A Dash from Diamond City Part 16

"Is there plenty of gra.s.s?"

"Plenty, baas. Bullock much eat and drink."

The information proved quite correct, for within the specified time--the team having stepped out more readily, guided as they were by their instinct to where water, gra.s.s, and rest awaited them--and soon after the great orange globe had risen above what looked like the rim of the world, the wagon was pulled up at the edge of a broad crack in the dusty plain, where the bottom of the spruit could be seen full of rich green gra.s.s besprinkled with flowers, through which ran the clear waters of an abundant stream.

A fire was soon lighted, a billy hung over it to boil, and Anson, after watching the team, which had dragged their load so well and so far, munching away at the juicy gra.s.s, began to get out the necessaries connected with his own meal.

"Hah!" he said softly, as he rubbed his hands; "sorry I haven't got my two fellow-clerks to breakfast: it would have been so nice and Ugh!" he growled, shading his eyes to give a final look round, for there in the distance, evidently following the track by which he had come through the night, there was a little knot of hors.e.m.e.n cantering along, and from time to time there came a flash of light caused by the horizontal beams of the sun striking upon rifle-barrel or sword.

Anson's hands dropped to his sides, and he looked to right, left, and behind him as if meditating flight. Then his eyes went in the direction of his oxen, freshly outspanned, but he turned frowningly away as he felt that even with the team already in their places, the lumbering bullocks could not have been forced into a speed which the horses could not have overtaken in a few yards at a canter.

Then he shaded his eyes again to have a good look at the party of hors.e.m.e.n.

"Police," he said, in a hiss. "Yes, and that's Norton. _Hfff_!"

He drew in his breath, making a peculiar sound, and then, as if satisfied with the course he meant to pursue, he went back to the fire and continued his preparations for his meal, apparently paying no heed to the party of mounted police till they cantered up and came to a halt by the wagon.

"Hallo, constables!" cried Anson boisterously; "who'd have thought of seeing--Why, it's you, Mr Norton!"

"Yes," said the superintendent. "You seem surprised!"

"Why, of course I am. Got something on the way? Anyone been smuggling stones?"

"Yes," said the officer shortly.

"Sorry for them then, for I suppose you mean to catch 'em."

"I do," said the officer warningly.

"That's right; I'm just going to have some breakfast: will you have a snack with me?"

"No, thank you. I'm on business."

"Ah, you are a busy man, Mr Norton; but let bygones be bygones. Have a snack with me! You're welcome."

"I told you I was on business, Master Anson. Now, if you please, where are you going?"

"Where am I going?" said Anson warmly. "Why, down south. What's the good of my staying in Kimberley?"

"I can't answer that question, sir. Where's your pa.s.s?"

"Pa.s.s? What pa.s.s?"

"Your permit from the magistrate to leave the town."

"Permit? Nonsense!" cried Anson. "I'm turned out of the mine offices, and I'm not going to sit and starve. No one will give me work without a character. You know that."

The superintendent nodded.

"Perhaps not," he said; "but you are still a suspect, and you have no right to leave the town."

"I'm not a prisoner," said Anson defiantly, "and I'm going on my lawful way. What have you to say to that?"

"In plain English, that I believe you are going off to escape arrest and to carry off your plunder."

"My what? Plunder? Why, it's sickening! Didn't you come to my place and thoroughly search it?"

"I did search your room, but found nothing, because I believe you had everything too well hidden. Now then, if you please, what have you got in your wagon?"

"Nothing but provisions and my clothes! Why?"

"Because of your sudden flight."

"My sudden what?" said Anson, laughing.

"You know what I said, sir. Your sudden flight!"

"My sudden nonsense!" cried Anson angrily. "I have told you why I came away."

"Yes," said the superintendent; "but I'm not satisfied that this move does not mean that you have smuggled diamonds here with you to carry to where you can dispose of them."

"Well, it's of no use to argue with a policeman," said Anson coolly.

"You had better make another search."

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

ANOTHER SEARCH.

"That's just what I'm going to do, Master Anson," was the reply, given sternly.

"All right," said Anson nonchalantly. "Search away; but, if I was in the police and had a good tip given me as to where the plunder I was after had been planted, I don't think I should waste time hunting blind leads, and letting the real culprits have plenty of time to get away."

"But then you are not in the police, sir," said the superintendent, with a nod. "So first of all I'll let my men run over you and your Kaffirs."

"Wait till I've lit a cigar first," said Anson, taking out a case, and then laughing, for the police officer was watching him keenly. "That's right; there are three or four diamonds in every one of these cigars, and as I smoke you'll notice that I don't burn much of the end I light, but that I keep on biting off bits of the leaf till I get to the diamonds, and then I swallow them."

He held out his cigar-case, and the superintendent took it and began to feel the cigars, till Anson burst out laughing.

"Don't pinch them too hard," he cried, "or you'll break them, and then they won't draw."

The officer returned the cigar-case with an angry e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n, and glanced round as if hesitating where to begin, while the horses of his men began to imitate the action of the oxen, nibbling away at the rich gra.s.s surrounding the pleasant spring.

"I say, Robert," said Anson, and the superintendent started at the familiar nickname: "I'd look smart over the business, for the Boers have been here lately to water their horses, and if they should by any chance come back it might mean a journey for you and your men to Pretoria."

"And you too, if they did come," said the officer surlily.