With Rifle and Bayonet Part 38

"We shall start to-night, of course," answered Jack after a long pause.

"We have been told that it is important that our despatches should get through as early as possible, and by setting out as soon as darkness falls we ought to be at the Tugela by to-morrow night. Then, as regards the road. I was chatting with 'Israel', the native runner, a few days ago, and he told me that patrols of Boers were scouring the country everywhere, particularly to east and west, on either side of their lines of trenches. It seems to me that, that being the case, a bold course will be the safest. We could walk over to the neutral camp at Intombi Spruit this evening, to visit the hospitals, and then cut across for Nelthorpe. We shall be within twelve miles of the river, and with luck might even cross it before morning. If not, there must be plenty of dongas in which we could hide up for the day and keep out of sight of the Boers."

"By Jove, I like that idea!" exclaimed Poynter with a gay laugh, "and we'll have a shot at getting through to-night. What shall we carry with us?"

"Our rifles and bayonets, and some provisions; enough to last three days," Jack answered. "I think we've settled everything now, so I'll go across to my friends. Expect me back at five o'clock, and we'll stroll over to Intombi Spruit. Take my advice, Poynter, have the magazine of your rifle filled in readiness for a tussle."

"Trust me!" answered Poynter. "Well, so long, Jack! I'll see you at five."

Jack left him sitting in the shade of the tent inspecting his rifle, with which every officer was now armed in place of a sword, the latter having by its conspicuousness led to the death of many a poor fellow who had been deliberately picked off by the Boer sharpshooters. Then he walked across to Guy Richardson, who was progressing well, and afterwards sat down and had a long chat with Mr Hunter.

"Good-bye, Jack, lad!" said the latter as the time arrived for his young friend to keep his appointment with Poynter. "You're the most venturesome young fellow I have ever come across, and if all goes well, as I feel sure it will, we shall meet again before long. Give my love to the wife when you get through, and tell all the boys that when we've eaten all our horses we'll take to chewing gra.s.s before we hand over Ladysmith and ourselves to the Boers. Wasn't I right, old boy, when I told you long ago up in Johnny's Burg that Kruger and his pleasant friends had a surprise in store for us. Ha, ha! they were going to drive us into the sea, and eat fish dinners in Durban! And they had got all the guns and men ready close to the frontier too! Remember that.

We've just checked them now, that's all, and both sides are sitting still, watching one another. But, bless you! that won't win this grand country for the Boers. They should be up and doing; instead of that, they act on the defensive alone, save here and at Kimberley and Mafeking, where we've pinched their tails pretty sharply for them whenever they have attacked. And all the while our reinforcements are pouring into the country. Mark my words, Jack. We've had a troublous time, and we've lost many gallant lives, and shall lose more yet; but the tide is on the turn, and soon it will be sweeping in full flood, not towards the coast, but across the Orange Free State to Pretoria."

"Yes, I feel sure it will all come right in the end," answered Jack, "and you may be certain of this, when that tide does turn I shall be somewhere near the front, and on my way to renew my acquaintance with his honour the President of the Transvaal Republic."

Jack shook hands cordially with Mr Hunter, promised to remember his messages, and departed to join young Poynter. He found him burning with impatience, and longing to set out.

Half an hour later they were sauntering across to Intombi Spruit, and here they remained till darkness fell. Then they set out as if to return to Ladysmith, for there was no saying that a spy might not be watching them, and, slipping amongst a pile of boulders, they waited for some moments to make sure that they were not followed. Ten minutes later they had cut across to the left, and were tramping silently over the veldt in the direction of Nelthorpe. For two hours they kept on steadily, Jack carefully selecting a path which took them clear of boulders and rocky ground. Then suddenly, as they climbed to the summit of a long incline, they came in sight of an extended line of fires flickering in front of them, and stretching on either hand as far as they could see.

"The road is over to our left," whispered Jack, "and our best plan will be to cut down to it boldly, and endeavour to slip through the lines.

We shall have to be very cautious, for there must be sentries posted."

After another glance at the twinkling dots of fire, Jack and his friend pushed forward, but with renewed caution, and nearly an hour later struck the main wagon-road leading through Nelthorpe and Pieters to Colenso. Then, walking along on the turf which skirted the beaten track, they slowly approached the lines in which the Boers were camped.

