A Secret of the Lebombo Part 27

Fleetwood, standing on a waggon box, raised his voice to try and obtain a parley, but even while he was doing so, a shot rang out, then another and another, and with them he realised that the time for parleying had gone by. For Bully Rawson, judging it best to take the bull by the horns, had jumped to the side of the _scherm_ and was pumping the contents of a Winchester repeating rifle into the thickest of the on-rushing ma.s.s. Several were seen to fall, and now with an awful roar of rage, the whole body hurled itself upon the barricade like a wave upon a rock.

"Don't fire a shot, Wyvern," whispered Fleetwood hurriedly. "We can't possibly stop them, and it may be our only chance."

What happened next Wyvern for one could hardly have told. The whole inside of the _scherm_ was alive with waving shields and savage forms, and glinting blades. Rawson had gone down under a k.n.o.b-kerrie deftly hurled, but he and Fleetwood still kept their position upon the waggon box, their undischarged weapons in their hands. They saw their native servants ruthlessly speared, all save a couple who had managed to hide beneath the waggon sail, and death was but a question of moments.

Should they die fighting or elect to stake all on their only chance?

The while, Hlabulana sat calmly taking snuff.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

"THE HORNETS' NEST."

The two men sat there side by side, expecting death.

The crowd of roaring, mouthing, excited savages that ringed them in, was increasing from without, and still the sea of waving spear-blades refrained from overwhelming them. The ruffian who had brought this upon them they could not see for the crush.

"Ho, Muntisi! Ho, Laliswayo!" called out Fleetwood in stentorian tones, recognising two men whom he knew.

These, who had only just come up and were pushing a way through the crowd, which parted for them as well as it could, recognised the speaker.

"What is the meaning of it?" cried the latter. "You Laliswayo, who are a chief--what does this mean? There is no war."

"Why as to that, nothing is sure, U' Joe," answered the chief. "You, and Kulisani there, must give up your weapons and you can go."

"And our oxen have all been speared. Can we drag our waggons ourselves?"

"For that I know nothing nor care," was the answer. "As to the waggons these will lighten them for you."

A howl of delight went up from the listeners, who had attained to some degree of quietude while the chief was speaking.

"Take your choice," went on the latter, seeing that they hesitated and were rapidly conferring together. "Look at these," waving a hand over the expectant crowd, which having already tasted blood was hungry for more. "You may kill one or two, or even three, but you cannot kill all.

And then, no swift and easy death will yours be."

The tone of hostility underlying this frank threat, was not disguised.

"You, Laliswayo, will be the first to die."

Fleetwood's tone was sternly determined. He had covered the chief with his rifle.

"Bid these go away," he went on. "At once, before I count ten, or the son of Malamu shall go in search of his father. You know I never miss."

The moment was a tense one. A dead hush had fallen upon the crowd, but the chiefs face was as unfathomable as stone. It looked as if cool, resolute courage was going to prevail, when there befel one of those accidents which seem almost to justify a belief in luck, good or bad.

Both men had stood up in front of the waggon box, and now Wyvern, slightly shifting a foot, managed to lose his balance, and fall heavily to the ground. Instinctively trying to save himself he cannoned against Fleetwood, upsetting him too, his rifle going off as he fell--but into the air. Quick as thought their enemies were upon them. Their weapons were s.n.a.t.c.hed from their grasp, and they were held down by the sheer force of many powerful hands, while others fetched reims which hung about the waggon and in a moment they were bound so tightly that they could not move.

The roar of mingled rage and exultation that went up, as they were dragged forth into the open, was indescribable.

"They would have killed the chief! They tried to!" were among the exclamations of threatening fury which arose on all sides. Laliswayo strode forward. He was a middle-aged man, tall and well-proportioned, good-looking too after the clean-run Zulu type, and held himself with all the dignity of his race and position.

"What was my word to you, U' Joe?" he said, his face coldly dark with resentment. "That yours should be no swift and easy death. And now you have tried to kill me even while we were talking together. _Hau_!"

The disgust expressed by this last exclamation evoked another wrathful outburst. Through it Fleetwood managed to call out:

"That is not true, son of Malamu. By accident did the gun go off."

"By accident!" echoed the listeners. "By accident! _Whau_!" And shouts of jeering laughter went up at this.

