Chapter 18. "We Are Going Wrong"

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_ CHAPTER EIGHTEEN. "WE ARE GOING WRONG"

"No, gen'lemen," said Buck, in reply to a question; "I have had four long trips with hunting parties, and know a good deal of the country, but this is all new to me. Mak professes to know, and I daresay he is all right. He is clever enough at choosing good open country where my bullocks can get along, and he never stops at a kopje without our finding water. You see, we have got now during this last week to the edge of the biggest piece of forest that we have had to do with, and I am not going to interfere with him till he shows that he's a bit lost. Here we are keeping to the edge of the trees where I can get the waggons along and you can have plenty of sport, which gives us all enough to eat. Oh, it's all right, gen'lemen. These niggers know what they are about. I'd trust him, and I suppose it don't matter to you where we are, because we can always turn back when you are tired and your stores begin to run out."

"But Dr Robertson wants to find the ancient cities that we have heard of. Where are they?" said Mark.

"I d'know, sir," said the man, with a laugh. "There's Mak yonder; let's go and ask him."

Instead of going to the black, Buck Denham signed to him as he looked their way, and the stalwart, fierce-looking fellow marched up to them, shouldering his spear, whose broken shaft he had replaced with a finely grown bamboo.

The questioning resulted in a certain amount of pantomime on Mak's part and a confident display of smiles.

"Oh, it's all right, gen'lemen; he knows. He says we are to keep right along just outside the trees, and that he will take us to what he calls the big stones. But they are days and days farther on."

"But that's very vague," said the doctor.

"Yes, sir, I daresay it is," said Buck, "though I don't know what vague means. I only know that there's plenty of room out in this country to go on trekking for years, and I should always feel sure that a chap like Mak would be able to find his way back when you give the order to turn round."

So the journey was continued, with no day passing without some object of interest being found. The guns and rifles of the party kept the soup pot boiling, and ample joints and birds for roasting over the embers, the picking out of places where abundant supplies of wood and water could be obtained being one of Mak's greatest accomplishments; but as the boys laughingly said when comparing notes, there was no getting any work out of Mak the Chief. He would find what was requisite, or would trace game to its lair, and then make a grand display of his powers of eating and go to sleep.

"No, gen'lemen," said Buck, one day, "we don't see many traces of lions. You see, we keep hanging about so along the edge of this great forest, and we'd rather not run against any of the great cats, because we don't want to spare any of our bullocks. If you gen'lemen wish for lion hunting all you have got to do is to tell Mak, and he will take us right out on the open veldt where there's a kopje of rocks here and there and the spring boks and antelope beasts go in droves. That's where you will find the lions--lying up in the shelter of the rocks at one time, and hanging on to the skirts of the different herds so as to stalk their dinners when they want them and go on hunting them, you may say, all over the plains."

"Yes, I understand," said Mark, "but we don't want to go out over the plains, though it's very nice to have a canter now and then and pick up a buck."

"One Buck Denham's enough," said Dean drily.

"Yes, gen'lemen; quite, I should think."

"Quite," said Mark; "but he's the best Buck on the plains. You shouldn't try to make bad jokes, though, Dean. And look here, Buck, we couldn't do better than we are doing now. Nothing pleases father more than going out of an evening with his gun at the edge of a forest like this, and picking off the guinea-fowls for supper as they come into the trees to roost."

"Yes, not bad for you gen'lemen's supper, gen'lemen, but Tot and those black fellows want something with more stay in it. The way in which they can stow away food makes even me stare, and I'm not a bad fist with the knife. You see, I have a lot to keep going; but I am nothing to one of them. I shouldn't like to leave them in charge of the teams without master. Why, if they could do as they liked they'd come to camp, light a big fire, kill one of those bullocks, and sit down to cook, and never stir again until there was nothing left but some bones for the crows to pick. Two spans of oxen wouldn't last them so very long."

"Forty-six!" said Dean, bursting out laughing, "Oh, I say, come, Buck, you can exaggerate!"

"Oh, that's true enough, sir. They would only want time. Hullo, you, what's the matter? Here's old Mak seen something. Get your guns ready."

For the black, who had formed one of the topics of conversation that morning as he walked well ahead of the first waggon as they skirted the edge of the forest--the waggons keeping in the open--kept on making incursions towards where the huge trees spread their boughs, and the country was park-like and grand. And now, to bring forth the driver's exclamation, the keen-eyed black fellow, who had evidently caught sight of something which had excited his interest, was running swiftly in and out of the bushes more and more towards the great trees, in full chase, throwing up his spear now and then as if to signal his companions to follow.

"What is it he is after?" cried Mark.

"I dunno, sir," replied Buck, who was standing up now upon the waggon chest and holding on to the tilt so as to follow the movements of their guide. "It's something to eat; you may take your oath of that."

