Off to the Wilds Part 28

"I know what it is," said Jack, laughing. "It's some kind of big frog or toad: they live in such marshy places as this, and they croak and make noises that seem to be ever so far-off, when they are close by."

"Oh! Look, Jack! Oh, poor thing!" cried his brother.

"Where? Where?"

"Over yonder, across the water."

Jack caught sight of the objects that had taken his brother's attention, and for a few moments the boys seemed pa.s.sive spectators of the horrible scene.

Across the lagoon, and some fifty yards away, a beautiful antelope, with gracefully curved spiral horns, had apparently come out of the bushes to drink, at a point of land running a little way into the lake, when it had been seized by a hideous-looking crocodile. The monster's teeth-armed jaws had closed upon the unfortunate antelope's muzzle, and a furious struggle was going on, during which, as it uttered its piteous feeble lowing noise, something between the cry of a calf and a sheep, the crocodile, whose tail was in the water on the side of the point farthest from where the spectators stood, was striving to drag its prey into the lagoon.

The antelope made a brave struggle, but the tremendous grip of the reptile and its enormous weight, rendered the efforts of the poor beast vain: and as the boys gazed across, they saw the poor brute dragged down upon its knees and chest, and the crocodile shuffling slowly back into the water, an inch at a time.

"Oh, the poor, poor beast!" cried d.i.c.k piteously. "Oh, Jack, how dreadful!"

"Poor old crocodile!" said Jack coolly, for he had now recovered himself. "If he's going to eat all that buck for his dinner he'll suffer from indigestion. I say, d.i.c.k, let's give him a couple of pills."

As he spoke, Jack sank upon one knee in the reeds so as to rest his rifle well, and catching at his brother's idea, d.i.c.k followed suit.

"Take a good, steady aim, d.i.c.k, right behind his eye, so as not to hit the antelope: and when I say fire, pull trigger as softly as you can.

Take it coolly. Ready?"

"Yes."

"Fire!"

It was none too soon, for the antelope was being dragged along, growing more helpless and its struggles more faint moment by moment, while the body of the crocodile was disappearing backwards down the slope of the point of land.

But that loathsome-looking head was still visible, dragging the helpless, striving antelope, whose piteous rolling eyes could be plainly seen by the boys.

The next instant, though, they had concentrated their gaze on the gleaming orb of the crocodile, thrown all their power of nerve into that aim, and, so as not to disturb their rifle-sights by the slightest movement, softly drew trigger.

The reports of the rifles were almost simultaneous, and for a few moments the boys could see nothing for smoke: but as the tiny cloud of vapour lifted, they looked eagerly across.

There was nothing to be seen.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

AN INTERFERENCE WITH WASHING, AND THE RESULT.

"Oh," cried Jack, "we both missed, and he has drawn the poor thing in."

"I don't believe I missed," said d.i.c.k. "No: look, Jack!"

For at that moment they saw a movement amongst the undergrowth behind where the antelope had been kneeling; and the poor beast, with bleeding nostrils and starting eyes, staggered down to the water's edge, drank with avidity, and then bounded back as another or the same crocodile half leaped out of the water to catch it.

But the antelope, weak and exhausted though it was, escaped, and bounded away into the dense reeds, while Jack as he coolly reloaded his rifle-barrel said,--

"Nice place this, d.i.c.ky. Let's take our clothes off and have a bathe."

"Ugh!" shuddered d.i.c.k. "The monsters!"

"What have you shot, boys?" said Mr Rogers, hurrying up. "I was afraid it was an accident, the two rifles went off like one."

They told him, and being eager to see if there was any trace of the crocodile, they went round the sh.o.r.es of the little lake to the other side of the point, for the river wound so that the incident took place on their own bank; but for a few minutes they could see nothing but muddy water.

"I'm afraid you did not kill him, boys," said Mr Rogers.

"But we frightened him off," cried Jack; "and that's something."

"Chicory find him; look!" cried the boy, pointing where he stood.

They went to his side, and there sure enough, with its light underparts showing, lay a great crocodile, its tail moving feebly to and fro, and, most satisfactory sight of all to the boys, a couple of threads of blood rising slowly from the monster's head through the clear water.

"Hah!"

It was Chicory who shouted, and as he did so he struck back his young masters. For his quick eyes had seen what looked like a dark shadow in the river; and his effort was just in time, for a huge crocodile threw itself half out of the water, disappearing again with a sullen plunge as it missed its prey.

"I think that will do for to-day, boys," said Mr Rogers. "Let's get back to the waggon. For my part I feel disposed to spend the rest of our time shooting crocodiles, so as to try and rid the country of a few of the pests."

"Only all we could kill would be as nothing, would they, father?" said d.i.c.k.

"No, they would hardly count," replied Mr Rogers; and they made the best of their way back to the waggon, only too glad of the meal Dinny had ready for them, roast and boiled.

Chicory turned a rough kind of somersault as he caught sight of his brother sitting up and doing that which was dear to Chicory's own heart--eating; and as there was a good share of food beside Coffee, the tired brother made no scruple about going to join him and help him eat.

It was wonderful what that boy could eat when he was thoroughly hungry.

Dinny would stare at him, rub his ears, and screw up his face with a look of disgust, while the very dogs seemed envious of his powers.

Rough'un would wait patiently for some time bearing it all apparently as he abided his own time; but when he saw Chicory keep steadily on he began to bark furiously, as if such behaviour were not to be borne.

"Shure, Masther d.i.c.k, it's my honest belafe," said Dinny, "that if you put down enough mate before them two Sooloo boys they'd kape on aiting till they got to be hungry again."

In spite of the heat of the weather, the performances of d.i.c.k and Jack upon strong venison essence and roast gazelle were enough to startle any housekeeper of small income and an anxiety about the state of the butcher's bill. But of course the outdoor life and constant exertion produced a tremendous appet.i.te; and as Mr Rogers noted the change in d.i.c.k, whose palate had to be tempted only a short time back, he felt thankful to see the difference.

Dinny had outdone himself that day in the matter of cookery; and a hearty meal having been eaten, the boys spent half-an-hour with their pets, the leopard being so far particularly docile, and their horses whinnying with satisfaction as soon as they heard their masters' steps.

Then there were the cattle to look at, all of which were sleek and well; and lastly, the various specimens to arrange before going to rest.

The sun was getting low by this time, and the stillness of the wilds was only broken by the twittering of a little flock of birds in the adjacent trees, when Dinny came running from the river-side--

"Hoi, sor! bring the roifles, an' ye plaze. Here's Pater being swallowed down by one of thim great crocodivils!"

"Quick, boys!" cried Mr Rogers; but there was no need to speak, for the rifles had been already seized, and away the little party ran, towards the river.

The water was not visible till they were close upon it, on account of the conformation of the land; but when they did come in sight, the scene was so curious that they halted with c.o.c.ked pieces, gazing down from the rocks at black Peter the driver.

Peter being a particularly cleanly man had taken a pair of his linen drawers down to the stream to wash, with Dinny sitting on the edge of the rock smoking his pipe, and looking-on. All had gone well till Peter was beating the garment about in the water for a final rinse, when suddenly the jaws of a huge crocodile were protruded from the surface, not a yard away.