Hair-Breadth Escapes: The Adventures of Three Boys in South Africa

by H. C. Adams

  CHAPTER FIVE.

  PLANS--THE BOYS SET OUT--A DISAPPOINTMENT--THE FIRST BOK--WATER!WATER!--A MIDNIGHT VISITOR.

  The whole party slept soundly, and by six o'clock were sitting undertheir tent over the remains of their breakfast. Frank and Nick were onthe point of issuing forth to collect some more fish for the mid-daymeal, when the doctor called to them to stop.

  "It is time," he said, "that we hold a consultation, and come to someresolution respecting our future movements. Sit down here in the shade,and we'll talk the matter over."

  The boys obeyed, and took their places; Lion, as usual, seating himselfat Frank's side, and occasionally bestowing a broad lick of affection onhis face and hands.

  "I have made a fresh examination of the boat this morning," began Lavie,"and am quite satisfied that it is impossible for us to repair her. Sheis an old boat, and wouldn't anyway have lasted much longer, and now sheis so much hurt, that no one but a regular boat-builder could make herfloat again. It is impossible therefore to carry out our originalintention of going on to Cape Town by sea. Well, then, we must hit onsome other plan."

  "Wouldn't it be the simplest way to travel along the line of coast thewhole way?" suggested Ernest. "As far as I remember my geography, thereare no bays running far inland, or very wide rivers to interfere withus."

  "You're right, Ernest," rejoined Lavie. "There are nothing but smallbays all the way, and until we reached the mouth of the Gariep, therewould be no rivers to interfere with us."

  "And when we did reach the Gariep, said Frank, we should be pretty safeto fall in with some settlers or, any way, natives, who, `for aconsideration,' would help us through the rest of our journey. I thinkErnest's advice very good."

  "I should think it so also, Frank," said the surgeon, "if I didn'thappen to know something of the line of country proposed. I have neverbeen along it myself, but I have met people who know it well. It is onelong sandy waste the entire way--no trees, no grass, scarcely even arock; and if there are any water-springs, they are so few and scanty,that it is almost the same thing as if there were none at all. Therewould be no food to be obtained, no shade from the sun, and noresting-place at night, as it would be impossible to carry our tent withus. And, to wind up, we should certainly not meet with a human beingfrom the beginning of our journey to its end."

  "Well, that is pretty nearly enough, I think," observed Nick, "I have nofancy to be broiled like a fish on a gridiron, or have a leg of nothingand no turnips for dinner, like the clown in a pantomime. Let us hearwhat you propose."

  "I advise that we should travel towards the east, until we come to thebanks of one of the rivers which run southward into the Gariep. I knowthere are several at no very great distance from the coast: we canfollow any one of these to its junction with the great river. When wehave once got there, I have no doubt what Frank suggested is trueenough. We shall come to the farmhouse of a Dutch boor, or a Hottentotvillage, or fall in with a hunting party, and so find the means ofreaching Cape Town."

  "That sounds feasible," said Frank. "We shall be sure of water, at allevents, by going that way, and water's the first thing to be thoughtof."

  "And there'll be plenty of game, most likely," added Lavie, "and, anyway, fish."

  "And shade from the heat of the sun, and resting-places at night," saidWarley.

  "But how about the wild beasts and the snakes?" struck in Nick."Wouldn't it be better to make a canoe, or a raft, and sail down theriver itself?"

  "That is not a bad idea, Nick," said Frank. "What do you say to that,Charles?"

  "That it would be a very good idea on some rivers, but not on these,"answered Lavie. "Nick has never seen one of these South African rivers,or he'd never suggest it. At times, the channels here are reduced tomere threads, along which no boat that was ever made could pass; atothers, they are swollen to raging torrents, which would shatter them tofragments. A boat journey to the Gariep is out of the question."

  "Very well, then, we must make the journey along the banks," saidWarley. "Of course we must follow your advice, Charles. You know agood deal about the country between this and Table Bay, while we knowabsolutely nothing. I suppose you would recommend that we should setoff, as soon as possible, for the nearest river that runs southward?"

  "Yes," said Lavie, "there is no kind of object in delaying here. Thereis neither food nor shelter to be had here, neither shade nor water; andthe stench from the mud and the dead fish is very far from fragrant. Icounsel that we move off with as little delay as possible."

  "Hear, hear," said Frank; "I am quite of the same mind. Well, then,Charles, the next thing is, what are we to take with us? The boat wouldhave held as much as we were likely to want; but our backs and pouchesare different things."

