A Frontier Mystery Part 12

"Come on," sung out the latter. "Come on, can't you. Not afraid, are you?"

"Not much. I'm waiting for you."

Then they went at it--hammer and tongs. Falkner had science--I could see that--but Kendrew was as hard as nails, and a precious tough customer to handle, and made up for his lack of science by consummate coolness; and with an eye keen as a hawk's whenever he saw his chance, he confined himself so far to standing his ground, the while Falkner waltzed round him, for all the world like a dog on the seash.o.r.e when yapping round some big crab which he doesn't feel quite equal to closing in upon. For a little while I watched these manoeuvres in a state of semi-choke for stifled laughter, till they got to work in earnest, and then, by Jingo, it was no child's play.

"Time!" I sung out stentoriously. "Haven't you two fellows pummelled each other enough?" I went on, appearing before the combatants.

"What's it all about, any way?"

"Glanton--by the Lord!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Falkner, startled, and, I fancied, looking a trifle ashamed of himself.

"What's it all about?" repeated Kendrew. "Well, you see, Glanton, I ain't naturally a quarrelsome chap, but when a man comes onto my place, and begins upon me in a G.o.d Almighty 'haw-haw' sort of tone as 'my good fellow' and doesn't even condescend to tell me who he is when asked, why it's enough to get my back up, isn't it?"

I thought it was, but I wasn't going to say so, and his allusion to "my place" made me smile.

"Look here," I said decisively. "This is all a misunderstanding. You didn't know each other, now I'll introduce you. Sewin, this is Kendrew, a very good fellow when you get to know him--Kendrew, this is Sewin, a very good fellow when you get to know _him_. Now shake hands."

And they did, but the expression upon each face was so comical that I could hardly keep from roaring, which would have upset the whole understanding; in that each would have felt more savage at being made ridiculous.

"Well, if I've been uncivil I'll not be above owning it," said Kendrew.

"So come inside Mr--Sewin, and we'll have a drink and think no more about it."

"So we will," growled Falkner, partly through his handkerchief, for he had undergone the bloodletting which I had told myself would be salutary in his case. However there was no harm done, and having roared for a boy to off-saddle, Kendrew led the way inside, on conviviality intent.

"You're early here, Sewin," I said. "Where did you sleep?"

"Sleep. In the blessed veldt. I called in at your place, but as far as I could make out your n.i.g.g.e.r said you'd gone to Helpmakaar. So I thought I'd go down to the river bank and try that place you pointed out to us for a buck, then call back later and have a shakedown with you when you come back."

Here Kendrew interrupted us by bellowing to his boy to put on a great deal of beefsteak to fry, and to hurry up with it. "After a night in the veldt you'll be ready for breakfast, I should think," he explained heartily.

While we were at breakfast Falkner gave us a further outline of his doings. A mist had come up along the river bank, and in the result he had completely lost his bearings. Instead of taking his way back to my place he had wandered on in the opposite direction, tiring his horse and exasperating himself, as every high ridge surmounted only revealed a further one with a deep, rugged, bushy valley intervening. At last his horse had refused to go any further, and he had to make up his mind to lie by in the veldt and wait till morning.

"The rum part of it was," he went on, "I couldn't have been very far from here--and you'd think a horse would have known by instinct there was a stable in front of him. Well, I, for one, am choked off belief in the marvellous instinct of horses, and all that sort of rot. This brute wasn't tired either--he simply and flatly refused to go on."

"Where was that?" I said, now roused to considerable interest. "At least, I mean--was it far from here?"

"No. I just said it wasn't," he answered, a little testily. "It was just where the path dives through a pile of red rocks--you would know it, Glanton. It's like a sort of natural gateway. Well nothing on earth would induce that silly beast to go through there, and, d'you know, upon my soul I began to feel a bit creepy--remembering how the n.i.g.g.e.rs have likely got a sort of grudge against me. So I thought after all, I'd better stay where I was and wait till morning--and--here I am."

"Well, it wouldn't have been anybody laying for you, Sewin. You may make your mind easy on that point," I said. "Possibly though, there may have been a snake, a big mamba perhaps, lying in the path just at that point--and your horse knew it. That'd be sufficient to hold him back."

