Perils in the Transvaal and Zululand Part 28

"Then take the consequences of your own folly. Fire into the waggon, boys!" he shouted; "we'll soon make an end of this."

A dozen guns were discharged, and the leaden hail came rattling between the ribs of the tilt above them. It did not produce much effect, as all those within had thrown themselves on the floor, where the solid sides of the waggon, strengthened by the recent defences, prevented the bullets from penetrating. The next moment the fire was returned with more effect. Two of the pretended soldiers were shot dead on the spot, Bostock and one of his men were severely wounded.

"Rush up and smash the shutters in before they can load again?" shouted Bostock, regardless of his wound. He caught up a heavy piece of timber, which shattered the stout boards at a blow, and was about to mount to the attack, followed by his comrades, when a volley of musketry was suddenly poured in, which stretched two or three more of the banditti on the ground, and a voice was heard calling them to surrender, or no quarter would be shown.

Vander Heyden and his companions leaped from the waggon to shake hands with Margetts and Evetts, who, with a couple of dozen of his men, had now completely surrounded the robbers, nearly all of whom indeed were either killed or wounded. But the danger was not entirely at an end, as they had supposed. Bostock had been pierced by a second bullet, and it was plain that he had received his death-wound. But his fierce spirit still bore him up. He heard Evetts' challenge with a scornful laugh.

"Surrender?" he cried. "Not I, at all events. I believe I am done for this time, but there is still some fight left in me. Henryk Vander Heyden, I told you I should one day return your fire; there is time to do so yet."

He raised himself with difficulty, and, levelling his revolver, fired at his antagonist, who was only a few feet from him. With fell satisfaction he noted that the shot had taken effect. Then he fell back and expired without a groan.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

"Are you much hurt?" cried Rivers, rus.h.i.+ng up to Vander Heyden and raising him, while Hardy supported him on the other side.

"I don't know, I hardly felt it," he answered. "I don't think it struck the ribs."

"We must get his coat off and stop the bleeding," said Hardy. "If you will hold him, I will unfasten the coat. Bring the lantern closer."

"Leave him to me, sir," said a voice behind. "I know something of surgery, as a man has need to do who lives in this country."

Both Rivers and Hardy turned round in great surprise. The speaker was Mr Prestcott.

"Ah, you wonder to see me here! I had no intention of leaving home when we parted, but I was summoned to Heidelberg two days afterwards, and was on my way to Mr Evetts when Mr Margetts met me. We must cut the coat away. If the wound is where I suspect, it would give him great pain to take it off his shoulders. Ah, I thought so," he continued when the sleeve had been cut away and the shoulder had been laid bare. "You have had a narrow escape, sir. The bullet struck the cartridge-belt which was hanging round your neck, and glanced off, pa.s.sing out through the fleshy part under the arm-pit, just missing the rib. But it is a nasty wound too. You will have to lie quite quiet for some time, and be careful that the bleeding does not burst out again. There must be some proper person to nurse him."

"His sister, Miss Vander Heyden, is here, sir," said Rivers. "She is in the waggon yonder. She does not know anything about this yet."

"You had better go and warn her," said Mr Prestcott; "then we will carry him to the waggon."

His instructions were obeyed. Annchen was of course terribly distressed, but repressed her emotion, and instantly set about the necessary preparations. The boxes were removed from the waggon, and as soft a bed as possible made upon the floor of dried gra.s.s and reeds, over which several rugs were laid. The waggon fortunately stood in a sheltered place under two large trees, whither it had been moved to render it as secure from attack as possible. Annchen and Rose undertook the nursing; and Mr Prestcott engaged to send over the necessary medicines from Heidelberg.

"He must be kept as quiet as possible, remember. I suppose there are enough here," glancing round as he spoke at the Hottentot servants, as well as at Matamo and Haxo, "to secure him against disturbance or attack."

"There will be no further fear of attack," said George, to whom this remark appeared to be addressed. "This wretched Bostock is dead, and all the rest of the gang have either been killed or are prisoners.

Stay, though," he added; "I see Gott is prisoner, and Van Ryk was hanged at Rorke's Drift; but I am afraid Sullivan has escaped."

"It will be a pity if he has," remarked Lieutenant Evetts. "I hear at Heidelberg that the whole gang has been for months past the pest of the neighbourhood."

"Sullivan has not escaped," said Margetts; "I can account for him. He had been set to watch for me as I returned to the camp, and pick me off, I suppose; but he fell into his own trap."

"Ha, that must have been the shot, then, that we heard," said Rivers.

"What made you so long in returning, Redgy? We were getting alarmed."

"Well, I missed the track," said Margetts, "and had ridden past Heidelberg. By good luck I met Mr Prestcott, who was riding in to see Mr Evetts, and he took me with him. It was after all no loss of time, I believe, for he knew where to find Evetts, which I did not. And during our ride to Heidelberg, he told me something, George, which you will be interested to hear. But first I will tell you about Sullivan.