  "Quite so, Frank--that was the next thing I was going to speak about.We must, of course, leave by far the greater part of our cargo behind.In fact, we must cumber ourselves with as little baggage as possible.But some things will be absolutely necessary. There are the guns andpowder-flasks and bullets. We cannot do without them."

  "That is voted, _nem. con._," said Warley; "and there is the flint andsteel and tinder-box. The doctor's burning-glass will be no good whenthe sun doesn't shine."

  "And we shall want the gridiron, and the knife and spoon and cup, andthe iron pot for cooking and holding water," struck in Nick.

  "Each of us ought to carry a change of linen," said Mr Lavie, "and asecond pair of shoes; but no more, I think. I suppose one brush andcomb must serve all four."

  "I hope you'll take your lancets, Charles, and some physic, in case ofany of us being taken ill," suggested Warley.

  "I am not likely to forget that, Ernest," returned the surgeon. "Verywell, then, that will be all. We had better each provide ourselves withthe articles agreed on, make a hearty meal off some of the salt meat andbiscuit, and then set off at once, leaving everything else in the boat,for the benefit of any one who may be thrown up, like ourselves, onthese barren flats."

  No one urging farther objection, this programme was forthwith carriedout. Belts and knapsacks were adjusted, the various articles requiredfor the general use were divided between the four, a hasty meal waseaten, and then each man took his gun, and the party bade farewell tothe old boat and low sandy shore, and set forth on their travels.

  They soon surmounted the rocky shelf which they had visited on theprevious day, and, passing through an opening in the barren hills,entered a valley, which seemed even more dreary than the scene they hadjust quitted. On either side were rocks of a dull grey colour, brokeninto all kinds of fantastic shapes, and full of holes and windingcaverns, which suggested the possible neighbourhood of venomous snakes.Nick, in particular, cast many a suspicious glance at these orifices;which seemed to his imagination the lurking-places, whence at any momentthe hideous head of a cobra or python might rear itself, preparatory toa deadly spring on its victim. He was greatly relieved when, after anhour or two of walking, the valley gradually opened into a wide plain,and patches of vegetation began to show themselves. The euphorbia wasthe first to appear, with its tall stiff bunches of foliage, each ofwhich bore a curious resemblance to a chandelier with its cluster ofcandles. Then the kameel-doorn, the dwarf acacia, and the wildpomegranate began to vary the landscape with their contrast of colours;and presently there appeared the aloe and the mimosa, the bright yellowof the last-named reminding Ernest of the gorse and broom among whichhis walks had so often lain.

  But though there was a great improvement in respect of the scenery, itsmost important accessory, water, was nowhere to be found. Lavie lookedanxiously on all sides for some indication of the vicinity of the river;which, if his information was correct, lay only a few miles eastward ofthe spot where they had landed. They could hardly have mistaken theway, for no other opening in the rocks had been visible in anydirection, except that which they had pursued; and the gradual downwardslope of the glen could hardly end in anything but water. But they hadnow been travelling since m
id-day, only sitting down to rest for a fewminutes, at intervals of two hours or so; and now the sunset was near athand. He was greatly rejoiced when, on turning the corner of a denseclump of euphorbias, they came in sight of what was evidently the courseof the river, though the dense bushes on either side hid the stream fromview.

  "Hurrah! my lads," shouted the doctor; "now for a good drink, and a coolbath too, if the water is only deep enough."

  He broke into a run as he spoke, and was joined by the other three, whoforgot their weariness and anxiety in the excitement of the moment Lionbounded along at Frank's side, as eager apparently as his master. Theywere the first to reach the fringe of shrubs, into which they plungedwith headlong haste. But the next moment there came a loud cry ofdisappointment; the others hurried up, but only to catch sight of Frankand Lion standing over a dry bed of sand, which had evidently once beenthe channel of the river. There was now not the slightest trace ofwater to be seen. The sand was not even moist. Lavie now feltextremely anxious. There were rivers he knew lying to the eastward, andthat at no very great distance, twenty or thirty miles at the outside,and probably they were not so far off as even twenty miles: and if so,the strength of the whole party might hold out until the nearest wasattained. But then the lads were not used to roughing it in the desert;and they might miss the track and become too exhausted to travelfurther. He had fully reckoned on finding water at the spot which theyhad now reached, or he would have brought a supply with him from thewater-cask in the boat, which had still contained several gallons. Butit was too late now to think of returning that night to the seashore,and besides, such a step would naturally alarm and depress hiscompanions. The best chance would be to proceed on their way as long asdaylight lasted, and take the chance of falling in with some of thesprings or pools, which are scattered about, though at rare intervals,in this inhospitable land.

