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

by H. C. Adams

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

  LIFE IN THE BASUTO KRAAL--A GIRAFFE HUNT--AN UNEXPECTED INTERFERENCE--ERNEST AND ELLA--ERNEST'S EMBARRASSMENT.

  De Walden soon discovered that Queen Laura had not overstated herfriendly feelings towards him and his companions. Not only was everyprovision made for their comfort, but a large building was set apart forthe special purposes of a missionary school and chapel. Here such ofthe Basuto children as were allowed by their parents to receiveinstruction from the English teachers were instructed for two or threehours every day; while morning and evening prayers were regularlyoffered up by the missionary, which all were invited to attend. TheQueen did not directly order the people to send their children to theschool thus opened, but it was known that she approved of it, and herpopularity with the tribe was so great that very few held back.

  The afternoons were usually given up to the more especial education ofElla; who, though she had been taught by her mother to read and write,and had studied the few English books which had been saved from thewreck of the _Grosvenor_, was of course greatly behind English girls ofher age in respect of knowledge. De Walden undertook her religiousinstruction, and gave her besides some general lessons in history andgrammar, but was obliged, by lack of time, to hand over arithmetic andgeography to Warley, who, fresh from a good English school, was wellacquainted with both. Such an arrangement would have been a somewhatquestionable one in an English family; but here, in the heart of theAfrican wilderness, its awkwardness was not felt, and Ella's extremesimplicity of mind prevented any embarrassments which might otherwisehave arisen.

  So passed several weeks, with scarcely anything to distinguish one dayfrom another. In the morning De Walden and Warley, assisted generallyby Ella, taught the village children to read, write, and cipher; thencame the mid-day meal, when the whole party dined at the Queen's table;after that there were Ella's lessons, lasting two or three hours; thensome excursion on horseback (for the Queen owned a large stud ofhorses), or on the river, when the lads took their rifles with them, andseldom returned without a goodly supply of game of one kind or another.During these expeditions, Ella would continually ply her companions withquestions respecting English life, and especially the habits of Englishladies, in which she took a deep and ever-increasing interest; andWarley, at least, was never tired of satisfying her curiosity. In theevenings there was the second meal, and after that De Walden or Warleyread aloud; or the Queen and the missionary would talk over the Europe,and especially the England, of their young days, of which bothentertained so vivid a remembrance. It was strange to think that a lifeso nearly resembling that of an English home, could be carried out at adistance of more than seven thousand miles from it, and amid the depthsof an uncultivated wilderness!

  Meanwhile nothing could be learned respecting Kobo's movements. Amessenger had been despatched to the village, in which Queen Laurausually resided, it being supposed that Kobo had repaired thither insearch of her. But the Basuto had returned in four or five days, withthe information that nothing had been seen or heard of the missing man.A party of white men, it was however reported, had been seen travellingsomewhere in the neighbourhood of the Vaal, and it was thought that Kobomight have joined them. Further inquiries were set on foot, as soon asthis information was received, as to who these white men were, andwhence they had come; but it was found impossible to obtain anytrustworthy tidings respecting them. If there ever had been any suchpersons in the vicinity of the Gariep, at all events they had long sincedeparted, and no one knew whither.

  It was now again the season of early summer, and the shrubs and flowerswere in their full freshness and beauty. It was resolved to gratifyNick and Frank (who were beginning to find life in the Basuto kraalexceedingly dull and wearisome) with some sport, which they had not yetwitnessed. In particular, they were anxious to see the giraffe hunted;and it having been reported that a large herd of these animals had beenseen browsing in a kloof at no great distance, a party was formed forgoing in chase of them on the ensuing day. The Queen had desisted fromthe sports of the field for two or three years past, and De Walden couldnot afford, at the present juncture, to lose even a day with hisscholars. But all the others joined the expedition, accompanied by thePrincess Ella, who in the use of the bow and arrow was as skilful as anywarrior of the tribe. They were all mounted on fleet steeds, especiallytrained to the pursuit of the giraffe; for to horses not so broken in,the scent of the camelopard is so offensive that they cannot be inducedto approach it.

  It was a fine fresh morning. The horsemen, eight in number, wereattended by a much larger company of Basutos on foot, whose business itwas to spread themselves in all directions over the woodland, and drivethe gigantic animals towards the spot where the horsemen were lying inambush. These accordingly dispersed, north, east, and west; while theriders, in groups of two or three, repaired to their appointed station.

