his despatchingmounted troops to their assistance. Major Campbell, however, when hecaught sight of the riflemen, ordered his well-nigh exhausted soldiersto make for the ledge, where the ground became comparatively open;whereupon Armstrong, seeing his opportunity, placed a couple of troopsin such a position as would enable them to charge the enemy should heventure upon the open ground.
This some of the Caffres presently did, and then the squadron of MountedRifles went at them with a will, and, driving them back, sent themflying right and left into the valley below; at the same time LieutenantB--'s troop dismounted, and, advancing to the brink of the ledge, heldit until the last of Campbell's infantry had passed over in safety.This was not accomplished without loss, for two riflemen were shot dead,and Tom Flinders got a musket ball right through his "dopper" hat.
Shortly afterwards Colonel Somerset came up from the direction of theChumie Hoek to his lieutenant's support, bringing with him twofield-guns. These guns were at once unlimbered, and the Caffres weretreated to a dose of shell which very soon sent them to the right-about,driving them out of bush and from behind rocks, and dispersing them inall directions, until there was not one to be seen save upon the distanthills.
"That's always the way!" angrily exclaimed a rifle officer as the enemyrapidly dispersed. "Directly we get a really fair chance at thesebeggars, they disappear like magic. And yet I'd wager a month's pay andallowances that, if a small party of our fellows ventured only just outof range of the guns, they would be surrounded and cut to pieces beforewe could proceed to their assistance."
Colonel Somerset now ordered the columns to re-form; and the woundedhaving been placed, some on the gun-limbers and others in front of theirmounted comrades, the troops moved down the slope of the hill to theChumie Hoek.
The afternoon was now pretty far advanced, so Colonel Somerset gave upall idea of returning to the camp at Burns Hill, and decided to move onto an open plain beneath the high point of the Seven Kloof Mountain,close to the sources of a stream known as the "Geel Hout" River, andthere bivouac until morning. But before continuing his march to thisspot the colonel wrote a hasty despatch to the camp commandant at BurnsHill, directing that officer to advance at break of day to Chumie Hoekwith all his forces, guns, ammunition waggons, and camp equipage; andthis despatch he intrusted to one of his staff to carry back to themission station.
A mounted party was at once detailed to escort the staff-officer on hisdangerous mission, and, acting on Lieutenant B--'s advice, FrankJamieson and Tom Flinders obtained leave to accompany the officer, sothat they might rejoin their own corps in time to be with it during themorrow's march. The escort, consisting of a subaltern and twenty-fivepicked troopers of the Mounted Rifles and four of Sutton's Kat RiverBurghers, paraded about four o'clock; and, arms and accoutrements havingbeen carefully inspected, the word was given to "mount" and "away!"
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
THE ATTACK ON THE ESCORT--FIFTY TO ONE!--A DEED OF "DERRIN' DO"--ARRIVALAT THE CAMP--BAD NEWS.
The most direct route from the Chumie Hoek to the Burns Hill missionstation led along the valley up which Campbell's infantry column hadfought its way that morning; through the gorge of the Amatola Basin,then across a branch of the Keiskamma River, and so on to the camp. Acattle "trek" passed through the valley; but it was ill-defined anddifficult to follow, being intersected at frequent intervals by spruitsand gulches, and in many parts entirely obliterated by thick patches of"bosch," huge boulders, and tangled masses of "waght-en-beetje," or"wait-a-bit" thorn. The march of the column was, however, only tooclearly marked by the sad traces of the morning's bloody fray; for hereand there lay the mutilated corpses of the poor soldiers who had fallenin the fight, presenting a ghastly spectacle, stripped as they were oftheir uniform, and gashed and hacked beyond all recognition.
Along this rough cattle-track the escort proceeded at a smart canter,both officers and men keeping a sharp look-out, as the track wascommanded by projecting spurs and bluffs where hundreds of the enemymight be lurking, ready to pounce down upon and annihilate an isolatedbody of troops. Tom Flinders, with the four Burgher horsemen and twotroopers of the Mounted Rifles, rode twenty horse-lengths in advance;then came the main body of the escort in "half-sections," with"flankers" thrown out on either hand; and Frank Jamieson, with anon-commissioned officer and four troopers, brought up the rear.
