CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
BAD FOR ONE: GOOD FOR TWO.
"It's a bad job--a very bad job," said West, with a sigh, as he mountedone of the pair of very excellent ponies that had been provided for thedespatch-riders by the gallant chief in command at Mafeking, with thelaughing comment that the two brave little animals ought to considerthemselves very lucky in being provided with two such masters, who wouldtake them right away from the beleaguered town, where, if they stayed,their fate was bound to be that they would be minced into sausages orboiled down into soup.
They were two beautiful little beasts; but West always sighed and saidit was a bad job whenever he mounted, for his heart was sore about thepony he had lost before they entered Mafeking.
"I say, young fellow," said Ingleborough, with one of his grim smiles:"how much longer are you going to stay in mourning?"
"Stay in mourning?" said West, staring, as he bent forward to pat hismount's back.
"Yes: for those two ponies we lost; because it seems to me very absurd!To begin with, it's downright folly to bemoan the loss of one pony whenyou have been provided with another equally good; secondly, it is moreabsurd to bemoan a pony at all; and thirdly, it is the most absurd thingof all to be mourning for one that in all probability is not dead."
"Oh, they're both dead enough by this time!" said West bitterly.
"Mine may be, for it was hit; but from the way it reared up and kickedout it had no bones broken, and these Basuto ponies are such hardylittle beasts that I daresay it got better; while yours was so good thatyou may depend upon it some Boer has it nipped tightly between his legs,and is making the most of it."
"I hope you are right!" said West. "And there, I will not mourn forthem, as you call it, any more, but make the best of things. Let's see;this is the sixth day out from Mafeking."
"Seventh," said Ingleborough correctively.
"Of course; so it is, but I lose count through being so intent upon theone idea of getting back to Kimberley. Do you think we shall manage toget through the Boer lines?"
"Think? Why, we've got to get through them. We shouldn't be long if wecould only ride straight away, and not be always running right on tosome fresh party who begin to make game of us directly."
"That's rather an ambiguous way of speaking, Ingle," said West,laughing, as he caressed his pony. "If anybody else heard you he wouldthink you meant that the Boers bantered and chaffed us."
"But nobody else does hear us, and you think that I mean that they beginto pump out bullets at us just as if we were a pair of springboks. Isay, I'm beginning to think that we are leading a charmed life, for itis wonderful what escapes we have had from their long-carrying rifles."
"I'm beginning to think in a much more matter-of-fact way," repliedWest; "and I think this, that five hundred yards' range is quite longenough for any rifle used on active service. I know that when one takesaim beyond that distance one is very doubtful of hitting."
"I feel so after half that distance," replied Ingleborough, and then:"Hullo! See something?"
"Yes; I thought we were going to have a good long ride in peace thismorning, but look yonder!"
The two young men drew rein and leaped to the ground, each hurriedlygetting out his glass, for the commandant at Mafeking had supplied themwith fresh ones, to steady it by resting it upon the saddle he had justquitted, their well-trained ponies standing perfectly motionless.
"What do you make of it?" said Ingleborough, scanning a mistily-seendark line right away beneath the sun.
"Wagons trekking," replied West quietly.
"Friends?"
"Who can say? I think not. Reinforcements and stores on the way to thebesiegers, I should think."
"I'm afraid you are right! Well, we had better let the nags feed whilewe lie down and watch, for I don't think they have seen us yet."
"Very well," said West. "I'm tired of so much running away!"
The next minute they were lying amongst some stones and their poniesgrazing, Ingleborough coolly filling his pipe and lighting it with aburning-glass, but keeping a watchful eye upon the long train of wagonsand horsemen plodding along at the customary rate of about two miles anhour, and ready at any moment to spring upon his pony in case a party ofthe enemy should make up their minds to try and drive in the two ponieswhen they caught their eye.
This he knew was doubtful, for it was beginning to be a common sightupon the veldt--that of a wounded or worn-out horse or two picking up ascanty living from the grass and green points of the shrubs, while aninvestigation generally proved that the poor brutes were not worth thetrouble of the ride.
Still, on the other hand, the suspicious nature of the Boers mightprompt them to see whether riders were near the grazing animals, and anopportunity for capturing a prisoner or two be theirs.
The pair kept a keen look-out; but it seemed for a long time that theywere to be left in peace, the long line of wagons and horsemen ploddingsteadily onward, completely blocking the way the bearers of theKimberley despatch had to take.