  "Were you fond of riding when in your own country, Ernest?" asked theprincess, as they cantered lightly side by side over the mossy turf.

  "I seldom had the opportunity," answered Warley. "Horses are costly,both to buy and to keep, in England, and I was not rich, you know."

  "Not rich! How strange it seems to me, to hear you say that! It seemsto me that the very poorest in England must be far richer than my motheror myself. All the things that appear to me to be really valuable arewithin the reach of every one there, so at least I gather from what youhave told me; while we can obtain none of them, even though we gave allwe had for their possession."

  "Viewing things in that light, what you say is true, Ella. But you haveadvantages which few in England possess. You have influence and powerover others--"

  "Ah, I understand, and you will teach us how to use these rightly. Irejoice every day more and more that you have come among us."

  "And I am not less glad, Ella, believe me."

  "You!--you glad to be here, Ernest? What! far away from your home andfriends, in a wild and strange land like this? You are jesting,surely."

  "Indeed I am not, Ella. I would not be back in England, if a wish couldplace me there."

  Ella would have replied, but they had now reached the spot where theyhad agreed to assemble, and the rest of the party joined them. It wasan open glade, of perhaps an acre in extent, in the heart of a thicklywooded country. For the most part, the trees were not more than ten ortwelve feet high, though here and there oomahaamas and baobabs were tobe seen, the former towering to a great height against the sky--thelatter of enormous girth, sixty or eighty feet at the least--theirtrunks resembling large columns of granite, in the grey colour and roughsurface they presented. It was in the midst of a group of these thatthe party now assembled; the massy stems and dense foliage effectuallyscreening them from view, though they could themselves see the wholecountry round them. Presently a distant sound was heard, like that oftrampling hoofs, which grew louder and louder, until the eleganttapering necks of a dozen giraffes came into sight, as they raced alongwith the gallop which appears so graceful until the legs come intosight, and then so clumsy and confused. On they sped, balancing theirlengthy bodies anew, as it appeared, every time they laid leg to theground, and whisking their tufted tails from side to side, as though tostimulate themselves to fresh exertions.

  As soon as the herd had entered the open glade, the horsemen brokecover, and galloped after them, hoping to approach them sufficientlynear to be able to strike them with their spears or arrows. But theanimals caught the flash of the first assegai that issued from under thebaobabs, and wheeling instantly round, continued their career at moreheadlong speed than before. The only chance now lay in riding themdown; and this might be accomplished with the trained horses ridden bythe party, though only after a furious gallop of many miles. As ifaware of this possibility, and anxious to avoid it as much as possible,the giraffes now no longer kept together in a single herd, but fled indifferent directions, only two or three remaining in company, andseveral galloping singly off through the forest paths.
As the naturalconsequence of this, the pursuers also broke up in smaller bands; and byand by, Warley and Ella found themselves separated from the rest, andriding at full speed in pursuit of one of the largest giraffes, whichwas making for a long stretch of open down, lying beyond the woodland.They were both mounted on strong and spirited horses, and being lightweights, were enabled to keep the animal in sight for the first mile, inwhich it usually succeeds in distancing its pursuers.

  "Keep on, Ernest," said Ella, encouragingly, "we shall soon begin togain upon him. Can you fire from the saddle? If so, you will get ashot before me. My bow will not carry nearly the distance of yourrifle."

  "Yes, I can fire pretty steadily from a horse's back now," returnedWarley, "especially when I am on Sultan, as I call him. I have had agood deal of practice lately."

  "That is well," said Ella. "The country will change in a few minutesnow, and we shall be out of the bush. The giraffe is already abatinghis speed. We shall gain on him every minute now."

