CHAPTER X
THE ATTACK
We won out of the reeds at last, for which I fervently thanked God,since to have crossed that endless marsh unguided, with the loss of onlyone man, seemed little less than miraculous. We emerged from them latein the afternoon and being wearied out, stopped for a while to rest andeat of the flesh of a buck that I had been fortunate enough to shootupon their fringe. Then we pushed forward up the slope, proposing tocamp for the night on the crest of it a mile or so away where I thoughtwe should escape from the deadly mist in which we had been enveloped forso long, and obtain a clear view of the country ahead.
Following the bank of a stream which here ran down into the marsh, wecame at length to this crest just as the sun was sinking. Below us laya deep valley, a fold, as it were, in the skin of the mountain, wellbut not densely bushed. The woods of this valley climbed up the mountainflank for some distance above it and then gave way to grassy slopes thatended in steep sides of rock, which were crowned by a black and frowningprecipice of unknown height.
There was, I remember, something very impressive about this toweringnatural wall, which seemed to shut off whatever lay beyond the gaze ofman, as though it veiled an ancient mystery. Indeed, the aspect of itthrilled me, I knew not why. I observed, however, that at one point inthe mighty cliff there seemed to be a narrow cleft down which, no doubt,lava had flowed in a remote age, and it occurred to me that up thiscleft ran a roadway, probably a continuation of that by which we hadthreaded the swamp. The fact that through my glasses I could see herdsof cattle grazing on the slopes of the mountain went to confirm thisview, since cattle imply owners and herdsmen, and search as I would, Icould find no native villages on the slopes. The inference seemed to bethat those owners dwelt beyond or within the mountain.
All of these things I saw and pointed out to Robertson in the light ofthe setting sun.
Meanwhile Umslopogaas had been engaged in selecting the spot where wewere to camp for the night. Some soldierlike instinct, or perchance someprescience of danger, caused him to choose a place particularly suitableto defence. It was on a steep-sided mound that more or less resembled agigantic ant-heap. Upon one side this mound was protected by the streamwhich because of a pool was here rather deep, while at the back of itstood a collection of those curious and piled-up water-worn rocks thatare often to be found in Africa. These rocks, lying one upon anotherlike the stones of a Cyclopean wall, curved round the western side ofthe mound, so that practically it was only open for a narrow space,say thirty or forty feet, upon that face of it which looked on to themountain.
"Umslopogaas expects battle," remarked Hans to me with a grin,"otherwise with all this nice plain round us he would not have chosen tocamp in a place which a few men could hold against many. Yes, Baas, hethinks that those cannibals are going to attack us."
"Stranger things have happened," I answered indifferently, and havingseen to the rifles, went to lie down, observing as I did so that thetired Zulus seemed already to be asleep. Only Umslopogaas did not sleep.On the contrary, he stood leaning on his axe staring at the dim outlinesof the opposing precipice.
"A strange mountain, Macumazahn," he said, "compared to it that of theWitch, beneath which my kraal lies, is but a little baby. I wonder whatwe shall find within it. I have always loved mountains, Macumazahn, eversince a dead brother of mine and I lived with the wolves in the Witch'slap, for on them I have had the best of my fighting."
"Perhaps it is not done with yet," I answered wearily.
"I hope not, Macumazahn, since some is due for us, after all these daysof mud and stench. Sleep a while now, Macumazahn, for that head of yourswhich you use so much, must need rest. Fear not, I and the little yellowman who do not think as much as you do, will keep watch and wake you ifthere is need, as mayhap there will be before the dawn. Here none cancome at us except in front, and the place is narrow."
So I lay down and slept as soundly as ever I had done in my life, for aspace of four or five hours I suppose. Then, by some instinct perhaps, Iawoke suddenly, feeling much refreshed in that sweet mountain air, a newman indeed, and in the moonlight saw Umslopogaas striding towards me.
"Arise, Macumazahn," he said, "I hear men stirring below us."
At this moment Hans slipped past him, whispering,
"The cannibals are coming, Baas, a good number of them. I think theymean to attack before dawn."
Then he passed behind me to warn the Zulus. As he went by, I said tohim,
"If so, Hans, now is the time for your Great Medicine to show what itcan do."
"The Great Medicine will look after you and me all right, Baas," hereplied, pausing and speaking in Dutch, which Umslopogaas did notunderstand, "but I expect there will be fewer of those Zulus to cook forbefore the sun grows hot. Their spirits will be turned into snakes andgo back into the reeds from which they say they were 'torn out,'" headded over his shoulder.
I should explain that Hans acted as cook to our party and it was agrievance with him that the Zulus ate so much of the meat which he wascalled upon to prepare. Indeed, there is never much sympathy betweenHottentots and Zulus.
"What is the little yellow man saying about us?" asked Umslopogaassuspiciously.
