CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.
CONCERNING BATTLE.
Skerry Hill was the absurdly-named trading store of a man named Minton,and at present it was in a state of siege. Ben Halse was there, andVerna and Denham, and half-a-dozen or so of prospectors and miners,including Harry Stride and Robson. The place was laagered up withwaggons and carts, old packing-cases, tins--anything that came in. Astrand or two of barbed wire had been rummaged out, and ringed in withthis additional defence the inmates, numbering about a dozen rifles,felt fairly secure, at any rate until relief should come.
For mighty events had been maturing. Babatyana had raised the tribes inthe north of Natal, then crossing the border had put the torch to thosein the south of Zululand. It was war, pure and simple, and a largeforce had been mobilised to quell it. But what touched them here morenearly was the report, well confirmed, that Sapazani had defied andthreatened his magistrate, had come within an ace of murdering him andmassacring the whole township of Esifeni, and had then taken to the bushwith his whole tribe in order to effect a junction with the rebels inthe south. All the sparse white population of the district had eitherfled or gone into laager.
Now all this scare would not have troubled Ben Halse overmuch, but forthe revelation which Verna had made to him. He was very angry, but hekept his head. He questioned her minutely as to the reason ofSapazani's sudden change of front, but beyond that he had been suddenlycalled away and had not appeared again she was in the dark. He,however, took a serious view of it. Such a thing as any native actingin this manner was absolutely unheard of, absolutely without precedent.It was so preposterous even as to look like a practical joke, butnatives of this one's age and standing are not given to such. It wascertainly time to get out of Sapazani's country, even apart from theexisting state of things. So he had buried everything that it waspossible thus to hide, and incontinently trekked.
Denham was left in the dark as to the real reason of his briefcaptivity. To him Verna felt a natural shrinking and repulsion evenfrom mentioning a loathsome matter of the kind. So they got up somestory of the times being troubled, and that his capture was probablydone with the object of holding him as a hostage.
They had not been long upon the road before they met with some Zulus whowere well-known to them. These warned them not to follow the way theywere going. It skirted the Lumisana forest for hours, and Sapazani'stribe was ambushing the whole of that road. So Ben Halse decided toalter his plans, and turning off to Skerry Hill, join the laager therefor the present. Needless to say, the acquisition of a man of hisrecord and resource was enthusiastically hailed by the occupants. AndDenham, too. Another "rifle," and the more of such the better.
Minton was a rough and tumble sort of man, of no particularcharacteristic except that when he had had a couple of glasses too manyhe became a quite phenomenal bore; when he had had three, he wanted tofight, but as no one thought it worthwhile taking him seriously he wentto sleep instead. He had a limp wife and several small children, allgiven to howling vehemently on any or no provocation.
"Hello, Ben," cried Minton. "What's the news up your way? Must be hotif _you've_ decided to clear. Well, Miss Verna, hope you've broughtyour .303. We may want it. And you, sir; glad to meet you. Had heardof you being with our friends here. Come in; I've still got a boy leftwho can look after your horses."
Verna did not like the allusion to her shooting powers. She had neverquite thrown off that misgiving she had lest in Denham's sight sheshould always be the fighting, hunting Amazon. Minton'swell-intentioned jocularity grated upon her ears. But it need not have.
Then the limp wife and the children came forward, and were duly madeacquainted with Denham, who won golden opinions from the minor parent ofthe latter on the spots by stroking their sticky little paws within his,and insisting upon making them stickier still with the contents ofcertain glass bottles of bull's-eyes which stood upon one of the shelveswithin the store.
"What's yours, Mr Denham?" said Minton, going, in business-likefashion, behind the bar end of the store counter. "Ben's form of poisonnever varies. It's square face in this country, and `dop' down inNatal--when he can get it. Cheer, oh!"
Now the prospectors dropped in. All knew Ben Halse; then they wereintroduced to Denham, and of course another round was set up.
"Hello, Robson," sung out Minton, when this was accomplished. "Where'syour pal?"
"Don't know. He says it's too hot."
"Too hot?" rejoined Minton derisively. "I like that. He's hot stuffhimself. Bring him in. It's my round."
Thus Harry Stride and Denham met again. The latter showed no trace ofresentment with regard to their last meeting. He greeted Stride with anopen, pleasant cordiality that rather astonished that youth. But Stridewas not responsive. He avoided showing his antipathy, and was consciousof feeling galled that his partner, Robson, was behind the secret of it.Yet he need not have been, for the tactful North-countryman never byword or wink let drop that he possessed the slightest knowledge of thesame even to him.
The accommodation was somewhat crowded, of necessity. Verna declined aninvitation to use one of the rooms within the house. The perpetualyowling of the Minton nursery, heard through partitions of paper-likethinness, might as well have been in the same room. So she elected tosleep in the spider, on the ground that it was cooler. The men satsmoking in a group, with an occasional adjournment to the bar, thenturned in anywhere and at any time as they felt sleepy. The horses wereall brought within the enclosure and securely made fast.
