inches through the loopholes and waited.
"Now I think we can begin," said Jack, when the Boers were well within
the distance he had named. "Are you ready? Then fire!"
Taking a careful aim, the three pulled their triggers, and as many of
the Boers threw up their hands and fell forward upon their faces. The
remainder at once dropped full-length upon the grass and wriggled
forward, firing after going a few feet, for they were still ignorant of
the force opposed to them behind the shattered walls of the house, and
therefore abstained from rushing. Had they done so, there is little
doubt that they would quickly have overwhelmed the little garrison; but
the average Boer dislikes nothing more intensely than to fight in the
open and attack a position in which the enemy lurks in complete
concealment. But to take the house there was absolute need for this,
and believing that after all there were not many opposed to them, they
ventured to approach.
And now the superiority of khaki clothing was fully sustained, for
instead of being barely visible, each one of the Boers formed a black
bull's-eye against the waving veldt, and was an easy target for the
rifles of Jack and his friends.
Loading and firing rapidly and steadily, they picked off one recumbent
figure after another, and after five minutes' work, when their rifles
were becoming so hot that they could scarcely hold them, the enemy
stopped and hesitated, and then fled in confusion, pursued still by the
merciless bullets. When they reached the Maxim they stopped, and three
of their number commenced to place it in position so as to rake the
farmhouse.
But Jack and his two friends, helped now by Eileen, concentrated their
fire upon it, and picked off the Boers. More at once rushed pluckily
forward to take their places, but suffered the same fate, and soon,
stung by the bullets which still spattered amongst them and struck puffs
of dust from the ground, the enemy bolted out of range, leaving their
Maxim behind them.
"By Jove, if we only possessed a few more rifles," exclaimed Wilfred
impetuously, "we would go out and bring in that gun. But it's
impossible as things are, and I expect we shall have something else to
think of shortly."
But, contrary to their expectations, nothing occurred, on shells flew
overhead, and the Boers seemed to have disappeared from sight Jack
climbed up on to the table and mounted on the chair. Then he searched
all round with his glasses, and made out a number of men riding off in
the distance towards Kimberley. He climbed up the iron sheets on to the
top, and looked out behind. Here, too, all seemed deserted, but the
sight of a half-hidden figure behind one of the low houses a mile away
told him that they were still watched by the enemy.
"They've left us alone for a little," he said, "but there are men all
round us. The guns have gone, and I expect our friends have ridden back
for reinforcements. You may be certain, though, that they have left
sufficient behind to make it impossible for us to approach that Maxim.
Well, I suppose we have nothing to do but wait. To-night, if we can
last out so long, the garrison in Kimberley will make a sortie, but I
think we are too far out for them to reach us."
"That is so, Jack," Frank Russel said. "We cannot expect direct help
from them, but by making a sortie they will draw away some of these
fellows who are watching us."
"Then I vote we make a bolt for it!" Wilfred cried excitedly. "It will
be our only chance, and if we don't take advantage of it we shall never
get any."
"Yes, we must make a rush," Jack agreed, "and by striking out here at
the back, and away round to the left, we ought to manage it. To go
straight ahead to meet a sortie party would mean that we should be
surrounded."
"You're right, lad, perfectly right!" Frank Russel cried. "We're
playing a move with men who are as slim as slim can be, and to get away
we must beat them at their own game. Put yourself in their shoes for a
moment. It is just what any ordinary set of fellows would do if they
were in a close fix like this. They'd rush towards the comrades who
were coming out to help them. Our friends the Boers will expect us to
do that, and we'll disappoint them."
"Then it is agreed we make a rush," said Jack. "Let us have a look at
the ponies."
Going into the kitchen, they found that Prince and one of the Boer
ponies alone remained alive, Vic and the others having been struck down
by the shell.
Jack stepped up to the body of the little animal which had proved a true
friend to him, and patted her gently on the neck. Then he climbed on to
the table again and out on to the roof.
For three hours nothing happened, and then a large force of Boers
appeared, and having reached their old position, out of range of the
defenders' rifles, they pulled up and put two big guns in position.
For an hour they poured a perfect torrent of shell at the house,
smashing it to pieces and bringing that part over the cellar down with a
crash upon the ground.
But though it was sufficiently terrifying to Jack and his friends below,
it did not damp their ardour. Carefully popping up their heads, they
ascertained that there were yet many posts in which they could kneel and
fire and still not be exposed to the enemy. And if the worst were to
happen, the cellar itself would form a last site for defence, from which
they could hope to keep the Boers away for a considerable time.
It was now getting dark, and after a short pause, probably to fetch up
more ammunition and cool the guns, the bombardment again commenced, one
of the shells setting fire to the wreckage above the bomb-proof chamber.
In an instant big tongues of flame burst forth, and a dense volume of
choking smoke eddied into the cellar.
The sight filled the Boers with pleasure, as a faint cheer showed, and
almost immediately afterwards they started forward, in open order, and
rushed for the house.
"Out with the fire!" Jack cried sharply. "Those fellows cannot reach
us for some minutes yet. Quick! Pass up those buckets to me!"
Standing on the top rung of the ladder, with the smoke blowing in his
face and almost smothering him, he stretched down his hands, grasped the
buckets passed up to him, and dashed the contents over the blazing
timber. Two were sufficient, and in a minute the fire was subdued, and
he had kicked out the surviving embers with his feet.