  "Well, that's a nuisance," he exclaimed aloud, as he gazed into theblank faces, and marked the dry parched lips of the boys. "That's anuisance, but it can't be helped. Better luck next time. We had betterstep out as fast as we can while daylight lasts. We are safe to come towater, sooner or later, even in this country."

  "All right, Charles," said Frank; "the sooner we reach it the better.We must step out, best pace."

  The other two made no remark, but they also quickened their walk.Emerging from the bushes, Mr Lavie pursued his route due eastward,though the path he followed did not seem very likely to fulfil hishopes. It lay along a bare hillside, over which huge boulders of rockwere scattered; while the vegetation growing more and more scarce everymile of the way, at last ended in a waste as barren as that which theyhad traversed at the outset of their journey. It was, indeed, very muchthe same character of scenery as before, only that they were no longershut in by a hollow defile in the hill. On either sides there rose highshelves of stone pierced by what seemed to be caverns running farinward. Between these masses of rock, long vistas of bare stony plainspresented themselves, seeming to the belated travellers the very pictureof desolation.

  The sun was now fast setting; there remained scarcely an hour ofdaylight, and for all they could see, Lavie and his party would have tocontinue their journey by starlight, or bivouac on the sand. Suddenlyat this moment, Lion, who had been tramping along for the last hour ortwo, as much depressed apparently as any of the party, stood still,sniffed the air for a moment or two, and then sprang forward with ajoyous bark, turning round, when he had proceeded a few yards, as ifinviting Frank to follow him.

  "Don't call him back, Frank," said Mr Lavie as Wilmore shouted afterhim. "His instinct is much keener than ours. Either there is someanimal near at hand, which you may shoot for supper; or, as I earnestlyhope may be the case, he scents water. Cock your gun, and go afterhim."

  "I am afraid there is but little chance of his finding water here," saidErnest, as Wilmore hastened forward. "There is nothing to be seenanywhere but hard crag-stone and dry sand. But he may put up some gameamong the rocks there which he is scrambling up. Ha! and so he has," headded the moment after, as a steinbok came bounding down the cliff."Now, then, to test Captain Renton's rifle."

  He drew the trigger as he spoke, and the animal dropped on its knees,but rose the next minute and was making off, when a shot from Lavieagain brought it down. They ran up and found that the steinbok wasalready dead. Ernest's bullet had struck it in the side, and inflictedwhat would probably have proved a mortal wound, though it would, for thetime, have succeeded in effecting its escape. But Lavie had aimeddirectly at the heart, and his shot having gone true, death wasinstantaneous.

  "Hurrah!" shouted Frank, at this moment, waving his cap on the shelf ofrock above. "Three cheers for old Lion. It is all right now."

  "All right as regards the meat, Frank," said Nick, "but how about thedrink? A fellow in this wicked world requires to drink as well as toeat--at all events, I do."

  "Meat," repeated Frank, peering over the edge of the precipice, whichmight perhaps be a dozen feet in height. "Have you got any meat? Didyou kill anything when you fired just now?"

  "To be sure we did, Frank," said Warley. "We're not given to miss inour part of the world. We've brought down as nice a young steinbok asyou'd wish to eat. If you'd only find us some water to match, we shouldbe quite set up."

  "Water! why, that is just what we _have_ found. Here has old Lionlighted on a well of water, the most delicious that any fellow everdrank of."

  "Water! what, up there? You don't say so. Hurrah! here goes." Layingdown their guns, the three thirsty travellers speedily climbed the stonyheights, and stood by their companion's side, when their eyes weregratified by a very strange as well as a very welcome spectacle.

  In the very middle of the plateau of rock surmounting the precipitousascent appeared a circular hole, some three or four feet in diameter,and so deep, that its bottom could not be discerned. The cavity wasevidently natural; nor indeed did either the Hottentots or the Bushmen--the only tribes by whom the spot was ever visited--possess either thetools or the patience necessary for so laborious a work. It wasdoubtless what is sometimes called, though most erroneously, a freak ofnature--one of those beneficent provisions, more than one of which weshall have to notice in the course of this story, by which theprovidence of God supplies the wants of His creatures in the desolatewastes; without which help they must inevitably perish. The hole hadretained the rain, with which it had been filled a week or twopreviously, and the water being sheltered by the surrounding rocks fromthe burning rays of the sun, was sweet, clear, and deliciously cool tothe taste. The cup was passed round and round again, before the thirstytravellers were satisfied, and even then they were half disposed to envyLion's simpler mode of satisfying his drought, viz., by plunging headover ears into the well, and imbibing at every pore the refreshingmoisture.