At last, though, just after West had expressed his opinion that theBoers were too intent upon getting their heavy guns on towards Mafeking,Ingleborough, unnoticed by his companion, made a sudden movement,dropping his pipe and altering the small lenses of his field-glass,through which he lay gazing, supporting himself upon his elbows.
"Hah!" said West, who was similarly occupied; "they've got four heavyguns and a tremendous lot of stores. Wouldn't one of our generals givesomething to have his men so arranged that he could cut them off in alldirections! The country is so open, and not a kopje in sight. What aprize those guns would be!"
"Yes," said Ingleborough sharply; "but there is no British force athand, so they are going to surround us instead."
"What!" cried West excitedly.
"That they are, and no mistake!" continued Ingleborough, slewing himselfround so as to look in a different direction.
"You don't mean--oh, Ingle! Three strong bodies coming from behind,north and south. Why, we're trapped!"
"We are, my lad; for here they come from the front."
West turned his glass again in the direction of the long line of wagonsafter his look round, to see that a party of the Boers were riding outstraight for them.
"Trapped; but we must dodge between the wires, eh?" cried West, who,like his companion, had made at once for where his pony was grazing."Hah! Look out, Ingle!"
Ingleborough was looking out, but left helpless. West had caught hispony, but his companion had startled the other by the suddenness of hisapproach, and, throwing up its head, the little animal cantered off withhis rider after him.
"Stop, stop!" shouted West. "You only scare the brute more."
"Right!" said Ingleborough sadly, and he stopped short and began toreturn. "There!" he cried, as West sprang into his saddle; "you havethe despatch. Off with you through that opening! I won't hinder you!I'll turn prisoner again for a change."
"Lay hold of my pony's tail and run! I'll keep him to a canter, andchange with you as soon as you're tired!" said West, scanning theopening between the end of the Boer line and the party of horsemen awayto his left who were making straight for them, lying towards the middleof the line, where the big guns were being dragged along.
"No good!" said Ingleborough. "Off with you, and save your despatch!"
"Can't leave you, old fellow! Do as I tell you!" cried West. "Hookon!"
"I will not! They won't kill me if I throw up my hands! Save yourdespatch if you can!"
"Obey orders, sir!" roared West fiercely, "and don't waste time! I'mgoing to trot after your mount, and he'll join us."
"Hah! Bravo, sharp brains!" cried Ingleborough excitedly, and twistingthe long thick hair of the pony's tail about his left hand he ranlightly after his companion, the pony West rode uttering a shrill neighas they went off, which made the other stop, cock up its ears, answer,and come galloping after them, so eager to join its fellow that itbrushed close past Ingleborough,
who caught the rein without trouble.
"Right!" he shouted, and the next minute he was in the saddle, with theponies cantering along side by side.
"More to the left!" cried West. "The Boers are bearing away to cut usoff!"
This was plain enough, and the fugitives saw that if a fresh partystarted from the end of the long line they were bound to be cut off.
"Never mind," cried Ingleborough; "we may get away! Those fellows arequite a mile from us, and their mounts will be pumped out if they pushforward like that. Easy, easy! Let the ponies go their own pace!"
Settling down into a canter, the fugitives now began to look away totheir left, where they had seen the other parties closing them in fromtheir flank and rear.
"Hallo! Where's the rest of the enemy?" cried West.
"Yonder, out of sight! The ground lies lower there; but I say, thesefellows are coming on at a tremendous rate! Gallop or they'll cut youoff."
"Then we'll gallop!" cried West. "We, old fellow! Just as if I weregoing to leave you behind!"
"Very nice of you," said Ingleborough merrily; "but you're not fit for adespatch-rider. You're about the worst I ever knew of!"
"Because I won't forsake a friend?"
"Friend be hanged! There's no friendship in wartime. Ah, here comesome of the flankers."
"Yes, I see them," said West; "but what does this mean?"
For all at once the galloping party on their right--that which had comestraight from the centre of the Boer line--began to pull up until allwere halted in the middle of the plain.
"They see their companions coming," said Ingleborough, "and that we aresafely cut off. Well, it is giving us a better chance!"
"But they're turning and folding back," cried West excitedly. "Herecome the others, full gallop! Look, look, how they're opening out!Gallop full speed now! No, no. Look, look! Why, Ingle, those are notrifles they're carrying--they're lances."
"You're dreaming!" growled Ingleborough. "Never mind what they'recarrying; they're going to cut us off, and we've got to save thatdespatch!"
"And we shall save it too!" cried West, his voice sounding full ofexultation. "Those are our Lancers--a regiment of them!"
