Diamond Dyke Part 4

"Oh, he won't do that," said d.y.k.e, with a merry laugh, and in his animation the boy seemed to be quite transformed.

It was a good long ride to where the ostrich they sought to bring back to its pen could be seen stalking about, looking about as big as a guinea-fowl, but gradually growing taller and taller to its pursuers as they rode on. After a time it ceased picking about and ran first in one direction and then in another, as if undecided which line of country to take before leading its pursuers a wild race out and across the veldt.

By this time it looked fully four feet high; soon after it was fully five, as it stood up with its neck stretched out, and its weak, large-eyed, flat head turned to them with a malicious expression.

The trio now separated, the hors.e.m.e.n riding more and more apart as they advanced, till they were each a couple of hundred yards from the Kaffir, who suddenly uttered a warning cry, to indicate that the great bird was beginning to run off straight away.

"All right, Jack, I see," cried d.y.k.e; and pressing his cob's sides he went off at a gallop, not, however, in pursuit of the bird, which ran right forward, with its head turned to watch its pursuers all the time.

d.y.k.e's tactics, the result of experience, were of quite another kind.

He turned his cob's head, and went off like the wind at right angles to the course the ostrich was taking, and the effect was instantaneous.

There was all the open veldt, or plain, spreading out for hundreds of miles before the bird, and it had only to dart off and leave the swiftest horse far behind. But its would-be cunning nature suggested to it that its enemy had laid a deep scheme to cut it off, and instead of going straight away, it turned on the instant to spin along in the same direction as that taken by the boy, and get right across him.

"Ah, you silly, muddled-brained, flat-headed idiot!" yelled d.y.k.e, as he raced along over the plain, his steed sending the red sand flying at every spurn of its hoofs as it stretched itself out. "I'll be there first, and cut him off. You can't do it--you can't do it. Ah-h-h-h!"

This last shout, ending in a rattle of the tongue, seemed to stimulate the little cob to make fresh efforts; and laughing merrily to himself in the exhilaration of the race, d.y.k.e had only to keep slightly drawing his left rein, to make the ostrich curve more and more round towards him, till he had actually deluded the bird into taking the exact direction he wished--namely, right for the pens from which it had escaped.

On sped the cob, running over the sand like a greyhound, and on rushed the ostrich, its long legs going with a half-invisible twinkling effect like that produced by the spokes of a rapidly revolving wheel; its wings were half-extended, its plumage ruffled, and its long neck stretched out, with its flattened head slightly turned in the direction of the rider.

And so they rode on and on, till the low range of buildings in front became nearer, the yellow sunflower disks grew bigger, and the sun glared from the white house. Still the bird saw nothing of this, but continued to run in its curve, trying to pa.s.s its pursuer, till all at once it woke to the fact that there was a long range of wire fence before it, over which were bobbing about the heads of Joe Emson's flock of its fellows, and there it was with the fence in front, and the two hors.e.m.e.n and Kaffir behind.

Then there was a change of tactics.

d.y.k.e, who was hundreds of yards in front of his companions, knew what was coming, and gave his short-handled rhinoceros-hide whip a whish through the air, and then cracked it loudly, while a chorus of discordant cries arose from the pens.

"Give up, you ugly old rascal, or I'll twist this round your long neck,"

cried d.y.k.e; and a great chorus arose from the pens, as if the tame birds within the wire fence were imploring the great truant to be good, and come home.

But nothing was further from the great bird's thoughts. It could easily now have darted away, but it felt that it was driven to bay, and began to show fight in the most vicious fas.h.i.+on, snapping its flat beak, hissing, snorting, rattling its plumage, and undulating its long neck, as it danced about, till it looked like a boa constrictor which had partially developed into a bird.

Then it dashed at its pursuer, snapping at him in its rushes. But the bill was not the thing to mind; a few lashes with the whip were enough to ward off its attack. The danger to be avoided came from those tremendous legs, which could deliver kicks hard enough to break a man's bones.

