CHAPTER XII.
IN THE AMATOLAS.
The corporal had already spread the news among the men of Ronald'sintended enterprise, and they gave him a hearty cheer as he rode off.Mr. Nolan had advised him to keep the native who was going to fetch hishorse back.
"You won't want to walk into King Williamstown in that guise," he said;"therefore you had best put your uniform into the valise, and tell theman to meet you at any point you like--I should say the nearer to thebush the better; for if you succeed in getting the young lady out ofthese rascals' clutches you may be pursued, and, if your horse ishandy, may succeed in getting her away, when you would otherwise be soonovertaken."
Ronald thankfully accepted the suggestion, for he saw that it mightindeed be of vital importance to him to have his horse ready at hand.
With a last wave of his hand he rode off, the chief and his sixcompanions trotting alongside.
The sun had set an hour when they reached the spot at which the chiefhad directed his two followers to meet him. They had not yet arrived.
"Do you think they will be sure to be able to find the place?" Ronaldasked the chief.
"A Fingo never loses his way," the chief replied. "Find his way in dark,all same as day."
In spite of the chief's assurance, Ronald was fidgety and anxious. Hewrapped a blanket round him, and walked restlessly up and down. It wasnearly an hour before the chief, who, with his companions, had thrownhimself down and lighted a pipe, which passed from hand to hand, saidsuddenly:
"One man come!"
Ronald listened intently, but could hear nothing. A moment later a darkfigure came up.
Kreta at once questioned him, and a long conversation took place betweenthem.
"What is he saying, chief? What is he saying?" Ronald broke inimpatiently several times; but it was not until the man had finishedthat the chief translated.
"White girl alive, incos, the other two women alive, but not live long,torture them bad. Going to take girl to Macomo."
"Thank God for that," Ronald exclaimed, fervently, for he had all daybeen tormented with the fear that Mary Armstrong might have met with herfate directly she was carried away.
"Where are they going to take her?"
"A lot of them go off to-night; go straight to Amatolas; take her withthem."
"How many, Kreta; will there be any chance of attacking them on theway?"
The chief asked a question of his messenger.
"Heaps of them," he said to Ronald, for the natives are incapable ofcounting beyond very low figures. "Too many; no chance to attack them;must follow behind. They show us the way."
"But how do we know whereabouts they will come out of the wood, Kreta?It's miles long; while we are watching at one place, they may be off inanother."
"That's so, incos; no use to watch the wood. We must go on to the GreatFish River. Only two places where they can ford it--Double Drift andCornetjies Drift, one hour's walk apart. Put half one place, half theother; then when they pass, follow after and send messengers to fetch upothers."
"That will do very well, chief; that's a capital idea of yours. You aresure that there's no other way they can go?"
"Heaps of ways," the chief said, "but those shortest ways--sure to goshort ways, so as to pass over ground quickly."
"What are they going back for?"
"No bullock in bush, incos, eaten up all the things round, want to gohome to kraals; besides hear that many white soldiers come over sea togo to Amatolas to fight."
"How far is it to these fords?"
"Three hours' march. We start now. Kaffirs set out soon. Get on horseagain."
Ronald was not sorry to do so, for he felt that in the dark he shouldrun a considerable risk of laming himself against stones or stumps, andin any case he would scratch himself very severely with the thorns.
"Tell me, chief," he said, when they had started, "how did yourmessenger learn this, and what has become of your other man?"
"Not know about other man," the chief said. "Perhaps they caught him andkilled him; perhaps he is hiding among them and dare not venture out.This man tell he go into forest and creep and crawl for a long time,then at last he saw some Kaffirs come along; he followed them, and atlast they came to place in the bush where there was a heap of theirfellows. They were all gathered round something, and he heard womencrying very loud. Presently some of the men went away and he could seewhat it was--two white women tied to trees. The Kaffirs had strippedthem and cut their flesh in many places. They die very soon, perhapsto-night or to-morrow morning. Then he crawl up and lay in the bushes,very close, and listen to talk. He heard that to-night heap party goaway to Amatolas and take white woman as present for Macomo; then otherKaffirs come and lie down all about, and he did not dare move out tillthe light go away. Then he crawl through the bushes a good piece; thenhe got up and ran to bring the news."
