*Chapter XVII.*
*THE SHADOWERS' ATTACK.*
Towards the end of the fourth week of the search, while the diggers wereat work at the far end of the kloof, they were startled one morning bythe figure of a man running up the valley towards them.
"Hallo!" cried Guy excitedly, as he paused from his work with the pickand stretched his back; "who on earth is this coming our way? Look,uncle! I believe it's Jan!"
Mr. Blakeney shaded his eyes and looked down the kloof.
"Yes," he said, after regarding the figure attentively, "it's Jan. Whatcan he want? He must have news of importance. I suppose it's KarlEngelbrecht again."
Jan Kokerboom, who presently trotted up, had news undoubtedly, and newsthat was disturbing. On the previous afternoon, Seleti (who had, underMr. Blakeney's instructions, been exploring the country for any signs ofEngelbrecht and his gang) had come across the spoor of two mounted men,who had evidently tracked the wagon up to the entrance of the mountains,noted the valley up which it had passed, and, turning rein again, hadcantered away.
"Well, I expected this," said Mr. Blakeney, his brow knitted in thought."I never imagined that Karl Engelbrecht, who knows what we are after,and is writhing under two nasty rebuffs, would give up his revenge orleave his thirst for plunder unsatisfied. These men, who have shadowedus all the way from the coast, are shadowing us still. We shall have tolook out for their next assault, which, I believe, will be a desperateone. The business now is to find out how many there are of them, andwhat their plans may be.
"Sit down, lads," he continued, filling and lighting his pipe; "we'llknock off for a spell.--Poeskop," he went on, speaking in Dutch, "youmust go back with Jan, climb the ladder, take two or three days'supplies of biltong with you, and go and look up Karl Engelbrecht. Ifthey are still shadowing us, you must just shadow them. Find out, ifyou can, when they mean to have a shot for us, and then cut back as fastas your legs can carry you and give us warning. We must be prepared forthem, and I've no doubt we shall be able to give them a pretty hotreception."
The curious wrinkling of the yellow skin of Poeskop's face, and thehumorous twinkle that showed in his Mongol-like eyes, convinced thethree white men that the task proposed was thoroughly to the Bushman'sliking. His splendid white teeth gleamed expressively as he broke intoa wide grin of satisfaction.
"Ja, baas," he said; "I shall becreep them. Poeskop was not bred aBushman for nothing; and he will spy out Karl Engelbrecht's camp, andfind out what he means to do, and when he is going to attack. He hashad two hard knocks already; we shall give him a third, which will makehim what you call 'sit up.' But baas must have a care: this time Karlwill do his hardest to kill us all and take the gelt."
The two natives now started back for the ladder and the main camp. Mr.Blakeney and the two boys continued the work of digging till afternoon,when, taking with them the gold they had found that day, they made theirway back to the foot of the cliff. Here, adding their nuggets to theheap already accumulated, they climbed the ladder, and found themselvesonce more in the security of their own camp. Nothing further hadhappened that day, and Poeskop had long since started away on hisjourney of reconnaissance.
Meanwhile it is necessary to return to Karl Engelbrecht and hisproceedings. After the escape of Guy from his camp, the death of theGriqua, his own repulse by Guy and Poeskop, and the wounding of anotherof his men, the Boer, although raging furiously at the ill-success ofhis schemes, had felt himself scarcely strong enough to attack a partywho were evidently quite capable of defending themselves. In thisfeeling he was strengthened by his colleague in rascality, AntonioMinho, who by no means relished the business of attacking the Englishparty, except with a much superior force.
Engelbrecht knew of a commando of Boers who had been away in the countryto the north, engaged on a punitory and marauding expedition against atribe of natives. He calculated that, by trekking steadily for tendays, he would intercept this party on their return journey. Hiscalculations were rightly made, and he fell in with his freebootingfellow-countrymen returning to Humpata in triumph and great spirits.They had had, from their point of view, a first-rate time, havingthoroughly subdued the tribe against which they had marched, killed anumber of unfortunate natives, burnt their corn and crops, and capturedsome two thousand head of cattle.
