When Jack came on deck upon the following morning, after leaving the
port of Durban, it was to discover that the transport on which he had
obtained a passage was conveying a most important personage--one of the
chief officers on the staff of the commander-in-chief in Africa. Like
Jack, this staff-officer had recently journeyed from General Sir Redvers
Buller's camp, and though he was a stranger to our hero, yet, to Jack's
surprise, no sooner did he catch sight of him than he stepped briskly
towards him, and with outstretched hand addressed him in the most
affable tones.
"Ah, Mr Somerton," he commenced, giving Jack's hand a hearty shake, and
smiling at his evident astonishment, "this is a pleasure! I knew, of
course, that you were leaving Chieveley for Lord Roberts's force, but
did not imagine that we should make the sea-trip together. As it is, it
will save me the trouble of finding you at the other end. You must
know, my young friend, that you have made quite a reputation for
yourself as a colonial despatch-carrier and scout, and I have been
instructed to make use of your services if you feel so disposed. Are
you ready to do something more for us? Of course, we have all heard how
you and young Poynter got through from Ladysmith, and I may tell you
that it is a service of a similar nature for which we want you now."
"Certainly, sir," Jack answered with a flush. "I am prepared to
undertake anything in the nature of despatch-carrying or scouting that
may be given me, and if Kimberley is the destination for the messages so
much the better, for I have friends in there whom I am anxious to meet
again."
"Then, my lad, this is the very job to suit you!" the staff-officer
exclaimed. "Shortly put, the service which you are asked to undertake
is this--ride to Kimberley and carry a letter and verbal instructions to
its commanding officer, and afterwards return to us. There is a big and
most important movement afoot. But I will tell you about it later, when
we arrive at the Modder River. It is a great satisfaction to hear that
we may rely upon you."
"It's just the thing I should like," Jack remarked eagerly. Then,
seeing that his new acquaintance did not care, for some reason, to
discuss the matter further at that moment, he changed the conversation.
Soon they descended to the saloon for breakfast, and from that day until
they reached the Modder River below Kimberley they were constantly
together.
While they are being swiftly conveyed along the South African coast we
will leave them laughing and chatting, and return for a few moments to
Old England to view matters there.
At first the news of the reverses at Magersfontein, Stormberg, and
Colenso found her like one in a dream. "Was it true," she asked
herself, "that her brave and hitherto invincible troops had been thus
hardly dealt with by a horde of men who were little more than
uncivilised peasants? Could it be a fact that the Boer forces were far
more numerous than had been imagined, and that in guns and ammunition
they were so abundantly supplied that our cannon and the shells we fired
were swamped and sometimes altogether outranged? Could these facts be
true?" It was almost impossible to believe them. But for all that,
unpalatable though the truth was, the reality of it all quickly dawned
upon the country. The beginning of the war had found our millions
resolved as one man to carry it through to a successful issue, and now,
instead of weeping over past failures and the ill-luck which had
attended their troops, they maintained a dignified silence and watched
patiently to see what the Government would do.
The latter instantly ordered out more troops and a supply of more
powerful guns, and, in addition, they called upon the ready volunteers
and the yeomanry for their aid. And with what result? There was a rush
to obey the call to arms. Beneath the calm surface of a business life
there lurked in the hearts of our young manhood a passionate desire for
active fighting, to throw off the trammels of an office desk and take
rifle in place of pen. Men flocked from every part of the country, and
those whose age or infirmities prevented their joining in the movement
cut asunder their purse strings and poured out their gold.
The city of London, ever foremost in patriotic work, organised and
equipped a force of 1400 men and sent them to the front by means of
private subscription alone; and all over the country funds were provided
to furnish sturdy yeomen for the war.
Then, too, our colonies, not to be outdone, sent other contingents of
men, and England, recognising the vastness of the task before her,
despatched Lord Roberts of Kandahar--the famous and ever-popular
"Bobs"--and Lord Kitchener of Khartoum, two of her finest generals, to
the Cape to assume chief command and lighten the labours of General
Buller, already sufficiently engaged in the struggle to relieve the
invested town of Ladysmith.
While the Imperial Volunteers and the Yeomanry are being equipped and
hurried on board transports for Africa, accompanied by an
ever-increasing number of big guns, let us once more return to the
neighbourhood of the River Tugela and join the gallant and determined
men under, the command of General Sir Redvers Buller.
