A Frontier Mystery Part 5

All eyes were turned with interest, as a body of natives emerged from the bush about a quarter of a mile from my store. They were a good bit got up, and wore feather adornments and tufts of cow-tails round leg and arm. They carried the _isihlangu_, or large war shield, instead of the small _irau_, or dancing shield, they usually moved about with, and the quiver of a.s.segai hafts kept time with the tread of feet and the deep sonorous thunder of their marching song. In number they were about a hundred.

"That's all right," I said gleefully. "I told Tyingoza to turn them out in good form, and he has."

"Why, they're splendid," p.r.o.nounced Miss Sewin, as they drew near, making a brave show with their multi-coloured shields, and the gleam of a.s.segais in the afternoon sun, and I delighted to watch her animated face and kindling eyes, as the whole body marched up to where we stood, and halting suddenly with weapons lowered and right hand uplifted, chorussed forth one deep-voiced word of salute:

"_Amakosi_!" [Chiefs.]

I went forward and spoke to them. Most of them I knew personally or by sight. They were all young men and unringed, and in high glee at the prospect of an abundant beef feast. And it would be an abundant one, for were it to run to half my herd, I was determined to stint nothing to render the entertainment complete on this occasion.

Hardly had they withdrawn to the place I had pointed out and squatted themselves upon the ground than a sound of singing was heard from another quarter and soon a second company came in sight likewise bravely got up, and then another, till I reckoned there must be something over three hundred of them. The ladies were delighted, and p.r.o.nounced it well worth coming to see: so was I, because they were.

"I say though," said Falkner, "to be serious, isn't this rather--well, injudicious, Glanton? These fellows are all fully armed you know, and we--"

I laughed.

"Look here, Sewin," I said. "Supposing you were taken to a review, in France or Germany say--would you feel any misgivings because the troops were fully armed?"

"That's all very well, but these are savages you know. And the ladies--"

"--Have no misgiving at all, Falkner," struck in Miss Sewin serenely.

"If all the savages in Zululand were here, I, for one, would feel perfectly safe with Mr Glanton."

"Hullo, Glanton. Bow your acknowledgments," cried Falkner, in a tone whose would-be geniality could not disguise a sneer. "Well, I was not speaking on my own account."

"Of course you weren't, Sewin," I answered, anxious to avert any unpleasant feeling. "And now, if the ladies will excuse me for a little I must go and look out some cows for these fellows to kill. For the next hour they will exchange their picturesqueness for the decidedly reverse of the slaughter yard. By the way you might like to come along, Sewin."

He jumped at the suggestion, but the Major preferred to remain where he was. Mrs Sewin said they would get through the time getting out their things and arranging their quarters for the night.

"I should think it'll make a hole in your cattle kraal," he said as we strolled over.

"Not a big one. I sha'n't give them the pick of the herd of course."

We strolled round to the kraal. My cattle herd was there and we proceeded to turn out the half dozen beasts I had selected for slaughter. A number of my guests had crowded up. They had discarded their shields, but were handling a.s.segais in a manner that was highly antic.i.p.atory.

"Stand back," I cried noting a desire to crowd up. "A few will be sufficient."

But all were anxious to make one of that few, and by the time the doomed animals had reached the appointed place, chosen for being well out of sight--and scent--of the house, a rush was made upon them. Half the number were down at once, deftly a.s.segaied; the remaining three however careered away, two wounded, and streaming with blood--the other untouched. Then ensued something akin to a buffalo hunt. With yells and whoops the excited savages bounded in pursuit, but even their speed and agility was not enough to turn the terrified and maddened animals, and had not a fresh crowd raced forward to head them they would have got away into the bush. Now two were promptly transfixed with half a dozen deftly hurled a.s.segais in each, but the last, hardly touched, charged like lightning through its encompa.s.sing destroyers, and came straight back to the kraal, and, incidentally, for Falkner Sewin, who had left me to follow on and see the racket.

"Look out!" I roared. "Look out, Sewin! Run, man, for your life!"

