CHAPTER IX.
THE OUTBREAK.
As it was possible that the detachment might remain for some time intheir present quarters, Lieutenant Daniels at once set them to work toerect a couple of huts, each capable of holding ten men. Several of thefarmers sent two or three of their native labourers to assist in cuttingand bringing to the spot timber for the framework and supplying strawfor thatching the roofs. The operation was not a long one. The wallswere made with wattle plastered with mud, and the work was accomplishedin a couple of days. The men were glad of the shelter, for, although theheat was very great during the day, the nights were cold and sharp. Thehorses were picketed behind the huts; the officer took up his quartersat a farmhouse a hundred yards away. Once housed, the men had little todo, for, in the daytime, there was no fear of the Kaffirs coming down ontheir plundering expeditions, such attempts being only made at night.When evening fell, the saddles were placed on the horses, and the menlay down in their clothes, simply taking off their jackets andjack-boots, so as to be in readiness to turn out at a moment's alarm.Sometimes they rode out in small parties patrolling the whole country,not with any idea of finding cattle-thieves, but merely to giveconfidence to settlers, whose Kaffir servants were sure to giveintelligence to their friends in the bush of the presence of the MountedRifles in the neighbourhood.
When they had been there a fortnight they heard that the Governor hadcome to King Williamstown, and had summoned the various chiefs toassemble there. They had all come with the exception of the paramountChief Sandilli, had assured the Governor of their fidelity, swornallegiance anew, and ratified it by kissing the stick of peace. TheGovernor was so satisfied with their assurances that he issued a replyto the petitions of the colonists, saying that reports throughoutBritish Kaffraria were most satisfactory, that the chiefs wereastonished at the sudden arrival of the troops, and that he hoped toarrest some of the Kaffirs who had spread the alarming reports. TheGovernor gave his solemn assurance to those of the settlers who had lefttheir farms that there was no occasion for alarm.
A commission, however, appointed by him to investigate the numerouscomplaints of the settlers, speedily forwarded to him such alarmingaccounts of the critical state of affairs, that he again left for thefrontier, taking with him from Cape Town the 73rd Regiment and adetachment of artillery. A proclamation was at once issued for theestablishment of a police force, the enrolment of new levies and of acorps of volunteers for self-defence, so as to leave the whole of themilitary at liberty for operations.
One day, towards the end of November, Ronald and a comrade had riddensome twelve miles out of the station, when they saw a young lady onhorseback riding towards them. She drew rein when she reached them.
"We have had fifty cattle driven off in the night," she said, "and someof the neighbours have followed the trail. I am riding over to reportthe fact to your officer."
"We can report it," Ronald said, "and save you the trouble of ridingfurther; but if you like we will ride back with you first, and see if wecan be of any service."
"I am afraid it will be no use," the girl said; "they will be in thewoods before they can be overtaken, and then, you know, there will benothing to do but to report where their trail ended and wait for thechance of getting compensation from the chief."
By this time they were galloping back with her. The tale was similar toscores of others they had heard since their arrival in the valley, andthey knew that there was but slight chance of recovering the trail, theorder being stringent that they were on no account to enter the bush.The cattle, therefore, were as good as lost, for all were well awarethat in the present state of things there was but little prospect ofreceiving compensation from the chief. The party found, indeed, upontheir arrival at the farmhouse, which was a large and comfortable one,and furnished in English style, that the neighbours had returned, havingtraced the spoor of the stolen cattle up to the edge of the bush.
The farmer came out to the door as his daughter rode up.
"Come in," he said to the troopers, "and have some refreshment. Therascals have got away again. I expect that they are some of my oldservants, for they knew the trick of the fastenings I have had put tothe gate of the cattle-kraal, which would certainly have puzzled any ofthe Kaffirs. Now sit down and make yourselves at home."
The other settlers were already seated at the table that the Hottentotsor, as they were always called, "tottie" servants, had laid with aprofusion of food. The young lady, still in her blue riding-habit, didnot sit down to the table, but moved about, seeing that the "tottie"girls attended to the wants of the guests. She was, Ronald thought,about eighteen years old, and had the graceful, active figure so commonamong girls who spend much of their time on horseback. She wasstrikingly pretty, and her expression of delicacy and refinement wasunusual among the daughters of the colonial farmers. This he was notsurprised at, when he glanced at her father, who was a fine-looking man,with a gray moustache.
