Settlers and Scouts: A Tale of the African Highlands

by Herbert Strang

  CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SECOND--A Counter Stroke

  John had every reason to be satisfied when he took stock of the resultsof the action. The enemy had been thoroughly routed, with considerableloss: he had no men killed, and only a few with superficial fleshwounds. But he looked grave enough when, at dinner-time, Ferrierconfessed that he had already had to put the men on half rations.

  "Our only hope is that the enemy have had enough of it and will clearoff," he said. "The 'bad men,' at any rate, won't think much of theirjob."

  "And Juma himself has had a reminder that won't leave him for a fewdays. But if they _don't_ clear off----"

  "We must wait and see. There ought to be plenty of fish in this pool;couldn't we try a little angling?"

  "What about hooks?"

  "Well, there are some empty condensed milk-tins; we can make some sortof hooks out of them. And as for bait--I say, look there!"

  Two vultures were swooping down upon the western end of the island.

  "Sickening!" said Ferrier, with a shudder. "I'll go and pot them andget the men to attend to things there. The birds will give us bait, andthe men may like to eat them--I couldn't."

  Several large hooks were made out of milk-tins. A piece of rope wasunravelled to form lines, and several of the men were soon sitting onthe causeway, angling with portions of the vultures which Ferrier shot.In the course of an hour or two they caught several fish, large andsmall; but the total quantity was insignificant in comparison with whatwas needed to give all a full meal. They were all rather hungry whenthey settled down for the night, and the white men devoutly hoped thatwhen morning dawned they would see that the enemy's force had broken up.

  In this they were disappointed. Daylight showed them parties of negroeshovering on the outskirts of the wood. That their intention was toresume their old tactics of watching the fort was proved before the daywas over. A long line of women was observed coming from the north,bending under heavy loads.

  "Grub for them," said Ferrier. "They're short, like us: but they candraw on the village while we starve."

  "I wonder if we could intercept a convoy," suggested John.

  "Very risky: practically impossible. We couldn't tell when it's coming.We might have to wait a day or two, and miss it after all. Besides, wemight be cut off; they're strong enough to keep us out if they getbetween us and the fort; and the garrison would be so much weakened thatthey couldn't hold out against a general attack. No: we mustn't thinkof it."

  "Well, it looks as if we must either break out or starve. We may starvein any case. We didn't pass a single cultivated field on the way up,and if we made a dash for home we should have to depend on game and whatwild fruits we could pick up. I don't know what on earth we can do,that's a fact."

  Next day saw them no nearer a solution of the problem. The enemy werestill in force, and the punishment they had received had not sufficed todetach the "bad men," who were easily distinguishable from the othernegroes by their characteristic equipment. Juma had in fact persuadedthem that the surrender of the white men was only a matter of time: theycould not live without food, and while they remained in the fort toobtain food was impossible.

  "Look here, Charley," said John that afternoon, "we can't stand this anylonger. It's neck or nothing, and I'm for a bold course. That villageup yonder is crammed with food-stuff of all kinds. They've just beenharvesting. I vote we make a dash for it and seize enough to last usbest part of the way home. All the fighting men are away, or nearlyall. If we can only get there it'll be easy enough to capture the placeand hold it as long as we like: there's a good stockade. But I don'twant to hold it. We might stay there a day or two until our men are fedup, and then make tracks. Perhaps we'd have the luck to escape them;it's not likely, I admit. They would be between us and the farm: weshould have to be uncommonly clever to dodge them; and as we couldn'tmove fast, with our men loaded, they're bound to come up with us sometime or other. That would mean a fight in the open; perhaps a runningfight for miles, with the odds of numbers against us. But I preferfighting to starving; and it's Hobson's choice."

  "It means a night march."

  "Yes, but the men won't mind that. We haven't failed in anything sofar, and success goes a long way with them."

  "Your escape has bucked them more than anything. Bill has told themsome wonderful story about your voyage on the raft, and if you talkedabout taking a trip to the moon I believe they'd think it feasible."