"What have you been doing about sentry-go, Minton, up till now?" saidBen Halse, after every one was pretty well asleep.
"Oh, I don't know we've thought much about it," was the devil-may-careanswer. "I've got a couple of pups here--them rough-haired curs you seeyonder at the back. They'll raise Cain enough before any one's withintwo miles of us, you bet. Come and have a last nightcap--what d'yousay, Mr Denham?"
"Oh, I don't know. Done well enough already. However, one more."
Both Denham and his host were hard-headed men, moreover, they knew thatthe said "one more" wouldn't hurt them, in view of the scheme which eachand both were mutually, though tacitly, hatching.
"This is a pretty silly way of running a laager, Denham," said BenHalse, with infinite contempt, when the two were alone together. "Why,on the tack these boobies are going the whole of this show is inSapazani's hand, and _we_ don't want that, eh?" significantly,forgetting for the moment that the owner was outside what he and Vernawere not. "I propose that we take a turn at watching outside, one eachside of the _scherm_."
"I was thinking just about the same thing myself," was the answer.
Hour followed hour. Both men, wide enough awake, had taken up theirpositions. Occasionally they would meet, and exchange a word or two.In the strong starlight the loom of the hills and the dark hang offorest were distinguishable, then towards morning a pale fragment ofmoon rose. Denham, sitting among the low thorn-bushes, the magazine ofhis .303 fully charged, enjoyed the silent beauty of the night, and hisnaturalist ear took in every cry of beast or bird away out on theotherwise silent waste. Intertwined, too, were thoughts of Verna and ofhis own position. As to the latter, in a way, the outbreak of war hadbeen distinctly advantageous. No one, least of all the police, wouldhave time to bother about the remains of some unknown Jew, or as to howhe came to grief, now quite some time ago. Then the moon came over thedistant ridge of forest, and it grew lighter and lighter. Even beneathhis heavy overcoat Denham shivered.
Suddenly he grasped his rifle. No, it was only Ben Halse.
"Come round here," whispered the latter. "Something's moving."
Denham's nerves tingled. In a moment they were round at the pointindicated. Several plover were circling overhead, uttering shrillcries.
"Look here," whispered Halse earnestly. "When I fire there'll likely bea rush. If there is, don't be content with one shot. Pump about sixinto them one after another, as quick as ever you
can. It'll stop thelot for the moment, and rouse up those boozy idiots inside the fence.Then we'll run like hell, but--look out for the barbed wire."
Denham nodded. He was cool as ever man was, but the thrill of battlewas in his veins, and, like the mythical knights of old, he was spurredby the thought that he was fighting for a lady-love. Intently hewatched his companion. The latter raised his piece suddenly, thendropped it again; then up it went as quickly, and the flame and roar ofthe report spurted forth, followed immediately by another detonation.
Simultaneously there rose from the grass a mass of dark forms, but nosound was uttered. They would be in upon the laager and surprise itasleep, having first made mincemeat of the unfortunate sentry. But--would they? Acting upon Ben Halse's instructions, Denham, halfconcealed by a broad, flat-topped thorn-bush, poured his magazine fireinto the thick of them, cartridge after cartridge, and aiming low. Hecould hear Ben Halse doing the same, and knew he was missing nothing andnobody. He himself knew he was missing nobody. It was just as BenHalse had predicted. The attacking line was thoroughly demoralised, andreckoning, as it might well have reckoned, that there were about twentymore men here than was really the case, dropped flat to the earth, amanoeuvre of which the two daring watchers took advantage to sprint awayto the laager, keeping as much under cover of the bushes as possible.
"Steady, boys; it's only ourselves," sung out Ben Halse, as severalrifles went up ominously to greet them. "Good Lord! I don't know whereyou'd all be if it wasn't for our same selves. Now, then, let's getinto position. We'll want it directly."
They did. Broad shields showed through the misty dawn, their bearersadvancing at a sort of creeping run behind them, then the gleam ofassegais. A few shots were fired, but hummed high overhead, doing noharm. But the men within, now thoroughly aroused, were all the cool anddaring pioneers of civilisation such men almost invariably are. Eachinstinctively sought out the most useful post, and their rifles crashedinto the advancing rush, pouring in shot after shot from the magazines.
"Here, you mustn't be here. Go back into the house. You'll be hit."
The tone was gruff, and the speaker Harry Stride. Verna answered--
"No, I shan't. I can shoot, and I'm going to."
And she did. Afterwards she did not care to reckon up with what effect.
The loss to the assailants was great, terrific. They were at closequarters, and the defenders were firing low. And then they began to getentangled and tripped up on the barbed wires.
"_Usutu_!"
The war-cry rang out, fierce-throated, on the right. A derisive yellwas the reply.
"Boy, bring the coffee, sharp," shouted someone inside, between thevolleys.
"How much to the Point?" sung out someone else: the joke being that manyof the assailants wore clothes, and had possibly been kitchen boys orricksha pullers in Durban or Maritzburg. To which the assailants wouldshout back--
"How many women have you got there, _abelungu? Ha_! We shall findwives directly without having to pay _lobola_."
