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Charge! - A Story of Briton and Boer, a novel by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 24. A Very Wild Scheme |
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_ CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR. A VERY WILD SCHEME "Well," said Denham some two hours later, "it isn't bad when a fellow's hungry." "No," I agreed, speaking a little dubiously; "but it would have been much better if we had not known what we were eating." I did not hear any other opinions; for the men were ravenously hungry when the cooking was over, and we had all so many other things to think about. It had been a very busy morning. Wounds had to be dressed, the uninjured had the task of strengthening the force upon the walls, and another party led the horses out a quarter of a mile to graze. This they were allowed to do in peace, the Boers paying no heed to the proceedings. Then the lookouts, who were furnished with the officers' glasses, gave warning that strong parties were quietly on the move about a mile away--evidently making a circuit for the purpose of disarming our suspicions--with the intention of swooping round and cutting off the grazing horses. But, as Denham said, they had not all the cunning on their side, for we had taken our precautions. A red flag was hung out, and in answer to the signal the horses were headed in for the gateway at once. That was sufficient. The Boers, instead of riding along across our position, suddenly swooped round, and came on, five hundred strong, at full gallop, getting so near that they would have cut off some of our valuable horses had not fire been opened upon them from the walls, quite in accordance with the Boers' own tactics; our men lying down and taking deliberate aim, with the result that saddles were emptied and horses galloping riderless in all directions. However, the party gradually came nearer, till they found that our firing grew hotter and more true; then, utterly discouraged by its deadly effect, they wheeled round again, and went off as hard as their horses could gallop. "Let them try the same ruse again," said the Colonel, as he turned from where he had limped to watch the little action, and stood closing his glass. "Let them come again if they like; but they had the worst of it this time. Splendidly done, my lads! Excellent!" The Boers rode right away, then turned and rode back as if about to renew the attack; but suddenly they drew rein, and a small body came on at a canter, one of them waving a handkerchief. "Yes," said the Colonel sternly. "Hold your fire, my lads; they want to pick up their wounded." This was soon proved to be the case, and we looked on, thinking how much better their wounded fared than did ours. "Yes," said Denham when I said something of the kind to him; "but I hope they are behaving decently to our poor lads, wounded and prisoners. Let's give them credit for a little humanity." The Colonel waited till the enemy had retired with their injured men, leaving a couple of dead horses on the plain. Already I could see that the carrion-birds had caught sight of the dead, and were winging their way to an anticipated feast; but they were disappointed, for the order had been given, and the horses were being led out again to graze, while four men, with strong raw-hide plaited reins attached to their saddles, rode out quickly to play the part of butchers to the beleaguered force, and shortly after came slowly back drawing a fresh supply of meat for the garrison. Then the vultures descended to clear away everything left. "It makes one shudder," said Denham to me as we sat perched upon a broken portion of the wall, resting after the previous day's exertion, and nursing our rifles. "Why?" I said, though I felt that I knew what he was about to say. "Makes one think how it would be if one lay somewhere out on the veldt, dead and forgotten after a fight." "Bah! Don't talk about it," I cried. "Can't help it," he replied. "It makes me want to practise my shooting upon those loathsome crows." "Why should you?" I replied. "They are only acting according to their nature, and--Hullo! Look yonder; what's the matter with the baboons?" Away to our left a loud chattering had begun amongst the ridges of ironstone and blocks of granite which formed the kopje. The drove, herd, flock, family, or whatever it was, of the dog-faced apes was running here and there, chattering, grimacing, and evidently in a great state of excitement. There were some five or six big fellows, evidently the leaders, and these kept on making rushes right down to the bottom of the stones, followed by others; while the females with their young, which they hugged to their sides in a curiously human way, kept back, partly in hiding, but evidently watching the males, and keeping up a chorus of chattering. "Why, the beggars are going to attack our butchers." "Yes; but they think better of it," I said, laughing; for the leaders of the troop turned back and began leaping up the hill again, but only to come charging down once more to the bottom of their little stony home, and stand chattering and grimacing menacingly. "They're hungry," said Denham. "Oh no, I don't think they'd behave as badly as we do," I replied. "I don't think they'd eat horse." "What do they eat, then?" "It always seemed to me when I've seen them that they ate fruit, nuts, and corn. There