Then all four took the best places they could find, and, waiting till
the Boers were close enough to make their aim fairly certain, opened
fire upon them. But the dusk was already almost turning into night,
and, undeterred by the bullets, the enemy was rapidly closing in upon
them. Things looked very black, and common sense would have suggested
an honourable surrender. But the excitement of the struggle had taken
fast hold of Jack and his friends, and their blood was thoroughly
roused. They had defended the house for many hours, and now, just at
the moment when help and rescue were expected, they were not going to
give up the unequal struggle till the very last moment had arrived.
Even Eileen was firmly determined upon this point. Encouraged by the
resolute pluck of her father and these two young Englishmen, she seemed
to have forgotten her sex for the time being, and now, crouched behind a
tumbled portion of the iron roof, her rifle spoke out repeatedly and
truly, and sent many a Boer to his last account, or limping from the
field.
But the impossible could not be expected. In spite of a gallant
defence, the host of Boers were now close at hand, and a hail of bullets
was directed at the house and at the four spitting points of flame which
showed where the muzzles of the rifles were hidden.
"It's all up, lads," shouted Frank Russel. "Shall I shout to them to
cease their fire?"
"Wait, what is that?" Eileen cried, clutching her father by the arm.
"Guns in the distance, Father, and rifle fire. It is the sortie!"
Pausing for a moment, the defenders crouched behind their shelter and
listened eagerly and with beating hearts. Shouts and volley-firing
reached their ears, together with the well-known rattle of a Maxim, and
almost instantly the Boers who were attacking them called anxiously to
one another, and, leaping to their feet, rushed in the direction of the
sounds at their fastest pace.
"Thank God, lads!" exclaimed Frank Russel earnestly. "It was a close
shave, but He saw us safely through it."
"Amen!" muttered Jack and Wilfred in husky voices, while Eileen threw
herself in her father's arms and embraced him affectionately.
"There's no time to be lost," Jack cried out hurriedly. "Wilfred, give
me a hand with the ponies. Frank, you take Eileen outside and wait in
front."
Hastening to the kitchen, they searched about for the ponies, but found
to their grief and disappointment that all had been killed.
"Well, it cannot be helped," said Jack. "Come along, Wilfred. Let us
get out of this."
Picking their way across the tumbled beams and roof, they were soon out
in the garden, and, waiting for a moment to make sure that no one was
about, they hurried off across the veldt, leaving the sounds of the
conflict on their right. It was an adventurous escape, and more than
once they were on the point of discovery. But they had the fortune to
pass by the few Boers who were still hurrying up to help their comrades,
and two hours later they approached a huge bank of debris and earth
which had been removed from the mines, and which formed one of the
outlying positions of the garrison.
"Halt, who goes there!" was shouted. Then the dazzling beams of a
search-light played upon their faces, and the same voice cried out in
delighted tones, "Hooray, boys, it's our friends right enough!"
Such a welcome the soldiers gave them. On every side they pressed
forward to shake them by the hand, till the officer in charge of the
works advanced and rescued them from the enthusiastic "Tommies."
"We're awfully glad to see you safe in our lines," he exclaimed
heartily. "Come into my tent and have some tea. We thought you would
probably strike over for this spot, and so I had everything prepared.
When you've had some refreshment I'll pass you on to the
commanding-officer. He has got quarters ready for you."
Jack thanked the officer for his thoughtful kindness, and all four
having partaken of a much-needed cup of tea, they prepared to walk
across to the centre of the town. On their arrival there, the electric
light was once more switched upon them, and every man who could be
spared, and was not on duty, turned out to look at the four strangers
who had so gallantly kept the Boers at bay and taught them such a
lesson. When it was seen that one of them was only a girl, and that she
carried a rifle, hearty cheers burst forth, and the enemy outside, when
they heard them, ground their teeth and muttered things beneath their
breath. Nor were their tempers improved when, on the following day, a
bearer was sent out with a note describing exactly how many of the
English had been hidden in the cellar of the farmhouse.
The commanding officer, the world-famous Cecil Rhodes, who had so
pluckily stayed behind to take a part in the siege, and a score of
officers of the garrison, all stepped forward and shook them by the
hand. Tom Salter, too, was there, as well as Tim, and as soon as the
excitement had abated the former led them away to quarters which had
been allotted to them.
"Now, Jack," he said, sitting down on an empty case, "light up and give
me the yarn. Things here are very old and stale, and a little news is
always welcome. Pass along that bottle, Frank, and make yourselves
comfortable all of you."
When Jack had given him the incidents of the attack upon the house,
Tom's face was a study, and the absolute amazement and wonder depicted
upon it set the others in a roar.
"Well, I'm blowed!" he stuttered hoarsely. "Who'd have thought it! It
just makes a fellow proud to be an Englishman. Jack, I knew all along
that you were a plucky young beggar, but this beats all! Your friend,
too, has got some grit about him, and so has Frank; but the girl--well,
I never did hear of such downright bravery;" and Tom passed his fingers
through his hair and gulped down a pannikin of rum and water with a
distracted air which seemed to say that the news had been altogether too
much for him.