Soon a large collection of tents away on their left attracted their attention, while the nickering embers now and again showed up a solitary canvas shelter, or a tented wagon, in which no doubt those of the burghers who were not on duty were asleep.

Suddenly the clatter of hoofs sounded behind them, and a few moments later a pony cantered past, bearing a man upon its back.

Jack and his friend lay flat on the ground as the rider pa.s.sed, and were on the point of rising to their feet again when the pony was pulled up almost in front of them, and a voice called out a little farther on, in execrable English, which had a highly flavoured foreign accent: "Stop there! Who is that? Advance and give the pa.s.s-word."

"Going rounds," was the answer. Then the rider walked his pony a few feet towards the sentry, who could now be seen in the centre of the road.

"Ha, you are wide-awake, I see!" the former exclaimed in a loud tone.

"It is only right that you and your friends from the Free State should do something to help us. Be ready to pa.s.s a convoy of wagons. We are sending down stores and ammunition to Colenso, besides a few boxes of special sh.e.l.ls for the big guns. Remember, 'Kruger' is the pa.s.s-word.

Shoot anyone who does not know it." A moment later the Boer had ridden away, and the sentry retired into the darkness at the farther side of the road.

"Come back here, Poynter," whispered Jack, pulling him gently by the sleeve.

Rising to their feet, they stepped noiselessly across the turf, and retired some hundred yards from the road.

"Look here, Poynter, are you ready to try a risky game?" exclaimed Jack shortly, when they were well out of ear-shot of the sentry. "If so, I believe I have got hold of an idea which will get us safely through the Boer lines."

"Of course I am," the young officer replied, with a gay laugh. "I place myself altogether in your hands, and will back you up through thick and thin. So heave ahead, and tell me all about it."

"To creep through those lines ahead of us will be next door to impossible," said Jack, "for in the dark we might stumble right up against a sentry, and if the alarm was once given we should have to make a dash back towards Intombi Spruit. Now, it occurred to me that we might get a lift amongst the wagons of this convoy. Each one will be driven by a Kafir, who most likely will be walking alongside his team.

Let us select a covered cart and slip into it. There ought to be little difficulty about it this dark night, and if we are lucky we might even get into one drawn by a mule team, and afterwards make use of the animals."

"By George, Jack, what a thing to think of!" exclaimed Poynter in delight. "Why, it's about the biggest bit of cheek I ever heard of.

Still, it is just the kind of dodge to end successfully, and we'll do as you say."

"Ah! I am glad you approve," Jack answered quietly; "and now all we have to do is to sit down and wait for the convoy to turn up. By the way, to avoid confusion I will pull your sleeve when the right wagon comes along, and then, while you jump in behind, I will slip in in front. Look out in case someone happens to be inside. It would be a bit of bad luck, and if we failed to silence him, there would be nothing for it but to bolt back to Ladysmith as fast as our legs would take us."

Poynter gave a low grunt to show that he understood, and a minute later, having arranged all their plans, the two young fellows crept down to the edge of the road once more, and hid up in an old and deserted Kafir hut which stood some hundreds of yards from the sentry. They had scarcely settled down when the low rumble of wheels in the distance attracted their attention, and looking back towards Ladysmith, they saw a couple of lanterns suddenly appear within a short distance of them. There was a hoa.r.s.e shout and a gruff reply as the driver answered the challenge, while at the same moment the rays from the lanterns flashed upon a low, tented wagon, drawn by a long team of mules, at whose head the figure of a Kafir was for one brief second silhouetted against the light, to be swallowed up in the darkness immediately after. Then another wagon came into view, to be followed by another and another, each one of the long string which composed the convoy being inspected by the men who carried the lanterns.

"The first one that comes along is the one for us," whispered Jack.

"The driver is on this side of his team, so we will skip over to the other side of the road. Wait till the wagon is directly in front, and then hop in as quickly as you can."

"Right! I understand," was Poynter's answer.

By this time the convoy of stores was close at hand, creeping slowly along the road, for many of the teams were composed of oxen, and were consequently incapable of covering much more than two miles in an hour.

There were a few minutes of suspense, and then the mules which were leading filed past Jack and his friend like so many ghosts, followed by a lumbering, creaking wagon which groaned and rattled at every inequality in the road.