If he had taken my warning in time, all would have been well; but for some reason or other--I suspect cussedness--he did not. The cow, a red one, with sharp needle-like horns, now thoroughly maddened by the riot and the blood, and the sharp dig of more than one badly aimed spear, put down her head, and charged straight for Falkner. I s.n.a.t.c.hed an a.s.segai from a young Zulu who was standing by me watching the fun, and rushed forward, and none too soon, for now Falkner was in full flight; the savage animal, head lowered, and throwing the foam from her mouth, and "twilling" hideously, was gaining upon him at the rate of two steps to one. It was now or never. As she shot past me I let go the a.s.segai.

It was a tense moment that--between when the long shaft left my hand and half buried itself in the side of the cow. But the throw was a right true one. The keen, tapering blade had bitten right into the heart, and the maddened beast plunged heavily forward to lie in a moment, dead and still, and at the sight a great roar of applause went up from the excited savages, who while trooping back from their unsuccessful chase had been delightedly watching this its termination.

CHAPTER SIX.

FURTHER FESTIVITY.

"Near thing that," I said.

"Near thing? By Jove, I believe you!" echoed Falkner, who had halted, considerably out of wind and temper; the latter not improved by certain scarcely smothered and half-averted laughs which escaped some of the spectators. "Why I do believe the infernal sweeps are having the grin of me," he added, scowling at them.

"We'll enter into the joke yourself, just as you would have done if it had been some other fellow. That would have struck you as funny, eh?

and this strikes them. They don't mean anything by it."

"Oh well, I suppose not," he growled, and I felt relieved, for he was quite capable of kicking up some silly row then and there, which would have been unpleasant, if not worse.

"Let's go back," I suggested. "The n.o.ble savage engaged in the most congenial occupation of his heart, that of butchery, is not seen at his best."

"I should think not. Look at those fellows over there. Why they're beginning on the stuff raw. Nasty beggars!"

"There are certain t.i.t-bits they like that way, just as we do our snipe and woodc.o.c.k and teal--or say we do."

In truth the groups engaged upon each carcase were not pleasant to the eye--although thoroughly enjoying themselves--and we left them.

"I say, Glanton, though," he went on, "I believe I came devilish near getting badly mauled by that beastly cow. The n.i.g.g.e.r who ripped in that a.s.segai did so in the nick of time. I'd like to give him half-a-crown."

"Hand over then, Sewin. Here's the n.i.g.g.e.r."

"What? You?"

"Me."

"But the beast was going full bat."

"Well, a cow's a good big target even at twenty yards," I said.

He whistled. "By Jove! _I_ couldn't have done it."

For once I was able to agree with him.

We had dinner in the open, under the waggon sail which I had rigged up as shelter from the sun, and which now did duty to give shelter from the dew.

"I'm afraid it's all game fare to-night, Mrs Sewin," I said. "This is roast bush-buck haunch, and that unsightly looking pot there beside the Major contains a regular up-country game stew. I rather pride myself on it, and it holds five different kinds of birds, besides bacon, and odd notions in the way of pepper, etc."

"And that's what you call roughing it," was the answer. "Why, it looks simply delicious."

"By Jove, Glanton, we must get the recipe from you," said the Major when he had sampled it. "I never ate anything so good in my life."

Tom and another boy in the background, were deft when help was required, and I know that if anybody ever enjoyed their dinner my guests did on that occasion. And upon my word they might well have done so, for trust an old up-country man for knowing how to make the best of the products of the veldt; and the best is very good indeed. And as we partook of this, by the light of a couple of waggon lanterns, slung from the poles of our improvised tent, the surroundings were in keeping. On the open side lay a panorama rapidly growing more and more dim as the stars began to twinkle forth, a sweep of darkening country of something like fifty or sixty miles, reaching away in the far distance beyond the Blood River, on the left, and immediately in front, beyond the Tugela, the wooded river bank and open plains and rocky hills of Zululand. Then, suffusing the far horizon like the glow of some mighty gra.s.s fire, the great disc of a broad full moon soared redly upward, putting out the stars.

"Now this is what I call uncommonly jolly," p.r.o.nounced the Major, leaning back in his chair, and blowing out the first puffs of his after dinner pipe.

"Hear--hear!" sung out Falkner. And then, warmed up into a glow of generosity by a good dinner and plenty of grog, I'm blest if the fellow didn't trot out quite a yarn about the cow chevying him and my timely a.s.segai throw; whereupon there was a disposition to make a hero of me on the spot.

"Pooh! The thing was nothing at all," I objected. "An everyday affair, if you're working with unbroken cattle."