CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
A REAL ALARM.
Ingleborough drew in his breath with a hiss, and once more stood on hisguard with his comrade right in the darkness, and in front of the twoponies, where a good view of the stream outside and the corner rockfringed with ferns could be obtained.
For voices could be heard as of two men talking together, while plash,plash, plash their footsteps in the water echoed for some moments fromthe rocky sides of the chasm, before they came leisurely into sightround the corner and stood knee-deep looking straight into the cave,little thinking of the peril in which they were, for a couple of riflescovered them, and the slightest pressure upon the triggers would havesent the long thin bullets upon their errand to pierce the Boers throughand through.
But no pressure came, those within the cavern seeing clearly enough fromthe men's careless manner that they felt perfectly safe and were upon nounusual errand.
They were roughly enough clad, and their outer garments showed that theyhad been slept in for some time and exposed to all kinds of weather; butthere was something about their mien, and more in the words they letfall, which showed them to belong to a superior type of Boer.
"Yes, there it is," said one of the two in Boer-Dutch, "just as it wasten years ago when I was here on a hunting trip. The source isperennial, and beautiful water. That's why I wanted Dietz to come outof our way."
"Does it go in far?"
"About a hundred yards, and there the water suddenly gushes out of thefloor; but there are some nasty holes about, plunging down no one knowshow deep, and I shouldn't like to venture in without a light."
"Why didn't we bring a lantern?"
"Because we don't want to go burrowing into the kopje."
"Speak for yourself. I do!" said the second man. "Here, I've gotplenty of matches--come along."
"No, thank you," said the first. "One never knows what may be in aplace like that."
West pinched his companion's arm.
"What is likely to be there?"
"Who can tell? A lioness and her full-grown cubs, perhaps, or a pack ofjackals! Worse still, snakes or some of the wandering bushmen with bowsand poisoned arrows."
"Hardly likely!" said the second Boer.
"I think very likely," said the first speaker, peering so steadfastlyinto the cavern that for a few moments West felt certain that they wereseen. "One of the Kaffir tribes would not enter that place to savetheir lives."
"Why?"
"Because they believe that a great water demon hides in the spring whorises up and seizes anyone who approaches, drags him down, and devourshim."
"All of which must be perfectly true!" answered the other Boer, with asneer. "Of course you are a believer?"
"I'm a full believer in its being dangerous to go into caves withoutproper lights," said the first speaker coldly, "and I think we areundergoing risks enough every day from the rooineks' rifles and theirlancers' spears, without chancing a fall down some horrible pit."
"Where there is a water demon!" said his companion, with another sneer.
"Just for the sake of gratifying a little idle curiosity."
"Oh, very well then! I don't like to come to such a natural curiositywithout exploring; so here goes alone."
The next moment the first speaker had stretched out his hand and barredhis companion's way with his rifle.
"What do you mean by that?" cried the Boer.
"To stop you going."
"What!" cried the other. "I shall go if I please!"
"No!" said the first speaker sternly. "I order you not!"
"You--you order me?" cried the other wrathfully.
"Yes; recollect that you are a soldier for the time being, and under mycommand. I order you not to go, for we have too much need of all ourbrave burghers to defend the country to let any man risk his life in afoolhardy adventure."
"Pish!"
"Silence!" said the other sternly. "I am going back. Had I known ofthis, I would not have let you come!"
"Look here," said the other insolently, "we are not on duty now, andonce for all I tell you that while I serve I am not going to put up withbullying from any man who is a step above me in the ranks."
The first speaker looked at him sternly, and Ingleborough placed hislips close to West's ear.
"Look here," said Ingleborough, "if we shoot, both take aim at thatobstinate brute, and give the other a chance to run for his life!"
A nod was the only answer, as both listened to what was said further.
"You fellows, because you get made field-cornets by a bit of luck, don'tknow how to contain yourselves, and--"
"Back to your horse!" said the first speaker, the veins in whoseforehead stood out in a network beneath his flap-brimmed hat, while hisvoice sounded full of suppressed fury.
