The Settler and the Savage

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER TWENTY.

  TREATS OF THE DELIGHTS, DANGERS, AND DISTRESSES OF THE WILDERNESS.

  "Afar in the desert,"--far beyond the frontier settlements of thecolony, far from the influences of civilisation, in the home of the wildbeast and the savage, the explorers now ride under the blaze of thenoontide sun.

  They had passed over mountain and dale into the burning plains of thekarroo, and for many hours had travelled without water or shelter fromthe scorching heat. Lucas Van Dyk, who guided them, said he knew wherewater was to be got, but there was no possibility of reaching it beforeevening. This announcement was received in silence, for not a drop ofthe life-giving fluid had passed the lips of man or beast since an earlyhour on the previous day, and their powers of endurance were being triedseverely. The insupportable heat not only increased the thirst, butrendered the hunters less able to bear it. All round them the airquivered with the radiation from the glaring sand, and occasionally the_mirage_ appeared with its delicious prospects of relief, but as theDutchmen knew the ground well, none were deceived by it, though all weretantalised. Compressing their lips, and urging their wearied cattle tothe utmost, they pushed steadily on, no sound breaking the stillness ofthe desert save the creak of a waggon-wheel or the groan of an exhaustedanimal.

  At last Charlie Considine sought to relieve his feelings byconversation.

  "This is one of the unpleasant experiences of African travel."

  Hans Marais, to whom the remark was made, replied "Ja," but as he addednothing more, and looked stern, Charlie relapsed into silence.

  Ere long one of the weaker oxen fell. The party halted a few minutes,while the Hottentot drivers plied their cruel whips unmercifully, but invain. One more merciful than the drivers was there--death came torelease the poor animal. Immediately, as if by magic, vultures appearedin the burning sky. From the far-off horizon they came sailing by twosand threes, as if some invisible messenger, like death himself, had gonewith lightning-speed to tell that a banquet awaited them.

  No time was wasted; a brief word from the leader sufficed. The dying oxwas released from the yoke that had galled it so long, and the partyproceeded. Before they were a mile off the ox was dead, its eyes wereout, its carcass torn open, and the obscene birds were gorgingthemselves. Before night it was an empty skeleton covered with a driedhide! Not many hours would suffice to remove the hide and leave onlythe bleaching bones. Such remains are familiar objects on South Africanroadsides.

  That evening, according to their leader's prophecy, water was reached.It was a thick muddy pool, but it sufficed to relieve them all, and anight of comparative comfort followed a day of suffering.

  Next morning, just after breakfast, a herd of springboks was observed,and several of the more eager of the party dashed off in pursuit. Amongthese was Considine, Hans, Andrew Rivers, and Jerry Goldboy. The twolast were always first in the mad pursuit of game, and caused theirplacid Dutch friends no little anxiety by the scrapes they frequentlyran themselves into.

  "Follow them, they'll get lost," said Van Dyk to a group of Hottentots.

  Two of these, Slinger and Dikkop, obeyed the order.

  The antelopes were on a distant sandhill in the plain. There were twogroups of them. Riven and Jerry made for one of these. Becomingsuddenly imbued with an idea worthy of a hunter, Jerry diverged to theright, intending to allow his companion to start the game, while heshould lie in wait for it under the shelter of a bush. Unfortunatelythe game took the opposite direction when started, so that Jerry wasthrown entirely out. As it chanced, however, this did not matter much,for Jerry's horse, becoming unmanageable, took to its heels and dashedaway wildly over the plain, followed by Dikkop the Hottentot.

  "Mind the ant-bear holes!" shouted Dikkop, but as he shouted in DutchJerry did not understand him, and devoted himself to vain endeavours torestrain the horse. At first the animal looked after itself and avoidedthe holes referred to, but as Jerry kept tugging furiously at the reinsit became reckless, and finally put a fore-leg into a hole. Instantlyit rolled over, and the hunter flew off its back, turning a completesomersault in the air.

  A low shrub grows in the karroo, called the ill-tempered thorn. Itresembles a mass of miniature porcupine quills, an inch or two inlength, planted as thickly as possible together, with the needle-pointsup and bristling. On one of these shrubs poor Jerry alighted!

  "Oh! 'eavens, this is hagony!" he groaned, jumping up and stamping,while Dikkop almost fell off his horse with laughing.

  To hide his mirth he bolted off in pursuit of Jerry's charger, which hesoon caught and brought back, looking supernaturally grave.

  "We will rejoin the 'unters, Dikkop," said Jerry, in the tone of a manwho endeavours to conceal his sufferings.

  "Ja, Mynheer," said Dikkop.

  Whatever Jerry Goldboy might have said, that Hottentot would havereplied "Ja, Mynheer," for he understood not a word of English.

  Jerry mounted with an ill-suppressed groan and rode back to the party,leaning very much forward in the saddle, while Dikkop followed, showingthe white teeth in his dirty black visage from ear to ear.