  Ella's words were soon made good. As they emerged from the woody cover,the animal's strength began perceptibly to fail. They were soon withintwo hundred yards of him, and drawing closer with every stride of theirhorses. Ella now bent her bow, and took an arrow from the quiver slungbehind her, while Warley disengaged his rifle and cocked it. When theyhad approached within fifty yards, he thought he might venture to fire.Even should he fail in mortally wounding the camelopard, he was prettysure of hitting it somewhere, and the loss of blood would graduallydiminish the creature's strength. He levelled accordingly, and drew thetrigger, just as they were nearing a pile of rocks on which a quantityof bushes were growing. The moment after the report of his piece hadbeen heard, the animal suddenly recoiled, and seemed to be on the pointof falling. Ernest pushed on to finish it with a second shot, but as herode up abreast of it, a fierce roar burst from behind an angle of rock,and a lion of the largest size sprang on the back of the giraffe.Almost immediately afterwards a second appeared, and seized theunfortunate animal in the neck and chest. Under the pressure of theirweight it was unable to continue its flight. It plunged violently,making desperate, but wholly ineffectual, efforts to shake off itstormentors, and tearing up the earth with its hoofs. But in less timethan it takes to tell it, the giraffe was borne to the ground, feeblygasping out its life under the merciless claws and teeth of itsassailants.

  Meanwhile the horses had been almost as much terrified by the suddenapparition of the monarchs of the forest, as the camelopard itself.That which carried Ella rushed frantically off at a speed, which she wasat first unable to check. Warley's steed sprang on one side, with anabruptness which dislodged its rider, who had dropped the rein,preparing for a second shot. Warley was thrown to the ground, his riflefalling several yards in advance of him; and the frightened animalgalloped off at its utmost speed. Ernest was left in a most dangerousposition. The lions having torn their prey down, did not proceedimmediately to devour it, but glared round them, as though anticipatingthe approach of another enemy. Warley lay at the distance of only a fewyards, his figure fully exposed to the view of the angry monsters, whichstood over the carcass of the giraffe, lashing their flanks with theirtails, and sending up roar after roar, each seeming more savage than thelast. Ernest dared not move hand or foot; his instinct, rather than hisreason, told him that his only hope lay in the lions believing him to bereally dead, in which case they would not probably trouble themselvesabout him.

  He lay thus for nearly a quarter of an hour, the sun beating fiercelydown on his unprotected head, for his cap had been dislodged in thefall, contemplating the huge brutes through his half-shut eyes. At theend of that time his ear caught the twang of a bow from the adjoiningthicket, and the nearest lion leapt into the air with an arrow stickingin his breast, while the second lion bounded off and disappeared behindthe rocks. Before Ella could discharge a second missile, the woundedbeast had charged her; and her horse, which was snorting with terror,and had with the greatest difficulty been forced back to the scene ofthe encounter, stumbled in its blind haste over the root of a tree,rolling over its rider.

  Ella was in even greater danger than Ernest had been. She lay at thedistance of a few yards from her fallen steed, bruised and breathless.The lion paused for a minute, seeming uncertain as to which of hisfallen enemies he meant to spring upon. That moment of indecision savedthe princess's life. Ernest recovered his rifle the moment the lion'sattention was withdrawn from him, and now fired his second barrel at thedistance of only a few yards, into the shoulder of the monster, just afew inches from the place where Ella's arrow was sticking. It waslevelled at exactly the right spot. The limbs, which were justcrouching for the spring, suddenly collapsed, and the terrible enemyfell lifeless in the dust.

  Warley now ran up and took the lifeless form of Ella into his arms,endeavouring, by every means he could think of, to restore itsanimation. He chafed her cold hands, he loosened the clasp which hadconfined her dress at the neck; and finding these efforts vain, carriedher in his arms to a small spring, which rose hard by, and threw waterinto her face. This last remedy presently took effect. The princessopened her eyes with a long sigh, and looked confusedly round her.

  "Where am I?" she exclaimed feebly. Then, as her glance lighted on theface of Ernest bending anxiously over her, and the figure of the deadlion, lying at the distance of a few yards, the whole occurrence seemedto come back to her memory.

  "Oh, Ernest," she exclaimed, "the lion! You saved me, then. Are younot hurt yourself?"

  "I have escaped with only a bruise or so," said Warley; "and it is youwho have saved me, not I you. Are you sure the fall from the horse hasnot injured you?"

  "No, that was nothing," returned Ella, colouring under the earnestnessof his gaze. "I threw myself from his back as he fell, and he did nottouch me. I don't think he is hurt either. If we can catch the horses,we had better rejoin the party. The skins of the giraffe and lion willbe a valuable prize."

