CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
HOW THE LITTLE GINTLEMEN INTERFERED WID DINNY.
A few days were very pleasantly spent here collecting, for Mr Rogerswas an enthusiastic naturalist. Birds of brilliant feathering wereshot, skinned, preserved with arsenical paste, filled with cotton wool,and laid to dry with their heads and shoulders thrust into paper cones,after which they were transferred to a box which had to be zealouslywatched to keep out the ants. Certainly scores of these were killedthrough eating the poison smeared upon the skins, but that was littlesatisfaction if they had first destroyed some delicate bird.
Butterflies, too, and beetles were obtained in great numbers, beingcarefully killed, and pinned out in boxes lined with camphored cork.These insects the two Zulu boys soon learned to capture with thegreatest ease, and after a little teaching they would bring in ahandsome butterfly or moth, without crushing and disfiguring it first sothat it was useless for preservation.
Bok or antelope of various kinds were plentiful enough to make the partysure of plenty of food; and both Dick and Jack were getting so skilfulwith the rifle that they could be depended upon to bring down a koodooor springbok at four or five hundred paces.
The kraal had been strengthened, so that they felt no fear of a liongetting through; but fires were kept up every night, wood beingplentiful, and the bright glow seemed to give confidence to theoccupants of the camp, as well as to the horses and oxen. Watch waskept too, but though lions were sometimes heard at a distance they didnot molest the travellers, and but for the stern suggestions of theGeneral they would have grown careless in the extreme.
For experience and skill in the use of fire-arms made Dick and Jack moreconfident. They had looked upon a lion as a monster of such prowess,and of so dangerous a character, that they were quite surprised at theease with which a good shot with a rifle could hold the king of beastsat his mercy.
As for Coffee and Chicory, the General several times punished them forbeing so daring and running such risks, especially as they were in apart of the country where lions really were plentiful, although, so far,little molestation of the travellers had taken place.
It had been decided that upon the next day they would trek onward forsome distance, and perhaps on and on for days, according to theattractiveness of the country they were passing through, and theplentifulness of the game.
The General heard Mr Rogers' decision with a smile of satisfaction.
"I want to take you where the great tusker elephants are," he said, "andlet you shoot the giraffe and rhinoceros. We have hardly begun yet."
He made the boys' eyes glow with excitement as he told them of the sizeof the hippopotami and elephants they would encounter, the height of thegiraffes, and the furious nature of the rhinoceros, which beast seemedto be always mad if it saw a human being.
As they were going to start next day it was decided to let the horsesgraze in peace with the oxen, which, after a fortnight's rest, lookedsleek-coated and in far better condition; but Peter, Dirk, and Dinnywere bidden to keep a strict watch over the cattle, for just beforestarting the General announced that he had seen a lion-spoor, apparentlytwo days old.
The day was passed very pleasantly, collecting, by Mr Rogers and hissons, several very beautiful birds falling to their guns, and theirboxes being filled with splendidly burnished beetles; and at last tiredout, they turned to get back to the little camp by midday, hoping tofind a satisfactory meal ready, for the General had gone out with arifle in search of a bok; and his two boys had taken their kiris andassegais, to see if they could not knock down a few of the largepartridge or quail-like birds.
What was their disappointment then to find that neither the General norhis sons had returned, while Dinny was in great distress.
"Sure," he said, "I thought I'd take a fishing-line and a shtick, and goto the big pool by the little river over yonder, and catch a few of thefish things; bad cess to 'em, they're no more like the fine salmon andthrout of my own country than this baste of a place is its aiqual."
"Well, Dinny, and you went and didn't catch anything," said Dick.
"Sure, Masther Dick, an' you weren't there," said Dinny; "but ye'reright there; I didn't catch a single fish, for the little gintlemenwouldn't let me."
"Little gentlemen, Dinny?" said Mr Rogers eagerly. "Did you see anynatives?"
"An' is it natives ye'd call the dirthy undersized little craytures?"cried Dinny indignantly. "Sure I'd take a couple of 'em up under myarms and run away wid 'em."
"But you say they interfered with you, and wouldn't let you fish," saidMr Rogers.
"Faix, sor, an' that's what they did. Ye know the big pool."
"To be sure," said Mr Rogers. "There are silurus in it."
"Are there though, sor?" said Dinny. "And there's the big rocks upbehind it, where the prickly trees wid red flowers and no leaves at allgrow."
"Yes, I know the place," said Mr Rogers impatiently; "go on."
"Well, sor, I sits meself down comfortable, baits my hook wid a nice bitof fresh mate as any dacent fish would like to have, and then I says tomeself, `Dinny,' I says, `while ye're waiting to hook a nice fish forthe masther's dinner, I'd have jist a whiff o' tibakky if I were you.'`Ye're right and I will,' I says; and I outs wid my pipe, fills it, andwas just going to light up, when _splash_! There was a great big stonethrown in the wather.
"`Ah, be aisy, Masther Jack,' I says, for I knew it was you."
"Why, I was away with my father," cried Jack.
"To be sure ye were, Masther Jack, dear; but don't ye see I thought itwas your thrick; and bang comes another big stone down be me side.
"`I'll tell the masther if ye don't lave off,' I says. `That's you,Masther Dick, as throwed that.'
"Splash comes another, and then I recklected as ye'd both be far away,and that it must be one of them dirthy little varmints, Coffee orChicory. So I lays down me rod and line, as nice and sthrait a rod asye'd cut out of the woods anywhere, ye know, sor, and I picked up my bitof stick ready for them.