used to be a pack of them in a big kopje not far from our place, and they would come down and make raids upon the farm till we had to make it too hot for them with small-shot, and then they went right away." "They don't like to see those horses dragged in," replied Denham. "Not used to it," I said. "There, they are going back into hiding now." The horses had now been drawn in to be treated as if they were oxen, and in a few minutes not one of the baboons was to be seen. There were two or three alarms in the course of the day, but no direct attack; and the whole of the horses had a good long graze, the vegetation after the late rains being fairly abundant in places, though for the most part the veldt in the neighbourhood of the old fortress was very dry and bare. There was abundance of water, however, for a stone tied to the end of four reins carefully joined did not suffice to plumb the well-like hole. That evening, as Denham and I sat playing the part of voluntary sentry, my companion lent me his glass to watch the distant troops of Boers, which I did diligently. We were seated on the top of the wall, for the simple reason that both of us were terribly stiff and bruised, and consequently extremely disinclined to stir. Then I uttered a loud exclamation. "What's the matter?" said Denham quickly. "Take the glass," I said; "the sloping sun lights up that part clearly. There, sight it upon the line below that flat-topped hill in the distance." "Yes," he said, taking the glass and focussing it to suit. "What of it? Boers, Boers, hundreds of Boers." "But there's something in motion." "Ah! Yes, I see now: one, two--why, there must be half-a-dozen ox-wagons with long teams." "What does that mean?" I said. "Ox-wagons." "Yes; but what are they laden with?" "I dunno," he said, peering through the glass. "Corn for the horses; provisions for the Boers' camp." "Of course! Oh dear, if we could only get one of them across here!" "Well, could it be done?" I said. Denham shook his head. "It could only be done in the dark. You mean stampede the bullocks; but they'd be outspanned at night, and we could never get them inspanned and away without being beaten off.--Can't see it, Solomon the Wise." "It does seem difficult," I assented. "Yes; and, suppose we had got a team hitched on all right, see how they move: two miles an hour generally. But it does look tempting." "But we might get a team of oxen away without a wagon by making a bold dash." "Might," replied Denham; "but bullocks are miserably obstinate brutes to drive. It would mean a good supply of beef, though--wouldn't it?" "Splendid." "Yes; but we want meal too. I say, I dare say there's coffee and sugar in those wagons as well." "Most likely," I said; "the Boers like eating and drinking." "The pigs! Yes, and we're to starve. I say, couldn't we make a bold night-attack and drive them away, compelling them to leave their stores?" "Well, after last night's experience I should say, 'No; we could not,'" I replied. "You're quite right, Val," said Denham, with a sigh. "Hullo! here's your black Cupid come up to have a look at us." For Joeboy, whom a good hearty meal had made very shiny and happy-looking, came climbing up to where we sat, and stood looking down at us as if waiting for orders. "Here, Joeboy," I said; "look through this." "Um? Yes, Boss," he said; and, from long usage when out hunting with my father or with me, he took the glass handily and sat down to scan the distant Boer line. "Lot o' Doppie," he said in a low tone, as if talking to himself. "Lot o' horse feeding; lot o' wagon and bullock. Plenty mealie, coffee, sugar." "Yes, Joeboy," I said; "and we want one of those wagons and teams." "Um? Yes, Boss," he said thoughtfully, without taking his eyes from the glass. "Joeboy know how." "You do?" said Denham quickly. "Tell us, then." "Boss Colonel send Boss Val and hundred sojer fetch um." "It wouldn't do, Joeboy," I said sadly. "There would be another big fight, and we should lose a lot of men and horses without getting the wagon." "Um? Yes. Too many Doppie." "That's right, Shiny," said Denham. "Yes," I said; "we must wait till we see a team making for the kopje, and then the Colonel can send out a party and cut them off." "Then the Boer General will send out a bigger party and cut us off," said Denham bitterly. "I don't want another set-to like yesterday's for a week or so. So we must take to horse and water for the present, I suppose." "Joeboy know," said the black, with his eyes still fixed on the glass. "You know?" I cried, staring at the black's calm, imperturbable countenance. "Um? Yes." "Why, what could be done?" I said, excited by the black's cool and confident way, knowing as I did from old experience how full of ingenuity the brave fellow was. "Um?" he said thoughtfully, as he still watched the Boer lines. "No good to fight; Doppie too many." "Yes," said Denham impatiently. "You said so before." "Um?" said Joeboy, taking his eyes from the glass a moment or two to glance at the speaker, but turning away and raising the glass again; "Joeboy know." "Let's have it, then," said Denham, "for hang me if I can see how it could be done." "Big fool black fellow drive wagon," said Joeboy, still gazing through the glass, as if he could see those of whom he spoke. "'Nother big fool black fellow vorloper. Both fast sleep under wagon. Boss Val talk like Boer: double-Dutch." "Is that right?" said Denham. "Oh yes," I said. "I can speak like a Boer if it is necessary." "Um? Yes," said Joeboy quietly. "Think Doppie talky, Boss Val take Joeboy and go in a dark night up to wagon. Stoop down and kick big black fool driver and big black fool vorloper. 