CHAPTER ELEVEN.
ANOTHER SEARCH.
"That's just what I'm going to do, Master Anson," was the reply, givensternly.
"All right," said Anson nonchalantly. "Search away; but, if I was inthe police and had a good tip given me as to where the plunder I wasafter had been planted, I don't think I should waste time hunting blindleads, and letting the real culprits have plenty of time to get away."
"But then you are not in the police, sir," said the superintendent, witha nod. "So first of all I'll let my men run over you and your Kaffirs."
"Wait till I've lit a cigar first," said Anson, taking out a case, andthen laughing, for the police officer was watching him keenly. "That'sright; there are three or four diamonds in every one of these cigars,and as I smoke you'll notice that I don't burn much of the end I light,but that I keep on biting off bits of the leaf till I get to thediamonds, and then I swallow them."
He held out his cigar-case, and the superintendent took it and began tofeel the cigars, till Anson burst out laughing.
"Don't pinch them too hard," he cried, "or you'll break them, and thenthey won't draw."
The officer returned the cigar-case with an angry ejaculation, andglanced round as if hesitating where to begin, while the horses of hismen began to imitate the action of the oxen, nibbling away at the richgrass surrounding the pleasant spring.
"I say, Robert," said Anson, and the superintendent started at thefamiliar nickname: "I'd look smart over the business, for the Boers havebeen here lately to water their horses, and if they should by any chancecome back it might mean a journey for you and your men to Pretoria."
"And you too, if they did come," said the officer surlily.
"Oh, I don't know," said Anson airily. "I don't believe they would stopa man with an empty wagon going south on a peaceful journey."
"They'd take you and your wagon and span, sir," said the officersternly.
"Look here, I don't believe the Boers would behave half so badly to meas my own people have done. But aren't you going to search?"
"Yes," said the superintendent sharply. "Your rifle, please."
Anson unslung it from where it hung in the wagon, and the officer tookit, examined the stock and the plate at the end of the butt, to be surethat there were no secret places scooped out of the wood, before heopened the breech and withdrew the ball cartridges, holding the emptybarrels up to his eyes.
"That's right," cried Anson; "but have a good look round for squalls--Imean Boers. Gun-barrels don't make half bad things to squint throughwhen you haven't got a binocular."
"Bah!" said the superintendent angrily, replacing the cartridges andclosing the breech with a snap. "But you have a pair of glasses slungacross your shoulder, sir. Have the goodness to pass the case here."
Anson obeyed willingly enough, giving his slung case up for the riflethat was returned.
"There you are," he said, "and when you've done I suppose you'd like tosearch my clothes and my skin. But I haven't anything there, and Ihaven't cut myself to slip diamonds inside my hide, and there are nonein my ears or boots."
"It's my duty to have you searched all the same," said thesuperintendent. "Here, two of you go carefully over Mr Anson, whileyou three hitch up your horses there and make a close search throughoutthe wagon."
Anson chuckled as the men began promptly to pass their hands over hisclothes, turn out his pockets, and haul off his boots, their chief,after satisfying himself that the binocular case had no false bottom orprecious stones inside the instrument itself, looking searchingly on.
Satisfied at last that his captive had nothing concealed about him, andfrowning heavily at the malicious grin of contempt in which Ansonindulged, the superintendent turned to the men examining the oxen so asto satisfy himself that none of the heavy dull brutes had been providedwith false horns riveted over their own and of greater length so as toallow room for a few diamonds in each.
Then the dissel boom was examined to see if it had been bored outsomewhere and plugged to cover the illicitly-acquired diamonds thrustin.
But no: the great pole of the wagon was perfectly solid; there were nostones stuck in the grease used to anoint the wheels; there was no signanywhere outside the wagon of boring or plugging; and at last thesuperintendent, after carefully avoiding Anson's supercilious grin,turned to give a final look round before giving up the search.
Was there anywhere else likely?
