CHAPTER ELEVEN.
GETTING INTO WORK.
It seemed some little time before the Zulu appeared at the bottom of theslope; but when he emerged from the woods, Mr Rogers could see that hehad been cutting some sticks, and on bringing the glass to bear he madeout that the Zulu was straightening them as he ran.
The boys saw him coming, and waved their caps; while, when the Generaljoined them, they all bent over the game together, the Zulu apparentlybeing very busy, and making Mr Rogers impatient, for he wanted to getback to breakfast, which must then be ready.
"There is some reason for it, I dare say," said Mr Rogers, gazingthrough his glass. "Why, they are all coming away! The animal will bedevoured. It is bad, perhaps."
He waited patiently, seeing the little party return; and as they leftthe fallen gnu he saw the vultures come dropping down from the treeswhere they had been waiting, till there were over twenty by the game,round which they formed a circle, but they did not approach near.
"Strange!" thought Mr Rogers. "I wonder they don't tear it up.Perhaps it is still alive. If so they ought to have put the poor thingout of its misery. I shall speak sharply to Master Dick about suchwanton cruelty."
Mr Rogers wanted his breakfast, and, as he had had no excitement, hefelt cross, so that it seemed as if the boys would get what Jackirreverently called a wigging. But the sight of his sons' brightexcited faces as they ran up the slope, drove away his ill-humour.
"Why, Dick!" he cried, "how you run!"
"Do I, father?" cried the boy, excitedly, "But did you see what asplendid shot Jack made? I missed twice, but he brought his gnu down.It's a fine young bull."
"Then you are not jealous of his luck?" said his father.
"Oh, no," laughed Dick. "It will be my turn next time."
"Bravo, Jack!" cried Mr Rogers. "But why did you leave the game to thevultures? Dick says it was a fine young bull."
"Oh, it's all right, father," cried Jack, who now ran panting up to hisfather's side. "The General has cut it up partly, and has brought theliver and kidneys, and a bit or two to cook for breakfast."
"But it was a pity to leave so much good meat, my boys; I don't likewanton waste."
"But it's all right, father," said Dick. "The General has stuck somepieces of wood round and over it, and he says the vultures won't go nearit for hours, for fear it should be a trap."
Mr Rogers opened his glass, and looked at the fallen game; and sureenough there sat the vultures in a ring, contemplating the sticks thatthe General had stuck up round it, but not one went near.
The Zulu smiled as he came up, bearing the delicate portions of the gnuskewered upon one of his assegais; and hurrying back to the camp, Peterand Dirk were given full directions which way to go, and sent off withthree oxen, and a roughly-contrived carriage for the game formed bycutting down a great forked branch of a tree to attach to the oxenyokes. But when ready for starting they suggested the advisability oftheir having guns, which being supplied, they started off, lookingrather longingly though at the preparations for breakfast.
A good fire was burning, and coffee was made, Dinny looking verydisconsolate and miserable; but the sight of the fresh meat seemed to dohim good, for a broad grin expanded his features, and getting thefrying-pan out of the box that held the cooking apparatus, he soon hadsome savoury morsels peppered, salted, and sputtering on the fire.
"I feel as if I could eat heaps," said Jack. "Oh, I say, father, isn'tbreakfast lovely out here under these green trees?"
Mr Rogers agreed that it was; and certainly nothing could have beenmore glorious than the scene--the deep blue sky, the glorious sunshine,the bright green of the trees, the chirping, whistling, and screaming ofthe birds that thronged the brambles, and above all the deliciousfragrance of the endless flowering shrubs and flowers.
It was all enjoyable in the extreme, the abundant breakfast addingwonderfully to the pleasure. Even the oxen and horses seemed perfectlyhappy, for there was an abundance of short, sweet grass for them tocrop, while the little Zulu party seemed happiness itself.
A goodly portion of the gnu had been given over to the General, anddespising the frying-pan, he and his boys toasted the pieces of flesh inthe fire, and ate them hissing hot; the effect upon Coffee being that hedid nothing but grin, and rub the portion of his brown person which hecalled his "tum-tum," while his brother gave vent to his excitement andpleasure by either lying down and rolling himself over and over, or elseby trying to stand upon his head, a very agreeable style of acrobatictrick, but decidedly inconvenient at breakfast-time.
As, however, just when he had arrived at a perfect equilibrium, and hadhis heels straight up in the air, he overbalanced himself, and insteadof coming back upon his toes he went over upon his heels, which heplanted in the hot ashes, Chicory thought the performance had gonesufficiently far, and went on eating his breakfast in what Dinny calleda more Chrishtanly-like way.
Just as they had finished, and Jack had thoroughly recovered from aviolent fit of coughing and choking, consequent upon seeing Chicorystick his heels in the fire, while he--Jack--was drinking his coffee,there came from behind them the crack of a whip, and Peter's harsh voiceshouting, "Trek, boys! trek!" accompanied by the rustling, scramblingnoise made by a great branch being drawn over the ground; and directlyafter the slow, patient oxen came into sight, chewing away at theircuds, as they used their tails to whisk away the flies, and draggedJack's game into camp.