"He is saying that if it comes to battle, you and your men will make agreat fight," I replied diplomatically.
"Yes, we will do that, Macumazahn, but I thought he said that we shouldbe killed and that this pleased him."
"Oh dear no!" I answered hastily. "How could he be pleased if thathappened, since then he would be left defenceless, if he were not killedtoo. Now, Umslopogaas, let us make a plan for this fight."
So, together with Robertson, rapidly we discussed the thing. As aresult, with the help of the Zulus, we dragged together some loosestones and the tops of three small thorn trees which we had cutdown, and with them made a low breastwork, sufficient to give us someprotection if we lay down to shoot. It was the work of a few minutessince we had prepared the material when we camped in case an emergencyshould arise.
Behind this breastwork we gathered and waited, Robertson and I beingcareful to get a little to the rear of the Zulus, who it will beremembered had the rifles which the Strathmuir bastards had left behindthem when they bolted, in addition to their axes and throwing assegais.The question was how these cannibals would fight. I knew that they werearmed with long spears and knives but I did not know if they used thosespears for thrusting or for throwing. In the former case it would bedifficult to get at them with the axes because they must have the longerreach. Fortunately as it turned out, they did both.
At length all was ready and there came that long and trying wait, themost disagreeable part of a fight in which one grows nervous and beginsto reflect earnestly upon one's sins. Clearly the Amahagger, if theyreally intended business, did not mean to attack till just before dawn,after the common native fashion, thinking to rush us in the low andpuzzling light. What perplexed me was that they should wish to attackus at all after having let so many opportunities of doing so go by.Apparently these men were now in sight of their own home, where no doubtthey had many friends, and by pushing on could reach its shelter beforeus, especially as they knew the roads and we did not.
They had come out for a secret purpose that seemed to have to do withthe abduction of a certain young white woman for reasons connectedwith their tribal statecraft or ritual, which is the kind of thing thathappens not infrequently among obscure and ancient African tribes. Well,they had abducted their young woman and were in sight of safety andsuccess in their objects, whatever these might be. For what possiblereason, then, could they desire to risk a fight with the outragedfriends and relatives of that young woman?
It was true that they outnumbered us and therefore had a good chanceof victory, but on the other hand, they must know that it would be verydearly won, and if it were not won, that we should retake their captive,so that all their trouble would have been for nothing. Further they mustbe as exhausted and travel-worn as we were ourselves and in no condition
to face a desperate battle.
The problem was beyond me and I gave it up with the reflection thateither this threatened attack was a mere feint to delay us, or thatbehind it was something mysterious, such as a determination to preventus at all hazards from discovering the secrets of that mountainstronghold.
When I put the riddle to Hans, who was lying next to me, he was readywith another solution.
"They are men-eaters, Baas," he said, "and being hungry, wish to eat usbefore they get to their own land where doubtless they are not allowedto eat each other."
"Do you think so," I answered, "when we are so thin?" and I surveyedHans' scraggy form in the moonlight.
"Oh! yes, Baas, we should be quite good boiled--like old hens, Baas.Also it is the nature of cannibals to prefer thin man to fat beef. Thedevil that is in them gives them that taste, Baas, just as he makes melike gin, or you turn your head to look at pretty women, as those Zulussay you always did in their country, especially at a certain witch whowas named Mameena and whom you kissed before everybody----"
Here I turned my head to look at Hans, proposing to smite him withwords, or physically, since to have this Mameena myth, of which I havedetailed the origin in the book called _Child of Storm_, re-arise outof his hideous little mouth was too much. But before I could get out asyllable he held up his finger and whispered,
"Hush! the dawn breaks and they come. I hear them."
I listened intently but could distinguish nothing. Only straining myeyes, presently I thought that about a hundred yards down the slopebeneath us in the dim light I caught sight of ghostlike figures flittingfrom tree to tree; also that these figures were drawing nearer.
"Look out!" I said to Robertson on my right, "I believe they arecoming."
"Man," he answered sternly, "I hope so, for whom else have I wanted tomeet all these days?"
Now the figures vanished into a little fold of the ground. A minute orso later they re-appeared upon its hither side where such light as therewas from the fading stars and the gathering dawn fell full upon them,for here were no trees. I looked and a thrill of horror went through me,for with one glance I recognised that these were _not the men whom wehad been following_. To begin with, there were many more of them, quitea hundred, I should think, also they had painted shields, wore feathersin their hair, and generally so far as I could judge, seemed to be fatand fresh.
"We have been led into an ambush," I said first in Zulu to Umslopogaasimmediately in front, and then in English to Robertson.
"If so, man, we must just do the best we can," answered the latter, "butGod help my poor daughter, for those other devils will have taken heraway, leaving their brethren to make an end of us."
