A Dash from Diamond City Part 20

"There!" cried West pettishly. "I felt sure that you would ridicule my plans."

"Then you were all wrong, lad," cried Ingleborough warmly, "for, so far from ridiculing your plans, I think them capital. There's success in them from the very cheek of the idea--I beg your pardon: I ought to say audacity. Why, of course, if we can only keep clear of the wandering commandos--and I think we can if we travel only by night--we shall find that nearly everyone is over the border on the way to the siege of Kimberley, and when we stop at a farm, as we shall be obliged to for provisions, we shall only find women and children."

"But they'll give warning of our having been there on our way to Mafeking."

"No, they will not. How will they know that we are going to Mafeking if we don't tell them? I'm afraid we must make up a tale. Perhaps you'll be best at that. I'm not clever at fibbing."

"I don't see that we need tell the people lies," said West shortly.

"Then we will not," said his companion. "Perhaps we shall not be asked; but if we are I shall say that we are going right away from the fighting because we neither of us want to kill any Boers."

"Humph!" grunted West.

"What, doesn't that suit you? It's true enough. I don't want to kill any Boers, and I'm sure you don't. Why, when you come to think that we shall be telling this to women whose husbands, sons, or brothers have been commandoed, we are sure to be treated as friends."

"We had better act on your plan," said West, "and then we need make up no tales."

"Wait a minute," said Ingleborough. "Pull up."

West obeyed, and their ponies began to nibble the herbage.

"Now listen: can you hear anything?"

West was silent for nearly a minute, pa.s.sed in straining his ears to catch the slightest sound.

"Nothing," he said at last.

"Nothing," said his companion. "Let's jump down!"

West followed his companion's example, and swung himself out of the saddle.

"Now get between the nags' heads and hold them still. You and they will form three sides of a square: I'm going to be the fourth."

"What for?"

"To light a match."

"Oh, don't stop to smoke now," said West reproachfully. "Let's get on."

"Who's going to smoke, old Jump-at-conclusions? I'm going to carry out our plan."

_Scratch_! and a match blazed up, revealing Ingleborough's face as he bent down over it to examine something bright held in one hand-- something he tried to keep steady till the match burned close to his fingers and was crushed out.

"Horses' heads are now pointing due north," he said. "Keep where you are till I'm mounted. That's right! Now then, up you get! That's right! Now then! Right face--forward!"

"But you're going east."

"Yes," said Ingleborough, with a little laugh, "and I'm going with West or by West all the same. We must keep on till we get to the railway, cross it, and then get over the border as soon as we can."

"What, follow out my plan?"

"Of course! It's ten times better than mine. Look here, my dear boy, you are a deal too modest. Recollect that you are in command, and that my duty is to obey."

"Nonsense!"

"Sense, sir; sound sense. I've got enough in my head to know when a thing's good, and you may depend upon my opposing you if I feel that you are going to act foolishly. Once for all, your idea's capital, lad; so let's get on as fast as we can till daybreak, and then we can lie up in safely in the enemy's country."

In due course the railway was reached, a breeze springing up and sweeping the sky clear so that they had a better chance of avoiding obstacles in the way, and as soon as they were well over the line the ponies were kept at a canter, which was only checked here and there over broken ground. This, however, became more plentiful as the night glided away, but the rough land and low kopjes were the only difficulties that they encountered on the enemy's side of the border, where they pa.s.sed a farm or two, rousing barking dogs, which kept on baying till the fugitives were out of hearing.

At last the pale streak right in front warned them that daylight was coming on fast, and they searched the country as they cantered on till away more to the north a rugged eminence clearly seen against the sky suggested itself as the sort of spot they required, and they now hurried their ponies on till they came to a rus.h.i.+ng, bubbling stream running in the right direction.

"Our guide, Noll," said Ingleborough quietly; "that will lead us right up to the kopje, where we shall find a resting-place, a good spot for hiding, and plenty of water as well."

All proved as Ingleborough had so lightly stated; but before they reached the shelter amongst the piled-up ma.s.ses of granite and ironstone, with shady trees growing in the cracks and crevices, their gla.s.ses showed them quite half-a-dozen farms dotted about the plain.

They were in great doubt as to whether they were unseen when they had to dismount and lead their willing steeds into a snug little amphitheatre surrounded by rocks and trees, while the hollow itself was rich with pasturage such as the horses loved best, growing upon both sides of the clear stream whose sources were high up among the rocks.

"You see to hobbling the ponies, Noll," said Ingleborough, "while I get up as high as I can with my gla.s.s and give an eye to the farms. If we've been seen someone will soon be after us. We can't rest till we know. But eat your breakfast, and I'll nibble mine while I watch.

Don't take off the saddles and bridles."

West did as he was requested, and ate sparingly while he watched the horses browsing for quite an hour, before Ingleborough came down from the highest part of the kopje.

"It's all right," he said. "Let's have off the saddles and bridles now.

Have you hobbled them well?"

"Look," said West.

"Capital. I didn't doubt you; but you might have made a mistake, and if we dropped asleep and woke up to find that the ponies were gone it would be fatal to your despatch."

"Yes; but one of us must keep watch while the other sleeps."

"It's of no use to try, my lad. It isn't to be done. If we're going to get into Mafeking in a business-like condition we must have food and rest. Come, the horses will not straggle away from this beautiful moist gra.s.s, so let's lie down in this shady cave with its soft sandy bottom and sleep hard till sunset. Then we must be up and away again."

"But anxiety won't let me sleep," said West. "I'll sit down and watch till you wake, and then I'll have a short sleep while you take my place."

"Very well," said Ingleborough, smiling.

"What are you laughing at?" said West, frowning.

"I was only thinking that you had a very hard day yesterday and that you have had an arduous time riding through the night."

"Yes, of course."

"Well, nature is nature! Try and keep awake if you can! I'm going to lie flat on my back and sleep. You'll follow my example in less than an hour."

"I--will--not!" said West emphatically.

But he did, as he sat back resting his shoulders against the rock and gazing out from the mouth of the cave where they had made themselves comfortable at the beautiful sunlit veldt, till it all grew dark as if a veil had been drawn over his eyes.

It was only the lids which had closed, and then, perfectly unconscious, he sank over sidewise till he lay p.r.o.ne on the soft sand, sleeping heavily, till a hand was laid upon his shoulder and he started into wakefulness, to see that the sun had set, that the shadows were gathering over the veldt, and then that Ingleborough was smiling in his face.