"By Jove! I shouldn't wonder," he said. "Wish I could have glimpsed him though. A full charge of treble A would have rid this country of one snake at any rate."

Falkner's experience had so exactly corresponded with my own as to impress me. While I had been held up in this eerie and mysterious manner on one side of the pile of rocks, the same thing had happened to him on the other, and, so far as I could make out, at just about the same time. Well, we would see if anything of the sort should befall us presently when we pa.s.sed the spot in the broad light of day. The while the two late combatants had been discussing the disappearance of Hensley.

"Rum thing to happen," commented Falkner. "Ain't you rather--well, uncomfortable, at times, here, all alone?"

"Not me. You see my theory is that the poor old boy went off his nut and quietly wandered away somewhere and got into some hole, if not into the river. Now I've no idea of going off my nut, so I don't feel in the least uncomfortable. In fact decidedly the reverse."

"Well but--what of the n.i.g.g.e.rs?"

Kendrew let go a jolly laugh.

"They're all right," he said. "Let's go and look at your gee, Glanton.

Hope he's still lame, so you can't get on, then we'll all three have a jolly day of it."

I, for one, knew we were destined to have nothing of the kind--not in the sense intended by Kendrew, that is--and I wanted to get home.

Needless to say when my steed was led forth he walked with his usual elasticity, manifesting not the smallest sign of lameness.

"That's dashed odd," commented Kendrew, after carefully examining the inside of every hoof and feeling each pastern. "Oh, well, he's sure to begin limping directly you start, so you'd better give him another day to make sure."

But this I resisted, having my own reasons for making a start Falkner apparently had his too, for he was proof against the other's pressing invitation to remain and make a day of it.

"Well after all, you might get to punching each other's heads again, and I not there to prevent it," I said, jocularly. "Good-bye, Kendrew."

"Not half a bad chap that, after all," said Falkner, as we rode along together.

"No. And if you'd wait to find that out before going for people you'd get along much better in these parts," I answered. And then I improved upon the occasion to read him a considerable lecture. To do him justice he took it very well.

"Look," he broke in. "It must have been just the other side of this that I got stuck last night."

I had not needed my attention to be drawn to the spot, for already, as we were approaching it I had been noting the behaviour of my horse. It was normal. Beyond a slight c.o.c.king of the ears we might as well have been traversing any other section of our path; indeed it was as though the strange interruption of last night had been a matter of sheer imagination, but for one consideration. Of the extraordinary and overwhelming effluvium which had poisoned the air then, there was now no longer a trace, and this disposed of the theory that anything dead had been lying thereabouts. Had such a cause been responsible for it, the air would not have cleared so quickly. No--Ukozi had played some trick upon me for some reason of his own, but--what was that reason? Even a witch doctor does not play the fool without some motive.

"I believe your theory is the correct one, after all, Glanton,"

interrupted my companion. "Depend upon it some big black beast of a mamba was stopping the way. Look. Here's where I gave up."

"So I see," I answered, for we had now got through to the other side of the ridge of rocks.

"See? How?"

"Spoor. Look. The dust is all disturbed and kicked about. Here's where your gee refused."

"So it is. I see it now myself. What a cute chap you are, Glanton.

Oh, and I say, Glanton--" after a momentary hesitation, "don't let on to them at home about that little breeze I had with Kendrew down there, that's a good chap."

I promised. This was his motive, then, in resolving to return with me?

But it was not.

"When are you going on that trading trip--into the Zulu country?" he went on.

"In two or three weeks' time," I answered.

"By Jove, but I would like to go with you. I'd like to make a little for myself. I want it all, I can tell you. But even that's not the first consideration. I'd like to see those parts and gain some experience. You wouldn't find me in the way, I promise you. I'd do every mortal thing you said--and keep out of ructions, if that's what you're afraid of."

"What about the farm?" I answered. "Your uncle isn't equal to looking after it single handed."

"Oh, that might be arranged. That chap you sent us--Ivondwe--is worth his weight in gold--in fact I never would have believed such a thing as a trustworthy n.i.g.g.e.r existed, before he came."