The Young Yagers Part 13

Swartboy had; and to this bush now repaired Swartboy as straight as he could go. For what purpose? To conceal himself behind it, and wait for the ostriches. That was his design.

But what would his arrows avail--poisoned as they were--at the distance of five hundred yards? Ah! Swartboy knew what he was about. Let us record his movements in the words of Klaas and Jan, who watched them narrowly.

"Swartboy has reached the bush," reported Jan; "he lays down his bow and arrows beside it. Now he has gone away from it. He is proceeding in a straight line towards the nest. He has the fox with him. See! he stops again,--a little beyond the bush he has halted--between it and the nest, but nearer the bush."

"Very near the bush," said Klaas; "not twenty yards from it, I'm sure."

"Well, what does he do there?" demanded Hendrik. "He appears to be stooping?"

"He is stooping," replied Jan. "Let me see! He's got the fox in his hands, he is placing it on the ground! He has left it! I declare, it is standing by itself, as if it were alive!"

"It's very clear what he intends by that," said Hans; "I can understand now how he means to get the birds within range."

"And I!" rejoined Hendrik.

"And I!" echoed Groot Willem.

"Now," continued Jan, "he's going on to the nest--he has reached it, and is walking round and round, and stooping and kicking with his feet. I can't tell what he's about--can you, Klaas?"

"I think," replied Klaas, "he's trying to cover up the broken sh.e.l.ls we left there."

"Oh! that's exactly it!" said Jan. "See! he's stooping over the nest, he has lifted an egg in his hand!"

It is to be remembered that only the fresh eggs were brought away in the morning. Those in the nest that had undergone hatching were of course let alone--all except one or two, that had been broken to "try" them.

"He's coming back this way," said Jan. "He has the egg in his hand!

Now he has put it down right under the snout of the fox!"

"Ha!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Hans, Groot Willem, and Hendrik, "how cunning of old Swart!"

"Now," continued Jan, "he's back to the bush: and now he's squatted down behind it."

After a little while both Klaas and Jan announced that Swartboy was making no further movements, but continued to lie quietly.

Now the secret of Swartboy's strategy lay in his knowledge of a fact in natural history,--a knowledge of the antipathy that exists between the ostrich and the egg-eating fox. Swartboy's experience had taught him the habits of the fennec, and also the hostile feeling of the ostrich towards this enemy. So strong is this feeling on the part of the bird, that whenever it sets its eye upon one of these creatures it will run directly towards it, for the purpose of destroying it. On such occasions the speed of the quadruped will not save it. Unless its burrow be nigh, or some thick bush or cleft among the rocks offer it a shelter, a single kick from the legs of the mighty bird at once puts an end to its prowling existence.

Swartboy knew all this, and for that reason had he set his decoy.

Conspicuously placed, the birds would be sure to see it; and with their nest half plundered, and one of the eggs still under its very nose, they would not be slow in coming up to take revenge upon the poor fennec, the supposed robber, and to them well-known burglar.

"The ostriches are coming!" cried the sharp-sighted Jan, after a long pause.

"Where?" asked Klaas. "I don't see them yet;--where, Jan?"

"Yonder," replied Jan. "Beyond the nest,--far off."

"Oh, now I see!" said Klaas; "just the way they went off in the morning; three of them,--a c.o.c.k and two hens,--they are the same, I suppose."

"Now they are getting up near the nest," reported Jan; "now they are up to it. See them! What are they doing? they are running about in a terrible way. See! their heads move up and down,--they are striking with their legs. What are they about?"

"I think," rejoined Klaas,--"I declare I think they are _breaking the eggs_."

"Not a doubt of it," remarked Hans. "That is always their way when they return and find the nest disturbed either by a human being or an animal.

No doubt that is what they are at."

Hendrik and Groot Willem confirmed this statement by their a.s.sent.

"Oh!" exclaimed Jan, "they have left the nest,--they are coming this way,--they are coming towards Swartboy,--how fast they run! Hey--they are upon the fennec! Ho! they have kicked it over! See, they are pecking it with their bills and knocking it about like a foot-ball.

Hurrah! such a jolly game as is going on yonder!"

"What is old Swart doing, anyhow? They're near enough for a shot."

"He's doing something," answered Klaas. "I'm sure I saw him move. Did he not draw his bow yonder?"

"He did," replied Jan; "he has let off an arrow. I saw his arms move suddenly. See, the ostriches are off again. Ho! they are quite gone!"

