'Tween Snow and Fire: A Tale of the Last Kafir War Page 18

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

  THE TABLES TURNED.

  Eager at the prospect of a brush, their appetites for which had beenwhetted by what had just occurred, they resumed their way in the best ofspirits, and at length fixing upon a suitable spot the party off-saddledfor breakfast.

  "We ought to fall in with a patrol of Brathwaite's Horse lower down,"remarked a man, stirring the contents of a three-legged cooking-pot witha wooden spoon. "Then we should be strong enough to take the bush forit and pepper Jack Kafir handsomely."

  "If we can find him," rejoined another with a loud guffaw. "Hallo!Who's this?"

  A dark form appeared in the hollow beneath. Immediately every man hadseized his rifle, and the moment was a perilous one for the new arrival.

  "Hold hard! Don't fire!" cried Shelton. "It's only a single Kafir.Let's see what the fellow wants." And lowering their weapons theyawaited the approach of a rather sulky looking native, who drew nearwith a suspicious and apprehensive expression of countenance.

  "Who are you and where do you come from?" asked Shelton.

  "From down there, _Baas_," replied the fellow, in fair English, jerkinghis thumb in the direction of a labyrinth of bushy kloofs stretchingaway beneath. "They have taken all my cattle--the Gcalekas have. I canshow you where to find theirs."

  The men looked at each other and several shook their headsincredulously.

  "What are you? Are you a Gcaleka?" asked Shelton.

  "No, _Baas_. Bomvana. I'm Jonas. I'm a loyal Mission-station boy."

  "Oh, the devil you are! Now, then, Jonas, what about these cattle?"

  Then the native unfolded his tale--how that in the forest landimmediately beneath them was concealed a large number of the Gcalekacattle--a thousand of them at least. There were some men in charge,about sixty, he said, but still the whites might be strong enough totake the lot; only they would have to fight, perhaps.

  Carefully they questioned him, but from the main details of his story henever swerved. His object, he said, was to be revenged on the Gcalekas,who had billeted themselves in the Bomvana country and were carryingthings with a high hand. But Shelton was not quite satisfied.

  "Look here, Jonas," he said impressively. "Supposing I were to tell youthat this yarn of yours is all a cock-and-bull lie, and that you've comehere to lead us into a trap? And supposing I were to tell half a dozenmen here to shoot you when I count twenty? What then?"

  All eyes were fixed upon the native's face, as the leader left offspeaking. But not a muscle therein quailed. For a minute he did notreply. Then he shook his head, with a wholly incredulous laugh.

  "Nay, _Baas_," he said. "_Baas_ is joking."

  "Well, you must be telling the truth or else you must be the pluckiestnigger in all Kafirland to come here and play the fool with us," saidShelton. "What do you say, boys? Shall we trust to what this fellowtells us and make a dash for the spoil?"

  An acclamation of universal assent hailed this proposal. In anincredibly short space of time the horses were saddled, and with thenative in their midst the whole party moved down in the direction of thebush.

  "In here, _Baas_," said the guide, piloting them down a narrow pathwhere they were obliged to maintain single file. On either side was adark, dense jungle, the plumed euphorbia rising high overhead above thebush. The path, rough and widening, seemed to lead down and down--noone knew whither. The guide was not suffered to lead the way, but waskept near the head of the party, those immediately around him beingprepared to shoot him dead at the first sign of treachery.

  "Damned fools we must be to come into a place like this on the bare wordof a black fellow," grunted Carhayes. "I think the cuss means squareand above board--but going down here in this picnicking way--it doesn'tseem right somehow."

  But they were in for it now, and soon the path opened, and before andbeneath them lay a network of kloofs covered with a thick, jungly scrub,here and there a rugged _krantz_ shooting up from the waves of foliage.Not a sound was heard as they filed on in the cloudless stillness of thesunny forenoon. Even the birds were silent in that great lonely valley.

  "There," whispered the Bomvana, when they had gone some distancefurther. "There is the cattle."

  He pointed to a long, winding kloof whose entrance was commanded bycliffs on either side. Looking cautiously around, they entered this.Soon they could hear the sound of voices.

  "By George! We are on them now," said Shelton in a low tone. "But,keep cool, men--only keep cool!"

  They passed a large kraal which was quite deserted, but only just, forthe smoke still rose from more than one fire, and a couple of dogs wereyet skulking around the huts. Eagerly and in silence they pressedforward, and lo--turning an angle of the cliff--there burst upon theirview a sight which amply repaid the risk of the enterprise they hadembarked upon. For the narrow defile was full of cattle--an immenseherd--which were being driven forward as rapidly and as quietly as thetwo score armed savages in their rear could drive them. Clearly thelatter had got wind of their approach.

  "_Allamaghtaag_!" exclaimed one of the men, catching sight of the massof animals, which, plunging and crowding over each other, threaded theirway through the bush in a dozen separate, but closely packed, columns."What a take! A thousand at least!"

