posted Dick with the threehunters and four of the other natives to defend the rear. This was amatter of little difficulty. Two or three hundred yards up the ravine abarrier, similar to those met with on the previous day, was encountered,and the waggons had to be dragged up by ropes, an operation which tookupwards of three hours.
While the passage was being effected, Dick with his party had remainednear the mouth of the ravine, and had been busy with the enemy whopressed them; but after the last waggon had safely crossed the barrierthey took their station at this point, which they could have heldagainst any number of enemies.
The caravan proceeded on its way, men and animals labouring to theutmost; when, at a point where the sides of rock seemed nearly to closeabove them, a narrow line of sky only being visible, a great rock camecrushing and leaping down, bounding from side to side with a tremendousuproar, and bringing down with it a shower of smaller rocks, which ithad dislodged in its course. The bottom of the ravine was here abouttwelve yards wide, and happened to be unusually level. The great rock,which must have weighed half a ton, fell on one side of the leadingwaggon and burst into fragments which flew in all directions.Fortunately no one was hurt, but a scream of dismay broke from thenatives.
"Steady!" Mr Harvey shouted; "push on ahead; but each man keep to hiswork--the first who attempts to run and desert the waggons I will shootthrough the head."
"Tom, go on a hundred yards in front, and keep that distance ahead ofthe leading waggon. Shoot down at once any one who attempts to passyou."
Rock followed rock in quick succession; there was, however, fortunatelya bulge in the cliff on the righthand side, projecting some twenty feetout, and as the blocks struck this they were hurled off to the left sideof the path. Seeing this Mr Harvey kept the waggons close along on theright, and although several of the oxen and three or four of the menwere struck by detached fragments from above, or by splinters from thestones as they fell, none were seriously injured.
Long after the caravan had passed the point the rocks continued tothunder down, showing Mr Harvey that those above were unable to see tothe bottom of the gorge, but that they were discharging their missilesat random. A short distance farther a cross ravine, a mere cleft in therock, some five feet wide at the bottom, was passed, and Mr Harveycongratulated himself at the certainty that this would bar the progressof their foes above, and prevent the attack being renewed from any pointfarther on.
At this point so formidable an obstacle was met with in a massive rock,some thirty feet high, jammed in the narrowest part of the ravine, thatthe waggons had to be emptied and hauled by ropes up the almostperpendicular rock, the oxen being taken through a passage, which withimmense labour the men managed to clear of stones, under one of theangles of the rock. It was not until after dark that they reached thespot where the ravine again widened out into a valley, having spentsixteen hours in accomplishing a distance of only three miles. However,all congratulated themselves that two-thirds of their labour was over,and that but one more defile had to be surmounted.
The rear-guard remained encamped at the opening of the defile, but thenight passed without interruption, the natives being doubtlessdisheartened by the failure to destroy the caravan by rocks from above.
"Do you think there is any chance of their attacking us to-night, downthe slopes, as they did this morning?" Tom asked Mr Harvey.
"None whatever," the latter replied, "as you will see in the morning.This valley does not resemble the last; the rocks rise almostperpendicularly on both sides, and it would not be possible for them tomake their way down, even if they wanted to do so."
With the first dawn of light the oxen were inspanned. Just as they werestarting, one of the natives of Dick's party came up to Mr Harvey, andreported that the natives in large numbers were showing in the ravine,and the sharp crack of the rifles, which almost at the same moment brokeout, confirmed his statement.
"The defile must be held," Mr Harvey said, "until we are well in thenext pass. When the last waggon has entered I will send back word, andthey must then follow us and hold the entrance. Tom, you had bettertake four more of the armed natives to strengthen the rear-guard. TellDick to come on and join me. You had your fair share of labouryesterday, and your hands are cut about so, by lifting and heavingrocks, that you would be able to do little to-day. It is rather a goodsign that the natives are pressing forward in such force on our rear, asit shows that they have no great faith in any attempt they may maketo-day to repeat their rock-throwing experiment of yesterday."
