The Young Colonists: A Story of the Zulu and Boer Wars
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anotherhour it had fallen a foot, and after that the fall was rapid and steady.The deep roar caused by the rushing torrent and the rumbling of thehuge boulders and rocks swept along in the narrow defile, graduallysubsided, and soon the bullocks were again standing on their feet.
The natives set to work to wash away the thick sediment which the floodhad left on the floor of the waggons, and before nightfall the goodswere all repacked. But few signs of the recent flood now remained inthe valley. A stream still rushed through the centre. Trunks andbranches of trees lay here and there, as the water had left them, andthe bodies of some twenty or thirty natives were lying amongst therocks. In some places shallow pools remained; in others were sheets ofglistening mud.
"We shall have no more trouble with the natives," Mr Harvey said; "thefighting-men of that tribe must have been nearly annihilated."
"Do you think that those below were caught, as well as those above?"
"Certainly," Mr Harvey answered; "the water went down with the speed ofa race-horse; they had only a few minutes' start, and would have beenovertaken before they could have even gained the lower bed of the gorge.We can journey on peacefully now. We have been fortunate indeed; wehave only lost one man, and the three who were hit with stones are alllikely to do well. We have not lost a single bullock, nor a bale ofgoods."
"We shall have hard work to get the waggons up that place where thenatives made the stand tomorrow."
"It is quite likely," Mr Harvey said, "that the obstacle there nolonger exists. A flood like that of to-day would carry away anything.Look at those great blocks, some of which must weigh more than a hundredtons. Likely enough some of them have formed part of that great pile.I have already sent Tony and Blacking up the defile to see how the floodhas left it, and in an hour they will be back to report."
The hunters on returning brought the good news that the great block hadbeen removed, and so far as they had explored no other of any importancehad been found. They said indeed that the defile was now more open thaneither of the two gorges they had already passed through.
This was very satisfactory, for all had had enough of lifting andheaving rocks. Their hands were all cut and wounded, and every limbached with the strains which they had undergone.
The next morning at daybreak the caravan started. The hunters' reportof the state of the roads was fairly borne out, and although somedifficulties were met with it was unnecessary to unyoke the oxen,although of course many boulders had to be cleared away to allow them topass. On emerging at the upper end of the defile they found they werein a valley which opened out to a great width, and rose in gradualslopes at its head to the crest of the hills. As the only egress at thelower end was by the defile, it was clear that the whole rainfall mustmake its way by this exit, which fully accounted for the tremendoustorrent they had witnessed.
Two days' travelling brought them to the foot of the slopes on the otherside of the range of hills, and they were soon engaged in carrying on aconsiderable trade with the natives there.
For another three months they travelled slowly through the country, bythe end of which time they had disposed of all their goods, and thewaggons were filled to the tilts with skins and bales of ostrichfeathers.
They now turned their faces to the south. After journeying for afortnight they perceived one day, far across the country, the whitetilts of another caravan. The three whites at once started at fullgallop, eager to hear news of what had taken place in the colony duringtheir absence. As they neared the caravan two white men rode out tomeet them; both were known to Mr Harvey, and hearty greetings wereexchanged.
The new-comers were halting for the day, and Mr Harvey and the boyswere soon seated in tents, with three bottles of beer in front of them,a luxury which they heartily enjoyed, having been many months withouttasting it.
"And now what is the news in the colony?" Mr Harvey asked, afterhaving replied to their questions as to the state of trade, and theroute which they had followed, as the new-comers would of course takeanother line, so as not to pass over the same ground.
"Things don't look well," they answered; "the Boers are growing soinsolent that there is no getting on with them. Several English havebeen shot down in various places, without the smallest cause. Theyopenly declare their intention of recovering their independence. TheEnglish stores are for the most part tabooed, and things altogether lookvery threatening. There is a mere handful of British troops in theTransvaal, and only a regiment or so in Natal. Those wretched duffersat home hurried every soldier out of the country the instant thefighting was over, and if the Boers really mean business we shall haveno end of trouble. You see, we have crushed their two enemies, theZulus and Secoceni, and now that we have done the work for them theywant to get rid of us."
"I thought we should have trouble with them," Mr Harvey said; "they arean obstinate, pig-headed race; they never would pay taxes to their owngovernment; they would not even turn out and fight when Secocenithreatened to overrun the country; and now, as likely as not, they willfight desperately for the independence they were glad enough torelinquish in the hour of danger. What you tell me is a nuisance. Ihad originally intended to go down through Kimberley to Port Elizabeth;but I changed my mind and decided to go back again through theTransvaal, and I have come so far to the east that I do not like tochange my plans again. However, I don't suppose we shall be interferedwith. They can't very well quarrel with us, if we won't quarrel withthem."
"Perhaps not," the trader said; "but I tell you I have found it preciousdifficult to keep my temper several times. The insolence and swagger ofthose fellows is amazing."
The two caravans halted near each other for the day, and a pleasantevening was spent. The next morning each resumed its way.
No further adventure was met with until the Limpopo was reached; thiswas crossed on rafts. The natives who had accompanied them were nowpaid off, receiving a handsome present each, in addition to the sumagreed upon, and the caravan proceeded on its way.
At the first Dutch village at which they arrived, a week after leavingthe Limpopo, they had evidence of a change of demeanour in the Boers.As they passed through the streets a group of five or six men werestanding at the door of a store; one of them in a loud and insolentvoice made a remark to the others, that before long they would not haveany of these English dogs going through their country--a remark whichwas received with boisterous approval by the others. Mr Harvey's faceflushed, and he was on the point of reining in his horse, and riding upto chastise the insolent Boer, but the thought of the distance ofcountry yet before him checked him. It was clearly the intention of theman to force a quarrel, and in this the English were sure to get thedisadvantage finally. He therefore rode quietly on with the insolentlaughter of the Dutchmen ringing in his ears. The lads were equallyindignant, and it was only the example of Mr Harvey which hadrestrained them.
"Things have come to a pretty pass," Mr Harvey said, as he dismounted,"that Englishmen should be openly insulted in this way. However, Isuppose it will not do to resent it, for these scoundrels would clearlybe only too glad of an excuse to shoot us down; but if this sort ofthing is going on at every village we pass through, we shall have hardwork in keeping our tempers until we are fairly out of the Transvaal. Ipity our countrymen who have bought land or setup stores in thiscountry. I was never fond of the Boers, though I am willing to allowthat they are a splendid set of men, and that they are magnificentriders and good shots. I question if we shall ever retain them againsttheir will. Of course if we had a government which worked with energyand decision it would be a different matter altogether. There are aconsiderable number of English and Scotch settlers already here, and thenatives would rise against the Dutch to a man if called upon to do so;and if a couple of dozen of their ringleaders were promptly seized andshot, there would be an end to the whole matter. But I know what itwill be: the natives will not be encouraged or even allowed to rise, oursoldiers, who can hardly hit a haystack at a hundred yards, will be shotd
own at a distance by the Boers, and, likely enough, we shall meet witha serious disaster, and then the English government will get frightenedand make any terms these fellows demand."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
A FIGHT WITH THE BOERS.
For some time they continued their journey, meeting everywhere with thegrossest incivility on the part of the Boers; in many places they wererefused water at the farms, and warned at once off the land, and MrHarvey had the greatest difficulty in keeping his own temper andrestraining the boys from resenting the language of the Boers.
One day, as they were riding along, two Boers on horseback halted on aneminence near the road and addressed taunting remarks to them; they madeno answer, but continued their way. They had not gone a hundred yardswhen one of the Boers deliberately took aim and fired at them; the ballpassed between Dick