Foiled in their frontal attack, they were far from leaving the invested
town of Ladysmith to its fate, and after long and carefully-thought-out
preparations, the army once more advanced on the impregnable Boer
positions. These stretched some ten miles along more or less continuous
ridges on the northern side of the Tugela, and to turn the enemy out of
their trenches a vast flanking movement was attempted. Preceded by a
brigade of cavalry under Lord Dundonald, two-thirds of our force
advanced against the Boer right flank, and captured and covered with
their guns Potgieter's Drift. A pontoon bridge was rapidly thrown
across, and over this the advance was steadily made, the troops pushing
forward stubbornly behind a cloud of cavalry, and having to fight almost
every foot of the way.
On January 20th the division under Sir Charles Warren, a general of
great African experience, had reached and occupied the southern crests
of a high table-land stretching to the western hills of Ladysmith, and
on the 23rd this gallant force charged and took at the point of the
bayonet a huge hill known as Spion Kop, the key of the Boer position.
It was a daring feat, and was performed under cover of darkness with a
dash and daring equal to that shown by our lads at the heights of Alma,
when the Russian hordes were scattered and chased away as a disordered
rabble.
But ill-luck again attended our efforts. On our side the slope of Spion
Kop was so steep that it was scarcely possible to scale it, while to
hoist guns of large calibre to the top was an impossibility. On the
summit our troops manned the Boer trenches, and for a whole day kept
back the enemy, who again and again attacked it in great force. And all
the time every gun that could bear from their other positions poured in
a continuous hail of exploding shell, converting Spion Kop into a
veritable inferno, in which no man could live for long. Without many
batteries of powerful cannon the position was untenable, and after a
heroic and stubborn resistance our brave soldiers withdrew slowly and in
perfect order.
Then the whole force retired on the Tugela, and while the majority
returned to their camp at Chieveley, a division clung to the northern
bank of the river at Potgieter's Drift, and entrenched themselves, more
than doubly determined to break through the Boer position and relieve
their comrades in Ladysmith on a future occasion.
On our aide, during more than a week of stubborn fighting, the losses in
killed, wounded, and missing amounted to 1600, officers again forming a
large proportion of the casualties, an illustration, if a sad one, of
the glorious dash and courage shown in leading their men.
Within little more than a week after leaving Natal, Jack Somerton and
the staff-officer whom he had met on board the transport were seated in
the train _en route_ for Lord Methuen's camp on the Modder River. It
was a long and tedious run--now crawling along the iron track, and
scaling steep acclivities which barred their onward progress, and round
the sides of which the railway could be seen winding in and out, and
later rattling down the other side till the veldt was reached; then on
and on, over an endless, brownish waste of sand and barren earth, here
and there relieved by a bright patch of vivid green, where the young
spring grass had made its appearance.
"Here is a note for you, Mr Somerton," said the staff-officer as the
train came in sight of the Modder camp. "Take it to the quartermaster
who looks after the general staff, and he will give you a tent and
bedding, and also obtain a good pony for you. When you have settled
down come over to the general's quarters. You know, Lord Roberts is
here. He arrived last night, and sent special orders to me by telegram
to introduce you to him. Goodbye for the present! I shall see you in
an hour's time."
Thanking him for his kindness, Jack made his way into the camp as soon
as the train drew up at the rough platform that had been built, and
after making enquiries, was shown where the quartermaster was to be
found. Half an hour later his tent was pitched close behind those
allotted to Lord Roberts's staff.
"You want a pony too, I see," said the quartermaster. "Well, Mr
Somerton, a number of them arrived only this morning, and are now being
taken out of the train. I will speak to the officer in charge of
remounts and transport animals, and if you will come back later on I
have no doubt you will be able to choose your animal from amongst three
or four hundred."
Accordingly Jack retraced his steps, and shortly afterwards walked
across to the little farmhouse in which the celebrated general had taken
up his quarters. When he emerged from the commander-in-chief's sanctum
an hour later, Jack was not only delighted with the kindness and
urbanity of Lord Roberts, but had mastered all the particulars which he
was to carry into Kimberley.