As before two natives were sent on ahead to examine the defile, and MrHarvey moved on with the caravan until he reached the upper edge of thevalley, which was scarcely half a mile long. Just as he did so thenatives came hurriedly down the defile; they reported that a shortdistance up they had met with another obstacle, to the full as difficultas that which they had got the waggons over on the preceding day, andthat, as they turned an angle in the defile, and came in sight of it,they were saluted by a shower of arrows, and saw a crowd of natives onthe top of the barrier. They had thrown themselves down behind theboulders, and had obtained a good view of the natives and the obstacle.It was some forty feet farther up, and was formed by three or four greatboulders jambed in together. On the other side small boulders andstones seemed to have been piled up by the torrent to the level of therocks; but on the lower side it was almost perpendicular, and theyquestioned if a man could climb it,--certainly there was no passage foroxen.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
A MOUNTAIN-TORRENT.
The news brought by the scouts was very serious. The continued fire inthe rear showed that the enemy were making a serious attack in thatquarter. But Mr Harvey feared that his fighting force there must beweakened greatly, to enable him to attack so formidable a position asthat which the enemy occupied in front. Before arriving at any decisionas to his best course, he halted the caravan, and went forward himself,with the two natives, to inspect the position which they had discovered.
When he reached the turn in the defile he crawled forward among theboulders until he reached a spot where he could obtain a clear view ofthe barrier; it was to the full as formidable as it had been describedby the scouts. It would have needed an active man to scale the rockswithout any opposition from above, while on the top a dense body ofnatives were clustered, numbering at least fifty, and probably aconsiderable portion of their force was concealed from view.
Mr Harvey sent back one of the natives to tell Dick to come on and joinhim; after which he was to go back and bid Jumbo come up, as Mr Harveyhad great confidence in the hunter's shrewdness.
Dick presently arrived, and was much impressed with the formidablenature of the obstacle.
"We might creep forward," he said, "among the stones and soon drivethose fellows off the edge, but they would only lie down behind, andcould easily destroy us, as we climbed one by one to the top. Each one,as he got up, would be riddled with assegais. What are you thinking ofdoing, sir?"
"I don't know what is best, Dick. I quite agree with you, it is atremendous position to storm, but on the other hand it would be almostas bad to retreat."
Ten minutes later Jumbo arrived at a run; without a word he threwhimself down by the side of Mr Harvey, and for two or three minutesgazed silently at the obstacle ahead; then, to Mr Harvey's surprise, heturned over on to his back, and lay there with his eyes open.
"What on earth are you doing, Jumbo?"
"Look there, sir," the native said, pointing to a glistening spot, thesize of a crown-piece, on his stomach.
"Well, what of that?" Mr Harvey said; "that's a drop of rain--there'sanother fallen on my hat. What do you think of that place ahead?"
"Me no think nothing about him, sir; that place, sir, no consequence oneway or the other. You hear him, sir?"
As he spoke a louder crash of thunder burst overhead. Mr Harvey lookedup now. That portion of the sky which could be seen was inky black.Great drops of rain were falling with a pattering sound on the rock.
"Storm come, sir; very bad storm. I see him coming, and say to MassaTom, `Two or tree hour fight over; now you see someting like amountain-storm. In tree hours water come down twenty feet deep.'"
"You are right, Jumbo. It is lucky the storm has begun so early; if wehad got far into the defile we should have been caught. Now, all wehave got to do is to wait. Go back, Dick, and send up every man withfire-arms; we must at once engage those fellows in front and occupytheir attention. If they once perceive their danger they will make adesperate rush down here, and it will go hard with us then. When youhave sent the fighting-men up, see that the teamsters move all thewaggons to the highest piece of ground you can find in the valley. Letthem arrange the waggons there as closely as they will pack, and keepthe animals well round them. A flood will destroy our enemy, but I amnot sure that it may not destroy us