Yes; there were the bags of mealies and the water-cask slung beneath thewain, both nearly full, the cask to give forth a sound when it wasshaken, and the sacks ready to be emptied out upon a wagon sheet andshed their deep buff-coloured grains, hard, clean, and sweet, in a greatheap, which was spread out more and more till they were about two deep,but showed not a sign of a smuggled stone.
"Fill the bags again, my lads," said the police superintendent, "andlet's have a look at what's inside the wagon."
"We've searched everything there," said a sergeant gruffly.
"I have not," replied the superintendent sharply. "Let me see."
"But you haven't looked in the water-cask," said Anson mockingly; "turnthe water out on to the wagon sheet. It won't stay there, of course;but we can easily get some more. Do you think diamonds would melt inwater?"
"Try one and see," cried the superintendent angrily, as he turned away,to stand looking on while every article that could by any possibilityhave been made to act as a vehicle to hide smuggled diamonds had beenexamined and replaced.
"We've been sold, eh?" said the sergeant, looking up in hissuperintendent's eyes at last.
"It seems like it," was the reply. "There's nothing here."
Just then Anson, who had been lighting a fresh cigar, came up to himsmilingly.
"Haven't done, have you?" he said.
"Yes: quite," was the gruff reply.
"Oh, I am sorry you haven't had better luck," said Anson, in a mocksympathetic tone. "It must be terribly disappointing, after expectingto make a big capture."
"Very," said the superintendent, looking the speaker searchingly in theeyes.
"Well, I said something to you before, but you took no notice."
"Oh yes, I did."
"But you didn't act on my tip. It seems like playing the sneak, butthat's what they did to me, so I don't mind paying them back in theirown coin."
"Pay whom?"
"The two who informed on me to save their own skins."
"I do not understand you."
"Oh dear, what fools you clever men are!"
"What do you mean?"
"Bah! And you call yourself a police officer. I'd make a better oneout of a Dutch doll."
"Once more, what do you mean?"
"Rub the dust out of your eyes, man."
"There's none there."
"Tchah! Your eyes are full of the dust those two threw there. Can'tyou see?"
"No."
"Well, I am surprised at you," cried Anson; "and after such a hint too!Can't you see that they've been a-playing upon you--setting you off on ablind lead to keep your attention while they went off with a big parcelof diamonds?"
"What! West and Ingleborough?"
"To be sure! What should they want to volunteer for, and risk captureby the Boers, if they hadn't something to gain by it?"
"Well, they had something to gain--honour and promotion."
"Pish!" cried Anson; "they want something better than that! You've beenhad, squire. You've been set to catch poor innocent, lamb-like me, andall the while those two foxes have been stealing away with the plunder."
"What!" cried the superintendent.
"I spoke plainly enough," said Anson, smiling pleasantly.
"Yes, you spoke plainly enough," said the superintendent; "but it'snothing to laugh at, sir."
"Why, it's enough to make a cat laugh. Well, I wish you better luck,"said Anson, "and if you do catch up to Oliver West I hope you'll slipthe handcuffs on him at once and make him part with his smuggled swag."
"I shall," said Anson, smiling broadly. "Glad you came after me, sothat I could put you on the right track."
"So am I," said the police officer, with a peculiar look.
"And I'm sorry I cut up so rough," continued Anson, smiling, as heapologised; "but you know, it isn't nice to be stopped and overhauled asI have been."
"Of course it isn't," said the officer drily; "but in my profession onecan't afford to study people's feelings."
"No, no, of course not. But don't apologise."
"I was not going to," said the superintendent; "I'm sorry, though, tofind out that West is such a scamp. Why, Ingleborough must be as bad."
"Or worse," said Anson, grinning.
"Yes, because he's older. Why, I quite trusted that fellow."
"Ah, you're not the first man who has been deceived, sir."
"Of course not; but by the way, Mr Anson, why didn't you say somethingof this kind in your defence when Ingleborough charged you before thedirectors?"