  Warley soon caught Ella's horse, and then went in search of his own,which he found grazing quietly at the distance of two or three hundredyards. They mounted and galloped off in quest of Wilmore and Gilbert,encountering them and the Basutos in attendance in about half an hour,and finding them greatly vexed at their ill success. The giraffes hadgalloped up the side of a long slope of hill, which gave them so greatan advantage, that when the horsemen reached the summit of the range,the herd were quite out of sight, and after several ineffectual attemptsto regain the scent, they were obliged to abandon the pursuit. Theyheard of Ella's and Ernest's success with equal surprise andsatisfaction, and hurrying off in the direction indicated, were soonengaged in flaying the hides off both animals, as well as in selectingthe choicest morsels of the camelopard's flesh to supply the Queen'stable.

  Late in the evening the party returned to the kraal, where they werewelcomed by the Queen and De Walden, who questioned them as to what hadtaken place during the hunt. But neither Ella nor Warley seemedinclined to say more than they could help on the subject. The truthwas, that a feeling of mutual liking had been growing up between the twosince the first day of their meeting; when the princess had owed herlife to Warley's promptitude. The attachment was little to be wonderedat under the circumstances. Warley was now in his one-and-twentiethyear--a fine well-grown young man, with a face of rare intelligence. Hewas the first Englishman who had come under Ella's notice; and whencontrasted with the dark-skinned and coarse-visaged Basutos, he seemedlike a being from some higher sphere. On the other hand, Ella's raregrace and beauty, her exquisite simplicity and frankness, were thequalities most likely to captivate a youth of Ernest's imaginativetemperament; and the wild freedom of the life, by which they weresurrounded, only added to the charm. But though he was conscious of thefascination, which was daily growing stronger, Warley felt perplexed anduncomfortable. He could not turn hunter, and live all his life in theseremote solitudes. But to take Ella with him, to England or elsewhere,as his wife, was wholly impracticable, so
far as he could see. Howcould he maintain her? How induce others to receive her? What wouldhis friends say to such an alliance? or indeed to his forming anyalliance at all? The life which had been arranged for him--that of aclerk in a house at Calcutta--it seemed impossible that Ella could sharethat. The idea of marrying Ella was, in fact, little better than a wilddream.

  On the other hand, if Ella was not to be his wife, he ought not toremain in the Basuto village. There could be no doubt that they weregetting to like one another--to speak the plain truth, they were bothalready deeply in love Ella did not think it necessary to disguise herfeelings, as an English girl would have done; and though she was modestand maidenly, showed her preference plainly enough. Every day of theirmutual intercourse did but deepen the feeling. If it was to end innothing, he ought to go away at once.

  But how was he to go away? It was true that Frank and Nick had longbeen anxious to set out on a journey to Cape Town, and he might go withthem. De Walden, of course, would remain with Queen Laura, andprosecute his missionary work. He would be sorry to lose Warley nodoubt, and so probably would Queen Laura; but neither would in alllikelihood interpose any serious obstacle. There were, however, whatseemed insuperable objections.

  In the first place, they were bound to await Lavie's return. QueenLaura had despatched a messenger to Chuma, with a friendly message soonafter their arrival in her dominions, and had entreated him to send toher any tidings that might be received from the white men. A favourableanswer had been brought back from the Bechuana chief. The rainmaker hadbeen killed, and as soon as he was dead, the truth as to the origin ofthe cattle disease had been disclosed by the natives, who had been awareof the facts from the first, but afraid to tell them. Chuma saw how hehad been deceived as to the white man's truth and honesty, and wassincerely grieved at having so misused him. He promised that as soon asLavie, or any emissary from him should appear, the tidings should be atonce forwarded to the Basutos. These might now be looked for every day.It was strange that they had not arrived long before. If, then, Warleyand the others were to set out for Cape Town now, they would inevitablemiss the expected messengers, and might not see their friends formonths, instead of for a few days only. Then there was Kobo. It wasnot at all certain that he was not still on the search for them. Itwould be a breach of faith if they were to leave him in the lurch; andafter all his exertions in their behalf, this was not to be thought of.And, lastly, if Mr Lavie should not be at Cape Town when they arrived--and the chances were very greatly against his being there--there was noone to whom he could appeal for help or maintenance, excepting hisbrother. And the idea of applying to him was so repulsive, that he felthe would rather do anything than resort to it. No. Departure from theBasuto village was impossible at the present crisis. He must waitpatiently, for a few weeks more, at all events.