Three times over did the great bird strike at d.y.k.e, as it was driven down to the pen with lash after lash of the whip, which wrapped round the neck, as the head rose fully eight feet above the ground. Then came another stroke which took effect, not upon d.y.k.e's leg, but upon the horse's flank, just behind the stirrup, in spite of the clever little animal's bounds to avoid the kicks.

What followed was instantaneous. The horse whirled round, snorting with pain, and struck out at his enemy, sending out its heels with such violence and effect, that they came in contact with one of the ostrich's shanks, and the next moment the giant bird came to the ground, a heap of feathers, from which the long neck kept darting, and one leg delivering heavy blows.

CHAPTER FOUR.

ANOTHER FAILURE?

"Why, d.y.k.e, boy, you've done it now," cried Joe Emson, cantering close up, his horse snorting as the ostrich struck at him with its snake-like head.

"Yes, you had better have left me where I was by the spring," said the boy disconsolately. "I hated the old wretch, but I didn't want to hurt him."

"I know, my lad, I know," said Emson. "I'm not blaming you, but it does seem a pity. What bad luck I do have with these birds, to be sure.--Lie still, you savage; you can't get up!"

This to the bird, which, after striking at him two or three times, made a desperate effort to rise, fluttering and beating with its wings, and hopping a little, but trailing its broken leg as it made for the pen, within which were all its friends.

"Yes, you had better have stayed at home, old fellow," said d.y.k.e, apostrophising the unhappy bird; "then you wouldn't have got into this state.--I say, Joe, couldn't we set its leg? It would soon grow together again."

"If he were one of the quiet old hens, I'd say yes; but it would be impossible. Directly we went near, there would be a kick or a peck."

"I'll try," said d.y.k.e; and going gently toward where the bird lay crouched in a heap, he spoke softly to it, as he had been accustomed to speak to the others when going to feed them. But his advance was the signal for the bird to draw back its head, its eyes flas.h.i.+ng angrily, while it emitted a fierce roaring sound that was like that of some savage, cat-like beast. It struck out with beak and wings, and made desperate efforts to rise.

"Stop!" cried Emson sharply.

"I'm not afraid," cried d.y.k.e. "I'll get hold of his neck, and try and hold him."

"I know," said his brother; "but the poor creature will knock itself to pieces."

"But so it will if you leave it quiet," cried d.y.k.e; and then, sharply: "Ah! you cowardly brutes, let him alone."

This was to some half-a-dozen c.o.c.k birds in the pen, which, possibly in remembrance of the many times they had been thrashed and driven about the pen by their injured king, seized the opportunity of his downfall to thrust out their long necks and begin striking at him savagely, seizing him by the feathers, and dragging them out, till he shuffled beyond their reach.

"His fate's sealed if he is put with the rest; that's very evident,"

said Emson.

"Killum!" said the Kaffir, nodding his head.

"Let's shut him up in the stable," said d.y.k.e, "and tie him down while we set his leg."

"It would mean such a desperate struggle that the poor bird would never get over it; and if it did, it would mope and die. Better put it out of its misery."

Just then a big rough dog came out of the house, where it had been having a long sleep through the hot part of the day, and after giving d.y.k.e a friendly wag of the tail, walked slowly toward the injured ostrich.

That was enough to make the bird draw back its head and strike at the dog, which avoided the blow, and growling fiercely, prepared to resent the attack.

"Come away, Duke," cried d.y.k.e. "To heel, sir."

The dog growled and seemed to protest, but went obediently behind his younger master.

"I had better shoot the bird, d.y.k.e," said Emson.

"No, no; don't. Let's have a try to save it. Perhaps when it finds that we want to do it good, it will lie quiet."

"No," said Emson; "it will take it as meant for war."

"Well, let's try," said d.y.k.e.--"Here, Breezy: stable."

The cob walked slowly away toward its shed, and the other horse followed, while d.y.k.e hurriedly fetched a couple of pieces of rope, formed of twisted antelope skin.

"What do you propose doing?" said Emson.

"All run in together, and tie his neck to one wing; then he'll be helpless, and we can tie his thighs together. You can set the leg then."

"Well, I'll try," said Emson. "Wait till I've cut a couple of pieces of wood for splints. What can I get?"