"He has done very well," Ronald said; "tell him he shall be wellrewarded. Now I think he might as well go to the camp and tell theofficer there from me that two of the white women have been killed; butthat the other has been taken away, as I hoped she would be, and that Iam going after her."
"Message no use," the chief said, after a moment's thought; "better takehim with us, may be useful by-and-by; may want to send to settlement."
"Perhaps it would be as well," Ronald agreed; "and the message is of noreal importance."
After three hours' fast travelling--the natives going at a run, in spiteof the darkness of the night, and Ronald leaving the reins loose, andtrusting to his horse to feel his way--they came to the river; aftermaking a narrow examination of the bank, the chief pronounced the fordto be a quarter of a mile lower down, and in a few minutes they cameupon the spot where a road crossed the river.
"I think this way they are most likely to take," the chief said, whenthey had crossed the stream. "Country more broken this way, and furtherfrom towns, not so much chance of meeting soldiers. You and I and fourmen will stay here; three men go on to other ford, then if they crossthere, send one man to tell us; the other two follow them, and see whichway they go."
"Do you know the Amatolas at all, chief?"
"Not know him, incos; never been there; travel all about these parts inlast war, but never go up to Amatolas."
"Then, of course, you do not know at all where Macomo's kraal is?"
"Not know him at all. We follow men, sure enough we get there."
The three men had not started above five minutes, when the chief said ina low tone:
"They are coming," and gave an order to one of his men, who at once setoff at the top of his speed to overtake the others and bring them back.
It was nearly ten minutes before Ronald could hear the slightest sound,then he became conscious of a low murmur of voices in the air, and aminute or two later there was a splashing of water at the ford, fiftyyards from the spot where they had lain down under a bush. One of thenatives had, at Kreta's orders, taken the horse away, the chief tellinghim to go half a mile off, as were it to paw the ground suddenly, ormake any noise, the attention of the Kaffirs, if within hearing, wouldbe instantly drawn to it.
Dark as the night was, the figures of those crossing the water could bedimly made out, and Ronald judged there must be fully three hundred ofthem. After the first few had passed they came along in such a closebody that he was unable to make out whether there was a female amongthem. The numbers of the Kaffirs sufficed to show him there was nochance whatever of effecting a rescue of Mary Armstrong while surroundedby so large a body.
As soon as all had crossed, two of the Fingoes followed close upon theirtraces, five minutes afterwards another started, and scarcely had hegone when the three men who had been sent to the other ford returnedwith the messenger who had recalled them. They left at short intervalsafter each other, and then Ronald mounted his horse, which had now beenfetched up, and followed with Kreta.
"There is no fear of our missing them, chief?"
"No fear of that, incos; that star over t
here shines over the Amatolas,they go straight for it; besides, the two men behind them can hear themtalking. If they turn off one come back to tell us."
But they did not turn off, but kept on for hours in a straightundeviating line, travelling at a fast walk. Roland Mervyn keptwondering how Mary Armstrong was bearing up. She was a strong activegirl, accustomed to plenty of exercise, and at ordinary times coulddoubtless have walked a long distance; but the events of the day, thesudden attack upon the waggons, her capture by the Kaffirs, heruncertainty as to the fate of her father, the harrowing tortures of hercompanions, which she had probably been compelled to witness, and thehopelessness of her own fate, might well have broken her down. He wassure that the Kaffirs would compel her to walk as long as she could dragher limbs along, but as she was destined as a present to their chief,they might, when she could go no further, carry her.
He groaned at his helplessness to aid her, and had he not had a perfectfaith in the cunning of his companions, and in their ability to followher up wherever she was taken, he would have been inclined to take themad step of charging right in among the Kaffirs, upon the one chance ofsnatching her up and carrying her off from among them.
Roland Mervyn, of the Cape Rifles, was a very different man from CaptainMervyn, of the Borderers. The terrible event that had caused him tothrow up his commission and leave the country had in other respects beenof great advantage. He had for years been haunted by the fear ofmadness, and whenever he felt low and out of spirits this fear ofinsanity had almost overpowered him. The trial had cured him of this; hehad convinced himself that had he inherited the slightest taint of thecurse of the Carnes, he would have gone mad while he was awaiting histrial; that he had kept his head perfect under such circumstances seemedto him an absolute proof that he was as sane as other men, andhenceforth he banished the fear that had so long haunted him.