Karl, who was hand and glove with these men, whom he had often himselfled on commando, had no great difficulty in persuading some of them toaccompany him on a fresh expedition of plunder. He held out highinducement in the shape of gold, which, it was known, the Englishmenwere in search of; and the plan of inflicting revenge and humiliation onmen of that accursed nation had, in addition, no small weight with theBritish-hating filibusters. Eight stalwart Boers, then, with two wagonsand a number of well-armed native servants, signified their intention ofaiding Karl Engelbrecht in his new campaign, and sharing the rich bootywhich they counted on lifting from the Englishmen. Halting for a fewdays to rest and recruit their trek oxen and horses, the party returnedupon Engelbrecht's wagon spoor, and presently found themselves at theplace where the Englishmen had last been sighted.
It was not difficult to hit off the wagon spoor of the gold-seekers'party; and now, eager to come to grips with their opponents, of whomthey counted on making an easy prey, the Boers presently came in sightof the mountains wherein the Englishmen were so busily engaged ingathering the fortune that lay awaiting them.
Halting at this point, Engelbrecht with one of his Boer allies hadridden into the valley and convinced himself that here, at last, he hadrun the hated Englishmen to ground. Somewhere in these rude hills hisfoes were at work. It would be his business to trace them to their golddeposits, to locate accurately their camp, and then, descending uponthem some morning at early dawn, attack them in such overwhelming forceas to effectually beat down all opposition. Revenge--a bloody revenge,Karl meant it to be--was within his grasp; and gold--plenty of it,captured from his enemies--would, he firmly believed, make a man of himfor the remainder of his life.
Already Karl saw himself back in the good Transvaal country, the ownerof some of the richest farms in Marico, with a great, a palatial,farmstead of his own, surrounded by vast flocks and herds, and a wielderof much power in the national Volksraad. Why, indeed--his broad chestdilated as he thought of it--should he not aspire to like power andprominence with Paul Kruger himself! Paul was growing old; in a fewyears his course would be run, and some strong man would be needed totake his place. Thus dreamed Karl Engelbrecht, as he rode back to hiswagon that day after spooring his adversaries to their mountain retreat,where, as he rightly calculated, they had been now some weeks at work intheir hunt for gold.
Karl, after consultation with Antonio Minho, had soon laid his plans.That afternoon he dispatched his most trusted spy--a Hottentot man,Quasip by name--to spend a couple of days in exploring the interior ofthe mountain and spying out the land. Quasip was to keep off the wagontrack, to creep about quietly, and to find out exactly what theEnglishmen were doing and where their camp lay.
Quasip returned at the end of two days and nights, having perfectlyaccomplished his mission. He had located the English camp, observed itssituation and defensive advantages, peered over into the Gold Kloof,noted the rope-ladder, and also the pile which the Englishmen hadaccumulated, without attracting the notice or suspicion of those withinthe camp. The Hottentot had entered the valley and made himselfacquainted with the Gold Kloof before Mr. Blakeney's boy Seleti haddiscovered the approach of the Boers; and he had been able to accomplishhis mission and make his report to his master without detection--a cleargain for Karl Engelbrecht and his party.
But Poeskop meanwhile, on his part, had been by no means idle. He hadlocated the freebooters' camp, and ascertained the strength of the Boersand their men. Returning from his expedition, and wandering, as healways did, hither and thither in search of any spoor or sign that mighttell of danger, he had encountered a footprint that was
unknown to him:a spy had entered the valley since the two horsemen reported by Seletihad ridden in. Poeskop spoored the Hottentot's tracks to the vicinityof his master's camp, and satisfied himself that his rival--for he sawat once that he had a rival, and a very clever one--had made himselfacquainted with all their doings. He had, in fact, convinced himselfthat now indeed danger threatened speedily. Returning to camp, he madehis report on the very afternoon on which Quasip the Hottentot had toldhis own master of his discoveries. Both spies had accomplished theirtasks to admiration: neither had encountered the other. Yet Poeskop hadscored, inasmuch as he knew what the Boer spy knew; while the Hottentotand his master were ignorant, thus far, that they themselves had beenspied upon.
