Dead Man's Land Part 53

"A mussy me, Mr Mark, sir, as my old mother used to say. Ah, and she would say it again, poor old soul, if she were alive--bless her--and could see her pretty little curly-headed darling out here in savage Africa. Nice little curly-headed darling, arn't I, Mr Mark, sir? `My beauty,' she used to call me, when she had made me cry by jigging the comb through my hair, as would always tie itself up into knots like a n.i.g.g.e.r's."

"Why, it isn't curly now, Buck."

"Not a bit, sir; been cut too many times to keep it short, and all the curl got cut off, ha, ha, ha!" And the big, burly fellow burst into a boisterous laugh. "Bless her old heart! She never could have thought that I should grow into a six-footer weighing seventeen stun. Little woman she was--a pretty little woman too," said Buck proudly. "Fancy her seeing me seventeen stun, and not a bit of fat about me! Ah, it's ram, sir--rum. Rum as the name of our old village where we used to live down in Ess.e.x. Chignal Smealey. Well, sir," continued the big driver, wiping his beaded forehead, "we have had a pretty good time of it, haven't we? And I mean to say that we are regular s.h.i.+p-shape. What do you think of it, sir?"

"Oh, never mind what I think, Buck. I'll tell you what father said to the doctor."

"Ah, do, sir."

"He said all you men had worked splendidly."

"Oh, come, that's nice, sir," said Buck, beaming.

"And that he felt ashamed of having been so idle, doing nothing but look on."

"Idle be sat upon, sir!" cried the bluff fellow. "Why, he's the boss.

What's a boss got to do but give his orders? Oh, he hasn't been idle, and as for the doctor, why, he's never at rest. Look here, Mr Mark, sir; I have journeyed about the world a good deal, same as Dan Mann has.

You know I was a sailor and made several voyages before I settled down at Natal and took to driving a twenty-four-in-hand. But in all my wanderings about I never did run up against such a one as the doctor.

He seems to know everything. Why, he's the best shot I ever see. Peter Dance and Bob Bacon are pretty tidy with their guns. I have matched myself agin them more than once when I have been out with them to get something for the pot, and I used to think I could shoot, but they beat me. But that doctor, sir, could if he liked do more with his left hand than I could with my right. You said he used to teach you young gents at home?"

"Yes, Buck; anything and everything."

"I suppose so, sir. Greek and Latin and mathics, and all that sort of stuff."

"Yes, Buck," said Mark, laughing. "All that sort of stuff."

"Ah, he would, sir. He's a splendid chap at lingo. I know a bit about that. I can get on fine with black Mak when I am in the humour, but that arn't always, for sometimes my head's as thick as it's long."

"Oh, we all feel like that sometimes, Buck," said Mark. "I know I do.

There were some days over my books that I could learn as easily as can be, and sometimes the doctor would say I was quite dense."

"Dense, sir? What's that?"

"Thick-headed."

"Not you, sir," said Buck, laughing. "But as I was saying, I can get on a bit with black Mak, and I am beginning to pick up a bit better with the little Pig, as you young gents call him; and then there's old Hot-o'-my-Tot and t'other black. Yes, there's something alike, as you may say, about the way these black chaps speak; Mak and Pig, for instance. They know each of 'em what t'other says, more than a little.

But the doctor, he's got so much book laming in him; he beats me with them. But I am real glad, sir, that the boss is satisfied, and I should like to tell the other chaps, if I may. I won't, sir, if you say I oughtn't to, for I don't want you to think because you young gentlemen treat me friendly like that I am all chatter and brag."

"Tell them, by all means. Chatter and brag! What nonsense! Why, the doctor says you are a man that anybody could trust."

"Said that, did he, sir?" cried the big fellow, with his eyes twinkling with satisfaction. "Why, that's as good as what the boss said. Well, I'm not going to tell any of the other fellows that. They would laugh at me, and sarve me right. But we have worked, sir, all of us, to get the place square, and when we have made a regular clearing of all this rag and tangle of rocks and trees--"

"Which we never shall, Buck," cried Mark.

"You're right, sir; never! For I never saw such a place. You can go miles anyway to the nor'ard and find more and more built up stones and walls and what not. Why, once upon a time there must have been hundreds of thousands of people living here, and now--where are they all? All we have seen was that old n.i.g.g.e.r, as Dan sticks out and argues, when we are having a pipe together of a night, was the last man that was left; and then he always finishes off by shaking his head when I say I wonder how he got away."

"Ah, it was curious," said Mark.

"Not it, sir. He crept away as soon as he thought it was safe. Got into some hole or another. There must be hundreds of places where he could tuck hisself, and we shall dig him out one day, as sure as sure; and that'll be when we least expect it. But talk about a kraal, sir, for my bullocks! They are as safe as safe, and you have got a regular stable for your ponies, quarters for us as Dan calls a snug forecastle and Peter says is a bothy, and as for yours, you gen'lemen's being up against that wall, why, it's splendid, only as I was telling the doctor, sir, I shan't feel quite happy till we've got an extra thatch on. You know, it can rain out here in Africa, sir, and when it does it goes it."

"Well, I daresay we shall get that done, Buck, when we have got time."

"Yes, sir, when we have got time; but that won't be just yet, and I suppose I shan't be here to help."

"You not here to help! What do you mean?"

"Well, sir, I suppose I wasn't to chatter about it, but I may tell you; the doctor got talking to me only yesterday about what he calls the supplies, by which he meant wittles for the guns and extra for ourselves."

"Ah," said Mark.

"He said that of course meat was plentiful enough, and there were lots of fish in the river, but we ought to be prepared if we stayed here long to get a fresh lot of flour and mealies, tea, and coffee, and sugar, so as to have enough when the stores begins to run out."

"Yes; I never thought of that," said Mark.

"Ah, but the doctor did, sir. He thinks of everything. Well, sir, he put it to me whether I could pick out a mate and be ready any time to take the waggons and go back to Illakaree."

"There," cried Mark, "what did I say?"

"I d'know, sir. Lots of things."

"I meant about the doctor trusting you. Did you say you'd go."

"Course I did, sir. I don't want to go, for I'm just right here. This is the sort of thing I like. I am enjying myself here just as much as you young gents. It fits me right down to the ground, and if I do go I shan't be happy till I get back."

"Ah," said Mark thoughtfully. "But you said about picking out a mate.

Whom should you choose?"

"Well, if you come to regular choosing, sir," said Buck, "I should like to have you--not for a mate, sir, but to be my young boss. I know though that couldn't be, and I wouldn't want it, 'cause I know how I should be cutting you off from all the sarching as the doctor wants done. Why, you wouldn't be here when you hunt out the place where all the gold is buried."

"N-no."

"And the working tools and the pots and pans as the doctor expects to find."

"N-no," said Mark thoughtfully. "But I say, Buck, do you think there is plenty of gold here somewhere?"

"Pretty sure of it, sir. Why, where did that little kiddy of a black get his ornaments from?"

"To be sure," said Mark, still speaking very seriously. "But why is it, then, that he will not say anything about it? He only shakes his head and goes away when one tries to get him to show where he got his bangles from."

"Well, I don't quite know, sir. There's a something behind it all.

They're sort of jealous like about having the old things meddled with, I think. Mak showed us the way here, but I never see him begin to sarch like to find anything the old people left, and if you remember he tried all he could to keep us from meddling and looking for the place where we found that old man."

"Oh, the doctor said that was superst.i.tion," said Mark.

"Then that's what it was, sir, if the doctor said so, for he'd know, of course."

"Yes," said Mark. "I should like to go with you, Buck, but I couldn't.

Whom should you choose?"