Then he went across to the remount-camp and selected a likely-looking
pony. That night he on-saddled, and without a word to anyone slipped
out of the camp, taking care to avoid the notice of the British
sentries. This was in accordance with the general's wishes, which had
been communicated to him only an hour before by his friend the
staff-officer.
"Look here, Somerton," the latter had said, "the general has just sent
me across to tell you that he wants you to get away from the camp
without anyone knowing. There is never any saying whether or not spies
are about I firmly believe they are everywhere; and the news you are to
take into Kimberley is so important that it is absolutely necessary that
no one should have an idea as to what are our intentions. Get away from
this secretly. There--I will leave the rest to you. Do as well as you
did while escaping from Ladysmith, and we shall have nothing to complain
about."
It was still pitch dark, therefore, when Jack vaulted into his saddle
and rode silently across the camp. Arrived at the outskirts, he turned
to the left and kept steadily on, keeping carefully on the grass, which
dulled the sound of his pony's hoofs. Very shortly he was clear of the
pickets, and turning once more to the left pushed forward for the
beleaguered town of Kimberley. Soon a brilliant moon came up, and he
carefully concealed himself amongst the rugged boulders of a kopje, and,
raising his head, swept the country round with his glasses. There was
no one in sight, so he mounted his pony again and cantered on at a rapid
pace. Early the next morning he rode into Kimberley, having slipped
through the circle of Boers with the greatest ease.
He was immediately taken before Colonel Kekewich, the commander of the
town, and delivered his message.
"I was instructed by Lord Roberts," he said, after saluting the colonel,
"to tell you that, all being well, you may expect him to relieve you in
a month's time from this date. He also asks that you will be ready to
act, as far as possible, in conjunction with his relieving force."
The news, meagre though it was, was eagerly listened to, and Jack had to
answer many questions before he was permitted to leave. Outside the
house he found Tom Salter, his old friend, waiting for him with a
welcoming smile on his sunburnt face.
"Ah, Jack!" he cried out with a merry laugh, "turned up again like a bad
penny, have you? Well, I quite expected it, and my only wonder is that
you haven't been here before. You've so many friends to meet again,
haven't you, old boy? Why, I can assure you that I know several who are
simply longing to see you, one especially, Eileen Russel, turned as
white as a sheet, poor girl, when she heard the news. Ha, ha, it's a
shame to tease you now, but she's a splendid girl is Eileen Russel!"
Tom laughed heartily, and smacked Jack on the back, and then grasped his
hand and shook it up and down like a pump-handle.
"Then she is all right, Tom!" exclaimed our hero, with a sigh of relief,
for ever since he had ridden north to Mafeking he had been wondering
whether the brave English girl who had stood so staunchly by them in
Frank Russel's ruined farmstead had survived the trials of a siege which
had lasted now so many weeks.
"Tell me all about her and the others, Tom," he proceeded eagerly. "I
have been over in Ladysmith, and ever since I left Mafeking and was
taken to Pretoria I have heard not a single word of you."
"Goodness, Jack! Pretoria and Ladysmith! whatever do you mean?"
exclaimed Tom in astonishment. "You left us here to carry despatches to
Baden-Powell--and precious sorry hearts you left behind you, my lad, I
can tell you--and since then, as we heard nothing of you save that you
had reached your destination, we quite believed that you had taken up
your quarters with the plucky garrison in Mafeking and were helping them
to keep out the Boers. And now you talk about Pretoria and Ladysmith!
What does it all mean? Out with it, man!"
"Oh, it's a long yarn, Tom!" Jack laughed, "and I'll give it to you
this evening, but just now I should like to see the others."
"Of course you would, old boy!" exclaimed Tom. "Come along, and follow
me closely, or else you will have a shower of millets flying around your
head. Ah, here we are! Hop down into that trench. Now push on and
take the third turn to the right. We are bound to take care of
ourselves here, and as our streets are often swept by bullets, and a
bursting shell is a common thing, we have dug these shelter trenches."
Dropping into a deep trench, Jack and his friend pushed along rapidly,
halting once, however, and crouching low as a huge shell shrieked just
overhead, and, striking a storehouse opposite, shivered it into a
thousand fragments, scattering the ruins on every side.
