CHAPTER NINETEEN.
DECOYING THE OLD COCK.
It was not the process of mixing the arrow-poison, so much as the use tobe made of it, that interested Klaas and Jan. They knew that theBushman intended to try its effect on an ostrich that afternoon. Morethan that, Swartboy had promised they should actually see how he managedmatters, and witness the death of the ostrich. With such a prospectbefore them, the boys were in high spirits all the fore-part of the day.
It was to be late in the afternoon, near sunset, in fact, before thesport should come off. Of course not till the return of the ostrichesto their nest--for it was there the drama was to be enacted. The nestand its environs were to be the scene of the tragedy--the time a littlebefore sunset. Such was Swartboy's "programme."
Of course Swartboy had leave from the older boys to go upon almostwhatever expedition he pleased, but certainly upon this one, since Klaasand Jan were so interested about it. Indeed, some of the others wouldhave liked to take part in the affair, but for certain reasons thatcould not be.
Some of the hunters had doubts as to the result. They knew the poisonedarrow would kill any ostrich. They did not doubt that. But how wasSwartboy to get near enough to discharge one of his tiny shafts into thebird's body? That was the question that puzzled them. He proposeddoing so in broad daylight. Indeed there was no other time for him.All knew that before night the ostriches would return to their nest--assoon as the sun was low, and it became cooler,--but they knew also thatthe birds having found out what had happened in their absence wouldstart off in alarm, and abandon the nest altogether.
Swartboy, therefore, would have no darkness to shelter him from theirgaze. How was he to approach them within the range required for hissmall bow--that is, within less than fifty yards?
Did he intend to place himself in ambush and wait for their return? Ifhe did, it must be near the nest, else he would have but a poor chance.There was no knowing in what direction the birds might come back, orwhich way they would scamper off again.
Now for Swartboy to conceal himself near the nest, all believed to be animpossibility. There was not a bit of cover within five hundred yardsof the spot--neither bush nor stone big enough to conceal the body of aman from creatures less wary than ostriches, but from these a cat couldnot have hidden her carcass within a circle of a thousand yardsdiameter. As to Swartboy's sinking a "shooting-hole" and lying await inthat, the boys never thought of such a thing. A shooting-holesurrounded by bushes might do for a lion, or a rhinoceros, or anelephant, but no ostrich could be bamboozled by any such _ruse_; forthese birds--that on account of their appearance have been called stupidby some superficial observers--are in reality the very reverse. Theslightest alteration in the form of the ground, either around theirnests or near it, would be noted by them, and would prevent them fromapproaching it, except after such a reconnoissance as would defeat allSwartboy's plans. But he had no thought of a shooting-hole--nothing ofthe sort.
What plan, then, had he in his mind? The boys could not guess; andSwartboy, like all cunning hunters, did not care to tell his plans toeverybody. He preferred letting them discover them by his acts; and asall of them were hunters themselves and boys of good breeding, they didnot persecute him with idle questions, but watched his preparations insilence.
Now one of his preparations, made before starting, was to take thelittle fennec that had been killed in the morning, and "truss" it with anumber of skewers, in such a way that it stood upright upon its legs,and at a short distance looked as if it was "alive and well!"
This was Swartboy's last act, before setting out for the ostriches'nest.
When it was finished, Swartboy observed that the sun was low enough, andtaking the fennec under his army and his bow in his hand, he struck offover the plain.
The boys were to be spectators of the affair, but that was rather in afigurative sense. There were two pocket telescopes, and when Swartboypromised that Klaas and Jan should be witnesses of the thing, he hadthese telescopes in his mind. For certain reasons he could not take anyof the boys along with him, and from the wary character of the game theycould not go near enough to observe it with the naked eye. To have doneso would have driven the ostriches out of Swartboy's reach, for it hasbeen already stated that these far-seeing birds can sight an enemyfarther off than they can themselves be seen.
The telescopes, therefore, must be brought into play, and as Klaas andJan begged to have the use of them, it was arranged that the two boysshould climb into a tree, and describe what they saw to the rest, whostood below. That would be witnessing a spectacle by a sort of _secondsight_, as Arend jocosely remarked.
Klaas and Jan were therefore hoisted up into a camel-thorn acacia; and,seating themselves on its branches, prepared their telescopes for use.
The elevation enabled them not only to see the nest, for that wasvisible from the ground, but the surface of the plain to a considerabledistance beyond. They would thus be enabled to note every movementeither Swartboy or the ostriches should make.
Now it has been stated that within a circle of five hundred yards radiusfrom the nest, there was no cover that would have concealed a cat. Withthe exception of a stone here and there--none of them larger than aquartern loaf--the sandy surface was perfectly smooth and level as atable.
The boys had noticed this in the morning. Hendrik and Groot Willem hadtaken good notice of it, for they, as well as Swartboy, had thought of"waylaying" the ostriches on their return, but had given up the idea,from the fact of there being no cover to conceal them from the eyes ofthe wary birds.
But just outside the circumference mentioned, there was a chance ofcover--a bush that by tight squeezing might have sheltered the body of aman. Both Hendrik and Groot Willem had seen this bush, but on accountof its great distance from the nest they had never thought of its beingused as a cover. Five hundred yards off,--it might as well have beenfive miles. Even had it been on the side by which the ostriches hadgone off, and by which they, the hunters, conjectured they would return,the bush might have served. A shot might have been obtained as thebirds came back to the nest. But it was not on that side,--on the veryopposite--and in the direction of the camp. Neither Hendrik nor GrootWillem had entertained the idea of lying behind it.