It was in truth that fear which had held him back so long from enteringinto a formal engagement with his cousin Margaret. He looked upon it asan absolutely settled thing that they would be married some day, but hadalmost unconsciously shrunk from making that day a definite one; andalthough for the moment he had burst into a fit of wild anger at beingas he considered thrown aside, he had since acknowledged to himself thatMargaret's decision had been a wise one, and that it was better thatthey two should not have wedded.
He had always been blessed with good spirits, except at the times whenthe fit of depression seized him; but since he had been at the Cape, andbeen on active duty, these had entirely passed away, and his unvaryinggood temper under all circumstances had often been the subject of remarkamong his comrades.
As he rode along that night he acknowledged, what he had never beforeadmitted to himself, that he loved Mary Armstrong. The admission was abitter rather than a pleasant one.
"I shall never marry now," he had said to his mother, at his lastinterview with her. "No wife or child of mine shall ever hear itwhispered that her husband or father was a murderer. Unless this cloudis some day lifted--and how it can be, Heaven only knows--I must gothrough the world alone," and so he thought still. It might be that asHarry Blunt he might settle down in the Colony and never be recognised;but he would always have the fear that at any moment some officer he hadknown, some man of his regiment, some emigrant from his own county,might recognise him, and that the news would be passed round that HarryBlunt was the Captain Mervyn who escaped, only from want of legal proof,from being hung as the murderer of his cousin.
"I didn't think I was such a fool," he muttered to himself, "as to becaught by a pretty face. However, it will make no difference. She willnever know it. If her father recovers, which is doubtful, she will goback with him to the old country. If not, she will go back alone, forwithout friends or relatives she cannot stay here, and she will neverdream that the sergeant of the Cape Rifles, who had the luck twice tosave her life--that is, if I do save it--was fool enough to fall in lovewith her."
An hour before morning one of the Fingoes came back from the front withthe news that the Kaffirs had turned off into a kloof, and were going tohalt there. The party soon collected, and retired to a clump of trees amile back. One of them was ordered to act as sentry near the kloof, andbring back word at once should any movement take place. The rest of theparty, upon reaching the shelter of the trees, threw themselves upon theground, and were soon fast asleep; even Ronald, anxious as he was,remaining awake but a few minutes after the others.
The sun was high before they awoke. As they were eating their breakfastthe sentry returned, and another was despatched to take his place. Theman reported that he had seen nothing of the main body of Kaffirs, butthat four of them were placed on the watch near the kloof. Kreta ledRonald to the edge of the wood, and pointing to a jagged range of hillsin the distance said, "Amatolas."
"How far are they away, Kreta?"
"Six hours' fast walking," the chief said. "They get to foot of hillsto-night. If Macomo's kraal anywhere this side, they may get there. Ifnot, they wait and rest a bit, and then go on. No need travel fast whenget to hills; they know very well no white soldier there."
"What had we better do, do you think?"
"They have plenty of men always on look-out, sure to be some on hills. Iwill send two men after these fellows, and they creep and crawl throughthe bushes, find out the way and bring news to me; then when they comeback we will start."
"But we must be there in the evening," Ronald said; "we must be there,chief; do you hear?"
"Yes, incos, but it seems to me that it do no good to throw our livesaway. If you say go, Kreta will go too, but if we killed, girl will bekilled too, and no good that, that Kreta can see; if we go in daytime wekilled, sure enough. Not possible to get into Amatolas without beingseen; all grass and smooth land at foot of hill. On hill some placestrees, there we manage very well; some open spaces, there they see us."
"I don't wish to throw our lives away, chief; if I wanted to throw myown away, I have no right to sacrifice yours and your men's; but scoutson the look out would surely take us at a distance for a party of theirown men returning from some plundering expedition, probably as part ofthe party ahead, who had hung back for some purpose on the road."
"Great many kraals, great many people in Amatolas," the chief said;"sure to meet some one. They begin to ask questions, and see very soonwe not Kaffirs, see directly you not Kaffir; might pass at night verywell, but no pass in day. But perhaps we have time, incos. Chiefs wanderabout, hold council and meet each other; perhaps Macomo not at home,very likely he away when they get there."
