Hendricks the Hunter Part 9

Lionel got ahead of him, and also pulling up fired, and stopped the career of another of the herd.

"Capital!" cried Denis. "If we kill nothing else to-day, we shall have done very well."

There was certainly no chance of their catching the rest of the waterbok, which, das.h.i.+ng down to the river, swam across, and were half-way up the opposite bank before the hors.e.m.e.n had reached the brink.

A little higher up was a ford, and they might have crossed at once, but neither they nor their horses were inclined to do so without drinking.

Their steeds rus.h.i.+ng in, soon had their noses in the refres.h.i.+ng liquid.

They all three dismounted, although they had to step into the water; but as the bottom was hard, no mud was raised, and they lapped up the liquid in their palms. They were soon joined by Gozo, who had thrown the second waterbok killed by Lionel across his horse. As he had no shoes, and his legs were bare, he walked farther across the ford, and he and his horse followed their example. Presently he shouted out in Kaffir, and Lionel exclaimed--

"He says that he sees a crocodile, and there may be more near. We had better get out of the water as fast as we can, or one of us or a horse may be caught hold of."

Percy, who, although as brave as any fellow, had a great horror of the voracious creatures, quickly led his horse out of the water.

"Come away, come away!" he shouted. "I see one of the brutes on the opposite side eyeing us, and he'll be making a dash in this direction presently, if we don't get on sh.o.r.e."

Lionel and Denis laughed, and deliberately led their unwilling steeds to the sh.o.r.e.

"Tell Gozo to make haste. The crocodile is moving--it is coming towards him. I'm sure it is!" cried Percy.

Gozo, looking round, seemed to think the same, for throwing himself on horseback, he urged on his animal to the bank. He was only just in time, for the crocodile came on rapidly.

"Shout, shout!" cried Denis, and they all shouted together.

He took also still more effectual means of stopping the animal by firing at its head; with what effect he could not tell, except that the creature swerved from its course, and away it went swimming down the stream, probably frightened as much by the shouts as by the tap of the bullet on its skull.

"Now I vote we have some dinner," cried Denis. "We have plenty of food, that's a good thing to be thankful for; but we will be prudent, and not pitch our camp close to the stream, or one of those gentlemen may take a fancy to interrupt us while we enjoy our meal, and make a meal of us."

Matches having been introduced in those days, and there being an abundance of dry wood about, a fire was quickly lighted, a couple of hundred yards or so from the bank, on a stony spot where there was no risk of igniting the herbage. The horses were knee-haltered and turned loose, and the young hunters set themselves diligently to work to cook their venison and warm up some mealy cakes which they had brought in their saddle-bags; a small kettle was put on to boil, and tea was made.

Pepper and salt were not wanting, and although they had no milk, they agreed that they could very well dispense with that luxury, especially as they had plenty of sugar.

"Well, this is what I call jolly," cried Percy. "Although my throat now feels as if a flowing stream had run down it, pleasanter than being like a dust bin, I'll trouble you, Denis, for another cup of tea."

They were too hungry to wait until their meat was cooked, so they nibbled their cakes and sipped their tea while waiting, till Denis p.r.o.nounced the venison fit for the table. It was very juicy, and certainly not overdone. Gozo had in the meantime disposed of a couple of slices before they were well warmed through.

"I say," said Percy, "we must not spend much time here, if we are to get back before dark. I had no idea how fast time had gone by; it is two o'clock already. Fortunately we have more game than we can carry home on our horses, and we need not be ashamed of ourselves."

"I should like first to knock over another wildebeest, or an elephant, if one were to come in our way," said Denis. "The tusks would be of more value than all the meat we have obtained, as I have no doubt Hendricks will have brought in more than we shall."

As he spoke, he leant back to enjoy that rest which a hunter can best appreciate.

"Still I advise that we should not delay," said Percy. "Hendricks told us to get back before dark, and we promised to do so. It would be no valid excuse to say that we were tempted to stop longer than we intended, for the sake of hunting even the most valuable game."

"Your are right," answered Denis. "Just hand me another cup of tea, there's a good fellow. I don't feel I have had quite enough liquid to supply the amount evaporated during the morning."

"That was a curious story you were telling me of yourself, Lionel,"

observed Percy; "I am more interested than you may suppose. Should you like to find your real father and mother?"

"Indeed, I should," answered Lionel; "for young as I was, I fancy I remember my mother. I have often in my sleep seen her standing by my bedside and watching over me. I was very fond of Aunt Susannah. Still I never looked upon her as my mother. She was very different to the lady I remember."

"Then you think your mother was a lady?" asked Percy.

"I am certain of it," answered Lionel; "and a very charming lady, too.

I am as sure of that as I am of my own existence."

While they were speaking, Gozo, who had been looking about him, cried out in a low voice, pointing to the river, "See, see!"

As they sat up, they observed a troop of elephants approaching the ford from the opposite side.

"We must try and get a shot at one of those fellows," exclaimed Denis, looking round to ascertain where the horses were feeding. Satisfied that they were well away from the track the elephants were likely to take, he began creeping along towards some bushes close to the river, at no great distance from the ford.

"The young master knows what he is about," whispered Gozo to Lionel, as they followed behind Percy, who had kept close to Denis.