"`I'll wait till ye throw again, me beauties,' I says; and just as Isays it to meself, a big stone hits me on the back, and another goes injust by me line.
"`Now ye shall have it, ye wicked little villains,' I says; and jumpingup I was going to run at 'em, when, murther! there was about a dozen ofthe craytures coming down from the rocks, shouting and chattering, andthrowing stones.
"`Will ye be off?' says one, `ye've no business fishing there widoutlave.'"
"How do you know he said that?" said Dick dryly.
"Sure an' what else would he say, Masther Dick, dear? An' ah, ye neversaw such ugly little divils, widout a bit of nose to their dirty faces,and a grin as if they were all teeth.
"`Sure I was only catching a fish for the masther's dinner, gintlemen,'I says, when, murther! if they didn't run at me like mad, and if Ihadn't walked away I belave they'd have killed me. As it was onecowardly villain instead of hitting me dacently on the head wid hisstick like a Christian, comes at me and bites me in the leg."
"Let's look, Dinny," said Dick, for Mr Rogers listened but did notspeak.
"Oh ye can look, Masther Dick. He tuk a pace out of me throusis, andhe'd have tuk a pace out of me leg as well, if I hadn't expostulated widhim on the head wid me shtick. Sure I was obliged to run then or they'dhave torn me to pieces; and it's my belafe they've been using thefishing-line ever since."
"And so you've had an interview with the natives, have you, Dinny?" saidMr Rogers dryly.
"Ah, I wouldn't call them natives, sor," said Dinny.
"What then, baboons?" said Mr Rogers.
"Sure, sur, I don't know the name of the thribe, but they're adirthy-looking little lot, and as hairy as if they never shavedthemselves a bit."
"Why he's been pelted by monkeys," cried Dick, indignantly; and Jackburst out laughing.
"Faix, Masther Dick, dear, they behaved like monkeys more than men, andthey're an ugly little thribe of natives; and if I'd had a gun I'd havegiven some of them
the headache, that I would."
"Ah, here's the General," cried Mr Rogers, as the great Zulu camestriding up with a bok over his shoulder.
As he entered the little camp he threw down the bok, and began to skinit, looking about for Coffee and Chicory.
"Where are the boys?" he said at last.
"Sure they haven't come back," said Dinny; "and I hope they never will,"he added, taking the bok to cut up and cook a portion, for Dinny's legwas very sore and bleeding from a severe bite, and his temper was also alittle more sore from the doubt with which his story had been received.
The Zulu darted a fierce glance at him, but he did not speak. He onlywalked to the waggon, where Mr Rogers was examining some of thespecimens he had killed, and said simply,--
"May I take the rifle, boss, and go and find my boys?"
"Yes, of course," exclaimed Mr Rogers.
"I'll go with you, General," cried Jack eagerly.
"But you are too tired," said his father.
"Oh, no," cried Jack. "I don't mind. I'll go with the General."
The Zulu darted a grateful look at Jack, and the latter took his rifleand bullet cartridges, starting off directly after in the way that theboys had been seen to go.
Jack began chatting to the Zulu as they went along, but after a fewremarks he noticed that the General was very quiet and reserved, whilewhen he glanced at his countenance it looked so strange that Jack feltstartled, and began to think of how awkward his position would be if theZulu were to prove unfaithful, and turn upon him.
But the next minute he was reassured, and found that it was anxiety uponthe General's part about his boys.
"I am afraid, Boss Jack," he said hoarsely. "It frightens me to think.They may be killed."
"Oh, no," cried Jack hopefully. "They have only gone farther away, andhave not had time to return."
The Zulu shook his head, but he glanced eagerly at the speaker as if tosilently ask him if he really felt like that.
"No," he said softly; "one of them would be back by now, I am afraid."
Jack tried again, but it was of no avail; and the Zulu having struck theboys' trail, he had to be left to follow it without interruption, andthis he did, all through the heat of that glowing afternoon.
Several times poor Jack felt as if he would faint, but his spirit kepthim up, and at last they came upon Chicory, sitting down by a littlepool of water with his assegai beside him, bathing his bleeding feet.
The Zulu uttered a low sigh of satisfaction as he saw one of his boys,and Chicory jumped up, and seizing his assegai, ran to meet them.
"My brother; has he got back?" he asked in his own tongue.
"No; I came to find you both. Where is he?" said the General sternly.
"Lost," said Chicory disconsolately. "We got no birds and would not goback without, and we went on and parted. He is lost."
"Lost!" said the Zulu scornfully; "my boy lost! Go find him. Watch thespoor. He must be found."
Poor Chicory turned without a word, and in obedience to his father'sorder he went off in the direction where he and his brother hadaccidentally parted, and at last led them to a beautiful park-like tractof land. Forest-trees sprang up in every direction, for the most partdraped with creepers; clumps of bushy growth, and clusters of pricklysucculent plants, grew on every side. It was in fact a very nature'sgarden, but though they searched in all directions through the lovelyglades, golden with the rays of the scorching sun, there was no trace ofpoor Coffee; and after separating, when they met again from time to timepoor worn out Chicory looked his despair.
Again they separated, Jack following, however, pretty closely upon poorChicory's steps, till the excitement that had kept him up so long beganto fail, and he sat down pretty well exhausted, with his rifle acrosshis knees and his back against a tree.