Evetts got his men together, and Mr Prestcott volunteered to come with us, wanting to identify some of the gang, who had more than once stolen his property. When we got within a mile or two Evetts scattered his men, and told them to move up with as little noise as possible. One of them in this manner got past Sullivan without being seen by him. He chanced to look back, and saw Sullivan just levelling his gun at me, and he antic.i.p.ated the shot by sending a bullet through the back of his skull. He was lying dead by the roadside when I pa.s.sed, and I recognised him as Sullivan, notwithstanding his disguise."

"Talking of his disguise," observed Rivers, "I wonder where they got the soldiers' uniforms from. I know there are fellows among them who are clever enough at staining Europeans so as to look like natives; but how did they come by the uniforms?"

"That is a question easily enough answered," remarked Lieutenant Evetts, who had now joined the party. "The Zulus stripped soldiers enough at Isandhlwana to fit out a regiment or two, and for months afterwards they were to be had for anything the Zulus could get for them. But I must say the get-up, on the whole, was not bad."

"No," a.s.sented Hardy; "and the fellows who wore the uniforms had all, I fancy, been really in the army at one time or another. Certainly the corporal had."

"Yes," said Rivers. "When I first spoke with the man I thought I knew his face, and probably I had seen him in the ranks. That was one of the circ.u.mstances that for a long time prevented me from entertaining any suspicion."

"By-the-bye, George," said Margetts, "I have forgotten to ask you how you discovered Bostock. I thought, as I told you, there was something strange about the party, but did not suspect Bostock was among them, and his disguise was so perfect that I can hardly believe he is the fellow lying dead yonder. There was no time to ask you when you sent me off to Heidelberg; but I should like to ask you how you recognised him."

"It was your remark and his limp that first made me suspect him," said George. "He has always limped since he received the wound on board the _Zulu Queen_. I happened to know he had received another wound a few months since--a bullet-wound on the wrist. I went and stood close at hand while the pretended corporal was putting the handcuffs again on the prisoners' wrists; and there was the scar of the wound plain enough. I saw Bostock glance suspiciously at me, as he saw I was scrutinising his wrist, and I had some trouble to keep myself from showing that I had discovered him. But you were saying, Redgy, that Mr Prestcott had told you something which I should be interested to hear. May I ask what it was?"

"Well, Mr Rivers," said Prestcott, "it was simply that I am well acquainted with your mother. In the course of my business I make frequent journeys to Zeerust, and know old Ludwig Mansen and his family quite well. I was there not many weeks ago. It is odd that his name did not come up in the course of our conversation about Zeerust. I did not particularly notice yours, or it would certainly have done so. You wrote to her some time ago, did you not?"

"Yes," said George, "eight or nine months ago; but I have never received any reply to my letter."

"Ah, I supposed so. The man to whom you gave it was several months in getting to Umtongo, which was the name of Mansen's farm. Then she could get no messenger to carry her reply for several weeks, and it must have reached Rorke's Drift somewhere about the beginning of June. But it appeared you had left the Natal Volunteers, and it was thought you were going to join some other corps; but that was not known for certain. She is in a terrible state of alarm now, that you have been killed at Ginghilovo, or Ulundi, or one of the smaller battles."

"Well, her anxiety will soon be relieved now," observed Margetts.

"I trust so. But in that case Mr Rivers must not wait to accompany Mr Vander Heyden to Zeerust Mr Vander Heyden cannot be moved for three weeks, and then he must travel very slowly. I do not suppose he can get to his destination under a month, at the very earliest."

"Of course I shall not wait for that," said Rivers. "I shall ride across country, if I can find a guide. I suppose it will not occupy very long, Mr Prestcott?"

"No, sir. Your horse, if that is your horse yonder, would take you there in four days--probably in three, but certainly in four."

"And as for a guide," interposed Hardy, "you will not find a better in all the Transvaal than Matamo. He knows the whole of this country as well as I know the paths about my own farm. I am sorry that I myself cannot remain here; I have another engagement to fulfil at Newcastle.

But I will undertake to return before Mr Vander Heyden can reach Zeerust. Meanwhile Mr Margetts will stay here and look after the party."

"Must that be so?" asked George. "I should have liked Redgy to accompany me."

"It must be, I am afraid," said Hardy. "I am sorry that my engagement must be kept."

"I am sorry too," said Margetts; "but of course we cannot leave Vander Heyden here alone. When shall you set out, George?"

"To-morrow, if Matamo is prepared," was the answer. "But we must lie down now and take some rest. The dawn must be close at hand."

"I shall return with my party and the prisoners at once," said Lieutenant Evetts; "and I suppose you also, Mr Prestcott, will accompany me."

"Yes," said Mr Prestcott. "The medicines and lint ought to be sent out at once."

They parted, and our travellers, lying down, took some hours' repose.

Then George summoned Matamo, and inquired of him whether he knew the way to Umtongo, and would undertake to guide him thither.

"The way to Umtongo," repeated Matamo. "I know it quite well. I have been there two, three times. I could ride it in the dark."

"That's all right, then," said George.

"Yes, sir; we can get there in three days,--Koodoo's Vley one day, Malapo's Kloof two days, Umtongo three days. But they will be long days."

"Then had we not better start at once?"

"Yes, sir, or we shall not reach Koodoo's Vley to-night. I will go and get everything ready."