"You're right!" cried Ingleborough excitedly now, and he began to drawrein. "Look at the Boer line. There's proof! They're turning backfrom the front and hurrying up their rear so as to form laager roundtheir big guns. Hurrah!" he yelled, rising in his stirrups to wave hishat.
"And hurrah a hundred times more!" yelled West, following hiscompanion's example, as he saw now in no less than four directionslittle clouds of horsemen moving over the widely-spreading plain.
The next minute they had their glasses out and were watching the Boers--a line no longer, but broken up into what at first seemed to be wildconfusion, out of which order began to form, for whoever was in commandof the reinforcements on their way to Mafeking possessed enoughsoldierly knowledge of what was the best thing to be done under thecircumstances. As the wagons in front were wheeled round to retire uponthe centre formed by the four heavy guns, and those from the rear werehurried up to join in making a great square, cloud after cloud ofmounted men galloped forward to seize upon any patch of shelter to holdagainst the advancing British force.
"It's well meant," said Ingleborough, without taking his eyes from hisglass; "but they will not have time to form a strong laager. Why, ourmen will be among them before a quarter of an hour is past."
"Before ten minutes!" cried West, in wild excitement. "Hurrah! Trappedthis time! Look right across the laager; there are men coming onthere!"
It was so, and Ingleborough cheered wildly again. For the Britishgeneral must have had abundant information of the coming convoy, and hadtaken his precautions and made his plans so accurately as to timing theadvance that he had completely surrounded the long line with cavalry andmounted infantry, who now raced for the laager, heedless of the fireopened upon them by the Boers. The enemy only fired a few shots, andthen, finding themselves taken in front, flank, and rear, made for theirhorses and took flight in every direction, but not before the Lancersgot among them and dotted the veldt with horse and man.
The Boer commander and those with gun and wagon worked well, bringingtheir heavy guns to bear on the main advance; but they were not directedat masses of men in column or line, but at a cloud of cavalry coveringthe plain and mingled with the enemy's own flying horse, so that beforea second discharge could be belched forth from the two large guns whichwere re-loaded, the Lancers, Hussars, and Volunteer Light Horse wereamong the gunners, and it was every man for himself, _sauve qui peut_.
West and Ingleborough were so intent with their glasses, watching theutter rout of the Boers, that they did not see a body of Lancers bearingdown upon them at a gallop, and the noise of the scattered firing keptup by the Boers drowned the trampling of hoofs, till there was a shoutwhich made the two despatch-bearers start round in their saddles, to seea dozen sun-browned, dust-covered Lancers galloping at them with weaponslevelled, headed by a young officer waving them on with his flashingsword.
"Up hands!" yelled Ingleborough, and glass and hat were thrust on high.
It was only just in time, the officer raising his sword as he reined upby West and caught his arm.
"Hallo!" he roared, as his men surrounded the pair with lances at theirbreasts; "who are you?"
"Despatch-riders--Mafeking to Kimberley," cried West.
"Where are your despatches then?" cried the officer sharply.
"Here!" cried West.
"Yah!" cried the young officer. "I thought I'd caught two Boer generalsdirecting the fight. What a jolly sell!"
"You've got something better among you!" said Ingleborough, joining inthe laugh which rose among the men.
"Have we? What?"
"There are four heavy guns yonder, and a tremendous wagon train."
At that moment trumpet after trumpet rang out, and the men burst into awild cheer, for the mounted Boers were scattering in all directions,flying for their lives, and it was plain enough that a tremendous blowhad been inflicted upon a very strong force, the capture of the convoybeing complete, and those in charge who had not succeeded in reachingtheir horses readily throwing down their arms.
"We'll, we've whipped!" said the young officer of Lancers, taking offhis helmet to wipe his streaming face. "They can't find fault with usat home for this, my lads! Here, open out; we must join in drivingthese ragged rascals back on the centre. Here, you two," he cried,turning to West and his companion, "I must take you both in to my chief,for I don't know that I ought to take your bare word."
"Well, I don't think there's much of the Dopper about either of us."
"No," said the officer, "but the Boers have got the scum of Europe andAmerica with them, and you may be two little bits."
"Want our rifles?" said West coolly.
"No; but don't try to bolt, either of you: it would be dangerous. Myboys are rather handy with the lance!"
"So I see!" said West, glancing at the points glistening at the tops ofthe bamboo shafts, several of which looked unpleasantly red.
"And so I felt," said Ingleborough grimly, "for one of them pressed myribs."