"Pray God it may be so," Ronald said, despairingly. "It seems the onlyhope we have. Well, Kreta, I put myself in your hands. You know muchmore about it than I do. As you say, we shall do no good to MissArmstrong by throwing away our lives, therefore, I put aside my ownplans and trust to you."
"I no say we can save her, incos, but if we can we will. You make sureof that."
The next night took them to the foot of the hills, and when the Kaffirshalted, the chief ordered two of his men to make a circuit, climb thehill, and conceal themselves in the bush before morning broke, so thatwhen the Kaffirs moved on they could at once follow them without havingto cross in daylight the grassy slopes of the foot hills. Minuteinstructions were given to both to follow close behind the Kaffir party,the order being that if either of them could pounce upon a solitarynative, he was to stun him with his knobkerry, and force him when herecovered to give information as to the distance, direction, and road toMacomo's kraal, and that he was then to be assegaid at once. Feelingthat Ronald might not altogether approve of this last item, for he wasaware that the white men had what he considered a silly objection tounnecessary bloodshed, Kreta, whilst telling Ronald the rest of theinstructions he had given to the spies, did not think it necessary todetail this portion of them.
"Where shall we stay till morning?" Ronald inquired of him; "the countryseems perfectly flat and unbroken, their look-out will see us a long wayoff."
"Yes, incos, we lie down
in little bush behind there. We send horse backto first wood and tell man to bring him every night to bottom of thehill, or if he sees us from a distance coming down the hill with Kaffirsafter us, to come to meet us. We lie down till morning. Then when theygo on, we go on too, little time afterwards, as you said, and follow asfar as first wood; look-out think we belong to big party; then we hidethere till one of my men come back. I told them we should be somewherein wood, and he is to make signals as he walks along. We will push on asfar as we can, so that we don't come upon kraals."
"That will do very well indeed," Ronald said, "for every inch that wecan get nearer to Macomo's kraal is so much gained."
He removed the pistols from his holsters, and fastened them to his belt,putting them so far back that they were completely hidden by the blankethe wore over his shoulders, and then went with the party some littledistance back, and lay down till morning. Almost as soon as it wasdaybreak, the Fingo who was on the watch announced that the Kaffirs weremoving, and the little party at once followed. The Kaffirs haddisappeared among the woods, high up on the hill side, when they beganto ascend the grassy slope. They had no doubt that they were observed bythe Kaffir watchmen, but they proceeded boldly, feeling sure it would besupposed that they belonged to the party ahead of them.
The path through the forest was a narrow one, and they moved along insingle file. One of the party went fifty yards ahead, walkingcautiously, and listening intently for suspicious sounds; the restproceeded noiselessly, prepared to bound into the forest directly theman ahead gave the signal that any one was approaching. For upwards of amile they kept their way, the ground rising continually; then theyreached a spot where a deep valley fell away at their feet. It dividedinto several branches, and wreaths of smoke could be seen curling upthrough the trees at a number of points. Similar indications of kraalscould be seen everywhere upon the hill side, and Kreta shook his headand said:
"No can go further. Heaps of Kaffir all about. Must wait now."
Even Ronald, anxious as he was to go on, felt that it would be riskingtoo much to proceed. The kraals were so numerous that as soon as theygot into the valley they would be sure to run into one, and, moreover,the path would fork into many branches, and it would be impossible forthem to say which of these the party ahead had taken.
They turned aside into the wood for some little distance and lay down,one being left on the watch in the bush close to the path. The hourspassed slowly while they waited the return of one of the scouts, who hadbeen ordered to follow close upon the footsteps of the Kaffirs toMacomo's kraal. It was three o'clock before the look-out by the pathreturned, accompanied by one of them.
He said a few words to the chief, and although Ronald could notunderstand him he saw by the expression of Kreta's face that the newswas satisfactory.
"Girl got to Macomo's kraal," the chief said. "Macomo not there. Gone toSandilli. May come back to-night. Most likely get drunk and not comeback till to-morrow. Macomo drink very much."
"All the better," Ronald said. "Thank God we have got a few hours beforeus."