Swartboy had; and to this bush now repaired Swartboy as straight as hecould go. For what purpose? To conceal himself behind it, and wait forthe ostriches. That was his design.
But what would his arrows avail--poisoned as they were--at the distanceof five hundred yards? Ah! Swartboy knew what he was about. Let usrecord his movements in the words of Klaas and Jan, who watched themnarrowly.
"Swartboy has reached the bush," reported Jan; "he lays down his bow andarrows beside it. Now he has gone away from it. He is proceeding in astraight line towards the nest. He has the fox with him. See! he stopsagain,--a little beyond the bush he has halted--between it and the nest,but nearer the bush."
"Very near the bush," said Klaas; "not twenty yards from it, I'm sure."
"Well, what does he do there?" demanded Hendrik. "He appears to bestooping?"
"He is stooping," replied Jan. "Let me see! He's got the fox in hishands, he is placing it on the ground! He has left it! I declare, itis standing by itself, as if it were alive!"
"It's very clear what he intends by that," said Hans; "I can understandnow how he means to get the birds within range."
"And I!" rejoined Hendrik.
"And I!" echoed Groot Willem.
"Now," continued Jan, "he's going on to the nest--he has reached it, andis walking round and round, and stooping and kicking with his feet. Ican't tell what he's about--can you, Klaas?"
"I think," replied Klaas, "he's trying to cover up the broken shells weleft there."
"Oh! that's exactly it!" said Jan. "See! he's stooping over the nest,he has lifted an egg in his hand!"
It is to be remembered that only the fresh eggs were brought away in themorning. Those in the nest that had under
gone hatching were of courselet alone--all except one or two, that had been broken to "try" them.
"He's coming back this way," said Jan. "He has the egg in his hand!Now he has put it down right under the snout of the fox!"
"Ha!" ejaculated Hans, Groot Willem, and Hendrik, "how cunning of oldSwart!"
"Now," continued Jan, "he's back to the bush: and now he's squatted downbehind it."
After a little while both Klaas and Jan announced that Swartboy wasmaking no further movements, but continued to lie quietly.
Now the secret of Swartboy's strategy lay in his knowledge of a fact innatural history,--a knowledge of the antipathy that exists between theostrich and the egg-eating fox. Swartboy's experience had taught himthe habits of the fennec, and also the hostile feeling of the ostrichtowards this enemy. So strong is this feeling on the part of the bird,that whenever it sets its eye upon one of these creatures it will rundirectly towards it, for the purpose of destroying it. On suchoccasions the speed of the quadruped will not save it. Unless itsburrow be nigh, or some thick bush or cleft among the rocks offer it ashelter, a single kick from the legs of the mighty bird at once puts anend to its prowling existence.
Swartboy knew all this, and for that reason had he set his decoy.Conspicuously placed, the birds would be sure to see it; and with theirnest half plundered, and one of the eggs still under its very nose, theywould not be slow in coming up to take revenge upon the poor fennec, thesupposed robber, and to them well-known burglar.
"The ostriches are coming!" cried the sharp-sighted Jan, after a longpause.
"Where?" asked Klaas. "I don't see them yet;--where, Jan?"
"Yonder," replied Jan. "Beyond the nest,--far off."
"Oh, now I see!" said Klaas; "just the way they went off in the morning;three of them,--a cock and two hens,--they are the same, I suppose."
"Now they are getting up near the nest," reported Jan; "now they are upto it. See them! What are they doing? they are running about in aterrible way. See! their heads move up and down,--they are strikingwith their legs. What are they about?"
"I think," rejoined Klaas,--"I declare I think they are _breaking theeggs_."
"Not a doubt of it," remarked Hans. "That is always their way when theyreturn and find the nest disturbed either by a human being or an animal.No doubt that is what they are at."
Hendrik and Groot Willem confirmed this statement by their assent.
"Oh!" exclaimed Jan, "they have left the nest,--they are coming thisway,--they are coming towards Swartboy,--how fast they run! Hey--theyare upon the fennec! Ho! they have kicked it over! See, they arepecking it with their bills and knocking it about like a foot-ball.Hurrah! such a jolly game as is going on yonder!"
"What is old Swart doing, anyhow? They're near enough for a shot."
"He's doing something," answered Klaas. "I'm sure I saw him move. Didhe not draw his bow yonder?"
"He did," replied Jan; "he has let off an arrow. I saw his arms movesuddenly. See, the ostriches are off again. Ho! they are quite gone!"
It was not so, however; for, although the three ran off on hearing thetwang of the Bushman's bow, they did not run far. After going somequarter of a mile or so, the cock began to droop his wings and run roundin circles, the hens all the while following. His movements now becameof a very eccentric kind, and it was plain that Swartboy's arrow hadpierced him, and the poison was doing its work. The bird reeled like adrunken man, once or twice fell to its knees, rose again, ran on a piecefarther, flapping its wings, and vibrating its long neck from side toside; and then, staggering forward, fell upon the plain!
For several minutes it continued to flutter, kicking out with its stronglimbs, and raising the dust as if it had been a buffalo. At length itsstruggles ceased, and it lay motionless upon the sand.
The two hens still continued near, and from their actions were evidentlyboth surprised and alarmed. They did not, however, attempt to run off,until Swartboy, knowing they were far beyond the reach of his bow, roseup from his ambush, and walked towards them. Then both took to theirheels, and scouring off over the plain, were soon out of sight. Klaasand Jan now reported that Swartboy was stooping over the dead cock, and,as they believed, skinning him.
That was exactly what Swartboy was doing, for, about an hour after, hecame into camp carrying the skin upon his shoulders, and with an air oftriumph, that plainly said--
"Congo, could you do that?"