"That's about the only thing our friends are any good at," said Tom
Salter with a growl. "They've sat outside this town for weeks and
weeks, and all that time they've never given us a chance for a healthy
fight. Bless you, they thought that the taking of Kimberley was a
simple matter, and when they found that they had got men to deal with,
they just sat down to starve us out, or worry us to death with their
shells; but assault us, or make anything like a plucky effort to take
us, they have never done. But here we are; hop up, old boy. Now,
follow me along here to the chamber of horrors; that's what we call our
bomb-proof rooms. There it is; five steps down, and turn to the left."
Jack descended a flight of wooden steps, and, turning to the left,
entered a low subterranean chamber, lighted by a spluttering candle
stuck into the neck of a bottle standing upon a table in the centre. It
was Tom Salter's sanctum, in which he and three others lived and
sheltered from the Boer shells, thousands of which had fallen into the
beleaguered town since the commencement of the siege.
"Now, put your traps down there and have a wash," said Tom, indicating a
bucket of water and a towel; "then I will take you along to Frank and
his girl. Halloo! Come in!" he shouted, as a knock was heard just
outside the chamber.
The next moment Wilfred Hunter burst in, and rushed up to Jack. The two
lads shook hands warmly.
"Back again, Jack? I'm glad to see you, old chap!" Wilfred cried
excitedly. "Why, what a whopping big fellow you've got; as broad as a
house, and taller, I am sure. But come along, I must not forget my
message. The Russels want to see you, and ordered me to bring you along
immediately. Ah, you lucky dog! I'd give anything to be in your shoes,
for she's the best and sweetest girl that I or any other fellow ever set
eyes on!"
Jack blushed red with pleasure, and his chest swelled and his heart beat
with pride and hope, for, young though he was, since he had met Eileen
Russel his thoughts had dwelt continuously upon her. Had he been at
home, perhaps it would have been ridiculous folly; but for months now he
had been doing man's work, and doing it well too,--work which required
strength and pluck, and which moreover brought him at any hour of the
day face to face with a sudden death. No wonder then that, sobered down
from the usual impulsive rashness of a boy, our hero had thought
seriously of Eileen. Many a time, as he lay in Pretoria suffering from
his wound, had he wondered how she was, and whether she ever gave a
thought to him. Sometimes he felt certain she did, and then at others
the fear that it was some other--someone older and more of a man than
he--turned his heart sick, and made the hopes which were now beginning
to gain ground disappear in an instant. But they would return again,
and as he had ridden towards Kimberley that day they had been surging
through his heart, and he had determined to see Eileen, if she were yet
alive, and ask the question for himself.
As if in a dream he sluiced his head and hands with water, and tidied
his hair before a small, angular piece of cracked glass, a process which
he had scarcely troubled about for many weeks. Then he followed Wilfred
and Tom out of the bomb chamber and along the trench towards the
Russels' quarters, feeling every yard he went more and more like a lamb
going to the slaughter.
Had he but known it, there was no reason for his fears. A minute later
all three had dived down into another subterranean chamber, and before
Jack had had time to notice that it was neatly carpeted, and provided
with chairs, and a table upon which a clean white cloth and glasses were
laid, there was a joyful shout, and Frank Russel had seized him by the
hand, while Eileen, looking pale, but more beautiful than ever, had
stepped towards him, hesitated, and then, with a radiant blush and a cry
which was half-laugh, half-sob, had thrown herself into his arms, and
had embraced him as if he were a long-lost brother.
Jack was a bashful lad, and at any other time would have been covered
with confusion. But now it was different. Eileen was truly glad to see
him, and he returned her kisses with an impetuosity which surprised
himself. A few seconds later he was himself again, and being eagerly
questioned.
"Tell us how it is you happened to come back to us," said Frank Russel.
"You said you would, but none of us believed it possible, save perhaps
Eileen, who always declared that you would return before the end of the
siege."
"Yes, Father, I felt sure that Jack would fulfil his promise," Eileen
cried.
"There, my lad, you see what a reputation you have," laughed Frank.
"But get ahead with the yarn, and let us know what has happened to you
since we parted."
Jack readily complied with the request, and then asked how the besiegers
had fared.