"I am always glad to see the uniform again," he said, presently, toRonald. "I served myself when I was a young man, and was an ensign inthe Rifles at Waterloo, but I got tired of soldiering in the times ofpeace, and came out to the Cape thirty years ago, so you can wellunderstand that I am fond of a sight of the uniform again, especiallythat of your corps, which is nearly the colour of my own. Well, I havehad pretty nearly enough of the Cape, and intend in another year or twoto go back home. I have moved a good many times, as you may imagine,since I came out, but I don't like running away, and, besides, just atpresent I should get nothing for my farm."
"I can imagine that farms are rather a drug in the market just now,"Ronald replied, "especially those at the edge of the frontier. However,we must hope that this trouble will blow over, and now that the Governoris, as I hear, coming round with the 73rd, the Kaffirs may think betterof it."
"I think they have made up their mind to give us a little trouble," thesettler said. "Their witch-doctor, Umlanjeni, has been stirring them upwith all sorts of predictions, and Sandilli, who no doubt set him towork, has, we know, been intriguing with the other chiefs. The suddendisappearance of the Kaffir servants from all the farms of this part ofthe country was, of course, in obedience to orders, and is certainlyominous. They say that there are altogether three thousand muskets, sixmillion rounds of ball cartridge, and half-a-million assegais in thehands of the natives. It has been a suicidal business allowing trade infirearms and ammunition to be carried on with them. I wish that thetalkative fools at Cape Town who manage our affairs were all locateddown on the frontier; they might learn some sense then as to the way ofdealing with the natives. But the worst sign of all is that, as I haveheard to-day from some of my Hottentots, the order has been given byUmlanjeni to slay and eat."
"To slay and eat!" Ronald repeated in surprise. "What does that mean,sir?"
"Ah, that question shows you have not been long in the colony," thesettler said. "You know, the Kaffirs live at ordinary times entirelyupon a vegetable diet, but it is their custom upon the approach of warto eat meat, believing that flesh gives them courage and ferocity.However, as it was only three weeks ago that the chiefs all swore to bepeaceable and faithful, I hardly think that there's any danger of anoutbreak for some time to come, perhaps not for some months. You see, itis just midsummer now, and my crops are nearly fit for cutting. I sentmost of my cattle away a fortnight since, and when I have got my cropsin I shall shut up the house and move into Grahamstown. We have manyfriends there, and shall stop there until we see what comes of thisbusiness, and when it is all over I shall dispose of my farm. I do notthink there is any real danger here. We have always been on excellentterms with the natives, and Anta, who is chief of the tribe in thispart, often comes down here and begs a bottle of Cape smoke or a poundof tobacco. He has smoked many a pipe in this room, and treacherous asthe people are, I cannot think that he would allow his men to do us anyharm. He generally addresses me as his white brother."
An active conversation was at the same time going on between the otherguests,
who were discussing the farm at which it would be best forneighbours to assemble in case of attack. The settler, whose name wasArmstrong, had placed Ronald next himself, while his comrade was at theother end of the table, these being the only seats vacant at the tablewhen they entered. Ronald and the settler chatted quietly together forsome time. Mary Armstrong, who had taken her place leaning on the backof her father's chair, when she had seen the guests attended to,occasionally joined in.
Mr. Armstrong was pleased with his guest.
"I hope next time when you ride over in this direction you will call inagain," he said. "I can assure you that we shall be heartily glad to seeyou, and, if you can get leave off duty for a night, to put you up. Itis a real pleasure to me to have a chat with some one fresh fromEngland, and to hear how things look after all these years. Why, I shallhardly know the country again, cut up as it seems to be with theserailways."
After the meal was over, Ronald and his friend rode back to theirquarters.
"That's a nice-looking little girl," the trooper said, as they rode awayfrom the house; "they say her father is the richest man in these parts,and that he owns a lot of property at the Cape. If I were him I shouldlive there instead of in this out-of-the-way place."
"I suppose he is fond of a country life," Ronald replied, ignoring thefirst part of the remark; "I should think that society in Cape Town isnot very interesting."
"I don't know that," the other replied. "I know that if I had moneyenough to settle down there you wouldn't find me many hours knockingabout here as a trooper."
"It's all a matter of taste," Ronald replied. "When I was at home Ilived in the country and prefer it to town, and like an active life inthe open air better than anything Cape Town could give me."
"That's a nice young fellow, Mary--that man in the Cape Rifles," Mr.Armstrong said to his daughter the same evening. "I should say he isaltogether above his position, don't you think so?"
"I do not know that I thought much about it, father. Yes, I suppose hewasn't like an ordinary soldier."
