Charge! Part 17

"Well, yes, they do," he said; "and-I say, what's that?"

He pointed towards the Boers' camp-fires, and, startled by his tone, I looked eagerly in the direction pointed out; but there were the piles of grey stones looking dull and shadowy, but no sign to me of anything else.

"Fancy," I said.

"No. Just as you spoke I saw something dark go across one of the stones. Shall I fire?"

"Certainly not. It would be alarming every one for nothing. We talked about seeing things pa.s.s the grey stones, and that made you think you saw some one."

"Perhaps so," he said thoughtfully. "Anyhow, there's nothing here now. I say, that seems to have woke me up."

"It would," I said; and then I crouched a little lower, shading my eyes from the starlight and keenly sweeping the chaotic wilderness of rocks again and again, but seeing nothing.

I heard, though, the steps of the sentry away to my left, and soon after a faint cough to my right sounded quite loudly.

"It wouldn't have done for you to have gone to sleep with me taking your place, for I suppose some officer will be visiting the posts before very long, and then you'd have been found out if I hadn't woke you in time."

I said this in a low tone not much above a whisper, in case any one was going the rounds; but he did not take any notice.

"It wouldn't have done, you know," I said.

There was a low, heavy sighing breath, which made me start in wonder, and then turn towards my companion, to find that his rifle was resting against the stone, and that he had sunk sidewise against another and was fast asleep.

"Completely f.a.gged out," I said to myself, with a feeling of pity for him. "He did fight bravely against it; but the drowsiness was too much for him."

One moment I felt ready to take hold of his arm and shake him, but I did not. I was there with his rifle ready to my hand, and if I kept his watch, perhaps only for a few minutes, he would wake up again, refreshed and better able to keep it till he was relieved.

"It often is so," I said to myself. "One drops asleep after dinner, and then wakes up ready to go for any length of time. It's being a good comrade to the poor fellow," I thought; and, picking up his rifle, I took over his duty just as if it were my own, keeping my eyes wandering over the dark grey stones in front, and sweeping the whole s.p.a.ce. Then my breath suddenly felt as if checked in my surprise, for about thirty yards away, as near as I could guess, there was a dark shadow pa.s.sing one of the great blocks.

"Fancy," I said to myself as soon as I could recover from my surprise; and, treating myself as I had treated my fellow-trooper, I mentally declared I had thought about it till I seemed to see it.

"It's all imagination," I said again; and then I lowered the rifle I held, a thrill running through me as I distinctly saw the dark shadow again, but nearer than before. This time I was certain it was not imagination. A figure-enemy or no-was cautiously stealing towards our lines! My first impulse was to fire at the figure and give the alarm; but on second thoughts I hesitated to go to such an extreme. Fixing my eyes upon the dark, shadowy form, I c.o.c.ked my rifle, and called hoa.r.s.ely upon whoever it was to stop.

"Ah! No shoot, no shoot," cried a familiar voice.

"Joeboy!" I exclaimed.

"Um!" was the reply; and, to my astonishment, the black came hurrying towards me, bending under a load which stuck out curiously from his sides and back.

"Why, what have you been doing out there?"

"Been get all these," he said as he forced his way between a couple of stones, which caught his bulky load and checked him for a few moments.

"You idiot!" I said in a low tone, for I was afraid now that I had alarmed the sentries on either side; but though Joeboy's load on one side b.u.mped against my companion sentry, he was so utterly wearied out that he did not stir.

"Um? Idiot?" said Joeboy. "Boss Val going to be hungry. Joeboy hungry. Been to get all these."

"What are they-forage-bags?"

"Um!" he said.

"But where did you get them-whose are they?"

"Doppies'. All in a heap. Brought them all along."

A little further questioning made it all clear-that under cover of the darkness the plucky fellow had crept up the valley, taking advantage of the shelter afforded by the stones, pa.s.sed the lines of the Boers, and hunted about till he came upon something worth having in the shape of a pile of canvas forage-bags containing the men's provender, which they had left together and in charge of a sentinel, so as to be unenc.u.mbered in their attack upon us.

"But what about the sentry?" I said suspiciously.

"Um? Fast asleep," said Joeboy.

"What! all the time you were loading yourself with these bags?"

"Um!"

"You did not send him to sleep, did you?" I said suspiciously.

"Um? Killum?"

"Yes."

"No," said Joeboy coolly. "Didn't wake up. Lot more couldn't carry. Plenty to eat now."

"Then you actually went foraging up there, and got back safely with this load?"

"Um!" said Joeboy. "Boss Val must have plenty to eat. Doppies nearly caught um."

"So I should expect," I said. "But you nearly got shot, stealing up to the lines like this."

He laughed softly.

"Boss Val wouldn't shoot Joeboy. Doppies nearly ketch him. Big lot coming down now."

"What!" I said excitedly. "Some of them coming down?"

"Um! Big lot coming down to fight."

I began to grasp now that after all there was some night expedition on the way, and that the pile of haversacks Joeboy had found had been deposited there to leave the men free and unfettered.

"Look here," I said sharply; "are you sure that the Doppies are coming down?"

"Um! Great big lot."

"Here, you," I whispered, "wake up!" and I shook and shook the sentry roughly, making him spring up and make a s.n.a.t.c.h at his rifle.

"Thank ye," he said. "I say, I was nearly dropping off to sleep."

"Very," I said dryly; "but keep awake now. My man here has just brought in news that the enemy are coming on down the pa.s.s."