Charge! Part 22

"Yes," I said; "and there's another body behind us, and one on each flank. We're surrounded."

"Then why doesn't the Colonel call a halt and let us stand shoulder to shoulder and fight it out with the ring?"

"Because he wants to save all our lives, I suppose."

"'He who fights and runs away will live to fight another day,'" said Denham, with a bitter sneer. "Oh, I'm sick of it. Look here; those brutes of Boers will reach that great kopje first, drop amongst the stones, and shoot us all down just when we get there with our horses pumped out."

"Yes," I said, "if you keep on talking instead of nursing your horse."

"Are you aware that I am your officer?" he cried angrily.

"Quite," I replied; "but I was talking to my friend."

"Friend be hanged!" he snapped out. "Keep your place."

"I am keeping my place," I said-"knee to knee with you; and our horses are going as if they were harnessed together. I say, what a race!"

"Yes, it's splendid," said Denham excitedly. "Oh, how I wish the brutes would stand fast and let us charge right into them-through them-cut them to pieces, or ride them down! I feel strung up for anything now."

I nodded at him, and panted out something about his knowing that the enemy would not stand for a charge.

It was exciting. By accident, of course, in following out certain instructions from the General in command, to take a certain course and cut off a commando of the Boers, we had somehow managed to get into an awkward position, no less than four strong bodies of the enemy hemming us in.

There was nothing for our commander to do but make for the nearest shelter, and this presented itself in the distance in the shape of what looked like one of the regular piles of granite rocks, which, if we reached it first, we could hold against the enemy, however greatly they outnumbered us; though even then it seemed plain enough that they were far more than ten to one.

"Shall we do it?" said Denham as we rode on, having increased our pace to a gallop.

"Yes," I said; "I don't think there's a doubt of it now. We're on better ground, and they're getting among rocks."

"The flanks are closing in fast," said Denham.

"Yes; but we shall be out of the jaws of the trap before it closes," I said, "and we're leaving the last lot behind fast."

"Oh," said Denham between his teeth, "if we can only get time to hurry the horses into shelter and give the enemy one good volley before they sneak off!"

"Well, it looks as if we shall. But look! look!" I said excitedly; "that's not a kopje."

"What is it, then?"

"A town, with a fort and walls. We're riding into a solid trap, I'm afraid."

"Nonsense; there's no town out here."

"But look for yourself," I said excitedly. "It's a fort, and occupied. I can see men on the walls."

"Impossible. There's no fort or town anywhere out here."

"I tell you I can see plainly," I said stubbornly, for I had in those days capital eyes, well trained by hunting expeditions to seeing great distances.

"I tell you you can't," cried Denham.

"I can, and that's what the Boers are doing. They're driving us into a trap, and that troop that has been racing us is fighting to get here first so as to cut us off when we find out our mistake and try to get away."

"I say, are you talking foolishness or common-sense?" said Denham.

"Common-sense," I replied; "the sort that n.o.body likes to believe."

"If you are we're galloping into a horrible mess; the Colonel ought to be told. Yes, I'm beginning to think you're right. Ah! I can see the people there. They're manning that tower in the middle; I can just make them out. Val, lad, your horse is faster than mine. You must try and drop out, or spin forward, or do something to get to the Colonel's side and tell him what you can see."

I made no reply, but rode on stride for stride with my companion; but I kept my eyes fixed upon the strange-looking rocks and edifices in front, and made no effort to change my position.

"Did you hear what I said?" cried Denham.

"Yes, I heard," I replied. "But how is it to be done?"

"Don't ask me how it's to be done," he said angrily; "do it."

"There's no need," I said; "the enemy is scuttling off as fast as he can go."

"Retreating?"

"Seems like it. Why, Denham, can't you see?"

"See? No! What? Speak out, before it's too late."

"Look again," I said, laughing. "It's a troop of baboons."

"What!" cried Denham. "Well, of all the absurd things! So it is."

There was no doubt about the matter, and five minutes' gallop brought us close up to where a mob of two or three hundred of the fierce and hardy half-doglike creatures were racing about over the rocks, after leaving the walls and battlements of the great buildings in front of us, and leaping higher and higher amongst the rocks of the great clump which stood like an island in the midst of a dried-up sea.

There was no time for natural-history studies of the ape. The squadron of Boers we had been racing to get first to the ruins-as we now saw them to be-were only far enough off to afford us time to pull up, spring from our horses at the foot of a huge wall, and, from our steady position, give the advancing enemy a volley with such good effect that over a dozen saddles were emptied, and the whole body wheeled round and dashed off to join the rest of the advancing force.

This gave us a few minutes' respite, during which the horses were rapidly led into shelter by half our party, who found a way through the great wall; while the other half rapidly manned wall, rock, and tower, ready to receive the enemy with a steady fire, which they were not likely to stand, for in every direction now the veldt stretched away, bare of such cover as our enemies loved to use.

It was close work, and the Boers swept round right and left to attack us in the rear. Our men were, however, too quick for them; and, climbing higher, knots of them reached the highest portions of the rocks beyond the ruins, and opened fire upon the enemy, so that in a short time our a.s.sailants drew back to a distance, but kept their formation of four parties. As soon as they were beyond range, we could see three men from each of three bodies gallop off to join the fourth, evidently to hold a council of war concerning their next movements. This afforded us time to make something of an examination of the stronghold so opportunely offered as a refuge, and gave the Colonel an opportunity for taking the best advantage of our position.

The ruined buildings had undoubtedly been constructed for purposes of defence; and, to every one's intense delight, on pa.s.sing through an opening in what proved to be a solid cyclopean wall, strengthened with tower-like edifices, there was a wide courtyard-like enclosure, quite beyond the reach of bullets, into which our horses were led, the walls themselves being of ample width to be manned, and with sufficient shelter from which our marksmen could command the whole kopje; and on these walls about fifty of our men were stationed.

"We're safe enough here from any attack they can make," said the Colonel. "What we have to fear is the want of water and provisions if they try to invest us."

Which they would not do, was the opinion of all who heard his words. We had our haversacks pretty well lined, and each man had, of course, his water-bottle; but the possibility of being held up for over twenty-four hours was enough to make the Colonel give orders for an examination of the ruins and the rocks of the kopje around, to see if water could be found.

To Denham was given the task of making the search, and he nodded to me to accompany him, and afterwards called to Sergeant Briggs, who eagerly came to our side.

"We're to go upon a foraging expedition, Briggs," said Denham, "in case we want food and water."

"Well, it won't take much looking to prove that there isn't a mouthful of food to be got here, sir," said the Sergeant, "unless we take to shooting some of those pretty creatures hiding amongst the stones. They're as big as sheep, but I should want to be more'n usually hungry before I had a leg or a wing."