"Ah! it was all very well at first," Tom Salter exclaimed, "but these
last few weeks our trials have been awful. Water has not been too good,
though there's been plenty of it. But grub's the thing that has been
wanting. We've been on short rations for a long while, and if that
relief-column does not turn up pretty soon there will be none of us
left. We are eating horse and mule now. Vegetables are practically
exhausted, and what with that, the impure water, the heat, and living
here below-ground, death and disease have been very busy amongst us.
The women and the children--poor little souls!--have suffered terribly,
and the little ones have died like flies. But mark my words, Jack;
we're far from giving in. There's not a man of us who would listen to
surrender, and if we did, the women-folk would soon make us ashamed of
ourselves. No. This town's kept out the Boers for a goodish time.
They haven't the pluck to take us, and we haven't the numbers or the
strength to beat them off. Starvation and disease are our biggest
enemies, and we're going to face them. Seems to me that we're like
Ladysmith; we're in a precious tight fix. But we'll get out of it, both
of us, and I don't mind betting a pipe of baccy--which, considering
we've scarcely an ounce left, is a biggish bet--that B.-P. will stick to
Mafeking too till that town is relieved. But, to return to you, my lad.
You have indeed seen as much of this terrible war as anyone, and, as
your old friend, I am proud of you. Now tell us what you intend doing
with yourself. If you decide to stay here, I need not say how glad we
shall all be."
"Thanks, Tom," Jack answered, "but I leave Kimberley to-morrow for
Mafeking. Perhaps by the time I return you will have been relieved, but
if not, you may be sure shall join you with the relieving force."
Jack had indeed much work before him. He had been entrusted with a
message to the garrison of Kimberley, telling them that the British
forces lying on the banks of the Modder river would advance to their aid
in one month's time, and meanwhile, having delivered the message, he was
to push north to Colonel Baden-Powell, and inform him that, once
Kimberley was free, a strong column would march to the help of gallant
Mafeking. The news of coming relief, distant though it might be, would
be of the greatest service. It would help to hearten a garrison still
far from dispirited, and above all it would show them how much longer
they would be compelled to rely upon themselves, and therefore induce
them to husband their scanty provisions and ammunition.
On the following day Jack was taken to a sand-bag fort, and shown with
much pride a long cannon manufactured in the besieged town. It was the
work of the engineers of the great De Beers Company, and it had filled a
most important post, for its range being very great, it was able to
successfully dominate and keep down the fire of the big Creuzot guns
which had for so long been throwing shell into the town. As Jack was
taken up to it a Kimberley-made shell, bearing the inscription "With
Cecil Rhodes's compliments" was placed in the breech and backed by a
charge of explosive. The gun was carefully sighted, there was a
thunderous roar, and a minute later a flash, a leaping column of smoke
and dust, and a faint answering report told that the missile had done
its allotted work inside the sangar which protected the Boer gun. That
evening, after a scanty meal consisting of horse-soup, known as
"chevral", and a piece of beef suspiciously unlike that usually
provided, Jack bade his friends good-bye.
"We'll go along and look after your pony," said Tom Salter, with a
knowing wink, a few minutes before his departure. "Come along, Frank,
and you too, Wilfred, while Jack picks up his traps and settles himself.
Now bustle up, boys, or else we shall find that someone has got hold of
his mount, and perhaps has started already turning him into sausages."
All at once sprang to their feet and left the underground chamber, Frank
Russel turning round just as he was stepping out, and smiling kindly at
Jack and at Eileen. Then with "So long, my lad, I'll see you later," he
ran up the steps and disappeared from sight.
It was an awkward moment. Standing close to the table, with one hand
grasping the back of a chair, was Eileen Russel, her beautiful face lit
up by the lamp, and clearly showing the pain which this parting would
give her. Close to the door was Jack. Sturdy, handsome, and stalwart,
dressed in riding-breeches and gaiters, a khaki jacket, and a
wide-brimmed hat, and with his upper lip adorned by a thin line of fair
hair, which looked almost white when contrasted with his sunburnt face,
he was a young man whom any of the gentle sex might have looked upon
with pleasure. But when one knew that behind those smiling eyes there
lurked a determined will, and that beneath that coat beat a heart as
kindly and as brave as any man possessed, it should not seem wonderful
that Eileen had long ago fallen in love with him. He was no namby-pamby
lad, given to soft manners and flattery, but a brusque young fellow,
kind, considerate, but undoubtedly shy, and a man, moreover, who had
already made a good name for himself for bravery. She herself had
witnessed his courage. It was he who had rescued her from the Boer
ruffians in her father's house, and from that day Jack had been her
hero. And now he was to go, to leave her and run still further risks.