  "Things couldn't be better, then. Suppose we start about eighto'clock--the enemy will all be asleep by then--we should have ten hours'grace before sunrise, more than long enough to get to the village,barring accidents."

  "That is, if they don't find out that we've gone."

  "Of course. I don't see why they should do that. They've never shownany inclination to attack us in the darkness, and if any of them keep awatch on the causeway side, they certainly don't at the other end, orCoja couldn't have got in. That's our way out. We shall have to keepthe men quiet, but we've done that before, and when we've explained tothem what's at stake they'll be on their mettle. We'll cross the poolin the canoes, and the paddles won't make any sound that they can hear,if we're careful."

  "I've an idea. While we're ferrying our things over, and most of themen, why not start the others on a sing-song? That would drown anynoise we might make."

  "And wake the enemy! They'd wonder what was up. Why should we disturbtheir rest? Better not make any difference in our usual ways, I think:keep our fires burning, and give 'em no reason to think we're doinganything out of the ordinary."

  "You're right. There's a risk that in spite of all our care they'llhear something, but it will take 'em some time to make sure that we'vegone, and it's ten to one they won't pursue us in the darkness."

  "And when they do find out, in the daylight, they'll probably waste sometime in picking up the trail, unless they are good trackers, which we'veno evidence of. I fancy we shall get, as I said, a good ten hours'start of them, and I defy 'em to catch us then--again barringaccidents."

  "D'you think you can stand the march?"

  "I'm going to chance it, anyway. Your rubbings have done me a deal ofgood, and we can't go very fast at night, so I think I'll manage to keepup. If I can't, you must just sling me on to a litter. I'm elevenstone two--or was; I suspect I've lost a few pounds lately; but four mencould toddle along with me, and a dozen will have loads in any case.There's the ammunition, and all that flummery I gave to them; they won'twant to leave that."

  "Suppose we find that some of the war-party have gone back?"

  "It's not likely. They're here with the idea of getting loot, and not aman Jack of them will be willing to lose the chance of his share.Anyway, we must risk it. If we have luck we shall get to the villagebefore it's light, and a sudden rush will have the effect it always hason them."

  "Well, it sounds rather promising, and, upon my word, I'm itching to beoff."

  "All in good time, old man. I wish we could all have a good feed beforewe start, but perhaps the men will march the better with the promise ofa meal before them."

  The preparation of the men's loads was set about betimes. The absenceof large quantities of food was an advantage; the other goods couldeasily be carried by twelve of the men, and the labour would belightened by transferring the loads to the others in turn.

  There was much excitement among the negroes when John explained his planto them. The past successes had given them entire confidence in theirleaders; and the prospect of actually capturing the village of thenotorious "bad men" had a spice of daring about it which lent it acertain charm.

  At nightfall the canoes were let down over the wall and carried to theshore. Then the men conveyed the stores to them, moving so silentlythat only a very alert enemy could have detected the activity. Thecanoes had to make several journeys across the pool before all the goodsand the men were ferried over. There was not a sound from the enemy'sencampment. When all were safely landed, J
ohn called the men about him,and repeated his instructions to march quietly and above all to bewareof straggling; then he set off with Bill to lead the way. Behind himcame in order four askaris carrying rifles: then the twelve men with theammunition and the assortment of oddments found in the fort; then sixmen bearing in litters three others whose wounds prevented them frommarching. After these came the rest of the negroes, among whom theprisoner taken at the camp was enrolled, Ferrier and Coja bringing upthe rear to ensure that there was no straggling at the end of the line.

  It was a dark night, but the sky was clear and the air cold. To make adirect course was impossible. Bill knew the way in the daytime, but atnight he was completely at a loss. John, however, was aware of thegeneral direction, and by keeping within touch of the river, as he couldeasily do by his sense of hearing, he knew that he could not go very farwrong, though the journey would necessarily be longer than if he hadbeen able to avoid the windings. Fortunately in this hilly country theground was much less obstructed by tangles of thorn than it was in theless elevated districts to the south, and the safari was not hindered bythe annoying necessity of having to cut a way through pathless jungle.