In this order they rode for a considerable distance without seeing asolitary Caffre; and they were beginning to hope that the enemy hadreally retired far away into the surrounding hills, and that they wouldreach their destination without having to fight their way through ahorde of bloodthirsty savages, when one of the Kat River men caught TomFlinders by the arm, and, pointing to some huge boulders that lay a fewyards to the right of the track, exclaimed: "Oh, mynheer! there are theCaffres!" And Tom, looking in the direction indicated, descried thewoolly heads of several dusky warriors who were lying in ambush behindthe rocks.
Seeing that they were detected, these Caffres at once sprang up fromtheir hiding-place, and, with their old-fashioned flint-lock muskets andfowling-pieces (which were mostly loaded with small bullets cast out ofzinc or pewter stolen probably from the neighbouring farm-houses),commenced a hot but ill-directed fusillade on the escort; whereuponLieutenant S--, the officer in command, at once called in his rearfiles, and the whole party, bending low in their saddles to avoid asmuch as possible the leaden shower, dashed past the rocks at racingpace. But hardly had they run the gauntlet of this ambuscade whennumbers of the enemy came leaping down from the wooded slopes of thevalley, and, forming across the track, opened fire at about thirtypaces' distance.
Coolly as if on parade, Lieutenant S--halted his men and wheeled theminto line. "We must cut our way through those fellows," said he as hefitted fresh caps to his double-barrel. [When in action most of theofficers of the C.M. Riflemen carried double-barrelled sporting rifles.]"But first we'll give them a volley. Take it quietly, my lads, anddon't throw a shot away if you can help it." The volley was delivered--somewhat hastily, it must be confessed, though not altogether withouteffect, for several of the Caffres fell before it.
Then, bursting over the rough ground that intervened between them andtheir enemy, the little band of horsemen charged down upon the yelling,surging horde. The majority of the Caffres broke before this gallantcharge, scattering right and left to take refuge in the bush and amongstthe rocks; but many stood their ground bravely.
Then for the space of six or seven minutes there ensued a regular melee;the troopers, urging forward their half-maddened steeds, wielded theirsabres right manfully, and slashed and thrust at their opponents, who intheir turn offered a stubborn resistance, striving to drag the soldiersfrom their saddles, and stabbing furiously at the horses' bellies asthey were ridden down; until at length the escort cut their way rightthrough "the black shining wall of human flesh," and rode onwards at aswinging canter.
Tom Flinders--who had borne himself in the melee as gallantly as anyveteran _sabreur_--was one of the last to get clear through; and he wasracing to catch up his comrades when he heard a voice shout out: "Tom!Tom Flinders! for Heaven's sake don't leave me!" He at once turned inhis saddle, and to his horror saw Frank Jamieson standing across thebody of his gallant "mooi paard," [grey horse] and defending himselfagainst half a dozen Caffres, who were attacking him with theirassegais.
Wheeling his horse round like lightning, Tom galloped to the rescue ofhis friend, and swooping down upon the group rode clean over two of theCaffres, knocking them right and left like nine-pins. A third--aherculean warrior, whose leopard-skin kaross bespoke the chief--sprangat his horse's head and clung to the bridle; but the brave lad, risingin his stirrups, threw all his strength into one downward cut, and thebig chief, cloven clean through the brain-pan, fell beneath the horse'sfeet.
"Well done, young Flinders!" cried a cheery voice--"well done, my boy!"And the next moment Lieutenant S--dashed up and put to flight the otherCaffres, just as they were on the point of assegaiing Frank
Jamieson,whose sword had broken short off at the hilt, leaving him entirely atthe mercy of his assailants.
"Jump up behind me, Jamieson," Mr S--said as the Caffres made off, "andlet us get out of this before those savages come on again. I've hadenough fighting for one day! Now, Flinders, ride for your very life!"
And Frank, being safely mounted _en croupe_, they rode at full speedafter their comrades, who, not perceiving their absence, had galloped onand were now nearly a quarter of a mile ahead. Fortunately, however,the Caffres did not follow in pursuit; so they rejoined their friendswithout further misadventure.
An hour later the escort arrived safely at Burns Hill...
When the staff-officer delivered
The War of the Axe; Or, Adventures in South Africa Page 17