"Here is the price of one!" cried Verna grimly, as she drilled the headof a flitting savage who was glancing from one point of cover toanother. A huge shout arose from the defenders.
"Good shot! Oh, good shot! Three cheers for Miss Halse!"
And they were heartily given, amid the roar of dropping volleys. Yet,at the moment, Verna felt disgusted. That old feeling came over heragain.
But a voice dispelled it.
"Darling, you are too rash. There are enough of us. Why not go undershelter?" Denham was beside her. All the bitter thoughts vanished.
"Alaric, don't loathe me for this," she whispered. "I don't do it forchoice, but we want all the defence we can make."
"We shall always be able to say we have fought literally side by side,at any rate," he answered, with a pressure of the hand. "How can Ithink any the worse of you for your splendid pluck?"
There was no more time, however, for anything of this sort. Theattacking party had divided into two, and one section of it had crawledround, under cover of the thorn-bushes, to the other side. Now theyopened fire, and the bullets began to hum and "ping" over the laager.To their accompaniment the storekeeper's wife and children kept up anunintermittent howling.
"For God's sake, Ada, choke those brats," yelled the exasperated Minton,"and yourself helping them. Here's Miss Halse dropping her man to eachshot with the best of us, and all you do is to sit and howl. That won'thelp any."
It grew lighter and lighter, and consequently more dangerous for thesavages. They had reconnoitred this laager and its conditions at night,and had voted it a safe and easy walk over, and so it would have beenbut for the arrival of Ben Halse. Now they concluded it wasn't goodenough, and drew off under cover of the long grass. Then the sun flamedup over the dark wall of forest-hung hill, and Ben Halse, and one or twomore, were just able to get in a stray long shot at stragglers showingthemselves in the retreating distance.
"They're done with," said the last named. "Tell you what it is, Minton,you deserved all you'd have got for leaving your shop to take itschance. You'd have got it too if it hadn't been for me and Denham,though I don't say it to brag."
"Oh, damn it, old chap," was the answer. "Don't jaw and lecture like abally Methodist parson. Come on in and have a drink all round. I'llswear we've deserved it. Then breakfast. All's well that ends well."
They counted the dead. There were thirty-three of them, nearly threetimes their own number, and not one of themselves was scratched, thougha horse had been hit by a chance bullet. Of wounded none were found,their comrades having had time to carry them away.
Breakfast over there was a great cleaning of rifles, and much talk. Allbut one or two were wildly elate. They had had their first brush andhad come out with flying colours. They thirsted for a second. So whensomeone said suddenly, "Look there!" and every head, turned in thedirection pointed out, was conscious of a dust cloud coming along theroad where it crossed a distant ridge, all hands rejoiced exceedingly,because they were going to get it.
They were, however, doomed to disappointment, for several binocularssoon revealed behind that whirling dust cloud, no Zulu impi, but a largecontingent of the Natal Police, advancing at a quick trot.
Their pace slackened as they drew nearer, and recognised that all waswell. As they rode up, nearly a hundred strong, in double file, thevery simplicity of their khaki uniform and well-filled bandoliers, thesunburnt faces of the troopers, mostly young men, hard and athletic, andfull of determination and dare-devil dash, seemed somehow far moreimposing than any display of scarlet accompanied by the blare of aregimental band. These men were doing the hard work of their country,and they looked it.
"We've come to clear you out of this, Minton," said the inspector incommand, when the first greetings were over, "Sapazani has broken out,and has nearly two thousand niggers in the Lumisana. So roll upeverything and be ready to trek to Esifeni with us as soon as our horsesare rested. You've done well enough this morning, but a few of you likethis are a mere mouthful in the long run. Besides--the ladies."
The storekeeper swore a bit. He wasn't going to be hustled off for anyblooming Sapazani, not he. They had taught them a lesson that morningthat wouldn't want repeating, and so on. Inspector Bray grew "short."
"Well, if you're a blanked idiot, Minton," he said, "stay, by all means;but I don't suppose there are any more such fools. Eh, Halse?"
"I'm not one of them, Bray," was the answer. "A man can risk his ownskin as much as he's fool enough to do, but he's no business to riskthat of his womenkind. My party goes with you."
That settled it. The consensus of opinion was against the storekeeper,wherefore, as he could not stay on by himself, the whole position wassimplified. He occupied the remainder of the time burying the mostvaluable of his stock-in-trade, the liquor to wit, and such other thingsas were worth bothering about in an emergency. Meanwhile the two policeofficers and Ben Halse went round the lin
e of attack, like a sort ofinformal coroner's court "viewing the bodies." Several of these thelatter recognised as Sapazani's people. The others he did not thinkwere.
Then, when the Force had sufficiently rested, there was saddling up andinspanning, and soon after midday the column pulled out.
Forging the Blades: A Tale of the Zulu Rebellion Page 26