'Get up!' he say. 'Want sleep alway? Get up, big fool! Trek!'" "What?" I cried excitedly. "Um? Talk like Doppie, Boss Val talk. Big fool get up an' inspan. Boss Val get up on box an' keep call driver big black fool, like Doppie. Joeboy walk 'long o' vorloper. Tell 'im Joeboy 'tick assagai in um back if he talk, and drive right 'way." "Ha!" I said, with a heavy expiration of the breath. "But do you understand what he means?" "Oh yes, I understand," said Denham, laughing; "but where are the Doppies going to be all the while?" "Lying somewhere about, of course, asleep," I said excitedly; "but there would be no sentries over the wagons; and, as he says, the black foreloper and driver would be sleeping underneath." "Oh, that's right enough," said Denham impatiently. "But the noise, the rattle of the wagon, the getting of the oxen, and all the rest of it?" "The oxen would be all lying down with the trek-rope between them, and they'll quietly do what their black driver and foreloper wish. I think it could be done." "My dear boy, it's madness." "It isn't," I said angrily. "Joeboy is right, and a trick like this would perhaps succeed when force would fail. We must capture one of those wagons." "Oh, I'd have the lot while I was about it," cried Denham, laughing. "Be sensible," I cried pettishly. "Joeboy is right. Can't you see that it is the sheer impudence of the thing that would carry it through?" "No, old chap," he replied; "that I can't." "Well, I can," I said firmly. "The black driver and foreloper could be roused out of their sleep, and they take it as a matter of course that they were to drive the wagon somewhere else, and obey at once, especially if they are hurried by some one who speaks like a Boer." "Well, I grant that's possible," said Denham; "but what about the Boer sentries and outposts? They'd stop you before you'd gone straight away for a hundred yards." "I shouldn't go straight away," I said, "but along by the front; and if we were stopped, Joeboy could tell the outpost we were ordered to change position--to go on to the other end of the line. What would the outpost care or think about it? All he would think would be that a wagon-load of stores was being shifted, and let us pass. Then I should tell Joeboy to begin creeping out towards the east yonder, and keep on till we were out of bearing before striking away for the kopje here. Once we had got clear off we could keep steadily on all through the night, and at daybreak you would be watching for us, and send out a detachment to bring us in." "Splendid, my boy--in theory," said Denham; "but it would not work out in practice." "Think not?" "A hundred to one it wouldn't," cried Denham firmly. "Well, I think it would," I said--"and from the cool daring of the thing." "And what about your horse? That would be enough to betray you." "No take Sandho," said Joeboy, who had been listening attentively. "Of course not," I said. "We should walk right across to the Boer lines, getting off as soon as it was dark." "Why not go in disguise as a minstrel?" said Denham banteringly--"like King Alfred did when he went to see about the Danes? Have you got a harp, old chap?" "No," I said coolly. "Well, it doesn't matter, because I don't believe you could play it. But a banjo would be better for the Doppies, or--I have it--an accordion! Haven't one in your pocket, I suppose?" "Why can't you be serious?" I said. "I am, old fellow. Banjo, concertina, or accordion, either would do; and if you could sing them one or two of their popular Dutch songs it would be the very thing." "Don't banter," I said dryly. "Then don't you propose impossibilities. There, they are cooking supper again, so let's get down and see about a bit of--ahem! you know. Whatever it is, we must eat. I almost wish I were a horse, though, and could go out on the veldt and browse on the herbage. Here, I say, I've got a far better Utopian scheme than yours." "What is it?" I replied quietly, for I felt that he was going to chaff me. "Well," he said, "it's this. You know how imitative monkeys are?" I nodded. "Then all we have to do is to make a ring of our men round the kopje there, and drive the baboons into the court here. From the court we could turn them into one of the passages between the walls, stop up the ends, and capture the lot." "To eat?" I said sarcastically. "Eat, man? No; to drill, and teach them to forage for us, just as the Malays teach the monkeys to pick coco-nuts for them." "Drill them? Ah! there is a baboon called a 'drill.' Yes, go on," I said. "We could send them out every night, and they'd come back laden with mealies for us; and there you are." "Nice evening, gentlemen," said Sergeant Briggs, who had just climbed to our side. "I've been using the Major's glass. My word! they've got wagon after wagon loaded with stores across yonder. Is there any way of cutting out one or two, for we must not go on living upon horse?" I looked hard at the speaker, and then at Denham, and the result was that we astonished the Sergeant, for both Denham and I burst out laughing, and Joeboy smiled as widely as he could. _ |
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