"Back yourself!" cried the other. "I'll obey your orders in the field,but we of the Free State are getting tired of the overbearing ways ofyou men of the Transvaal. Put down your rifle, sir! By all that'sholy, if you hold it towards me in that threatening way, I'll send aMauser bullet through you. If I die for it, I will."
At that moment, just as there seemed to be every possibility of a deadlyencounter between the two men, there was a loud hail from beyond therock, and, as it was not replied to, another cry was heard, in companywith loud echoing splashes in the water, and half-a-dozen Boers wadedinto sight, evidently in a high state of excitement.
"Hullo there!" shouted the foremost, "didn't you hear us call? We beganto think you had fallen into an ambush! Quick, back with you: there's apatrol of the rooineks out yonder coming this way, the mounted men withthe spiked poles."
"Many or few?" said the man addressed as the field-cornet, and,apparently forgetting his anger in the excitement, he began to hurryaway from the cavern mouth, talking loudly the while. "I'll see! Ifthey'll come on, we'll stay here; if not, we might try and surround themand capture the whole gang!"
The next minute the walls of the gully were echoing the hurriedsplashing made by the party, as the last of them turned the corner anddisappeared across the veldt.
"Phew! What a pity!" said Ingleborough, taking off his hat to wipe hisforehead.
"A pity!" cried West. "What: the news that some of our people arenear?"
"No, no; I meant that the row came to an end. I was in hopes that wewere going to have a new version of the Kilkenny cats, and two enemiesof Old England were going to tear each other to pieces and leave only atail behind."
"Oh, be serious, Ingle!" said West excitedly. "We might venture outnow."
"Don't be rash! We've got to find out what they mean to do."
"Come along then, and let's leave the horses where they are. We musttry and climb up somewhere to see what is going on."
"Very well, but take care! These are awfully breakneck walls to mount."
"Yes, but it has to be done! Why not up that crack?"
West pointed to a rift half-full of wiry-looking shrubs mingled withferns, which ran up the rocky wall of the gully diagonally.
"Think you can do it?"
"Yes, it's easier than it looks. Let's try!"
"Right!" said Ingleborough. "Up you go!"
West waded across to the side, slinging his rifle as he went, thenpulling his hat on tightly, he reached up as high as he could, and drewhimself up a foot or two. Then, carefully taking advantage of theangles and edges of projecting rocks for his feet and getting hand-holdof the tough shrubs, he was soon up twenty feet above the rushingstream.
"Come along!" he said. "It's not bad climbing!"
"Matter of opinion," replied Ingleborough, "but here goes!" and he beganto mount, while West went on.
"Oh yes," he said, "it's all right! Why, it puts one in mind of theLady--I say, lad, ugh!--that was slippy!"
"Hold on then!" cried West excitedly, for one of Ingleborough's feetglided over the edge of a stone, which yielded, and he was left hangingby his hands, to strive to get a footing.
"
Get out!" said Ingleborough, panting. "That's better. Just as if Ishouldn't hold on! Think I wanted a cold bath?"
"You gave me quite a turn!" said West. "Will you leave it to me? I canmanage it!"
"Go on, you vain young coxcomb! So can I manage it! If you don't lookout, I'll be up first! Well, what are you stopping for?"
"Look down there!" said West.
Ingleborough held on tightly while he twisted his head to see that thetwo ponies had hurried out of the cave to wade to the place where theyhad started from, and were looking up wonderingly.
"Ha, ha!" laughed Ingleborough. "They're afraid of being left behind!Here, you two, be off back into your stable," he continued, getting holdof a loose piece of rock with the intention of dropping it into thewater to scare the lookers-on.
"No, no, don't do that!" said West softly. "You may scare them intocantering down into the midst of the Boers!"
"Right," said Ingleborough, replacing the stone. "I don't supposethey'll mind."
At that moment one of the ponies whinnied, and the other took up the cryof discontent.
