The Kopje Garrison Part 59

"Forward, then!"

At the end of another half-hour they drew rein again, and almost precisely the same conversation took place, with the exception that d.i.c.kenson declared at the end that they must have lost their way.

"Well, sir," replied the sergeant dryly, "it's hardly fair to say that, sir."

"What do you mean?" said d.i.c.kenson tartly.

"Begging your pardon, sir, one can't lose what we've never had. It's been a regular game of Blindman's buff to me, sir, ever since we left the last post."

d.i.c.kenson was silent, for he felt that he had nothing to say but "Forward!" so he said that, and the ponies moved on again.

"We must be going wrong, sergeant," said d.i.c.kenson at last. "We have left Groenfontein to the right."

"No, sir; I think not," replied the man. "If we had, we should have broken our s.h.i.+ns against the big kopje and been challenged by our men."

"Then we've pa.s.sed it to the left."

"No, sir. If we had we should have come upon the little river, and the ponies would have been kicking up the stones."

"Then where are we?" said the lieutenant impatiently.

"That's just what I'm trying to find out, sir. I wouldn't care if I knew which was the north, because then one could say which was the south."

"Ps.h.!.+ It all comes of trusting to the ponies."

"Yes, sir; but that's one comfort," said the sergeant. "We know they're honest and would not lead us wrong. Poor brutes! they're doing their best."

"I'm beginning to feel hopelessly lost, sergeant. I believe we keep going on and on in a circle."

"Well, sir, we might be doing worse, because it must be daylight by-and-by."

"Not for hours," said d.i.c.kenson impatiently. "We are, as I said, hopelessly lost."

"Hardly," said the sergeant to himself, "for here we are." Then aloud he once more proposed that they should bivouac till daybreak.

"No," said the leader decisively. "We'll keep on. We must have been coming in the right direction, and, after all, I dare say Groenfontein is close at hand."

He was just about to give the order to march again when the long, snappish, disappointed howl of a jackal was heard, and the ponies ceased grazing and threw up their muzzles; while as d.i.c.kenson leaned forward to give his mount an encouraging pat he could feel that the timid creature's ears were thrust right forward.

"Always seems to me, sir," said the sergeant gently, "that the wild things out in these plains never get enough to eat. Hark at that brute."

He had hardly spoken when from out in the same direction as the jackal's cry, but much farther away, came the tremendous barking roar of a lion, making the ponies draw a deep breath and s.h.i.+ver.

"Well," said d.i.c.kenson, "that can't be our way. It must be open country yonder. It's all chance now, but we needn't run into danger and scare our mounts. We'll face right round and go as far as we can judge in the opposite direction to where that cry came from."

"Yes, sir; and it will make the ponies step out."

The sergeant was quite right, for the timid animals responded to the touch of the rein, immediately stepped out at the word "Forward!" and then broke into a trot, which had to be checked.

The roar was not heard again, but the yelps of the jackals were; and the party went on and on till suddenly the cautious little beasts began to swerve here and there, picking their way amongst stones which lay pretty thickly.

"This is quite fresh, sergeant," said d.i.c.kenson.

"Yes, sir. I was wondering whether we had hit upon the river-bank."

"Ah!" cried d.i.c.kenson eagerly, just as his pony stopped short, sighed, and began to browse without reaching down, the others seeming to do the same.

"But there's no river here, sir," continued the sergeant.

"How do you know?"

"Ponies say so, sir. If there'd been a river running by here, they'd be making for it to get a drink."

"Yes, of course. Here, sergeant, I can touch high boughs."

"Same here, sir."

"But there's no wood in our way."

"What about the patch where our men surprised the Boers yesterday, sir?"

"To be sure. Why, sergeant, we must have wandered there."

"That's it, sir, for all I'm worth."

"Ha!" said d.i.c.kenson, with a sigh of relief. "Then now we have something tangible, and can easily lay our course for Groenfontein." The sergeant coughed a little, short, sharp, dry cough, and said nothing. "Well, don't you think so?"

"Can't say I do, sir. I wish I did."

"Why, hang it, man! it's simple enough. Here's the coppice, and Groenfontein must lie-"

d.i.c.kenson stopped short and gave his ear a rub, full of vexation.

"Yes, sir, that's it," said the sergeant dryly; "this is the patch of wood, but which side of it we're looking at, or trying to look at, I don't know for the life of me. It seems to me that we're just as likely to strike off straight for the Boers' laager as for home. I don't know how you see it, sir."

"See, man!" cried d.i.c.kenson angrily. "It's of no use; I only wish I could see. We can do nothing. I was thinking that we had only to skirt round this place, and then face to our left and go straight on, and we should soon reach home."

"Yes, sir; I thought something of that sort at first, but I don't now. May I say a word, sir?"

"Yes; go on. I should be glad if you would."

"Well, sir, it's like this; whenever one's in the dark one's pretty well sure to go wrong, for there's only one right way to about fifty that are not."

"Yes, of course."

"Then won't it be best to wait till the day begins to show in the east, and rest and graze the ponies for a bit? Better for Mr Lennox too."

"You're right, sergeant; and it would have been better if I had given the order to do so at first.-Here, dismount, my lads, and hobble your cobs.-Here, I'll help you to get Mr Lennox down, sergeant. Stop a moment; let's try and find a patch of heath or gra.s.s or something first.-Hullo! what's here?" he cried a minute later, after dismounting and feeling about.