"It is so, Macumazahn," broke in Umslopogaas. "Well, whatever the end ofit, we shall have a better fight. Now do you give the word and we willobey."
The savages, for so I call them, although I admit that cannibals or not,they looked more like high-class Arabs than savages, came on in perfectsilence, hoping, I suppose, to catch us asleep. When they were aboutfifty yards away, running in a treble line with spears advanced, Icalled out "Fire!" in Zulu, and set the example by loosing off bothbarrels of my express rifle at men whom I had picked out as leaders,with results that must have been more satisfactory to me than to the twoAmahagger whose troubles in this world came to an end.
There followed a tremendous fusillade, the Zulus banging off their gunswildly, but even at that distance managing for the most part to shootover the enemy's heads. Captain Robertson and Hans, however, did betterand the general result was that the Amahagger, who appeared to beunaccustomed to firearms, retreated in a hurry to a fold of the groundwhence they had emerged. Before the last of them got there I loadedagain, so that two more stopped behind. Altogether we had put nine orten of them out of action.
Now I hoped that they would give the business up. But this was not so,for being brave fellows, after a pause of perhaps five minutes, oncemore they charged in a body, hoping to overwhelm us. Again we greetedthem with bullets and knocked out several, whereon the rest threwa volley of their long spears at us. I was glad to see them do thisalthough one of the Zulus got his death from it, while two more werewounded. I myself had a very narrow escape, for a spear passed betweenmy neck and shoulder. Each of them carried but one of these weaponsand I knew that if they used them up in throwing, only their big kniveswould remain to them with which to attack us.
After this discharge of spears which was kept up for some time, theyrushed at us and there followed a great fight. The Zulus, throwing downtheir guns, rose to their feet and holding their little fighting shieldswhich had been carried in their mats, in the left hand, wielded theiraxes with the right. Umslopogaas, who stood in the centre of them,however, had no shield and swung his great axe with both arms. This wasthe first time that I had seen him fight and the spectacle was in a waymagnificent. Again and again the axe crashed down and every time itfell it left one dead beneath the stroke, till at length those Amahaggershrank back out of his reach.
Meanwhile Robertson, Hans and I, standing on some stones at the back,kept up a continual fire upon them, shooting over the heads of theZulus, who were playing their part like men. Yes, they shrank back,leaving many dead behind them. Then a captain tried to gather them foranother rush, and once more they moved forward. I killed that captainwith a revolver shot, for my rifle had become too hot to hold, and atthe sight of his fall, they broke and ran back into the little hollowwhere our bullets could not reach them.
So far we had held our own, but at a price, for three of the Zulus werenow dead and three more wounded, one of them severely, the other two butenough to cripple them. In fact, now there were left of them but threeuntouched men, and Umslopogaas, so that in all for fighting purposeswe were but seven. What availed it that we had killed a great number ofthese Amahagger, when we were but seven? How could seven men withstandsuch another onslaught?
There in the pale light of the dawn we looked at each other dismayed.
"Now," said Umslopogaas, leaning on his red axe, "there remains but onething to do, make a good end, though I would that it were in a greatercause. At least we must either fight or fly," and he looked down at thewounded.
"Think not of us, Father," murmured one of them, the man who had amortal hurt. "If it is best, kill us and begone that you may live tobear the Axe in years to come."
"Well spoken!" said Umslopogaas, and again stood still a while, thenadded, "The word is with you, Macumazahn, who are our captain."
I set out the situation to Robertson and Hans as briefly as I could,showing that there was a chance of life if we ran, but so far as I couldsee, none if we stayed.
"Go if you like, Quatermain," answered the Captain, "but I shall stopand die here, for since my girl is gone I think I'm better dead."
I motioned to Hans to speak.
"Baas," he answered, "the Great Medicine is here with us upon the earthand your reverend father, the Predikant, is with us in the sky, so Ithink we had better stop here and do what we can, especially as I do notwant to see those reeds any more at present."
"So do I," I said briefly, giving no reasons.
So we made ready for the next attack which we knew would be the last,strengthening our little wall and dragging the dead Amahagger up againstit as an added protection. As we were thus engaged the sun rose and inits first beams, some miles away on the opposing slopes of the mountainlooking tiny against the black background of the precipice, we sawa party of men creeping forward. Lifting my glasses I studied it andperceived that in its midst was a litter.
"There goes your daughter," I said, and handed the glasses to Robertson.
"Oh! my God," he answered, "those villains have outwitted us after all."
Another minute and the litter, or rather the chair with its escort,had vanished into the shadow of the great cliffs, probably up some passwhich we could not see.
Next moment our thoughts were otherwise engaged, since from varioussymptoms we gathered that the attack was abo
ut to be renewed. Spearsupon which shone the light of the rising sun, appeared above the edge ofthe ground-fold that I have mentioned, which to the east increased to adeep, bush-clad ravine. Also there were voices as of leaders encouragingtheir men to a desperate effort.
