Diamond Dyke Part 14

"True; but some are bigger than others."

"Well, what's the big one now?" said d.y.k.e contemptuously, as if he had grown so hardened that he could face anything.

"Jack," said Emson laconically.

"What! Jack? Yes, he'd better be," cried d.y.k.e. "If he gives me any of his nonsense, he'll have a rap over the head with the barrel of my gun."

"How much of that is honest pluck, old chap, and how much bunk.u.m?" said Emson, speaking very seriously.

"I don't know," cried d.y.k.e, colouring; "I don't think there's any bounce in it, Joe. I meant it honestly."

"But he is a man, and you are a boy."

"Oh yes, he's a man, and he bullies and threatens Tanta Sal, and makes believe that he is going to spear her, and directly she rushes at him, he runs. I don't think I should be afraid of Jack."

"Neither do I, little un," cried Emson warmly. "That will do. I was nervous about this. I felt that he might begin to show off as soon as you two were away from me, and if he fancied that you were afraid of him, he would be master to the end of the journey."

"But if it came to a row, Joe, and I was horribly afraid of him, I wouldn't let him see it. Perhaps I should be, but--Oh no, I wouldn't let him know."

"That'll do, old fellow," said Emson, looking at his brother proudly.

"You shall go, and I'll take care of the stock and--Here! Look, look!"

This last in a tone of intense excitement, for a herd of zebra seemed suddenly to have risen out of the ground a couple of miles away, where nothing had been visible before, the beautifully striped, pony-like animals frisking and capering about, and pausing from time to time to browse on the shoots of the spa.r.s.ely spread bushes. There were hundreds of them, and the brothers sat watching them for some minutes.

"Not what I should have chosen for food," said Emson at last; "but they say they are good eating."

"There's something better," said d.y.k.e, pointing. "I know they are good."

"Yes, we know they are good," said Emson softly, as he slipped out of the saddle, d.y.k.e following his example, and both sheltered themselves behind their horses.

"They haven't noticed us," said Emson, after a pause. "Mixed us up with the zebras, perhaps."

"They're coming nearer. Why, there's quite a herd of them!" cried d.y.k.e excitedly.

They stood watching a little group of springbok playing about beyond the herd of zebra--light, graceful little creatures, that now came careering down toward them, playfully leaping over each other's backs, and proving again and again the appropriate nature of their name.

And now, as if quite a migration of animals was taking place across the plain, where for months the brothers had wandered rarely seeing a head, herd after herd appeared of beautiful deer-like creatures. They came into sight from the dim distance--graceful antelopes of different kinds, with straight, curved, or lyre-shaped horns; fierce-looking gnus, with theirs stumpy and hooked; ugly quaggas; and farthest off of all, but easily seen from their size, great, well-fed elands, ox-like in girth.

"I never saw anything like this, Joe," said d.y.k.e in a whisper.

"Few people ever have in these days, old fellow," said Emson, as he feasted his eyes. "This must be like it used to be in the old times before so much hunting took place. It shows what an enormous tract of unexplored land there must be off to the north-west."

"And will they stay about here now?"

"What for? To starve? Why, d.y.k.e, lad, there is nothing hardly to keep one herd. No; I daresay by this time to-morrow there will hardly be a hoof. They will all have gone off to the north or back to the west. It is quite a migration."

"I suppose they take us for some kind of six-legged horse, or they would not come so near."

"At present. Be ready; they may take flight at any moment, and we must not let our fresh-meat supply get out of range."

"'Tisn't in range yet," said d.y.k.e quietly.

"No, but it soon will be."

"What are you going to shoot at?--the springbok, and then mount and gallop after them and shoot again, like the Boers do?"

"What! with big antelope about? No, boy; we want our larder filling up too badly. Look: impalas; and at those grand elands."

"I see them; but they must be a mile away."

"Quite; but they are coming in this direction. d.y.k.e, boy, we must make up our mind to get one of these."

"But we could never get it home. They're bigger than bullocks."

"Let's shoot one, and then talk of getting it home. What about a span of oxen and a couple of hurdles! We could drag it back, and it would make biltong, and so last us for weeks."

"Ugh! Leather!" cried d.y.k.e.

"And give us plenty of fresh meat for present eating, and fat to cook for months."

"Don't make my mouth water too much, Joe."

"Hush! Be quiet now; move close up to your horse's shoulder, rest your gun across it, and then you will be better hidden. Are you loaded all right?"

"Bullet in each barrel."

"That will do. Now mind, if we do get a chance at one, you will aim just at the shoulder. Try and don't be flurried."

"All right."

"Give him both barrels, so as to make sure. Try and fire when I do."

d.y.k.e nodded, and they waited for fully two hours, during which time zebras, quaggas, and various kinds of antelopes charged down near them, startled by the sight of the two curious-looking horses, standing so patiently there in the middle of the plain, and after halting nervously, they careered away again, the trampling of their feet sounding like the rush of a storm.

Again and again the hunters had opportunities for bringing down goodly, well-fed antelope, when a herd bounded up, wheeled, halted, and stood at gaze; but there in the background were the great eland, each coming slowly and cautiously on, as if they had also been surprised by the aspect of the horses, and were curious to know what manner of creatures these might be.

d.y.k.e wanted to say "Let's shoot;" but his lips did not part, and he stood patiently watching at one time, impatiently at another, feeling as he did that his brother was letting a magnificent chance go by.

Twice over the position was startling, when first a herd of quaggas and then one of gnus charged down upon them, and d.y.k.e felt that the next minute he would be trampled under foot by the many squadrons of wild-eyed, s.h.a.ggy little creatures. But the horses stood fast, comforted and encouraged by the presence of their masters, while the fierce-looking herds halted, stood, stamped, and tossed their heads, and went off again.

At last, when hundreds upon hundreds of the various antelopes had pa.s.sed, the elands were still browsing about, nearly half a mile away, and seemed not likely to come any nearer. A herd of smaller antelopes were between them and the hunters, and there appeared to be no likelihood of their firing a shot.

"I'll give them a few minutes longer, d.y.k.e," whispered Emson, "and then we must, if they don't come, go after them."

"Wouldn't it be better to pick off a couple of these?" said d.y.k.e softly.

"No; we must have one of those elands. We shall have to ride one down, and when we get close, leap off and fire. Be ready for when I say 'Mount.'"