It was hard indeed, and her lips trembled at the thought.
"Good-bye, Jack!" she said, tearfully, holding out her hand, but not
trusting herself to look at him. "Good-bye, and do take care of
yourself!"
Jack walked across to her, and, taking her hand in his, Pressed it
gently and said to her, "Eileen, look at me. You ask me to take care of
myself. Why should I do so? Who would care if anything did happen to
me? My mother and brother might, and Wilfred and Tom Salter would, I am
sure. But who else? Tell me, Eileen dear, that you would care. Tell
me that you love me now as I love you, and have done ever since we first
met, and I promise you I will guard my life for your sake alone."
"Ah, Jack, you know how I love you without asking me!" whispered Eileen,
looking now directly into his face, and smiling so sweetly at him that
all his fears left him in an instant, and he forgot everything but the
fact that Eileen was there and that he loved her and she him.
It was the happiest moment of their lives, and when Jack at last kissed
her and strode from the room he and Eileen were engaged to pass through
life together if it pleased God to spare them during the remainder of
the war.
Walking along the trench, Jack turned sharp to the left, and half-way to
the point at which his friends were to wait for him, met Frank Russel,
leaning against the wall of earth, and thoughtfully staring at the sky.
"Got it over, lad?" the former asked kindly.
"Yes, Frank, I've said good-bye to Eileen," Jack answered, "and before
we join the others I want to tell you something. Perhaps I ought to
have spoken to you before, but the fact that I have had so little time
must be my excuse. With your consent Eileen and I will be married some
day."
"Lad, give me your hand!" exclaimed Frank Russel enthusiastically. "God
bless you, old boy, and I trust that you'll live to see the end of this
awful war! I can tell you, Jack, that there's no other man I know whom
I'd rather have as a son-in-law. You're young, but that will alter fast
enough, and the girl is a good one. She's been a devoted daughter to
me, as you well know, and if she's only half as good to her husband when
she's married, then he'll have no cause to complain. Shake hands on it
again. Now let us get along."
When the news of Jack's engagement was communicated to Tom Salter and
Wilfred they congratulated him heartily. Then his pony was led out, and
after a cordial farewell he mounted and left the town. It was a
pitch-dark night, and luck was again in his favour, so that he escaped
the notice of the Boer pickets, and when day dawned was well away from
Kimberley.
It was a long and lonely ride to Mafeking, but to Jack the time passed
pleasantly, and the road seemed short, for all the way his thoughts were
occupied with the happy prospects in front of him when the war was over.
He would wait two years perhaps, and then he and Eileen would be
married and live in Africa till he reached the age of twenty-five. His
allowance under his father's will, and the sum he could earn at the
mines, or at Mr Hunter's store in Johannesburg, if that still existed,
when added to it would be amply sufficient to keep them in comfort.
Then they would return to old England, and Eileen would become the
mistress of Frampton Grange.
Jack built many castles in the air, and might have erected many more had
not a party of mounted Boers caught sight of him and given chase. But
our hero was now well able to take care of himself, and he quickly
eluded his pursuers. Then he pushed forward, and in two days' time
arrived at Mafeking.
There was a great change in the town. Scanty rations and absence of all
luxuries had produced their results. Constant fighting and the
explosion of shell on every hand had wrought sad havoc with the gallant
little garrison. Wan of face, pinched and haggard, out more determined
than ever, they still manned their posts, and B.-P., smiling still in
spite of a load of responsibility, still made his rounds and cheered his
men.
And outside, the Boers fired their guns, throwing shell everywhere, not
even sparing the hospital and women's laager, in which many women and
children had already fallen victims. Protests had proved unavailing,
and now the children and their mothers lived elsewhere, while all the
Boer prisoners filled the hospital and laager, and ran the risk of being
slaughtered by their friends outside.
Jack stayed only long enough to deliver his message and obtain some
sleep. Then, loaded with despatches, he slipped from the town once more
and cantered south, _en route_ for Lord Roberts's camp.