"Not at all, Mary, not at all. I fancy from what I have heard that thereare a good many young men of decent family serving in the corps. It's athousand times better for a young fellow who's got neither money norinterest to come out here than to stay at home breaking his heart intrying to get something to do. Yes. I should say from his talk, andespecially from the tone of his voice, that he has seen better days.It's a pity the colony can't afford to keep on foot four or fiveregiments of these Mounted Rifles. We should not hear much of nativetroubles if they did. The natives are much more afraid of them than ofthe soldiers; and no wonder. In the first place they are more accustomedto the country, and in the second place they are armed with weapons thatwill kill at a considerable distance, while Brown Bess is of no use atover a hundred yards. Well, I hope that young fellow will drop in again;I should like another chat with him. It's a pleasant change to meet anyone who is willing to talk on some subject other than natives, andcrops, and cattle."
A week later, Ronald was sent with a despatch to King Williamstown.
"There will be no answer, Blunt," Lieutenant Daniels said, as he handedit to him; "at least, no answer of any consequence. So you can stay aday in the town if you like."
"Thank you, sir; but as I do not care for towns, I will, if you willallow me, stop on my way back at Mr. Armstrong's. That is where thecattle were stolen the other day, and it will not be far out of my wayfrom King Williamstown. He invited me to stay there for a day if I couldget leave."
"Certainly, you can do so," the lieutenant said. "You can hear if thereis any news of the Kaffirs stirring in that neighbourhood; they seem tohave been a bit more quiet for the last week or so."
Two days later Ronald drew rein in front of Mr. Armstrong's house, latein the afternoon.
"I have taken you at your word, Mr. Armstrong," he said, as the farmercame to the door.
"I am glad to see you," the other said, cordially. "It is not a mereflying visit, I hope; but you will be able to stay with us tillto-morrow?"
"Thank you, yes. I am not due at the station till to-morrow evening, andam my own master till then. I have been carrying a despatch toWilliamstown."
"We have had some of the Kaffir police here to-day," the farmer said tohim while they were at supper. "What do you think of them?"
"They seem smart fellows, and well up to their duty. So far as I can seethey are just the sort of men for border police work."
"Yes," Mr. Armstrong agreed, "on any other border but this. To my mindthey are much too closely related to the fellows in the bush to betrustworthy. They are all well enough for following up a trail orarresting a stray thief, and would, I dare say, be quite reliable ifopposed to any tribe to which they were not akin, but I doubt whetherthey will stand to us if there is trouble with Sandilli, Macomo, and therest of them. You see how powerful the influence of these chiefs is.When the order came, pretty nearly every Kaffir in this colony leftinstantly, many of them leaving considerable arrears of wages behind. Ifthe tribal tie is so strong that men entirely beyond the reach of theirchief come home the instant they are summoned, how can it be expectedthat the Kaffirs in this police force will fight against their ownkindred?"
"It does not seem reasonable to expect such a thing, certainly," Ronaldagreed. "I cannot think myself why they did not raise the force amongthe Fingoes. They are just as fine a race as the Kaffirs, and speak thesame language, and yet they are bitterly hostile to them."
"Yes, it would have been better," Mr. Armstrong said. "I think thatthere was a prejudice against the Fingoes in the first place. They werenot a powerful people like the Gaikas and Galegas and Basutos. A goodmany of them had escaped from the chiefs who held them in subjection,and came in and loafed about the colony. As all Kaffirs are given tothieving and drunkenness whenever they get the chance, the colonistslooked down upon them more than upon the other natives. Not that thereis any reason for their doing so, except that they saw more of them, forall the Kaffirs are the same in that respect."
"Do you think it is safe stopping here, Mr. Armstrong?" Ronald asked.They had been talking of the various cattle-stealing raids that hadtaken place at various points of the frontier.
"I still think so for the present. By New Year's Day I shall have got mycrops in, and then I will go into town, as I told you I would; but inthe meantime five or six of our nearest neighbours have agreed to movein here; I have the largest farm hereabout, and we could stand a stoutsiege."
"I am glad to hear that, Mr. Armstrong; the same thing has been done ina good many places and in that way you should be quite safe. I quitethink the Kaffirs capable of coming down in small parties and attackingisolated houses, and murdering their occupants; but after their lateprotestations of fidelity, I cannot believe that the chiefs would permitanything like large parties to sally out to make war."
"That is my idea. But they are treacherous hounds, and there is neverany trusting them."