Poeskop entered the camp, and at once unburdened himself of hisinformation. Mr. Blakeney was scarcely surprised. He was anticipatingattack, and had long since taken means to repel it. But it was aserious matter to know that eight fresh Boers--men who could shoot, andwere thoroughly used to veldt fighting--were now with Karl Engelbrecht.These, with Karl himself and Minho, would raise the white attackingforce to ten men. Add to this some six or seven natives, who couldshoot more or less well, and it was clear that the little garrison abovethe Gold Kloof would have to confront almost overwhelming odds.
Still their situation was a very strong one. Any assault made upon themmust be delivered from the front. Already, behind the thick andimpenetrable fence of thorns, they had raised stone breastworks, throughor over which they could shoot while they themselves were almostperfectly concealed. Their water supply was just behind them; and forfood, if the siege should last more than a day or two, which was veryimprobable, they must sacrifice one of their spare oxen. As for arms,they possessed enough to furnish six of their whole party with tworifles apiece; two others would each have a rifle. There remained oneover, which would bring up their total weapons of defence to fifteen. Tothese might be added four shot-guns, which, loaded with buckshot andused at close quarters, would be of sensible assistance.
Poeskop, after a night's rest, was again dispatched on a journey ofinvestigation. The little Bushman was now thoroughly in his element.He craved excitement, of which hunting and warfare represented to himthe highest forms; and he craved, and saw with prophetic eyes,revenge--a final revenge--upon Karl Engelbrecht. He returned the samenight with serious news. The Boers had quitted their camp thatafternoon, and, leaving a sufficient guard to look after the wagons, hadridden into the mountain. With them were six native servants, carryingrifles. They were now resting in some thick bush at the commencement ofthe first valley, about six miles away.
"That means," said Mr. Blakeney, "that they will attack us to-night orat early morning. Well, we shall have a sleepless night; but we'll beready for them, anyway."
Night came; and after supper each man settled himself in his blanket bythe post assigned to him, behind the breastwork of stones. Twenty yardsbeyond this extended the long and thick hedge of thorn bush which ranright up the edge of the cliff. Beyond that, the declivity that led upto their camp was bare for nearly two hundred yards. They had cut awaythe last patches of bush on this open glacis, over which their enemieswould have to advance. They could only be outflanked by their foesbreaking through the thorn fence on the side near the precipice andgetting round that way. To guard against this contingency, Mr. Blakeneyand Tom took positions which covered that corner. Guy came next. Nextto him would be Poeskop; and on their right, again, Jan Kokerboom,September, Seleti, and Mangwalaan. These two last, being somewhatexcitable Bechuanas, were warned against letting off their rifles toorapidly, and were enjoined to fire slowly and take careful aim. JanKokerboom, himself a cool and excellent shot, had the task of lookingafter these two and September the Zulu.
It seemed an interminably long night. There was no moon, but the starsburned overhead with a wonderful brilliancy. In their camp all was asquiet as the grave. A low fire burned. It was Mr. Blakeney's plan tolet their assailants believe that they were all sleeping, quite unawareof any attack to be made against them. Poeskop, at his own specialrequest, was abroad, away in front of their defences, creeping about inthe darkness, listening intently for any sound that should herald theBoers' approach.
Hour after hour slipped by on leaden wings. To the watchers the tensionwas very great. It seemed as if, amid all the anxiety and strain ofwaiting, the night would never pass. After one o'clock Guy and Tom, inspite of the expected assault, found it very hard to keep awake. Mr.Blakeney let them sleep; and for an hour or two the lads enjoyed thesweetest slumber, so it seemed to them, that they had ever experienced.At three Mr. Blakeney awoke them. Pulling themselves together, theyfound themselves presently wide awake and wonderfully refreshed andheartened. Another hour went by, and still there was no break in theserene peace of the African night. In a little while Poeskop, who hadbeen scouting all night, crept into the laager by a narrow loopholereserved for him next the mountain wall, and crawled along the line. Hereached Guy.
"They come!" he whispered in Dutch. "Look out, baas!"