The man gave a narration of his proceedings to Kreta, who translatedthem to Ronald.
Directly the Kaffirs had passed the point where he and his comrade werehidden, they came out of the bush and followed closely behind them,sometimes dropping behind a little so as to be quite out of sight if anyof them should look round, and then going on faster until they could geta glimpse of them, so as to be sure that they were going in the rightdirection. They had passed through several kraals. Before they came toeach of these the men had waited a little, and had then gone on at arun, as if anxious to catch up the main body. They had thus avoidedquestioning.
Three hours' walking took them to Macomo's kraal, and they had hungabout there until they found out that Macomo was away, having gone offearly to pay a visit to Sandilli. Kreta did not translate his followers'description of the manner in which this information had been obtained,and Ronald, supposing they had gathered it from listening to theKaffirs, asked no questions. As soon as they had learned what theywanted to know, one of them had remained in hiding near the village, andthe other had returned with the news. He had been nearly twice as longcoming back as he was going, as this time he had been obliged to make acircuit so as to pass round each of the kraals, and so to avoid beingquestioned.
"Did he see the young lady?" Ronald asked; "and how was she looking?"
Yes, he had seen her as they passed his ambush the first thing in themorning. She looked very white and tired, but she was walking. She wasnot bound in any way. That was all he could tell him.
"How soon can we go on, chief?" Ronald asked, impatiently. "You see, itis three hours' marching even if we go straight through."
"Can go now," the chief said. "Now we know where Macomo's kraal is wecan go straight through the bush."
They went back to the path. The Fingo pointed to the exact positionamong the hills where Macomo's kraal was. There were two intermediateridges to be crossed, but Ronald did not doubt the Fingo's power tofollow a nearly direct line to the spot.
"Now," the chief said, "you follow close behind me. Keep your eyesalways on ground. Do not look at trees or rocks, or anything, but treadin my footsteps. Remember if you tread on a twig, or make the leastsound, perhaps some one notice it. We may be noticed anyhow. Fellowsupon the watch may see us moving through the trees overhead, but mustrisk that; but only don't make noise."
Ronald promised to obey the chief's instructions, and the party, againleaving the path, took their way through the trees straight down intothe valley. At times they came to such precipitous places that they wereforced to make detours to get down them. One of the men now went ahead,the rest following at such a distance that they could just keep him insight through the trees. From time to time he changed his course, as heheard noises or the sound of voices that told him he was approaching akraal. At times they came across patches of open ground. When it wasimpossible to avoid these they made no attempt to cross them rapidly, asthey knew that the sharp eyes of the sentries on the hill top could lookdown upon them. They, therefore, walked at a quiet pace, talking andgesticulating to each other as they went, so that they might be takenfor a party going from one kraal to another.
It was eight o'clock in the evening, and the sun had set some time, whenthey approached the kraal of Macomo.
It was a good-sized village, and differed little from the ordinaryKaffir kraals except that two or three of the huts were large andbeehive-shaped. There was a good deal of noise going on in the village;great fires were burning, and round these numbers of the Kaffirs weredancing, representing by their action the conflict in which they hadbeen engaged, and the slaughter of their enemies. The women werestanding round, keeping up a monotonous song, to the rhythm of which themen were dancing.
As they approached within a hundred yards of the edge of the clearinground the village, a sharp hiss was heard among the bushes. Kreta atonce left the path, the others following him. They were at once joinedby the other scouts.
"What is the news?"
"The white woman is still in the woman's hut next to that of Macomo."
"Are there any guards at the door?" Ronald asked. The chief put thequestion.
"No, no guards have been placed there. There are many women in the hut.There was no fear of her escape. Besides, if she got out, where couldshe go to?"
"Well, now, incos, what are we to do?" the chief asked. "We have broughtyou here, and now we are ready to die if you tell us. What you think wedo next?"
"Wait a bit, Kreta, I must think it over."