"Why didn't I say something about it? Why, because I didn't know. Itonly came to me too late. But there, you know now; and, as I saidbefore, I wish you luck and a good haul, only unfortunately they've gota good start and you'll have your work cut out. Going? Goodbye then."
"Goodbye?" said the superintendent, using the word as a question.
"Yes, of course. I'm going to chance it. I don't suppose we shall meetany Boers."
"No; I don't think you'll meet any Boers," said the officer, in someaning a way that Anson grew uneasy.
"Why do you speak like that?" he said sharply.
"Only that it isn't goodbye, Mr Anson."
"Not goodbye? Yes, it is. I'm off to the south at once."
"No, sir; you're going north with me. You area suspected person, MrAnson. I am not altogether satisfied with my search, nor yet with yourvery ingenious story."
"Then search again?" cried Anson excitedly.
"Not here, sir. I'll have a careful look over the wagon when we getback to Kimberley."
"You don't mean to say you are going to drag me back to Kimberley?"
"I do, sir, and you ought to be thankful, for you'd never pass throughthe Boers' lines further south."
"But you have thoroughly searched me and my wagon."
"I have told you that I am not satisfied," said the officer coldly;"and, even if I were, I should take you back with me all the same."
"Why? What for?"
"To face this Mr West and his companion if we capture them and bringthem back."
"But what's that to me?"
"Only this: you are the informer, and will have to give evidence againstthem when they are examined. Now, please, no more words, Mr Anson; youare my prisoner. Quick, boys! Get the team in-spanned and the wagonturned the other way."
"But breakfast," said Anson, with a groan. "I must have something toeat."
"The billy is boiling," said the sergeant to his chief, in aconfidential tone, "and the bullocks would be all the better for anhour's feed, sir."
The superintendent looked sharply towards the fire and the prisoner'sprovisions, and shaded his eyes and gazed for some minutes south.
"You're right," he said. "Send two men off a good mile forward asoutposts, and let the oxen feed.--Now, Mr Anson, I'll take breakfastwith you if you'll have me for a guest."
"Yes; I can't help myself," said the prisoner bitterly; "and suppose Ishan't have a chance given me to make your tea agreeable with somethingI have in the wagon."
"No; I don't think you will, sir, thanks."
"But I can sit and wish you luck, my friend, and my wish is this--that acommando may swoop down upon you and your gang."
"Thanks once more," said the superintendent grimly. "There, sit down,sir, and I'll preside and send you your breakfast."
This was done, the repast made, and, as soon as two of the constableshad finished, they were sent off to relieve their rear-guard, sendingthem on to have their meal, and with orders to fall back towards thewagon a quarter of an hour after the relief had been made.
All this was duly carried out, the oxen in-spanned, and the wagon beganits lumbering course back towards Kimberley, the black driver andvoorlooper taking their places in the most unconcerned way, as if itwere all in the day's work, while Anson, after eating voraciously, had afit of the sulks, watching narrowly the movements of the police. Aftera moment's indecision he climbed upon the box in the front of the wagonand in doing so glanced at his rifle, which hung in its slings close tohis head.
"Six of them," he said to himself, as he smiled pleasantly. "I couldbring down the chief and one more easily; but that wouldn't scare therest away. Odds are too heavy, and one don't want to be taken andhanged. They are so particular about a policeman being hurt! Nevermind; I daresay my luck will turn--fool as I was to try that dodge onabout those two going off with the smuggled loot. I'll wait. Here goesto whistle for the Boers, as the sailors do for wind."
Saying this, he drew out the little mahogany case which held his flute,and coolly took the pieces and fitted them together, before crossing hislegs upon the rough seat and beginning to blow, keeping up a series ofthe most doleful old Scotch and Irish laments, while the oxen plodded onand the police rode by the wagon side, listening and looking in vain forany sign tending to point out the fact that the flautist was a dishonestdealer in the coveted crystals which were so hard to get, but all thesame keeping a keen look-out for danger in the shape of advancing Boers.
A Dash from Diamond City Page 11