"If you can manage to send one of your Fingoes off with news to us, youmay be sure we shall be with you in the shortest possible time, and wewill soon make mincemeat of them."
"Do not be too sure of that. I don't say in the open they would standagainst a force of cavalry anywhere approaching their own numbers, but Ican tell you that in the bush I consider they are fully a match for ourtroops man to man. What chance has a soldier with his clothes and fiftyor sixty pounds weight on his back, who goes crashing along through thebushes and snapping the twigs with his heavy boots, against a native whocan crawl along stark naked without making the slightest noise, and whogives the first intimation of his presence by a shot from behind a tree,or a stab with his spear? When I came out here I had naturally the sameideas as you have, and scoffed at the notion of naked savages standingup against a regular soldier, but I can tell you I have changed myopinion, and if the tribes under Sandilli are really in earnest, Ipromise you that you will want five times as many troops as we have gotin the colony to tackle them."
Two days late
r a message arrived with orders to Lieutenant Daniels torejoin with his detachment at once. On the 16th of December the whole ofthe troops in Albany and British Kaffraria were assembled and movedunder the Commander-in-Chief towards the Amatolas, the object being tooverawe the Gaikas without resorting to force, which was to be carefullyavoided. The troops consisted of the 6th, 73rd, and 93rd Regiments andthe Cape Mounted Rifles, altogether about 1,500 strong, with twodivisions of the Kaffir police. The force moved in three columns. TheGovernor, who was with the central column, was met by a great number ofthe Gaikas chiefs, with about 3,000 of their men, at Fort Cox. Theyagain expressed their desire for peace, but their bearing and attitudewas not satisfactory. Sandilli and his half-brother, Anta, were declaredby the Governor to be outlawed, and a reward issued for theirapprehension.
A few days passed without further movement. On the evening of the 23rd,Sergeant Menzies said to Ronald, whom he met just as he had come outfrom Captain Twentyman's, "I have two pieces of news for you, Blunt. Inthe first place, as you know, Corporal Hodges has lost his stripes andhas been sent back to the ranks for getting drunk. Captain Twentymanasked me who I could recommend for the stripes, and I told him I thoughtthere was no one in the troop who would make a better non-commissionedofficer than you would. He said that you were the man he had his eyeupon. At ordinary times he should not have liked to give you yourcorporal's stripes after being such a short time in the corps, but thatin the present state of things it was essential to have the best man whocould be picked out, irrespective of his length of service: besides, asyou have served before it makes it altogether a different thing."
"I am much obliged to you, sergeant," Ronald answered. "If it hadn'tbeen for this trouble I should have preferred remaining in the ranks. Ilike a trooper's life and do not care about the extra pay one way or theother. Besides, as a non-commissioned officer one has moreresponsibility and less freedom. However, as it is I shall be glad ofthe step, for doubtless if there is fighting there will be a lot ofscouting and escort work with very small detachments, and I confess Iwould prefer being in command of five or six men on such work as that,to being under the orders of a man who perhaps wouldn't know as well asI do what ought to be done. And now what is your next news?"
"The next is that our troop and B troop are to form part of a column,five hundred strong, that is to march to-morrow to a place whereSandilli is supposed to be concealed."
"Well, we shall see then," Roland said, "whether these fellows meanbusiness or not."
"I was talking to the headquarter mess-sergeant. He tells me that theGovernor's cock-sure there will be no fighting, but that Sandilli willeither surrender at once or bolt before we get there."
"From all I can hear, sergeant, the Governor's opinions are usuallywrong. However, we shall see about it to-morrow, and, at any rate, it'sa good thing to have the question solved one way or the other. Nothingcan be worse for the colonists and every one else than this state ofsuspense. The fellows will have to make up their mind one way or theother now."
In the morning the detachment, five hundred and eighty strong, underColonel Mackinnon, marched from Fort Cox. The Kaffir police led the way,and were followed by the Cape Mounted Rifles, the infantry forming therear. There were a good many natives about, but these shouted friendlygreetings as the column passed, and it proceeded quietly until itreached the narrow rocky gorge of the Keiskamma, which could only betraversed in single file. Ronald Mervyn had been placed in orders theprevious evening as corporal, and he was pleased to find by the remarksof the men that they did not grudge him his promotion, for soldiers arequick to recognise steadiness and ability, and they had long sinceconcluded that Harry Blunt, although he never spoke about his militaryexperiences, had served for some time, thoroughly knew his work, and hadbeen a non-commissioned officer, if not an officer.