  "Ping--ping! Whigge!" The bullets began to sing about their ears, andfrom the bush around there issued puffs of smoke. The Kafirs who weredriving the cattle, seeing that the invaders were so few, dropped downinto cover and opened a brisk fire, but too late. Quickly the foremosthalf of the patrol, reining in, had poured a couple of effective volleysinto them, and at least a dozen of their number lay stretched upon theground, stone dead or writhing in the throes of death; while severalmore might be seen limping off as well as they could, their only thoughtnow being to save their own lives. The rest melted away into the bush,whence they kept up a tolerably brisk fire, and the bullets and bits ofpot-leg began to whistle uncomfortably close.

  "Now, boys!" cried Shelton. "Half of you come with me--and Carhayes,you take the other half and collect the cattle, but don't separate morethan to that extent." And in furtherance of this injunction the nowdivided force rode off as hard as it could go, to head the animalsback--stumbling among stones, crashing through bushes or flying over thesame--on they dashed, helter-skelter, hardly knowing at times how theykept their saddles.

  Amid much shouting and whistling the terrified creatures were at lastturned. Down the defile they rushed--eyes rolling and horns clashing,trampling to pulp the dead or helpless bodies of some of their formerdrivers, who had been shot in the earlier stages of the conflict. Itwas an indescribable scene--the dappled, many-coloured hides flashing inthe sun as the immense herd surged furiously down that wild pass. Andmingling with the shouting and confusion, and the terrified lowing ofthe cattle half-frenzied with the sight and smell of blood--theoverhanging cliffs echoed back in sharper tones the "crack-crack" of therifles of the Kaffirs, who, well under cover themselves, kept up acontinuous, but luckily ineffective, fire upon the patrol.

  Suddenly a dark form rose up in front of the horsemen. Springing like acat the savage made a swift stab at the breast of his intended victim,who swerved quickly, but not quickly enough, and the blade of theassegai descended, inflicting an ugly wound in the man's side. Droppingto the ground again, the daring assailant ducked in time to avoid therevolver bullet aimed at him, and gliding in among the fleeing cattle,escaped before the infuriated frontiersman could get in another shot.So quickly did it all take place that, except the wounded man himself,hardly anybody knew what had happened.

  "Hurt, Thompson?" sung out Hoste, seeing that the man looked ratherpale.

  "No. Nothin' to speak of, at least. Time enough to see to it by andby."

  As he spoke the horse of another man plunged and then fell heavilyforward. The poor beast had been mortally stricken by one of theenemy's missiles, and would never rise again. The dismounted man ranalongside of a comrade, holding on by the stir
rup of the latter.

  "Why, what's become of the Bomvana?" suddenly inquired someone.

  They looked around. There was no sign of their guide. Could he havebeen playing them false and slipped away in the confusion? Even now theenemy might be lying in wait somewhere in overwhelming force, ready tocut off their retreat.

  "By Jove! There he is!" cried another man presently. "And--thebeggar's dead!"

  He was. In the confusion of the attack they had forgotten their guide,who must have fallen into the hands of the enemy, and have beensacrificed to the vengeance of the latter. The body of the unfortunateBomvana, propped up in a sitting posture against a tree by his slayersin savage mockery, presented a hideous sight. The throat was cut fromear to ear, and the trunk was nearly divided by a terrible gash rightacross it just below the ribs, while from several assegai stabs the darkarterial blood was still oozing forth.

  "Faugh!" exclaimed Hoste with a grimace of disgust, while two or threeof the younger men of the party turned rather pale as they shudderinglygazed upon the sickening sight. "Poor devil! They've made short workof him, anyhow."

  "H'm! I don't wonder at it," said Shelton. "It must be deuced rough tobe sold by one of your own men. Still, if that chap's story was true hewas the aggrieved party. However, let's get on. We've got our work allbefore us still."

  They had. It was no easy matter to drive such an enormous herd throughthe thick bush. Many of the animals were very wild, besides beingthoroughly scared with all the hustling to and fro they had had--andbegan to branch off from the main body, drawing a goodly number afterthem. These had to be out-manoeuvred, yet it would never do for the mento straggle, for the Kafirs would hardly let such a prize go withoutstraining every effort to retain it. Certain it was that the savageswere following them in the thick bush as near as they dared, keenlywatching an opportunity to retrieve--or partially retrieve--the disasterof the day.

  Cautiously, then, the party retreated with their spoil, seeking afavourable outlet by which they could drive their unwieldy capture intothe open country; for on all sides the way out of the valley was steep,broken, and bushy. Suddenly a shout of warning and of consternationwent up from a man on the left of the advance. All eyes were turned onhim--and from him upon the point to which he signalled.

  What they saw there was enough to send the blood back to every heart.