CHAPTER XXIII.
LITTLE JAN'S ADVENTURE.
It would have been better that Jan had never seen the little"ourebi,"--better both for Jan and the antelope, for that night theinnocent creature was the cause of a terrible panic in the camp.
They had all gone to sleep as on the previous night,--Von Bloom and thefour children in the wagon, while the Bushman and Totty slept upon thegrass. The latter lay under the wagon; but Swartboy had kindled a largefire a little distance from it, and beside this had stretched himself,rolled up in his sheep-skin kaross.
They had all gone to sleep without being disturbed by the hyenas. Thiswas easily accounted for. The three horses that had been shot that dayoccupied the attention of these gentry, for their hideous voices couldbe heard off in the direction where the carcasses lay. Having enough togive them a supper, they found no occasion to risk themselves in theneighbourhood of the camp, where they had experienced such a hostilereception on the previous night. So reasoned Von Bloom, as he turnedover and fell asleep.
He did not reason correctly, however. It was true that the hyenas werejust then making a meal upon the horses; but it was a mistake to supposethat that would satisfy these ravenous brutes, who never seem to haveenough. Long before morning, had Von Bloom been awake he would haveheard the maniac laugh closer to the camp, and might have seen the greeneyes of the hyena glancing under the expiring blaze of Swartboy'scamp-fire.
Indeed, he had heard the beasts once that he awoke; but, knowing thatthe biltongue had been this night placed out of their reach, andthinking that there was nothing to which they could do any harm, he gaveno heed to their noisy demonstrations, and went to sleep again.
He was awakened, however, by a shrill squeak, as of some animal in theagonies of death; and then there was a second squeak, that seemed to besuddenly interrupted by the stifling of the creature's utterance!
In these cries Von Bloom, as well as the others--who were now alsoawake--recognised the bleat of the ourebi, for they had heard it severaltimes during the afternoon.
"The hyenas are killing it!" thought they. But they had not time to sayso, before another and far different cry reached their ears, and causedthem all to start as if a bomb-shell had burst under the wagon. That crywas the voice of Jan, and sounded in the same direction whence came thescream of the stifled antelope!
"O heaven! what could it mean?"
The child's voice first reached them in a sudden screech--then there wasa confused noise resembling a scuffle--and Jan was again heard cryingaloud for help, while at the same time his voice was interrupted, andeach call appeared to come from a greater distance! Something orsomebody was carrying him off!
This idea occurred to Von Bloom, Hans, and Hendrik, at the same instant.Of course it filled them with consternation; and, as they were scarceyet awake, they knew not what to do.
The cries of Jan, however, soon brought them to their senses; and to runtowards the direction whence these came was the first thought of all.
To grope for their guns would waste time, and all three leaped out ofthe wagon without them.
Totty was upon her feet and jabbering, but she knew no more than theywhat had happened.
They did not stop long to question her. The voice of Swartboy, utteredin loud barks and clicks, summoned them elsewhere; and they now beheld ared flaming brand rushing through the darkness, which no doubt wascarried in the hands of that worthy.
They started off in the direction of the blazing torch, and ran as fastas they could. They still heard the Bushman's voice, and to their dismaybeyond it the screams of little Jan.
Of course they could not tell what was causing all this. They onlypressed on with fearful apprehensions.
When they had got within some fifty paces of the torch, they perceivedit suddenly descend, then raised again, and brought down, in a rapid andviolent manner! They could hear the voice of the Bushman barking andclicking louder than ever, as though he was engaged in chastising somecreature.
But Jan's voice they no longer heard--he was screaming no more--was hedead?
With terrible forebodings they rushed on.
When they arrived upon the spot, a singular picture presented itself totheir eyes. Jan lay upon the ground, close in by the roots of somebushes which he was holding tightly in his grasp. From one of his wristsextended a stout thong, or _rheim_, which passed through among thebushes to the distance of several feet; and, fast to its other end, wasthe ourebi fawn, dead, and terribly mangled! Over the spot stoodSwartboy with his burning tree, which blazed all the brighter that hehad just been using it over the back of a ravenous hyena. The latter wasnot in sight. It had long since skulked off, but no one thought ofpursuit, as all were too anxious about Jan.
No time was lost in lifting the child to his feet. The eyes of all raneagerly over him to see where he was wounded; and an exclamation of joysoon broke forth when they saw that, except the scratches of the thorns,and the deep track of a cord upon his wrist, nothing in the shape of awound could be discovered upon his diminutive body. He had now come tohimself, and assured them all that he was not hurt a bit. Hurrah! Janwas safe!
It now fell to Jan's lot to explain all this mysterious business.
He had been lying in the wagon along with the rest, but not like themasleep. No. He could not sleep a wink for thinking on his new pet,which, for want of room in the wagon, had been left below tied to one ofthe wheels.
Jan had taken it into his head that he would like to have another lookat the ourebi before going to sleep. So, without saying a word to anyone, he crept out of the cap-tent, and descended to where the antelopewas tied. He unloosed it gently, and then led it forward to the light ofthe fire, where he sat down to admire the creature.
After gazing upon it for some time with delight, he thought thatSwartboy could not do otherwise than share his feelings; and withoutmore ado, he shook the Bushman awake.
The latter had no great stomach for being roused out of sleep to look atan animal, hundreds of which he had eaten in his time. But Jan andSwartboy were sworn friends, and the Bushman was not angry. He,therefore, indulged his young master in the fancy he had taken; and thetwo sat for a while conversing about the pet.
At length Swartboy proposed sleep. Jan would agree to this only upon theterms that Swartboy would allow him to sleep alongside of him. He wouldbring his blanket from the wagon, and would not trouble Swartboy byrequiring part of the latter's kaross.
Swartboy objected at first; but Jan urged that he had felt cold in thewagon, and that was partly why he had come down to the fire. All thiswas sheer cunning in the little imp. But Swartboy could not refuse himanything, and at length consented. He could see no harm in it, as therewere no signs of rain.
Jan then returned to the wagon, climbed noiselessly up, drew out his ownblankets, and brought them to the fire. He then wrapped himself up, andlay down alongside of Swartboy, with the ourebi standing near, and insuch a situation that he could still have his eyes upon it, even whenlying. To secure it from wandering, he had fastened a strong rheimaround its neck, the other end of which he had looped tightly upon hisown wrist.
He lay for some time contemplating his beautiful pet. But sleep atlength overcame him, and the image of the ourebi melted before his eyes.
Beyond this Jan could tell little of what happened to him. He wasawakened by a sudden jerking at his wrist, and hearing the antelopescream. But he had not quite opened his eyes, before he felt himselfdragged violently over the ground.
He thought at first it was Swartboy playing some trick upon him; but ashe passed the fire, he saw by its light that it was a huge black animalthat had seized the ourebi, and was dragging both him and it along.
Of course he then began to scream for help, and caught at everything hecould to keep himself from being carried away. But he could lay hold ofnothing, until he found himself among thick bushes, and these he seizedand held with all his might.
He could not have held out long against the strength of the hyena; butit w
as just at that moment that Swartboy came up with his fire-brand,and beat off the ravisher with a shower of blows.
When they got back to the light of the fire they found that Jan was allright. But the poor ourebi--it had been sadly mauled, and was now of nomore value than a dead rat.