It was not so, however; for, although the three ran off on hearing the tw.a.n.g of the Bushman's bow, they did not run far. After going some quarter of a mile or so, the c.o.c.k began to droop his wings and run round in circles, the hens all the while following. His movements now became of a very eccentric kind, and it was plain that Swartboy's arrow had pierced him, and the poison was doing its work. The bird reeled like a drunken man, once or twice fell to its knees, rose again, ran on a piece farther, flapping its wings, and vibrating its long neck from side to side; and then, staggering forward, fell upon the plain!

For several minutes it continued to flutter, kicking out with its strong limbs, and raising the dust as if it had been a buffalo. At length its struggles ceased, and it lay motionless upon the sand.

The two hens still continued near, and from their actions were evidently both surprised and alarmed. They did not, however, attempt to run off, until Swartboy, knowing they were far beyond the reach of his bow, rose up from his ambush, and walked towards them. Then both took to their heels, and scouring off over the plain, were soon out of sight. Klaas and Jan now reported that Swartboy was stooping over the dead c.o.c.k, and, as they believed, skinning him.

That was exactly what Swartboy was doing, for, about an hour after, he came into camp carrying the skin upon his shoulders, and with an air of triumph, that plainly said--

"Congo, could you do that?"

CHAPTER TWENTY.

A BRUSH WITH THE BRINDLED GNOO.

The young yagers resolved to stay a couple of days longer by the fountain in the mokhala grove. Their object was to wait until the flesh of the blue-buck--which is excellent eating--should be reduced to biltong. They did not know what chance of game there might be upon their route for the next five or six days. The way was new to all of them--even to the guide Congo, who had only a general knowledge of that part of the country. They were heading for the Molopo River, and Congo knew how to find that well enough; but their route through the interlying country he knew nothing about. There might be plenty of game--there might be a great scarcity of it--he could not tell.

Of course neither could Swartboy. The hunters were now out of the Bushman country and into a territory inhabited by poor tribes of the great Bechuana family. Swartboy's native district lay to the southwest, in the direction of Namaqualand. He had never been so far east in his life, and of course was quite a stranger to the route they were pursuing.

Under these circ.u.mstances Hans, who from his age and superior wisdom was looked upon as a sort of leader, recommended that they should not go forward until they had properly jerked the flesh of the blue-buck.

That, with what remained of the gemsbok, would secure them against falling short of provision, should game prove scarce. They would only have to tarry a couple of days longer. That would be sufficient under such a strong sun to dry the biltong properly, whereas if packed without being well cured, the hot weather would spoil it directly, and they might be left in the lurch without a morsel of meat.

Their stay at their present camp was, therefore, prolonged for two days, during which time the flesh of the blue-buck, with the remaining parts of that of the oryx, hanging in red festoons from the branches of the acacias, became dark, stiff, and hard to the touch, and was then in a condition to keep for several weeks if required.

But the young yagers did not remain constantly by the camp during all the intervening time. The biltong required no watching. It had been hung upon branches, sufficiently high to place it beyond the reach of prowling jackals and hyenas at night, and during the day there was always some one by the camp to keep off the vultures.

On the first of these two days the young yagers mounted, all six, and rode off to the gra.s.sy plains, where they had hunted the blue-buck, in hopes of falling in either with this or some other species of antelope.

They were not disappointed. On arriving at the plain, they perceived that it was occupied--not by one, but by several kinds of creatures.

Three species of animals were seen upon it. Far out was a herd of small creatures, whose lyre-shaped horns, and yellow dun bodies, told that they were springboks,--a fact made plain by their strange behaviour,--by individuals of the herd now and then bounding up into the air, and throwing open the marsupial folding of skin over their croups, and displaying the long snow-white hair that lines that singular pouch.

Not far from these, and occasionally mixing among them, was a drove of larger animals, whose singular colour and markings could not be mistaken. They were _dauws_, or, in the clumsy language of the closet naturalists, "Burch.e.l.l's zebras," (_Equus Burch.e.l.lii_). It has been already stated that this species differs from the true zebra in several respects. Its ground colour is light sienna, while that of the zebra is nearly white. The stripes upon the former are dark brown, while those of the latter are pure black; but the most characteristic difference in the markings is, that in the true zebra the stripes continue in rings down the legs to the very hoofs, while in the dauw the legs are white.