In the Whirl of the Rising Part 34

This looked suspicious.

They were obviously holding a consultation, but had lowered their voices so as not to be heard by whoever might be inside. Then about a score of them, leaving the others, came a little nearer.

"Ho, Gumbega," called out one, hailing the storekeeper by the nearest approach to his name that the native tongue could roll itself round.

"Are you from home that your gate is all barred up and made extra strong?"

"No, I am here," replied Grunberger, in obedience to a whisper from Lamont. "But that was done by the captain's orders."

"The captain! What captain?"

"The captain of about a hundred men who arrived here yesterday. Look at all the rifles."

There was no mistake as to this. Rifle barrels protruded through the c.h.i.n.ks so that the whole of that side of the stockade seemed to glisten with them. The savages were obviously nonplussed. A strongly defended place containing a hundred well-armed whites--or even half that number-- const.i.tuted a nut which, large as their own force was, they did not care to crack--at any rate not just then. So without a word those who had come forward returned to the main body, and the whole impi resumed its way, taking care to let them see, however, that it had no intention of drawing any nearer to the place.

"Come out and look, Lucy," said Clare, who had been dividing her attention between watching what was going on and trying to rea.s.sure her terrified sister. "It's a splendid sight, and we don't get an opportunity of seeing a big Matabele regiment on the march every day, and in full war-paint too."

"A splendid sight! Ugh, the horrible wretches! I never want to set eyes on them again."

And the speaker shuddered, and stopped her ears as though to shut out the receding thunder of the marching song.

"But, Mrs Fullerton, there's nothing to be frightened of," urged the storekeeper's wife. "They're going right away."

An idea struck Clare. Going outside, the first person she ran against was Lamont.

"Piers," she said in a low tone, "where are they going?"

"I suspect they are making straight for Gandela."

"Will they--take it?"

"No reason why they should, if only Orwell and Isard have condescended to act on my repeated warning, and put the place into a state of defence."

"And if not--?"

He looked at her for a moment without answering. Then he said--

"In that case these will have things all their own way."

"How awful!"

"Well, we must hope for the best."

"What if we had started to return there to-day?" she said suddenly, "We should have had to reckon with these. The mules are in no condition to travel out properly, and they could soon have overhauled us."

"Ah!"

Then she subsided into silence. Even her courageous spirit had fallen upon a kind of reaction. The morning had been so bright and happy, and now a shadow of horror and gloom seemed to have darkened upon the land.

Bloodshed, ma.s.sacre everywhere, would it never pa.s.s? The other seemed to read her thoughts.

"Do not give way to depression, my Clare," he said. "Keep up your own brave heart. We are quite safe here, with ordinary precaution, and you may be sure that nothing of that will be wanting. This cloud will pa.s.s, and all will be brighter than ever."

"I seem to have a presentiment. Oh, it is horrible! And there is bloodshed on my hands too."

"There is none," he replied emphatically. "No, none. What you were forced to do to defend the life of your helpless sister does not count for one single moment. Darling, did we not settle all that last evening?"

"Yes, we did. You are a born comforter, dearest. But I believe it is my love for you that is making a coward of me. What if--if I lost you before this horrible war is over?"

"Now--now--now!" adopting a rallying tone, although thrilled to the heart by her words. "You must not indulge in these fancies or my bright and winsome Clare will be quite somebody else. I shall have to call Peters to cheer you up. See how he is keeping those jokers in a roar over there."

This was a fact, but not an accident. Peters, ever watchful where his idolised friend was concerned, had gathered together quite a crowd, a little way apart, and was clearly regaling it with abundant humour-- which he possessed--and this with the sole intent that these two should have a little time together uninterrupted.

"Yes, he can be very entertaining," said Clare. "And I like him so much. Do you know, darling, he simply adores you."

"I know he does his level best to make me beastly conceited."

"He told me how you risked your life to save his during the retreat on the Shangani."

"Did he, confound him! Then it was a distinct act of mutiny, for he's under strict orders to let that well-worn chestnut be forgotten. I'll have him put under arrest for disobedience to orders, since by popular vote I seem to have been put in command here."

"But you weren't in command here when he told me, so you can't come down upon him. How's that?" and she laughed brightly.

"In that case I suppose I can't," he allowed, rejoicing greatly that she had shaken off her vein of depression. "But you know, dearest, that sort of thing was done over and over again during that very Shangani business, for one, by other men, and n.o.body thought of making a fuss about it. It was taken quite as a matter of course, and naturally it genuinely annoys me when Peters tries to make a sort of scissors and paste-pot hero of me."

"I shall claim the right to reserve my own opinion, all the same," she declared with mock loftiness. "By the way, who is Mr Peters? He seems something of a mystery."

"Yes. He delights in humbugging the curious. n.o.body is ever an atom the wiser concerning him."

"But--you know."

"Yes, I know all about him."

"And--you won't tell me?"

"No."

It came out quite naturally but quite decisively.

"Then you will have secrets from me?"

"Other people's secrets--certainly."

"And--your own?"

"I haven't got any."

During this apparent skirmish they had been looking each other straight in the eyes. But the skirmish was only apparent. "Oh, I do love a man who knows his own mind," said the girl delightedly. "Why, I was not even trying you, for I knew beforehand what your answer would be."

"I know you were not. Well, if you really want to know anything about Peters, the only possible way of doing so is to--ask Peters."