They reached the bush without the elephants having observed them. The animals came on, and arranged themselves along the bank, some going into the ford, while others kept on dry ground, near enough to dip their trunks into the water. Having satisfied their thirst, they commenced squirting the water over their backs, so as to give themselves a pleasant shower bath that hot day, appearing to be in no hurry to proceed. The party in ambush began to fear that they would move back the way they had come, and that there would be no chance of getting a shot at them.

"The time is pa.s.sing, and we ought to be on our way to camp," whispered Percy. "Would it not be better to give up the chance of killing an elephant to-day? We could not carry home the tusks, and it would be a long distance to send for them."

"Hendricks won't mind that. We might carry them between us part of the way, and they are too valuable to be lost," answered Denis; "but see, what is that fellow about?"

He pointed to one of the elephants who had gone farther into the ford than the rest. He was slowly moving across; now he stopped and looked back at his companions, then he went on again: from the way he lifted his legs it was evident that he was dragging something attached to one of them. Another elephant followed the first, the largest in the herd.

As the former got into the more shallow water, near the bank where the young hunters lay concealed, what was their astonishment to perceive that he had a huge crocodile clinging to his leg, just below the knee!

The saurian seemed to have fixed its sharp teeth so securely in the tough skin of the elephant that it could not withdraw them. At all events, it made no attempt to get free. Perhaps it held on under the idea that it would be able to bring the elephant to the ground and feast off its body. If so, it was greatly mistaken. The elephant seemed in no way alarmed, but went on dragging the creature along with it. When it reached the bank, it uttered a peculiar cry and stood still. On this the largest elephant came hurrying up, and winding his trunk round the body of the crocodile, which he pressed against his tusks--he dragged it by main force from the leg of his companion, then lifting it in the air, walked with stately pace--the creature vainly struggling to free itself--till he reached a stiff forked, th.o.r.n.y tree of moderate height, and without more ado, raising the crocodile as high as he could, he brought its body down with a tremendous crash on the pointed branches, where he left it impaled, struggling, but ineffectually, to free itself.

Its escape was as hopeless as a poor c.o.c.kchafer pinned by a cruel boy to a board.

The elephants regarded its struggles with evident satisfaction. They were little aware of the danger they themselves were in from the bullets of the hunters. The leader at length gave vent to a triumphant trumpeting, and moved on, followed by his companions, at a leisurely pace; but instead of coming near the bush where the hunters lay concealed, they turned in the opposite direction. To fire would have been utterly useless. The tough hide of an elephant will turn a bullet, unless discharged at a short distance, and even then it can only penetrate at certain parts with any chance of killing. The hunters waited still hoping that one of the hindermost elephants might turn aside and come nearer to them. But the last went by, following the footsteps of the leader, and all chance of getting a shot was over, unless they were to start up, and by going ahead of the herd, have time to conceal themselves in another ambush until the animals came past them.

Denis wanted to do this, but Percy reminded him that they were already late, and that after all they might miss the elephants.

"I suppose you are right," answered Denis, reluctantly; "but I vote, before we start, that we take another slice of venison. I have scarcely had enough, and it may be a long time before we get any food in these wild regions. It is always better to eat when we can, in case we should have nothing to put into our mouths later. You will see that Gozo follows my principle."

The fire had kept burning, and probably caused the elephants to turn aside away from it. As there was no necessity for further concealment, the party returned to their camp. Gozo proved that Denis was right, by cutting off some huge slices, which in spite of the quant.i.ty he had before eaten, he quickly stowed away in his inside. The horses were feeding at no great distance off, so that they could keep watch over them. They had hitherto been perfectly quiet, notwithstanding the proximity of the elephants, cropping such tufts of gra.s.s as they could find here and there, or the tender shoots of trees. Suddenly they began to move about uneasily. First one lifted up its head and gazed around, then another and another did the same Gozo observing them looked anxious and said something to Denis. At that instant, before they could rise to their feet, a dozen Zulus, who had crept up unperceived, suddenly sprang up as if from the ground, holding their a.s.segais poised in their hands, and completely surrounded them.

Lionel, who was rapid in all his movements, lifted his rifle to fire.

"Don't do that!" cried Denis, in time to stop him; "it would be the signal to them to kill us. We are in for it, and must try to make friends with them."

Percy, who was looking towards the horses, cried out,--"They have got hold of them all."

Several Zulus had in the meantime caught the animals, and were now leading them up towards the camp.

It was evident that an attempt to escape would be useless, so the young hunters sat still, as did Gozo, who looked very much astonished, not being able to make out why the Zulus had captured them. They were fierce-looking fellows, some of them being apparently chiefs, for they wore kilts of monkey or cat skins round their waists. Their b.r.e.a.s.t.s and backs were covered with ox-tails, while their heads were adorned with caps of monkey skins, in which were stuck tall plumes composed of ostrich and crane feathers. The rest of the men had very little clothing beyond a small kilt of skins round their waists. They all carried s.h.i.+elds on their arms and a bundle of a.s.segais in their hands.

Denis was the first to recover from his astonishment, and turning toward one who appeared to be their leader, he asked in as quiet a tone as he could command--

"Why have you thus come suddenly upon us, while we were enjoying our repast? Such is not the way the Zulus behave towards their friends the English."

"We knew not whether you were English or boers, and we found you hunting in our territory," answered the chief.

"The English have never been prevented from hunting wherever they choose throughout Zululand," answered Denis.

"That matters not at present," said the chief. "You are our prisoners; you must accompany us to our king, and beware that you make no resistance or attempt to escape."