  Rivers soon afterwards returned with a springbok behind him, but therewas no appearance of Considine or Hans. As, however, the latter wasknown to be an experienced traveller, no anxiety was felt for them, andthe main party proceeded on its way. When night came they found that awell, on which they had counted, was dried up, and were thereforeobliged to lie down without water. Several shots were fired after darkto guide the absent ones, but no reply was made. Still, those in campfelt no anxiety, knowing that Hans was quite able to take care ofhimself.

  And so he was, truly, but he could not take care of a hot-headed youthwho was as eager as Jerry in the chase, and much more daring.

  At first he and Considine ran together after the springboks; then Hansgot near enough, dismounted, and shot one. While he was busy fasteningthe carcass on his horse, Considine continued to pursue the others;going at full speed, he was soon far away on the horizon. Still Hanswould have been able to see him if he had not got among some scatteredgroups of mimosa-bushes, which were sufficiently large to conceal him.When he remounted and looked around, his friend was not to be seen. Hesaw a few springboks, however, racing on the horizon in the direction inwhich Considine had galloped, and concluded somewhat hastily that theywere pursued by his friend. Away he went, therefore, but soondiscovered that he was mistaken. He turned then, and rode quickly back,blaming himself for not having followed the footprints of his friend'shorse. This he now did, and at last came up with him, but at so late anhour, and at such a distance from the line of march, that a bivouac inthe plain was inevitable.

  "Oh, Hans," he said, "I'm so glad you've found me! I had no idea thatone could get so easily lost in an open plain."

  "You've had enough experience too, one would think, to have rememberedthe vastness of the karroo," said Hans, dismounting and making thefastenings of the springbok more secure, "A man soon dwindles to thesize of a crow in plains like this, when you gallop away from him. Mennot accustomed to them misjudge distances and sizes in a wonderful way.I remember once being out hunting with a fellow who mistook a waggon fora springbok!--But come, mount; we must ride on to a better camping-placethan this, and be content to sleep without blankets to-night."

  "I hope the camping-place is not far off, for I'm parched with thirst,"said Considine, mounting and following at a smart gallop.

  "I'm sorry for you," returned Hans, "for you'll see no water this night.To-morrow we'll start early and get to the waggons by breakfast-time."

  This was depressing news to Considine, for the heat of the day andexertions of the chase had, as he expressed it, almost dried him up.There was nothing for it, however, but patience.

  About sunset they came to a place where were some old deserted huts. Inone of these they resolved to pass the night, though, from certain holesin the side, it was evidently used at times as an abode by beasts ofprey. Having flint and steel, they m
ade a fire, and while thus engagedwere serenaded by the distant and dolorous howls of a hyena and theinharmonious jabberings of a jackal.

  "Pleasant company!" observed Considine as he roasted a steak over thefire.

  "Ja," replied Hans, who, being a more expert cook, was already busy witha rib.

  The melancholy hoot of an owl seemed to indicate that the animal kingdomagreed with the sentiment, and the young men laughed. They were not,however, disposed to talk much. After a silent supper they lay down andslept soundly, quite oblivious of the prowlers of the night, who came,more than once, near to the door of the hut.

  It was late next day when they awoke. Hans likewise missed his way, andthough he afterwards discovered his mistake, they found it impossible toregain the track of their companions before sunset. All that day theywere compelled to travel without tasting a drop of water, and their poorhorses became so fatigued as to be scarcely equal to more than a walkingpace. As Hans knew that water was not far off, he pushed on aftersunset, so as to have the shorter distance to travel to it in themorning.

  "It is very tantalising," he said, drawing rein when the darkness of thenight rendered travelling almost impossible, "to know that our friendscannot be far off, and yet be unable to reach them."

  "Hadn't we better fire a shot?" asked Considine.

  "Not of much use, I fear, but there can be no harm in trying."

  The shot was fired and was instantly replied to by a tremendous roarfrom a lion, apparently close to where they stood. No wood was nearthem to make a fire, nothing but tufts of grass; they therefore pushedon towards a range of dark mountains as fast as their jaded steeds wouldgo.

  "Halt a moment," said Hans in a low voice.

  They stopped and listened. The approach of the lion in rear wasdistinctly heard.

  "We cannot escape from him, Charlie," said Hans, as they again urgedtheir horses onward, "and in the dark we cannot take aim at him. Ouronly chance is to reach yonder pass or glen that looms like a blackcleft in the hills, and clamber up some precipice, whence we can pelthim with stones."

  He spoke in quick, earnest tones. They soon entered the gorge and weregreeted by the grunt of a baboon and the squalling of its young ones,which helped to increase the savage aspect of the towering cliffs oneither side. They had not proceeded far when the lion gave anothertremendous roar, which, echoing from cliff to cliff, gave the lucklesshunters the feeling of having got into the very heart of a lion's den.No suitable place to scramble up being found, they pushed madly on overa track of sand and bushes, expecting every instant to see the monsterbound upon them. But the defile was shorter than Hans had supposed. Onissuing from it they were cheered by the moon rising bright in the east,and found that their enemy had ceased to follow them at that point.Still, though weary, and with their tongues cleaving to the roofs oftheir mouths, they continued their march for several hours, and lyingdown at last, they scarcely knew how or there, they went to sleep with aprayer for protection and deliverance on their parched lips.