  Nevertheless, the march was not devoid of trials and discomforts. Theground was very irregular, and at one point, where the bank of the riverrose to a considerable height above the water-level, they found thatthey had come to a stretch of hard gravel interspersed with largefragments of a whitish rock, making progress very slow and difficult.Looking back, John saw the glow of the fires left burning in the fort--alittle patch of red amid deep black. When they descended to grassy landagain he stumbled over an obstruction about three feet high, which Billtold him was an ant-hill. A little further on he heard a strangewhistling that seemed to come from a line of trees on his left hand.Hearing the men behind gulping, he halted, and got them to exchangeloads, listening meanwhile to the weird and mournful sound, which nowincreased in volume, now died away in a doleful wail. He asked Bill ifhe recognized the sound as that of an animal, but he replied that he hadnever heard it before. After a few moments John observed that the soundrose and fell with the gusts of wind, and concluded that it was causedby the breeze sweeping through the trees. He reassured the men; but itwas not till long afterwards he discovered the origin of the sound. Thetrees were a species of thorn about eight feet high, with leaflessbranches on which hung a number of hollow seed-pods. In these an insectbores a hole, and the wind, passing through the innumerable tinyapertures, produces the musical notes which so much disturbed thenegroes.

  After about two hours, John felt much fatigued. The continued exertionhad revived the dull aching pain in his back and limbs, and he thoughtit prudent to rest awhile. The progress had been so good that he couldafford to waste an hour: there would still be time to reach the villagebefore the dawn. The whole party lay down on a grassy knoll, speakingonly in whispers. Occasionally the cry of some night-bird broke thestillness, and once there came, from far away, the sharp bark of ahyena. At the end of an hour the safari was again on foot. Twice moreJohn found himself compelled to halt, and after the second time Ferrierpersuaded him to let four of the men carry him, in a litter which theyquickly made by slinging one of the blankets between two rifles. Alwaystaking the river as guide, they pressed on again. At last, when thesounds of re-awakening life in the trees proclaimed that dawn was athand, they came to the foot of a long grassy acclivity which John feltsure led up to the village. After a consultation with Ferrier, hedecided to wait a little until there was light enough to show them theway clearly. The air was misty, but the blackness of night was passing,and at length they were able to see the goal of their long march--the"bad men's" village, lying in perfect stillness on the hill-top.

  John led the men among some trees, and waited until he saw the gateopened, and a number of women come out and wend their way into theplantations to the left. When they were out of sight, he ordered themen to leave their loads and follow him closely without a sound. Then,regardless of his pain, he led the way at a steady run up the hill.Ferrier came to his side.

  "We do this together, old boy," he said.

  On they went. They had almost reached the stockade when a woman in thefields to the left saw them, and uttered a loud shriek. John quickenedhis pace; the men, unable to restrain themselves any longer, raisedtheir voices in a tremendous shout. A few seconds later the wholeparty, the white men still leading, dashed through the gate, and alongthe single street, causing a wild stampede among the children playingthere, and the women who were moving about. The uproar drew several menfrom their huts, where they were no doubt indulging themselves in afinal nap while their womenkind prepared breakfast. Almost all were oldmen. At the sight of the invading horde they yelled and fled. Johnhurried on towards the compound where he had seen the war-partyassemble. As the scared negroes left the street vacant, he was struckwith amazement at the sight that met his eyes. At the entrance of a hutat one side of the central space stood a figure in white. He had risenfrom bending over a cooking-pot. Next moment Said Mohammed came towardshis master, walking leisurely, his face beaming with smiles.

  "Good morning, sir," he said blithely. "You have come in nick of time.Banana fritters, new dish to savage with untutored mind, are done to aturn. On point of tickling unappreciative palates, they now servenobler end, delectating connoisseur who knows what's what. Withrespect, sir, I'm jolly glad to see you."