"I don't like the look of this place at all," he said to SergeantMenzies as they halted at the mouth of the gorge. "If I were in commandof the force moving among a population who might any moment showthemselves hostile, I would not advance through this gorge till I hadsent a company of infantry on ahead to skirmish among the bushes, andfind out whether there is any one hidden there. On horseback as we arewe should be almost at their mercy."
"The Kaffir policemen ahead ought to have done that work," the sergeantsaid. "Why, bless you, if there was as much as a fox lurking among thebushes they could find him."
"Yes, I have no doubt they could if they wanted to," Ronald agreed, "butthe question is, do they want to? I have no faith whatever in thoseKaffir police. I have been watching them for the last day or two talkingto the Gaikas, and if the natives really mean mischief I would wager thepolice join them."
It was now their turn to enter the gorge, and as they moved along insingle file, Ronald opened one of his holsters and held a revolver readyin hand, while he narrowly scanned the bushes that came down to thenarrow path along which they were making their way. He drew a deepbreath of relief when he emerged from the pass. As the troop reached theopen ground they formed up and were about to move forward when theyheard a sudden outburst of musketry--at first the deep roar of the long,heavy guns carried by the natives, and then quickly afterwards thecontinuous rattle of the soldiers' muskets.
A cry of rage broke from the troopers. Captain Twentyman, who was incommand of the squadron, saw that cavalry could be of no use in thegorge, and that they would only add to the confusion did they try to goback to assist the infantry. He therefore spread them out in the shapeof a fan in front of the entrance to the gorge, to protect it againstany body of natives who might be approaching. Rifles in hand, and witheyes straining into the forest ahead of them, the cavalry sat theirhorses, anxiously listening to the din behind them. Presently theinfantry began to emerge, and at last the whole of the force wasreunited. It was found that the assistant surgeon and eleven men hadbeen killed, and two officers and seven privates wounded. They had,however, beaten off the enemy with considerable loss.
As it was clear that, now the Kaffirs had broken into open war, it wouldbe unsafe in the extreme with the force under him to endeavour topenetrate further, Colonel Mackinnon ordered the column to retire. Thegorge was thoroughly searched by infantry before the movement began, andit was not until they had found it was completely deserted by the enemythat the column moved back. They reached camp in the evening, and theGovernor, upon hearing what had taken place, immediately proclaimedmartial law, and ordered a strict inquiry to be made into the conduct ofthe Kaffir police. In the morning, however, the encampment of the corpswas found deserted, three hundred and eighty-five men, taking with themtheir wives, cattle, and equipments, having deserted to the enemy duringthe night. Two strong patrols were sent out to carry the news to thecommanders of the other two columns, and to examine the state of thecountry. They came upon a sight that enraged the troops, even more thanthe attack upon themselves. A party of the 45th Regiment, consisting ofa sergeant and fourteen privates, escorting waggons from Fort White toKing Williamstown, had been suddenly attacked by the Kaffirs, who hadmurdered the whole party.
Ronald Mervyn did not hear of this unprovoked atrocity at the time.
At daybreak, six detachments--drawn from the Cape Mounted Rifles, andeach composed of six men and a non-commissioned officer--were ordered tostart at once to various settlements on the border, to warn thecolonists of the outbreak of war. Ronald was placed in the command ofone of these detachments, and was chosen to lead that which was to warnthe settlers on the Kabousie River, as he was acquainted with thecountry there. It was hoped that these detachments would arrive in time,for it was supposed that the attack on the column had been an isolatedaffair, the work of the tribe in the immediate neighbourhood.Circumstances proved, however, that that action was only a part of apreconcerted plan, for on the following day, which happened to beChristmas, a simultaneous attack was made upon almost all the bordersettlements.
Some of these were military villages, Government having at theconclusion of the previous war given grants of la
nd and assistance tostart in their farms to a number of discharged soldiers, upon thecondition of their turning out at any time for the defence of thecountry. A number of prosperous little villages had thus sprung up, andthe settlers lived on most friendly terms with the neighbouring Kaffirs,constantly entertaining them as their guests and employing many of themon their farms. In a few cases the news of the fight at Keiskammaarrived in time for the settlers to prepare for defence, but in thegreat majority of cases they were taken by surprise and massacred, oftenby the very men who had just been sharing their Christmas dinner. Manyof the villages were entirely destroyed, and in some cases not a singleman escaped to tell the tale.