The black's movements had been noted by the doctor and Sir James, who, double gun in hand, had been tramping slowly a little to the left of their line of route, on the look out for anything that might be serviceable to supply their larder, and they followed the example of the two boys and threaded their way in amongst the low growth in answer to the silent appeal made by their guide.

Mark was the first to see that Mak was in pursuit of a little naked black figure that was running and doubling through the bushes like a hare.

Its effort was evidently to find a place of concealment, for three times over it disappeared and the boys thought it was gone; but upon each occasion it was evident that Mak's eyes were too keen, and they saw him approach cautiously, or creep round some clump of trees, with the result that the little black figure started out again, and finally giving up its efforts to conceal itself plunged right in amongst the close growing trees of the forest which rose up beyond the low growth like a wall.

"Lost," said Mark sharply. "Mak won't be able to follow him there."

But he was wrong, for without a moment's hesitation their guide dashed into the dark cover, while the boys stopped short on coming up to the spot where he had disappeared.

They looked round, but Sir James and the doctor were out of sight. They found too that they had left the waggons behind.

"Hadn't we better turn back?" said Dean.

"Well, I half think so," replied his cousin, "but I should like to have a look at that chap. He was quite a little boy. I say, if we stop here Mak will start him again directly, and then we can take him prisoner."

"What for?" asked Dean. "We don't want to take prisoners."

"I don't know, but I suppose Mak wants to catch him for some reason, to ask the road, perhaps. Here, come on."

"Oh, I don't know," replied Dean. "See how thick the trees are."

"Yes, it is pretty dark," said Mark. "But we are not afraid of that."

"No, but if we go in there we are sure to lose our way."

"Very well, Miss Timidity, let's lose it. It will be another job for Mak to find us again."

"I am no more timid than you are," said Dean coolly. "Come along;" and stepping quickly before his cousin he plunged directly between two huge trees whose branches on their side thickly interlaced and came close down to the ground, while as soon as they had passed them it was to find themselves confronted by tall columns standing as thickly as they could, bare of trunk and branchless till about sixty or seventy feet above their heads, where verdant roof was formed which completely shut off the light save where here and there a thin streak or two of sunshine shot down like an arrow, to form a little golden patch upon the floor of withered leaves.

"What a change!" cried Mark, as the pair stopped short, trying to penetrate the darkness; but this they found was impossible save in the direction from which they had come.

"Isn't it strange?" said Dean, after walking in and out amongst the trees for some twenty yards.

"Strange, yes," replied Mark. "Why, it wants a couple of hours to mid-day, and we might fancy that it only wanted a couple of hours to midnight. Well, let's go a little farther."

"Very well," replied Dean, stepping out; "but we could not see Mak if he was close at hand."

"No, but we shall hear him directly. He will try to cooey, and he will as soon as he has caught the little black chap. I say, didn't he scuttle along just like a rabbit!"

"Yes, but I say, let's keep together, for I am sure we shall lose ourselves directly."

"Oh, we shan't lose ourselves; but let's keep on quite straight."

"How are we to keep on quite straight when we can't get along without winding in and out?"

"That's true," said Mark; "but I say, do took upward! What trees! What a height! Just stand still and listen for a minute or two. We may get a shot at some beautiful bird such as we have never seen before."

They paused and listened, went on, and stopped, and listened again, and then made a fresh halt, making the backs of their necks ache with having to stare straight up in trying to pierce the dense foliage which shut out the sunlight sky.

But there was no rustle of bird or buzz of insect; all was profound silence. And this, joined to the deep gloom, affected both the boys in a similar way, for they cocked their pieces, which rarely left their hands, and the sound was so dull and shut in that a curious creepy feeling affected them.

"I say," said Dean, at last, in almost a whisper, "I don't want you to laugh at me for being a coward, but this does seem a creepy place. I vote we get out, before we are lost. It would be queer to find that we could not get back."

"I am not going to laugh at you and call you a coward, for I feel a little queer myself. Are you sure that if we turned right round now and began to walk back we should get out?"

"I think so," said Dean hesitatingly, "but don't let's try both together. Look here."

"It's all very fine to say, 'Look here,' when one can hardly see. It is just as if we had stepped out of day into night."

"Nonsense!" cried Dean impatiently. "I did not want you to look. I meant that I would stand perfectly still looking straight into the darkness till you had turned round and were looking right back the way we came. Then you stand still while I turn round. Then we could not make any mistake, and we could walk out together."

"Well," said Mark, "that seems right, only I am afraid we did not come in straight, and I say I think we have done a very stupid thing. We ought to have taken out our knives and chipped the bark off every tree we passed."

"Yes, but it is too late to do that, so let's try and get out at once."

"But what about Mak?"

"Oh, he's a savage, and he could find his way anywhere. Now then, I am standing still. You turn round at once."

"Done," said Mark, and he turned sharply and backed close up to his cousin, so that they were looking now in opposite directions. "Now then, this must be right. You turn round while I stand fast."

Dean turned and stood side by side with his cousin, who then gave the order to step out.