This message he repeated to Mr. Blakeney and Tom, ten and twenty yardsfarther on, and then returned to his post near Guy, where his sparerifle lay. Still no sign of their enemies. Would they never come? Itseemed to Guy, to Tom, to all of them, as if for some reason the assaultwas not to be delivered. But the Boers knew their own plans, and hadexcellent reasons of their own for postponing their attack.
Now in the far east the paling sky tells that day is near at hand, andthe light is perceptibly coming. A faint glow of colour shows in theheavens; the gray east is turning to a pale green.
Hark! What was that? The hearts of the men waiting and watching beatloudly within their breasts. Even to the boldest--and there was not acoward in the little line of defenders--the moments of suspense beforethe actual fighting begins are always trying. The sound of stealthyfootsteps could be distinguished. Certainly some one was approachingfrom the front. Then suddenly, in the dim morning light, there rose frombehind the thorn fence in front of them many forms, and a number of menbegan to pull down, in desperate haste and with frantic energy, theouter line of defence. If that object were attained, and the attackersobtained an entrance, their numbers would inevitably tell, and thedefenders would be overwhelmed.
"Shoot, my lads!" cried Mr. Blakeney, his voice ringing clear and sharpon the still morning air. Instantly there followed the report of eightrifles. Four of the attackers fell, and two others were slightlyhit--at twenty yards range there could be no missing; and yells of rage,mingled with groans and curses in vehement Dutch, arose from behind thethorns. But the Boers, surprised though they were, were by no means yetdone with. Karl Engelbrecht, standing at the middle of one line ofattack, called to his men to fire, and, taking rapid aim in front ofhim, let drive. Of his ten unwounded supporters nine followed hisexample, one native skulking with the wounded. The Boer volley was atonce answered by the second discharge of the little English garrison,who, crouching behind their breastworks, had their assailants at greatadvantage. Again two of the attacking force fell, while another(Engelbrecht himself) was wounded.
The Boers and their natives had, by this time, more than enough of it.With one consent they broke and fled, nor stayed their career till theywere out of sight. A hearty cheer rose from the defenders as theyrealized their victory.
So soon as the Boers ran, Mr. Blakeney called to his men to ceasefiring; and beyond the discharge of a couple of bullets, which theimpulsive Mangwalaan and his next-door neighbour Seleti sent after themto hasten their flight, the retreating filibusters were not furthermolested. When he had convinced himself that the fight was really overand the victory won, Mr. Blakeney walked along his thin line of defence,and asked what injuries had been sustained.
Thanks to their excellent measures of defence, the casualties of hisparty had been surprisingly light. Mr. Blakeney himself had been hit inthe fleshy part of the right shoulder; but beyond some bleeding, whichGuy and Tom at once attended to, no great d
amage had been done. Seleti,the most excitable of the party, who had jumped up after the firstvolley and exposed himself to the Boer bullets, had sustained a nastywound, which had pierced his left shoulder, and left him a cripple forweeks. Guy found himself with his hat off after the affray, and,picking it up, discovered that it was neatly punctured, within an inchof the top of his head, by two bullet-holes in front and rear. Tom hadthe lobe of his right ear grazed. Beyond these casualties, no otherharm had been sustained by the gold-seekers.
Mr. Blakeney's flesh-wound having been washed and bound up, and Seleti'sshattered shoulder similarly treated, the English party now pulled asidea corner of the thorn scherm and went down the line of their crippledopponents, whose groans and cries for assistance proclaimed that therewas no further fight left in them. Three men lay dead. Among these wasthe Portuguese, Antonio Minho, with a bullet through his head. A big,burly Boer, identified by his wounded comrades as Hendrik Marais, layalso dead, shot through the heart; and a Damara wagon-driver had beenalso slain.
Of the five wounded men, three were Boers, two natives. Of these, oneof the Dutchmen, his chest pierced by a .450 bullet, died within thehour; the remaining four had sustained wounds which, although more orless severe, seemed quite likely to yield to treatment. Collecting therifles of these unfortunates, the defenders now carried the wounded meninto their own camp, and, laying them down under the shade of the wagon,proceeded to dress their hurts. Then followed breakfast, which waswelcome enough to all.