It needed no orders for the messengers to use speed. Ronald and his menwent at a gallop, only breaking into a slower pace at times to enablethe men to breathe their horses. They had a long ride before them, andanxious as he was to get on, it was necessary to spare the horses asmuch as possible. He arrived at the station his detachment had beforeoccupied at about one o'clock. The inhabitants were just sitting down todinner. A good many Kaffirs were scattered about through the village.These looked surprised at the arrival of a detachment of cavalry, andgradually disappeared, supposing that Ronald's party was but the advanceguard of a larger body. As soon as the news spread, the inhabitantshurried from their houses, men, women, and children, loaded with sucharticles they could snatch up in their haste, and all hastened to thebuilding which they had before decided should be used as a citadel incase of need. Boys galloped out to the fields to drive the cattle intothe kraal that had been constructed within easy range of the guns of thedefenders of the Fort. Men were placed on sentry, while others broughtin from the houses food, bedding, and clothes, and in a short time thevillage was prepared for a defence.
Ronald made a stay of a few minutes only. A mouthful of food was givento the horses, as he watched the settlers collecting for defence, andthen, satisfied that they were prepared against surprise here, he rodeon with his men. At the isolated farmhouses he passed, horses were putinto light carts as soon as his news was told. In these women andchildren were stowed. A bundle or two of clothes were thrown in, the menthen mounted, and the whole made off at the top of their speed towardsthe nearest town. A few of the younger men, and those unencumbered bywomen and children, mounted their horses, and taking their arms, joinedRonald's party. The next village was five miles from the first, and asthey approached they heard piercing screams mingled with yells. Puttingspurs to their horses the little party dashed on. Round each of the fiveor six houses in the village were groups of Kaffirs, who were draggingthe inhabitants from the houses and massacring them. One or two shotswere heard as they rode up, showing that some of the men were sellingtheir lives dearly. With a shout, the little party of horsemen, countingfifteen men, dashed in upon the Kaffirs. Taken wholly by surprise, thelatter did not see their foes until they were just upon them, and it wastoo late to throw their assegais with effect. Pouring in a volley fromtheir rifles the troop rode in among them, hewing right and left withtheir sabres, the sharp cracks of their pistols following in rapidsuccession. With yells of dismay the Kaffirs, although numbering upwardsof a hundred, at once fled, making for the forest. The infuriatedtroopers and settlers followed them, cutting down or shooting numbersbefore they reached the shelter of the trees. In their rage they wouldhave followed them had not Ronald called them off.
"It would only be throwing away your lives to enter the wood," he said."We should have to dismount, and they could spear us as they chose.Besides, we have other work to do."
They rode straight back to the village. More than half of theinhabitants had been murdered, and the rest were gathered round theirdead friends in attitudes of despair, many of them streaming with bloodfrom several wounds.
"Friends," Ronald said, as he rode up, "you must be up and doing. Youmust either gather in one house for mutual defence--for we have to rideon and the natives will return as soon as we leave--or as will be muchwiser, put your horses into light carts, take the bodies of yourfriends, some of them may be only stunned by the knobkerries, and drivefor your lives to the town. We will stop another ten minutes. Thenatives will not venture out of the woods until we go on."
Ronald's words roused the unfortunate settlers from their stupor. Themen, aided by the troopers, harnessed the horses to the carts, liftedthe wounded and dead into them, and taking with them a few of theirvaluables, drove away, and Ronald rode on with his party. At one or twohouses the attack had not begun, and the settlers at once harnessed upand drove off. In others the party arrived too late to save, althoughthey were able to avenge by surprising and cutting up the treacherousservants who, aided by the Gaikas from the hills, had murdered theirmasters, and were engaged in the work of plunder when the troop rode up.In each case they found that the Fingo servants had shared the fate oftheir employers, showing that they had been kept in the dark as to thedeadly intentions of the Kaffirs.
As he neared the house occupied by his friends, the Armstrongs, RonaldMervyn's anxiety heightened. Each scene of massacre had added to hisfears, and he chafed at the comparatively slow rate of speed at which itwas now necessary to go in order to spare the tired horses. Presently heheard the sound of distant firing in the direction in which he knew theArmstrong's house was situated. It was a welcome sound, for although itshowed that the party were attacked, it gave hopes that they had notbeen entirely taken by surprise, and were still defending themselves.
"Jones," he said, turning to one of the troopers, "you can't go fasterthan you are going, but my horse has plenty in hand. I will ride on withthe burghers at full speed; you keep well together and follow as fast asyou can. If they make a fight of it with us, your coming up suddenly maycow them and decide the matter."