"Yes," he continued, as they began to move back slowly, "I am beginning to want to get out of this. It makes one feel confused. I wish, though, we could hear Mak rustling through the bushes."

"How could he rustle through the bushes when there are none to rustle through? It's just like being in an awful great temple, with the tall smooth pillars supporting the roof."

"Pish! What nonsense!" cried Mark. "Let's get on. We are just inside the edge of a great forest, and what's the good of imagining all sorts of things? Come along, and let's walk fast."

Dean made no reply, and the two lads stepped out, giving up in despair all efforts to keep on in a straight line, for they had to turn to right or left every minute to pass round the huge trunk of some enormous tree.

This went on for nearly a quarter of an hour, a quarter which seemed half, and then Mark stood still.

"Dean," he said sharply, "we are going wrong."

Dean was silent.

"I say we are going wrong," repeated Mark. "If we had been right we should have been outside this horrible place minutes ago."

"Oh, don't talk like that," said Dean, in a whisper, as if afraid of being heard, when all the time his heart would have leaped with joy if he had heard some other voice. "Listen," said Mark.

"Ah! What can you hear?" cried his cousin. Mark was silent for quite a minute. "Nothing," he whispered, at last. "It's so awfully silent."

And the lads stood listening each to his own hard breathing, both yielding to the sensation of strange dread that was creeping over them, in fact, fast losing their nerve. At last Mark spoke out with angry decision. "Don't let's be fools," he said, "and give way to this nasty sensation. But it's of no use to hide it from ourselves: Dean, old chap, we are lost!"

"Yes," said Dean faintly. "Shout!" Mark started, clapped his hand to his cheek, and gave out the Australians' far piercing cry--"Cooey!" listened, and then quite excitedly told his cousin to try.

Dean obeyed him and uttered his shrill version of the cry. Then both stood and listened--listened with throbbing hearts for some response, no matter how distant, but listened in vain, and the silence now seemed more than awful.

"Oh, it's nonsense to take it like this," cried Mark, with another burst of energy. "Here, Dean."

"Well, what?"

"Let's look it all in the face. We know that we can't be far from where we came in. We know too that we left father and Dr Robertson just outside, and that Mak came in before us."

"Yes, yes!"

"Well, then, what is there to mind? All we have got to do is to stand still and let them find us; and if they try and can't make out where we are, they will bring all the men to help. Here, let's lean up against one of the trees a bit and listen and think."

"Can't!" said Dean passionately. "I feel that if I stood still I should go mad. Let's keep on trying."

"Yes," said Mark excitedly, "let's keep on trying. Will you go one way, and I will go the other, and the one that finds the way out can cooey."

"No," cried Dean feverishly, "don't let's separate. We must keep close together."

"Yes," said Mark, "we must keep close together. Come on, and let's walk quickly."

They started off, with Mark leading, and for quite half an hour they threaded their way in and out amongst the huge pillar-like trunks, which seemed to have grown closer together and looked as though if they were left undisturbed for a few years longer they would all join together and form an impenetrable wall. Then with the darkness seeming thicker than ever, they stopped short and stood hand in hand.

"Dean," said Mark, at last, and he looked at his cousin's dimly-seen face, "do you know what we have been doing?"

"Yes: making it more difficult for them to find us."

"Yes, that we have," said Mark; "and yet it seemed so impossible, just as if after walking in we had nothing to do but to walk out again; and here we are, thoroughly lost."

"But it only means," said Dean, trying to speak firmly, but failing dismally, "being lost for a few hours or so, or at the worst having to stop all night."

"Without food or water!" said Mark bitterly. "And what about the wild beasts?"

"Not a place for lions," said Dean.

"No, I know that; but doesn't it seem to you like what we have read of, about men being lost in the Australian bush?"

"But this isn't the Australian bush."

"No, it's bigger--as much bigger as those trees are than the Australian bushes."

"Well, you are a nice comfortable fellow, Mark, to come out with!"

"Yes, I am, aren't I? It was stupid of me. But there, I am going to be plucky now. Let's have another try."

"Yes, try again," said Dean; "but it seems stupid, and may mean getting farther and farther and more hopelessly lost."

"It can't be, and it shan't be!" cried Mark. "Oh, what stuff! Let's shout again--shout till we make Mak hear us and come to our help. Now then, both together. What shall we cry?"

"Cooey, of course," cried Dean; and joining their voices they called at close intervals again and again till they were hoarse, while at every shout it seemed as if their voices rebounded from the solid surfaces of the trees instead of penetrating or running between them. And then as their voices failed they started off again in and out amongst the natural pillars, growing more and more excited and dismayed, till they felt that they could go no farther--absolutely lost, and not knowing which way to turn, while the darkness above them seemed blacker than ever and the dimly-seen trees that closed them in on every side began to wear the appearance of an impenetrable wall. _

Read next: Chapter 19. Among The Pigmies

Read previous: Chapter 17. A Deed Of Mercy

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