Jack pressed Poynter's arm, and instantly both rose from the ground and darted towards the vehicle. With a spring Jack landed upon the driving-board, and, diving beneath the ap.r.o.n of the tent, crawled on to the top of a pile of mealie bags. Suddenly his hand fell upon the face of someone who was lying stretched fast asleep on top of the bags, and set his heart thumping heavily with the shock. A second later he had clapped his other hand over the sleeper's mouth, and called gently to his comrade to help him. But long before Poynter had grasped the awkward situation, Jack and the stranger were engaged in a desperate struggle, the former with both hands clasped across the man's mouth, and the Boer--for such he proved to be--endeavouring to clutch Jack by the throat. A moment later Poynter had come to the rescue, and long before the line of the enemy's fires was reached the sleepy burgher was bound hand and foot with cords taken from the mealie bags, while Jack's handkerchief was secured in his mouth. Then he was lifted to one side, with Poynter in attendance, while Jack stretched himself full-length upon the bags, and peeped out through the opening in the tent.

It seemed an age before the sentry was reached, but suddenly the same foreign voice as before called out: "Who goes there?"

Jack waited a moment, and as the Kafir driver in charge of the team of mules did not answer, he guessed that the Boer he had discovered asleep upon the mealies was intended to give the pa.s.s-word.

"Convoy for Colenso!" he called out in a sleepy voice. "Give the pa.s.s-word!" replied the sentry, lifting a lantern and flas.h.i.+ng the light upon the wagon.

"'Kruger'," Jack called out in a still more sleepy voice, and as if he were just stifling a yawn.

"Pa.s.s, convoy; all's well!" the sentry exclaimed, and a minute later the wagon rumbled by him, and the man in charge of the next was heard giving the pa.s.s-word.

"Thank goodness that's over!" whispered Jack, slipping back to Poynter's side. "Now, we have nothing more to do but to keep this fellow quiet and wait."

"And what then!" asked Poynter, with a chuckle. "What are we going to do?"

"You said you'd stick by me through thick and thin," Jack replied, "and by Jove, I'm not only going to get through to Buller with General White's despatches, but I'll take this wagon with me. Are you ready for the job?"

"Ready?" asked Poynter, scarcely able to repress a shout of excitement.

"Try me and you'll see soon enough. It would be grand. We should create quite a stir in the camp!"

"Then it's settled!" answered Jack shortly. "But get your gun ready in case of accidents, and whatever you do, keep an eye on that fellow's gag."

Poynter gave another chuckle expressive of intense enjoyment, and, unslinging his rifle, sat down close to his captive, while Jack once more crawled to the front of the wagon.

An hour later the convoy pa.s.sed through Pieters, being challenged by the Boer sentries, and coming to a halt close to the railway-station. But no one came near them. The Kafir drivers left their teams standing, and, taking buckets from beneath the axles of the wagons, went to a stream and procured water, which they gave to their thirsty animals.

Jack kept his eye upon the tall Zulu in charge of the mules, and watched him watering them. Then, as the man jumped on the driving-board, he stretched himself full-length on the mealie bags and snored loudly as if fast asleep. A moment later the Zulu put his head into the tent, and pulling him by the coat asked him whether he should push on, in a language composed of English, Dutch, and Zulu. Jack sat up and yawned in the most natural manner, and growled out an unintelligible answer.

Then he pushed the man off the wagon, as if angry with him for waking him, and lay down once more. And all the time the young staff-officer sat beside his unwilling captive, with his hand over his mouth so as to make sure that he could not give an alarm.

It was touch and go, but no doubt the Kaffir driver had experienced the ill-temper of his Boer master before, and taking the gruff answer as an order, he sent the lash of his sjambok over the heads of the mules, with a crack as sharp as the report of a rifle, and started them along the road to Colenso.

Three hours later there was another halt, and, peering out through the back of the wagon, Jack noticed that all but the leading dozen wagons had turned aside, and their teams were being outspanned upon the veldt.

Soon a horseman carrying a lantern rode up and gave a gruff order, and once more the wagons were set in motion.

Just as the dawn was beginning to break they reached the road bridge over the River Tugela, and having trundled across it, pushed on towards Colenso.