  The weary wanderers passed that night in a very paradise, bathing incool streams and slaking their thirst nearly, but never _quite_, to thefull. There was always a peculiar desire to drink again, and, eventhen, to wish for more! Heavenly music, too, sounded in their ears, andthe sweet shade of green trees sheltered them.

  It was daybreak when they were roused from these delights by a hyena'showl, and awoke to find that they were speechless with thirst, theireyes inflamed, and their whole frames burning.

  Saddling the horses at once, they rode forward, and in a couple of hoursreached a hill near the top of which there was a projecting rock.

  "Don't let me raise your hopes too high," said Hans, pointing to therock, "but it is just possible that we may find water _there_."

  "God grant it!" said Considine.

  "Your horse is fresher than mine," said Hans, "and you are lighter thanI am--go first. If there is water, hail me--if not, I will wait yourreturn."

  With a nod of assent the youth pushed forward, gained the rock, andfound the place where water had once been, a dry hole!

  For a few minutes he stood gazing languidly on the plain beyond theridge. Despair had almost taken possession of his breast, when his eyesuddenly brightened. He observed objects moving far away on the plain.With bated breath he stooped and shaded his eyes with his hand. Yes,there could be no doubt about it--a party of horsemen andbullock-waggons! He tried to cheer, but his dry throat refused to act.Turning quickly, he began to descend the hillside, and chanced to coughas he went along. Instantly he was surrounded by almost a hundredbaboons, some of gigantic size, which came fearlessly towards him. Theygrunted, grinned, and sprang from stone to stone, protruding theirmouths and drawing back the skin of their foreheads, threatening aninstant attack. Considine's gun was loaded, but he had lived longenough in those regions to be fully aware of the danger of wounding oneof these creatures in such circumstances. Had he done so he wouldprobably have been torn to pieces in five minutes. He therefore keptthem off with the muzzle of his gun as he continued the descent. Someof them came so near as to touch his hat while passing projecting rocks.At last he reached the plain, where the baboons stopped and appeared tohold a noisy council as to whether they should make a great assault ornot. He turned and levelled his gun.

  "Come," thought he at that moment, "don't do it, Charlie. You haveescaped. Be thankful, and leave the poor brutes alone."

  Obeying the orders of his conscience, he re-shouldered his gun andreturned to his friend, whom he found reclining under a low bush, andinformed him of what he had seen. The young Dutchman jumped up at once,and, mounting, rode round a spur of the hill and out upon the plain. Inan hour they had overtaken their comrades, but great was their dismay onfinding that they had long ago consumed every drop of water, and thatthey were suffering from thirst quite as much as themselves.

  "Never mind," said Lucas Van Dyk; "let me comfort you with the assurancethat we shall certainly reach water in a few hours."

  The hunter was right. Some hours before sunset the oxen and horsesquickened their pace of their own accord--sure sign that they hadscented water from afar. Shortly after, they came in sight of a stream.The excitement of all increased as they pushed forward. They brokeinto a wild run on nearing the stream; and then followed a scene whichis almost indescribable. The oxen were cast loose, the riders leaped tothe ground, and the whole party, men, oxen, and horses, ran in apromiscuous heap into the water.

  "Wow, man, Jerry, hae a care; ee'll be squizzen atween the beasts," saidSandy Black, as the active Jerry passed him in the race.

  The Scot's warning was not without reason, for next moment Jerry was upto the knees in the stream between two oxen, who, closing on each other,almost burst him. Easing off, they let him drop on hands and knees, andhe remained in that position drinking thankfully. The whole place wasquickly stirred up into a muddy compound like pea-soup, but neither mannor beast was particular. They struggled forward and fell on theirknees--not inappropriately--to drink. One man was pushed down by an ox,but seemed pleased with the refreshing coolness of his position, andremained where he was drinking. Another in his haste tumbled over theedge of the bank and rolled down, preceded by an impatient horse, whichhad tripped over him. Both gathered themselves up, somehow, with theirlips in the water,--and drank! Young Rivers, happening to gain thestream at a point where oxen and horses were wedged together tightly,tried to force in between them, but, failing in this, he stooped tocrawl in below them. At that moment Slinger the "Tottie" gave a yell inDutch, and said that a horse was trampling on him; whom Dikkop consoledby saying that _he_ was fast in the mud--and so he was, but not too fastto prevent drinking. Meanwhile the Dutchmen and the knowing ones of theparty restrained themselves, and sought for better positions where thewater was clearer. There they, likewise, bent their tall heads andsuggested--though they did not sing--the couplet:

  "Oh that a Dutchman's draught might be As deep as the ro-o-olling Zuyder-Zee!"<
br />
  The limit of drinking was capacity. Each man and beast drank as much ashe, or it, could hold, and then unwillingly left the stream, coveredwith mud and dripping wet! Oh, it was a delicious refreshment, whichsome thought fully repaid them for the toil and suffering they hadpreviously undergone. The aspect of the whole band may be described inthe language of Sandy Black, who, beholding his friends after the fray,remarked that they were all "dirty and drookit."