  At length thirst was satisfied, and gave way to hunger. Descending fromthe rocky platform, they set themselves to prepare their supper. Nickcollected the grey leafless shrubs, which grew in abundance among therocks; and which, though anything but picturesque in appearance, madecapital firewood. Frank cut up the carcass, broiling some parts of iton the gridiron, and boiling as much more as the pot would hold. It wasdark long before their preparations were completed, and they had to eattheir dinner by the light of their fire, assisted by the stars, for themoon had not yet risen. But the road to the mouth is very easy to find,especially when men are hungry. They all four soon finished a mostexcellent meal. Then the fragments of the repast were handed over toLion--Frank declared he ought to have been called to the chair, and hishealth drunk with all the honours--and arrangements were made for thenight. Some of the shrubs which Nick had collected, and which had notbeen used for the fire, made very comfortable beds. These were spreadinside one of the largest caverns, though not before Nick had carefullyexamined its recesses by the help of a blazing log, to make sure thatthey contained no venomous reptiles. Lion stretched himself out tosleep at the entrance of the cave; and it
was considered that hisinstinct might be trusted to warn them against the approach of danger,without additional precautions. In a few minutes they were all soundasleep.

  They might have slept for perhaps three hours, when Frank, whoseslumbers were unusually light, was roused by a low growl close to him.Looking round, he saw Lion standing in the entrance of the cave over theremains of the steinbok, only a part of which had been eaten. Frankremembered that the carcass had been left at some little distance fromtheir sleeping-place; and the dog, therefore, must have dragged it toits present place. Something unusual must have occurred to make him dothis; and besides, the attitude of the animal, his hair bristling, hischest advanced, his muscles stretched to their full tension, and thefierce glare in his eye showed plainly enough that he beheld someformidable enemy.

  "A hyena has scented the carcass, I have no doubt," thought Frank, "butI can hardly afford to throw away a shot upon him. He must be drivenaway, though, or we shall get no rest."

  He stepped noiselessly up to the entrance, but recoiled instantly at thesight he beheld, and it was with difficulty that he stifled a cry ofalarm. At a distance of about four yards, the outline of itsmagnificent figure clearly revealed in the bright moonlight, a lion ofthe largest size was crouching, evidently preparing itself to spring!Frank had never seen one of these animals, except in captivity. About atwelvemonth before, during his stay in London, Captain Wilmore had takenhim to Exeter 'Change, where one or two lions were exhibited. But thesewere small of their kind, and enfeebled by age and long captivity. Theybore no more resemblance to the glorious and terrible creature withwhich Frank was now confronted, than the trickling stream which glideslazily over the ledge of the rocks bears to the foaming cataract,swollen by snows and rains.

  He perceived in a moment what had taken place. The lion had come to thewater to drink; and the dog, scenting the approach of some beast ofprey, had possessed itself of the remains of the steinbok, which wouldotherwise fall a prey to the marauder. The lion in its turn haddiscovered the vicinity of food, and had leaped down from the rock toseize it. All this passed through Frank's mind in a moment. It couldhardly be called thinking, but was rather like a sudden revelation. Hefelt, too, the necessity of killing the monster without a moment's lossof time, or all their lives would be imperilled. He stoopednoiselessly, and picked up the nearest gun, which chanced by goodfortune to be Captain Renton's rifle. Frank was a steady shot, as thereader has already been told; but he had never fired at a mark likethis. He recalled, on the instant, what he had heard Mr Lavie say thatthe only spots in a wild animal's body in which a bullet could be lodgedwith the certainty of causing instant death, were the ear, the eye, andimmediately behind the shoulder, where there was a direct passage to theheart. It was impossible to aim at either ear or shoulder in thepresent instance, as the animal was standing directly facing him. Theeye, therefore, which flashed large and yellow upon him in the broadglare of the moonlight--the eye must be his mark. He raised the rifleand brought it down to the level of his eye, drawing trigger the momenthe had done so. It was well for him that his aim was true, and his handsteady. As the barrel dropped to its place, the metal flashed in themoonbeam, and its glitter seemed to rouse the creature from itsmomentary torpor. It rose into the air at the very moment at which thebullet struck it, and if the latter had not been aimed with the mostperfect accuracy, there would have been an end of the mastiff, andprobably of his master also. But the shot passed directly through theeyeball, and lodged in the brain, causing instantaneous death. Themuscular power communicated to the limbs failed even before the leap wasaccomplished. A furious roar burst from the king of the forest as hefelt the wound, but it died off abruptly, and the vast carcass fell, alifeless mass, within two feet of the entrance of the cavern.