The Golden Rock Part 44

And as they waited their first regret at leaving gave place to a nervous anxiety to be off, for the darkness brought to them a thorough sense of the insecurity of their position. A rustle in the leaves of the huge tree rising above them like a dome made them look up apprehensively, lest some daring savage was already in lurking amid the branches, and when at last Klaas signalled the approach of Sirayo, they stepped forward eagerly to meet him.

"Is the way open, chief?" whispered Hume.

"They watch like jackals when the lion has killed," he said gloomily.

"The order has gone round."

"What! do they fear we will attempt to escape?"

"They know. Their white chief has told them."

"Could we not get through while they are singing?" asked Hume, looking moodily into the darkness.

"Those who sing are not those who watch; they are nearer, and will close in until they are a fence right round."

Hume turned despondently to explain, and all tightened their grasp on their weapons, and listened for any sign of this living and deadly ring, narrowing its coil for the final crush.

"Baas, I have a plan," said the Gaika suddenly.

"What is it?"

"Which way would the baas go?"

"Towards the river," said Hume impatiently.

"My plan is this. I will creep out on the other side and cry out that you have escaped there. The men will then run up and you may then quickly move for the river."

"It is a good plan," growled Sirayo. "I also will go, and when we meet those in the way we will fight and at the sound all will rush up."

"And you would be killed," said Hume, after weighing it over, "and they would follow on after us. No, no, if we cannot escape together we will fight here and die together."

"Let it be so," said Sirayo, squatting by the fire and proceeding to eat.

The others looked at him for some time, then Miss Anstrade, with a sudden start, laid her hand on Hume's shoulder.

"I have it," she said breathlessly. "Those rockets; you remember you bought some at Pretoria in case we wished to signal from the camp to any lagger. Let us fire them off, and perchance these strange fiery stars will terrify the natives."

"By Jove!" exclaimed Hume, "there's something in that," and he dived into the waggon to emerge presently with a bundle of fireworks.

"You'll get the full effect in this darkness," remarked Webster dryly, "and the blacks should be greatly pleased."

"The idea may seem to you childish," said Hume, fixing a couple of rockets, "but try and imagine your sensations if for the first time you saw a rocket streaming into the night."

The experiment was tried. Into the darkness rushed the rockets, exploded high up, and sent down a shower of coloured sparks, which, slowly fading as they sank, left a blacker darkness than before.

From the two Kaffirs in the camp there rung exclamations of surprise, and Sirayo strove hard to conceal his astonishment; but from beyond there was no response, either in fear or admiration.

"Fire the next just close to the ground," suggested Webster; and they gathered behind Hume, peering into the dark, their faces coming and going out of the shadow as the light from the match fell on them. There was a flash, a long stream of light darted out, hissing, and as the light swiftly flashed, they say a row of s.h.i.+elds, the glint of a.s.segais: then there was a yell, as the warriors, who had been arrested in their stealthy advance by the mysterious fire, now broke and fled.

"They run!" said Sirayo loudly; "they say it is witchcraft, that you talk with the stars. Come!"

Quickly they slipped out, Hume remaining a moment to fix two other rockets with slow fuses, and then, after closing up the opening in the fence, he overtook the others. With Sirayo ahead, Webster and Hume on either side of Laura, and Klaas behind, they felt their way cautiously over the rough ground, and, as they went, there streamed out towards the sky the other two rockets. A deep murmur arose from the awestruck natives, who would, no doubt, remain fixedly gazing towards the camp for more portents; and the little party, taking advantage of their opportunity, pushed on rapidly till they reached the long slope stretching down to the thick bush on the banks of the river. Now they could advance with less caution and more speed, and their spirits rose as the hope of safety increased, for they had not time yet to realise this disaster that had overwhelmed them. At last the outlying mimosas of the thick woods arrested their progress, and, for the first time, they halted to readjust their burdens.

"Which way does your path lie?" asked Sirayo.

"Down the river, and then up into the mountains."

"Yoh!" exclaimed the chief, astonished, "the safe path is back on the way you came, and into the white man's country."

"We undertook this journey for a purpose, and it is not now we will turn back. You will come with us?"

"When Sirayo sets forth on a journey, he knows beforehand whither he goes and why. You are not hunting, and your lives are dearer to you than the sight of the mountain."

"We have heard a tale of a yellow rock that lies beyond the mountain, and we would see whether the tale is true."

"Soh! I have heard that tale from the people we have left. They have talked much about it, and of a strange man who knows of it. Many, they say, have set out to find that rock, but never one came back."

"Then it is there?" said Hume.

"Oh, ay; yet if it has not been found it may not exist. A tale grows easily out of nothing, and lives long on the tongues of old men. This rock has been polished by the gossips till it s.h.i.+nes like a flame, but the man who set the tale going may have seen only the sun striking on a girl's armlet."

"Well, we will search for it, and with your aid."

The chief took a pinch of snuff, as could be judged from the loud sniff.

"We must cover up the spoor. Let your friend come with me so that we may lay a new spoor away from this, and do you keep on the river."

This was done. Webster remained with Sirayo, while the others went on slowly and with many pauses till they heard the river flowing, when they waited for the dawn, wrapping themselves up in their blankets to keep off the night chill. At dawn they continued their flight for several miles along the bank of the river until they reached a place where the bed narrowed between granite banks, where a halt was cried and they waited for the other two, who came up close on noon, having smothered the trail and laid a false track up stream. Preparations were made to cross, for it was feared the Zulus might lay dogs upon the spoor, and Webster, in a marvellously short time, made a small raft out of driftwood. It was large enough to hold Laura, the rifles and goods, and the men, stripped to the waist, swam at the sides, splas.h.i.+ng vigorously to frighten the crocodiles. Without accident they reached the further sh.o.r.e, landing amid a confused ma.s.s of boulders, over which they struggled to the shelter of the woods. As before, Webster and the chief remained behind, this time to watch if the enemy discovered their crossing, while the others pushed on wearily down wide game tracks into a patch of forest trees, where they rested, at last, under a wild fig-tree, whose light-coloured branches stretched wide and high. Here, with the driest of wood, a fire was made, and carefully nursed so that it should not give forth thick smoke; a tin hold-all was produced from one of the bundles, the kettle set to boil, the blankets spread on the branches, and a small leafy shelter made for Laura. This work occupied them until they were joined by the others, who reported that they had heard only the distant shouts of the Zulus, but had seen no one.

"They are content," said Sirayo; "they have got what they wanted--your waggon, your oxen, your goods, and if they have lost a few men there are less to share the spoil."

"But the white men who were with them will not give up the pursuit so readily."

"Oh, ay; the white man's hate, like his bullet, reaches far, and strikes when you are out of sight and have forgotten, but those were not of your race; they are yellow men from the coast, and maybe they, too, are in search of the flaming stone."

"Portuguese!"

"I know not, but they chatter much, make much trouble with the women, and show their teeth when they are angry; moreover, they are idle and of little stature."

"They are certainly Portuguese," said Hume, with a sly glance at Laura, as he interpreted.

"You may depend," she said, "that Lieutenant Gobo is still following us, though surely he must have some other motive than that of revenge. His persistence would be out of all proportion to the injury he has received. And you remember the offer he made to me if I disclosed the object of our mission."

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

ON THE MARCH.

They had pa.s.sed their first night in safety, disturbed only at intervals by the snorting of buffalo, and in the morning they were seated round the fire, eating rather unpalatable "cookies" of meal baked under the coals, and drinking black coffee, steaming hot, from tin pannikins, Hume having made a good selection of stores.