"By accident, I repeat," said Fleetwood, calmly. "See. There must be not a few here who know me. Have such ever found me a liar?"

But for some reason this appeal met with no response. The threatening clamour increased, and amid it there were murmurs of death by fire, or the black ants. The chiefs word had gone forth that no swift and easy death should fall on those who withstood his terms. How could a chief go back on his word? It must stand. Thus they murmured.

Fleetwood glanced at Wyvern to see if he had understood, and he hoped not. But his own heart sank. He knew this Laliswayo, as one of the most prominent and relentless leaders of the Usutu faction, a man bitterly hostile to the whites since the war, and, worst of all, a man who loved popularity. Could he now refuse to accede to the demand of his followers or restrain their barbarous and bloodthirsty aspirations?

If not, why--they two had better have blown their own brains out while they could.

Then a diversion occurred.

Mtezani, during the disturbance, had been standing aloof against the further side of the _scherm_ watching events. That he could have been of no use whatever to the sorely hara.s.sed pair by coming forward he fully knew, but by keeping in the background until the psychological moment it was just possible he might be. So with the true philosophy of the savage he had kept in the background accordingly.

Now they had discovered him. In the tumult of rushing the _scherm_ he had been overlooked as one of themselves, and now, with the discovery, a clamour arose that he should be killed. He, a Qulusi, the son of a chief ilke Majendwa, to go over to the Sibepu and Hamu faction, and take sides against the King, why death was the least he deserved. Thus they raved, and a ring of spears and infuriated countenances threatened him.

But Mtezani sitting on the ground, got out his snuff-horn, and pa.s.sed it on to Hlabulana as calmly as if they were not there.

Then they jeered at him. He had become the white man's dog--Sibepu's dog. He was in with those who were supplying arms and ammunition to be used against them, the side of the nation, the larger side, which was loyal to its King. And, jeering, their mood grew even nastier than when angry. _Hau_! A traitor was a coward, of course. Who was there among them mean enough to kill such. And they made mock to look around among each other in quest of some one; and their tone, from jeering, became snarling, and Mtezani's life hung on a hair.

Then Mtezani rose to his feet.

"Where is there one mean enough to kill me?" he repeated, confronting the numbers of those who threatened him. "_Whau_! Who is there _great_ enough to kill a son of Majendwa? For surely no common man may kill such." And he threw his shield and weapons on the ground, and stood, looking at the raging and fast thickening crowd with calm contempt.

There was a momentary stirring among the latter. Then someone was pushed forward, a fine young warrior, fully armed. Mtezani's face lightened and he made a move to pick up his weapons. But it was only a momentary impulse.

"I am Tulaza, the son of Umbelini," said the chosen champion. "Now I think we have found one great enough to kill a son of Majendwa."

Mtezani uttered a click of contempt.

"Go home, half Swazi dog," he said. "Thou art not even of the Amazulu.

Umbelini! _Whau_! Umbelini!"

This was too much. The one thus insulted hurled a heavy k.n.o.b-kerrie.

In the same move of ducking to avoid it. Mtezani picked up his shield and weapons, and then the fight began. None had any doubt as to how it would end--for the many sons of Majendwa were of noted prowess in deeds of arms--and as it progressed, gradually feeling went over to the other side, for, as he had said, Mtezani was one of themselves, and in fact many of his tribe were present, whereas the other was the son of a refugee Swazi who had done _konza_ to Cetywayo, and had helped in the English war. So the flapping of shields together, and the lungeing and parrying and feinting, caused tremendous excitement among the spectators, which rose to a perfect uproar, as Mtezani managed to beat down his adversary's shield and at the same time deal him a crashing blow on the head which sent him to earth like a felled log.

"It appears," said the victor, looking around, "that the one who is great enough to kill a son of Majendwa is yet to be found."

"_Eh-he_," a.s.sented Hlabulana, who, the white, had been seated taking snuff, while watching the fight in the capacity of calm, dispa.s.sionate critic. A roar of applause endorsed this. The tide had turned. n.o.body wanted to kill Mtezani now.

Laliswayo, the while, though he had turned his face towards the scene of the tumult, had not taken the trouble to go over and look into it personally. Now he turned his attention once more to his prisoners.

"You hear what these cry, U' Joe?" he said, "that my word must stand."