Grit Lawless Part 25

"If you're so out of conceit with it all, why do you stay?" he asked.

"Because," Lawless answered, and smiled strangely, "I was under the delusion I'd have companionship when I took the place. My tenancy expires shortly, and I shan't renew it."

The new-comer understood. He looked away from his companion and spat noisily on the ground.

"I'm glad we chanced by while you were still in possession," he said.

They walked together by the fitful light of the lantern to where the rest of the party were busy with the mules. They lent a hand, and when the team was outspanned and haltered to the disselboom inside a hastily improvised laager, they repaired to the house, carrying provisions with them. Amongst the provisions was a limited quant.i.ty of whisky and any amount of Cape dop. Most of the party were already drunk. It was evident from the outset that they meant to make a night of it.

"I expect," Lawless said, as he preceded his visitors into the living-room, "that you'll be glad of a hot supper. My culinary powers are not great, such as they are I'll be happy to cook for you."

"Don't you bother, baas," the young man who had first introduced himself exclaimed. "I'll cook for them. You supply the fire and the roof, that's quite enough."

Lawless was immeasurably relieved. Tottie had done all the cooking their simple household had required; he had very little idea of the art himself. But he knew where the cooking utensils were kept, and supplied them; and the young man set about making a stew that smelt very appetising as it heated over the fire. The others sprawled before the hearth and drank while they waited for the meal. Before it was ready a further interruption occurred that made an addition to the numbers already a.s.sembled. It was indeed a night of surprises for the man who acted as host to these unexpected and none too welcome guests.

The new-comer made his appearance on horseback, and rode right up to the window before anyone suspected his approach. The sound of his horse's hoofs was deadened by the noisy chaff round the fire. He looked in through the open window upon the rowdy group, and, leaning from the saddle, gripped the sill with his hand.

"Hallo, there!" he shouted in a cheery voice. "Got room for another?

I've lost my bearings on this tractless waste, and seeing your uitspan calculated some sort of hospitality was going forward. I'm going to stable my mount. May I come in? I'm Tom Hayhurst."

Lawless started, and looked round. The name conveyed much to him. It conveyed something to several others present; they looked up with a grin of welcome.

"Good old Tom!" said one man. "I haven't seen him since we were at the poor man's diggings together."

Tom Hayhurst's face beamed in upon them.

"Who's baas here?" he asked.

"I am," Lawless answered quietly, stepping forward to the aperture.

"There's room for your mount in the stable. Come in."

"Right!" the young man answered. "I don't know you from the devil. Got a lantern, anyone?"

Someone handed him a lantern through the window, and he rode away, whistling. One of the men laughed.

"Old Tom has been missing lately. Wonder where he's been?" he mused.

"There are plenty of us can't always account for our movements," someone else answered, amid a fresh guffaw of mirth. "But wherever he's been in the interval, he's always good company. Say, baas, you've got a picnic to-night."

Lawless made no reply. The name of Tom Hayhurst had roused memories, had taken him back to a lonely bungalow in Cape Town, where a man had related to him briefly how Tom Hayhurst had failed him in an important mission. He had been for wringing Tom Hayhurst's neck at the time. He did not feel especially friendly towards him on that particular night; but Hayhurst had happened upon his dwelling out of the darkness, and claimed his hospitality, as was customary in the veld.

He moved back to the ring round the fire, and seated himself on an upturned box and stared thoughtfully into the flame. The arrival of the new-comer was strangely annoying to him.

Hayhurst came in noisily, and shaking hands with the man who had been at the diggings with him, nodded to the rest. They made way for him at the fire. He stood in front of it, looking curiously at Lawless while he warmed his hands at the blaze. The scar on Lawless' face seemed to hold his attention.

"My name's Hayhurst," he remarked somewhat pointedly.

Lawless surveyed him with an air of quiet aloofness, and, without removing the pipe from his mouth, replied:

"So you said before."

Hayhurst was not easily disconcerted, but he reddened slightly and gave an awkward laugh.

"It's d.a.m.ned cold," he said. "I'm chilled to the bone. If anyone presses me, I'll take a gla.s.s of dop... Don't overdo it with water."

Stephens, the man from the diggings, handed him a gla.s.s. Young Hayhurst drank the contents, and remained a while staring into the empty tumbler with a thoughtful smile on his face. Then he put the tumbler down, and returned to his occupation of warming his hands. He glanced again at Lawless.

"I've heard of you," he said,--"from a chap who won't tell any more tales of anyone, good or bad... That mark on your face gives you away."

"Don't be personal, Tom," hiccoughed his friend.

Lawless got up.

"I've heard of you, too," he returned curtly. "The repet.i.tion of the information wouldn't be likely to make you vain, so we won't go into that."

There was a perceptible hang in the conversation. The men broke off in their talk to listen, and the man who was cooking the supper looked up from his task to stare. The sense of something in the air penetrated even to the dulled wit of the most intoxicated of the party, a man of rough appearance and no education, who spent all his spare time in getting drunk, and crowded as much work into his sober hours as three ordinary men would have accomplished. He shook his head gravely, and then with solemn deliberation refilled his ever-empty gla.s.s from the bottle of dop at his elbow.

"Don't mix your drinks," he counselled... "bad for the const.i.tootion-- very."

He maundered on, but n.o.body heeded him. Hayhurst was looking steadily into the keen eyes of the man whom he recognised from the description he had once listened to of the peculiar scar on his face. He had no shadow of a doubt as to the man's ident.i.ty.

"Since what I have heard of you," he returned, "might be calculated to make you vain, I'll spare your modesty. As for my own reputation!" He laughed suddenly. "That wouldn't pay for whitewashing, would it, boys?"

He gazed round on the group with the laugh still in his eyes. Rentoul, who had given the advice against mixing one's liquor, looked up owlishly.

"You never done a dirty trick, Tom," he said... "Nothin' mean about you. Gimme your 'and, me boy. No need for whitewashing... What say?-- Tom's all ri', ain't 'e?"

Hayhurst flung himself down on the hearth beside him, and stretched his legs, encased in dusty gaiters, towards the fire.

"Tom's a good sort," Rentoul continued, blinking round on the rest...

"Always said so--goo' sort!--but fond of his liquor. You're drunk, Tom... Been takin' wets along the road."

Hayhurst laughed again.

"The veld's so overstocked with pubs--ain't it?" he said.

"Here, hand out the plates, someone--will you?--this mess is ready,"

announced the chef.

There was a general move. The clattering of plates and knives superseded the talk; and for a fairly lengthy interval conversation gave place entirely to the sound of hungry men feeding noisily in rude and primitive fashion.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

When supper was ended the plates were pushed into a bucket of water and left to soak until they should be required again. One of the men got hold of the newspaper, and read it aloud to the rest. The names of Van Bleit and Simmonds were familiar to everyone present. Some of them had been personally acquainted with the owners of the names, and all were interested more or less in the case.

"It's the best man that has reached his terminus," Stephens remarked.

"I could spin a yarn or two about Van Bleit."

"Who couldn't?" laughed another man. "But he always comes up smiling, somehow. I should say this let off was the biggest surprise he ever had."