"Quiet, will you? Look here!" said Ingleborough, speaking as if in thefull belief that the two animals understood every word. "If you makethat row, you'll have the Boers down upon us, and that will mean newmasters, with worse treatment than you get from us! That's settledthem," continued Ingleborough, speaking again to his companion, and asit happened the two animals did not repeat their challenging cry, butbegan to nibble at the greenery overhanging the water.
Meanwhile the climbing grew more difficult as the adventurers got higherand more excited, for all at once the rapid crack-crack-crack of riflesbegan telling of attack and defence, and making the climbers strainevery effort to get to the top, which was at last accomplished by West,who drew himself over the edge of the rocks and lay panting for a fewmoments before looking down.
"Can't you manage it?" he said; for Ingleborough had come to a standsome twenty feet below.
"No!" was the reply. "My right foot has slipped into a crack here, andis wedged tight. Don't wait for me! Go on, only let's have all thenews as soon as you can!"
West's first idea was to lower himself down; but, feeling that one wasenough to find out all they wanted, he obeyed his comrade's orders andwent on climbing upon all-fours what was now an easy slope with plentyof cover in the shape of bushes and huge blocks of stone.
A few minutes brought him to the top of the kopje, whence he had a clearview of all that was going on, while the firing was now general.
He saw at a glance that the Boers had not attempted to hold the naturalstronghold, for upon discovering their numbers, the half-troop oflancers, some thirty in number, had begun to retire, and the Boers, ofwhom there seemed to be about a hundred and fifty, were streaming out intwo directions, evidently with the intention of surrounding and takingthem prisoners, both sides keeping up a steady fire the while. Weststopped no longer than was necessary to satisfy himself that the Boerswere getting rapidly farther and farther from the kopje, and thenhurried back down the slope to the top of the gully, where, leaningover, he found Ingleborough busy at work, apparently driving hisrifle-barrel down into a crevice. "Ahoy!" cried West. "Hallo there!What news, lad?"
"Small party of lancers in full retreat, and the Boers very strong inpursuit. They're a mile away now."
"Then we shall get no help from our people; but, if they are taking theenemy away, that's all we want. Coming down?"
"Yes," said West, lowering himself over the edge very cautiously, for itwas terribly dangerous work, and Ingleborough shivered and hung back,watching him till his companion reached the ledge where he had beenchecked.
"Hah!" sighed Ingleborough; "that's better. I've been wishing for thelast five minutes that the stream below was ten feet deep!"
"Why?" panted West, who was breathless from his exertions.
"For you to fall into! But now help me to get my boot! I'm afraid tolever it out with my rifle-barrel, for fear of bending it."
"Let me try!" said West, and, thrusting his arm down into the crack, hegot well hold of the boot, gave it a jerk sidewise, and it was free.
"Look at that now!" said Ingleborough. "My word! it's a fine thing tohave been born clever. How did you do it?"
"Pulled it out," replied West, smiling.
"Of course; but _I_ couldn't! It took me all my time to get it unlacedand to draw out my foot. Stuck, for it was so wet!"
In another five minutes, while the cracking of the rifle-fire wasgrowing more distant, the boot was replaced, the dangerous descentcontinued, with several slips and slides, each saving his friend in turnfrom a bad fall, and the pair reached the water only minus a littleskin, to be welcomed by their ponies, who came up to them at once, readyto be led cautiously to the entrance of the gully.
But there was no need for the extra care, inspection proving that noBoers were left behind, and that they were too far distant now todistinguish what went on at the resting-place they had left.
"Think they'll make the lancers prisoners?" said West, after they hadstood scanning the level veldt for some minutes.
"Not unless they can surround them, and I should give our cavalry creditfor being too cautious to let them do that!" said Ingleborough. "Nowthen, what do you say for another try Mafeking-ward?"
"Forward!" was the reply, and after a glance at the compass to lay downtheir course, the friends mounted and, refreshed, though not muchrested, they cantered off, making a bee-line almost due north, with theintention of cautiously approaching some farm on their way to purchasefood.