It proved to be a splendid young gnu, and the boys examined withcuriosity its shaggy head, with its curiously bent down and curved uphorns, and general likeness to horse, antelope, and bull, as if it wererelated to each. Then the Zulu, with Dirk's help, rapidly skinned it;portions were set apart for immediate use, some of the best cut up instrips by the General, and hung in the sun upon the bushes to form whatis called "biltong," that is, strips of sun-dried meat, the sun bakingit up so quickly that it has not time to go bad, and the rest was leftfor another fate.
For it was most amusing to watch the dogs, sitting all four in a row,hungrily looking at the skinning and cutting up of the gnu. Theywatched with the most intense interest the whole process, following theGeneral to and fro, and thankfully swallowing any scraps he threw them.
When the skin was taken off and spread upon the waggon-tilt to dry,Pompey, Caesar, and Crassus followed, as if to see that it was properlyspread out, Rough'un being the only one who protested against the plan,for his look plainly said that he wanted to lick that skin on the fleshyside; and as he was not allowed to go through that process, he keptuttering low, dissatisfied whines, to Jack's great delight; while, whenhe saw Peter climb up, and Dirk hand him the skin, he uttered a yell ofdisappointment at what he evidently considered to be the waste of somuch good fat.
This yell from Rough'un had its effects upon Pompey, Caesar, andCrassus, which triumvirate did not behave at all after the manner of thestolid, patient, noble Romans whose names they bore; but one and all setup their noses as high as they could, getting mouth and throat in adirect line, and sang a trio--but so dolefully out of tune, that Dinnypicked up the General's assegai, and gave each one a tap on the headwith the handle.
At least he meant to do so. He certainly hit Pompey and Caesar soundingcracks; but Crassus made a movement, and received his blow on the neck--so unfair a place, he evidently supposed, that it roused his temper, andhe snapped at and seized the handle of the assegai in his teeth.
Now Dinny's hands were greasy with helping to skin the gnu, and thehandle of the assegai kept slipping through his fingers, and threateningto cut them against the blade; to avoid which, as the dog tuggedfiercely and dragged at the handle, Dinny kept taking a fresh hold handover hand, as if he were hauling rope, abusing the dog at the same time.
"Ah, get out, ye dirty baste," he cried. "Let go, will ye?"
_Worry_! _worry_! _worry_! growled Crassus, holding on with all hismight of jaw, which was really great; and seeing the successful effortmade by their companion, Pompey and Ca
esar began to bark and bay atDinny on either side of Crassus.
"Oh, here's a game, Dick!" cried Jack, holding his sides and laughing.
"Call 'em off, will ye?" cried Dinny. "Ah, get out, ye dirty, yelpingbastes."
"Serve you right, for hitting them in that cruel way," said Dickcynically; while seeing the fun, as they seemed to consider it, Coffeeand Chicory each seized his kiri, and began to perform a war-dance roundDinny and the dogs.
"Lave go, will ye?" cried Dinny to Crassus. "Sure it's a taste of theother end I'll be giving ye dreckerly."
Crassus evidently believed him, for he held on all the tighter. Dinnydragged hard, but the dog's jaws had closed upon the wood like a steeltrap, and though Dinny dragged him here and there, he did not leave go;and so sure as the man began to obtain a little advantage, Pompey andCaesar made such a desperate attack upon his rear that he immediatelylost ground, and the French and English tug-of-war continued, the dogsbarking, Dinny abusing them, and the boys, black as well as white,shouting with delight.
This was very good fun for the latter, but anything but pleasant forDinny. In fact, so bad was his case, and so threatening the aspect ofthe dogs, that any one who would have insured the legs of Dinny'strousers from being torn by the dogs, would have been guilty of a veryinsane act, especially as Rough'un, after sitting up on end encouragingCrassus to hold on to the assegai staff by a loud bark now and then,suddenly took it into his head to join in the fray.
For Dinny had not been particularly friendly to him since they started.Upon one occasion Dinny had tickled him--so he called it--with Peter'swhip, the tickling consisting in giving the dog so severe a flick thatit seemed like taking out a piece of the flesh; while no later than thatmorning Rough'un felt that he had been misused in the matter of the skinthat he wanted to lick.
So, unable to bear matters any longer, Rough'un, who had momentarilygrown more excited, suddenly made an open-mouthed onslaught upon theassegai stock.
"Carl him off, Masther Dick, Masther Jack. Oh, murther, what'll I do.Ah! get out--get--"
Dinny said no more, but loosed his hold of the assegai, and fled,leaping on to the front box of the waggon, and then climbing in beneaththe tilt, while the dogs chased him, barking and baying him furiously.
This did not last, however, for the denuding of the gnu's bones waspretty well ended, and one of the oxen dragged the remains into theforest, when the dogs were called up, and Dinny was forgotten.