  Thus the village of the "bad men" was carried without a blow.

  John sent Coja back with a few men to bring in the loads and secure thegate. Then he lost no time in hunting through the village, and learnt,as he had hoped, that there were very few men left in it; and these forthe most part old and negligible as a fighting force. He had givenstrict orders to his party not to injure any one wantonly. The women,seeing that there was no burning or slaughtering, recovered from theirfirst fright. They recognized the prisoner in whom they had been somuch interested, and their curiosity overcoming every other feeling,they drew slowly nearer to the strangers, uttering little shrieks ofexcitement. John made them understand that the men were hungry, andthey ran with alacrity into their huts, not at all averse from preparinga meal for such inoffensive visitors. Meanwhile Said Mohammed hadinstantly seized his own cooking-pot and other utensils from the men whocarried them, and set to work to cook more banana fritters and otherdainties to which the white men had been strangers for many a day.Before long the whole party were seated, enjoying a capital breakfast,the men laughing and chattering like light-hearted children. In themidst of the repast they broke into song, one of them chanting a line ofsolo, the rest chiming in with a boisterous chorus.

  (Solo) Where did the white men go in the night? (Chorus) They went to the place of the bad men. (Solo) Why did they go to the place of the bad men? (Chorus) To get very much food For themselves and the good men. The white men must eat, The black men must eat, In the place of the bad men is very much food, O, eat all the food of the bad men.

  John smiled rather wistfully as he translated the song to Ferrier.

  "Poor devils!" he said. "They don't think of what they may have to gothrough before they get home. Just like children.... We thought we'dnever see you again, khansaman. What became of you?"

  "Sir, I will round unvarnished tale deliver. Crossing stream, athousand horse-leeches take fancy to my nether extremities, and clinglike grim death. I make saltatory gyrations to shunt obnoxioushangers-on, when lo! enter crocodile, without introduction, his roombetter than his company. I was in blue funk, sir, and scooted, withcelerity and splash. In agitation of moment I forgot my pals, and whenI look round, behold! they are no more. I call: no answer; I callagain: silence that can be felt. You could hear a pin drop. In thecharming words of the handsome but afflicted Lord Byron--

  'What next befell me then and there I know not well--I never knew:'

  but when I came to myself, to quote from same sublime poem--

/>   'I had not strength to stir, nor strive, But felt that I was still alive,'

  for, below, leeches suck my vital fluid; above, black men have me ingrip as firm as metropolitan bobby. They propel me, sir, with indignityto reverse of the medal, to this identical spot.

  'First came the loss of light, and air, And then of darkness too:'

  in other words, I, Said Mohammed, failed B.A. of Calcutta University, amconsigned to ignominious horizontal extension on floor of beastly hovel.I suffer in silence,

  'Nor call the gods with vulgar spite To vindicate my hapless right.'

  --Allow me to offer you another fritter, sir."

  "Thanks. What next? Fire away!"

  "After horrid night, sir, over which I draw veil of decency, I amtransported into light of day. Hail, smiling morn! I purchase freedomby generous offer to teach fair sex a thing or two. Casting pearlsbefore swine, sir; pains thrown away. But I earn my salt, and the restis blank page, clean slate, until I hear the tramp of armed men, andbehold, the grand finale!"

  "I am glad things have ended so well," said John. "And I must say,khansaman, it was very handsome and plucky of you to undertake a searchfor me."

  The Bengali bowed deprecatingly; then he said--

  "But alas! sir, the web of our life is mingled yarn, both good and eviltogether, as says sweet swan of Avon. There is fly in ointment; gilt isoff ginger-bread. Coja, very good chap, has left sublunary sphere. 'Hewill awake no more, oh, never more!' to quote the words of Percy ByssheShelley, also failed B.A. We ne'er shall look upon his like again. Whowould not weep for---- By gum! This knocks me silly all of a heap!There he is!"

  "Yes," said John, laughing, "and you can exchange notes while I take alook round."