"They are coming," I said to Robertson.
"Yes," he answered, "they are coming and we are going. It's a queerend to the thing we call life, isn't it, Quatermain, and hang it all!I wonder what's beyond? Not much for me, I expect, but whatever it iscould scarcely be worse than what I've gone through here below in oneway and another."
"There's hope for all of us," I replied as cheerfully as I could, forthe man's deep depression disturbed me.
"Mayhap, Quatermain, for who knows the infinite mercy of whatever madeus as we are? My old mother used to preach of it and I remember herwords now. But in my case I expect it will stop at hope, or sleep, andif it wasn't for Inez, I'd not mind so much, for I tell you I've hadenough of the world and life. Look, there's one of them. Take that, youblack devil!" and lifting his rifle he aimed and fired at an Amahaggerwho appeared upon the edge of the fold of ground. What is more he hithim, for I saw the man double up and fall backwards.
Then the game began afresh, for the cannibals (I suppose they werecannibals like their brethren) crept out of shelter, advancing on theirstomachs or their hands and knees, so as to offer a smaller mark, anddragging between them a long and slender tree-trunk with which clearlythey intended to batter down our wall.
Of course I blazed away at them, pretty carefully too, for I wasdetermined that what I believed to be the last exercise of the gift ofshooting that has been given to me, should prove a record. ThereforeI selected my men and even where I would hit them, and as subsequentexamination showed, I made no mistakes in the seven or eight shots thatI fired. But all the while, like poor Captain Robertson, I was thinkingof other things; namely, where I was bound for presently and if I shouldmeet certain folk there and what was the meaning of this show calledLife, which unless it leads somewhere, according to my judgment has noneat all. Until these questions were solved, however, my duty was to killas many of those ruffians as I could, and this I did with finish anddespatch.
Robertson and Hans were firing also, with more or less success, butthere were too many to be stopped by our three rifles. Still they cameon till at length their fierce faces were within a few yards of ourlittle parapet and Umslopogaas had lifted his great axe to give themgreeting. They paused a moment before making their final rush, and sodid we to slip in fresh cartridges.
"Die well, Hans," I said, "and if you get there first, wait for me onthe other side."
"Yes, Baas, I always meant to do that, though not yet. We are not goingto die this time, Baas. Those who have the Great Medicine don't die; itis the others who die, like that fellow," and he pointed to an Amahaggerwho went reeling round and round with a bullet from his Winchesterthrough the middle, for he had fired in the midst of his remarks.
"Curse--I mean bless--the Great Medicine," I said as I lifted my rifleto my shoulder.
At that moment all those Amahagger--there were about sixty of themleft--became seized with a certain perturbation. They stood still, theystared towards the fold of ground out of which they had emerged; theycalled to each other words which I did not catch, and then--they turnedto run.
Umslopogaas saw, and with a leader's instinct, acted. Springing over theparapet, followed by his remaining Zulus of the Axe, he leapt upon themwith a roar. Down they went before _Inkosikaas_, like corn before asickle. The thing was marvellous to see, it was like the charge of aleopard, so swift was the rush and so lightning-like were the strokes orrather the pecks of that flashing axe, for now he was tapping at theirheads or spines with the gouge-like point upon its back. Nor were thesethe only victims, for those brave followers of his also did their part.In a minute all who remained upon their feet of the Amahagger were infull flight, vanishing this way and that among the trees. Hans fireda parting shot after the last of them, then sat down upon a stone andfinding his corn-cob pipe, proceeded to fill it.
"The Great Medicine, Baas," he began sententiously, "or perhapsyour reverend father, the Predikant----" Here he paused and pointeddoubtfully with the bowl of the pipe towards the fold in the ground,adding, "Here it is, but I think it must be your reverend father, notthe Great Medicine, yes, the Predikant himself, returned from Heaven,the Place of Fires!"
Looking vaguely in the direction indicated, for I could not conceivewhat he meant and thought that the excitement must have made him mad, Iperceived a venerable old man with a long white beard and clothed in aflowing garment, also white, who reminded me of Father Christmas at achild's party, walking towards us and radiating benignancy. Also behindhim I perceived a whole forest of spear points emerging from the gully.He seemed to take it for granted that we should not shoot at him, for hecame on quite unconcerned, carefully picking his way among the corpses.When he was near enough he stopped and said in a kind of Arabic which Icould understand,
"I greet you, Strangers, in the name of her I serve. I see that I amjust in time, but this does not surprise me, since she said that itwould be so. You seem to have done very well with these dogs," andhe prodded a dead Amahagger with his sandalled foot. "Yes, very wellindeed. You must be great warriors."
Then he paused and we stared at each other.