Indeed, Ronald had been thinking all day. He had considered it probablethat Mary Armstrong would be placed in the hut of one of the chief'swives. The first question was how to communicate with her. It was almostcertain that either some of the women would sit up all night, or thatsentries would be placed at the door. Probably the former. The Kaffirshad made a long journey, and had now doubtless been gorging themselveswith meat. They would be disinclined to watch,
and would consider theirresponsibility at an end when they had handed her over to the women. Itwas almost certain that Mary herself would be asleep after her fatigueof the last three days; even the prospect of the terrible fate beforeher would scarce suffice to keep her awake.
"Do you think two women will sit up with her all night?"
"Two or three of them, sure," Kreta replied.
"My plan is this, Kreta; it may not succeed, but I can think of noother. In the first place, I will go into the kraal. I will wait untilthere is no one near the door, then I will stoop and say in a loudvoice, so that she may hear, that she is to keep awake at night.Macomo's women are none of them likely to understand English, and beforethey run out to see what it is, I shall be gone. If they tell the menthey have heard a strange voice speaking unknown words, they will belaughed at, or at most a search will be made through the kraal, and ofcourse nothing will be found. Then, to-night, chief, when everything isstill, I propose that three of you shall crawl with me into the kraal.When we get to the door of the hut, you will draw aside the hide thatwill be hanging over it and peep in. If only two women are sitting bythe fire in the centre, two of you will crawl in as noiselessly aspossible. I know that you can crawl so that the sharpest ear cannot hearyou. Of course, if there are three, three of you will go in; if two, twoonly. You will crawl up behind the women, suddenly seize them by thethroat and gag and bind them. Then you will beckon to the young lady tofollow you. She will know from my warning that you are friends. If shehas a light dress on, throw a dark blanket round her, for many of theKaffirs will go on feasting all night, and might see her in the light ofthe fire. Then I will hurry her away, and your men follow us so as tostop the Kaffirs a moment and give us time to get into the bushes if weare seen."
"Kreta will go himself," the chief said, "with two of his young men. Doyou not think, incos, that there is danger in your calling out?"
"Not much danger, I think, Kreta. They will not dream of a white manbeing here, in the heart of the Amatolas. I think there is less dangerin it than that the girl might cry out if she was roused from her sleepby men whom she did not know. She might think that it was Macomo comehome."
Kreta agreed in this opinion.
"I will go down at once," Ronald said; "they're making such a noise thatit is unlikely any one outside the hut would hear me, however loud Ispoke, while if I waited until it got quieter, I might be heard. Take myrifle, Kreta, and one of the pistols; I want to carry nothing extra withme, in case I have to make a sudden bolt for it."
Mary Armstrong was lying apparently unnoticed by the wall of the hut,while a dozen women were chattering round the fire in the centre.Suddenly she started; for from the door, which was but three feet high,there came a loud, clear voice, "Mary Armstrong, do not sleep to-night.Rescue is at hand."
The women started to their feet with a cry of alarm at these mysterioussounds, and stood gazing at the entrance; then there was a clamour oftongues, and presently one of them, older than the rest, walked to theentrance and looked out.
"There is no one here," she said, looking round, and the greater part ofthe women at once rushed out. Their conduct convinced Mary Armstrongthat she was not in a dream, as she at first thought, but had reallyheard the words. Who could have spoken them, or what rescue could reachher? This she could not imagine; but she had sufficient self-possessionto resume her reclining position, from which she had half risen, and toclose her eyes as if sound asleep. A minute later, one of the womenappeared with a blazing brand, and held it close to her eyes.
"The girl is asleep," she said in Kaffir, which Mary understoodperfectly; "what can have been the words we heard?"
"It must have been an evil spirit," another woman said; "who else canhave spoken in an unknown tongue to us?"
There was a good deal of hubbub in the kraal when the women told theirstory; some of the men took up their weapons and searched the villageand the surrounding bushes, but the greater portion altogetherdisbelieved the story. Whoever heard of a spirit talking in an unknowntongue to a lot of women? If he had wanted to say anything to them, hewould have spoken so that they could understand. It must have been someman who had drunk too much, and who bellowed in at the door to startlethem; and so gradually the din subsided, the men returned to the dance,and the women to their huts.
Had Mary Armstrong been in spirits to enjoy it, she would have beenamused at the various propositions started by the women to account forthe voice they had heard; not one of them approached the truth, for itdid not occur to them as even possible that a white man should havepenetrated the Amatolas to Macomo's kraal.