Off to the Wilds Part 49

But there was no need for flight. Hardly had the clumsy-looking monster commenced its headlong charge, when the precipitous rocks echoed to a hollow roar, and a patch of dry gra.s.s seemed to have been suddenly endowed with life, and to fling itself upon the shoulders of the charging beast.

No one thought of firing; but the whole party stood there watching the novel sight, as a huge lion, which might have made one of them its victim, fixed its teeth and claws in the neck and shoulders of the rhinoceros; and as the furious frightened beast tore on down the defile, dragging the lion with it, the latter seemed to give a spring, and fixed its hind quarters firmly upon the tough pachyderm's back.

"Big lion much hungry," said Coffee quietly. "Nosros' skin very hard."

As he spoke Jack had gone down upon one knee, and sent a bullet after the fast-receding pair, the echoes of the rifle report mingling with the hoa.r.s.e snorting bellow of the rhinoceros.

d.i.c.k, roused by his brother's example, also took aim and fired, his father following last.

Then the two animals disappeared from view, evidently pa.s.sing pretty near the waggon, but fortunately missing the little valley where the cattle were grazing.

"Coffee is right," said Mr Rogers; "that lion must have been ravenous, or it would not have attacked such a beast as that. Well, boys, you must keep a bright look out, for we, shall have to meet the enemy here."

"Hadn't we better go after the rhinoceros?" said d.i.c.k.

"What would be the use?" said his father; "the monster is going at a tremendous rate. No: let's go higher up amongst the rocks."

They pa.s.sed several snakes, and found one boa-constrictor, a comparatively small one though, which Coffee and Chicory attacked as it lay basking in the sunshine, its bright brown and yellow markings glistening in the bright light.

The boys made their arrangements very quickly, and without the slightest hesitation Coffee walked up to the reptile, and as it raised its head menacingly he struck it down with a blow of his kiri, and a dexterous chop from Chicory's long-bladed a.s.segai took off its head.

What had before seemed a sluggish inert body, now, as in a former case, became instantly endowed with spasmodic life, leaping from the stones, twisting, twining, knotting itself, and then unfolding and reknotting itself in the most extraordinary manner, the grey rocks around being spattered with the blood from the bleeding neck, while the severed head lay slowly gasping, and biting impotently at a few dry blades of gra.s.s.

d.i.c.k and Jack seemed as if they would have never tired of watching the reptile, but their father suggested a move onward.

"How long do you think that was, father?" said d.i.c.k, as they climbed on, each step bringing them to a more toilsome way.

"Probably a dozen feet, and a good deal thicker than my arm," replied Mr Rogers. "I should like to see one seize its prey, though, and watch the whole course of its constricting and swallowing the animal it has caught. And now, boys, I think we will go up as far as the end of this narrow pa.s.s, and then turn back and close the camp for the evening."

They went to the end, always rising, with the scenery growing wilder and more grand at every step; and at last Mr Rogers paused.

"Oh, let's go up to the top now," cried d.i.c.k eagerly.

"You can, boys; but make haste," said their father.

"The top" was the edge of a ridge some four hundred feet above their heads, and as Mr Rogers sat down to rest, the boys climbed on, finding the difficulties of the ascent greater than they had expected; but they kept on, manfully helped by Coffee and Chicory, who were always ready to push, to pull, or hold a rifle, and in this way they reached what proved to be quite a narrow edge, with some jagged pinnacles on their right, and a steep slope in front. But what took their attention most was an eagle in full pursuit of a lovely little slender-legged gazelle, which was straining every effort as it came up a long narrow defile to escape from its terrible enemy.

The gazelle was quite a hundred yards below them to their left as they saw it first, and they watched its progress with a fascinated interest as it came nearer as if to pa.s.s them, with the eagle gliding along over it as it bounded along, and then making dart after dart at it with its tremendous claws.

The eagle looked as huge as the gazelle looked graceful and tiny; and each moment the boys made sure that it was struck, but the baffled eagle rose again and again for another swoop, till, unable to bear it longer, d.i.c.k threw himself upon his face, rested his rifle upon the ridge in front, took a careful aim, fired; and Jack shouted "Hurray!" for as the smoke rose, and the echoes died away in the distance, the eagle could be seen lying flapping its wings upon the ground, raising a cloud of dust about it, and the gazelle disappeared round some rocks; while Coffee and Chicory, kiri in hand, were sliding down the rocky face of the precipice, to cross a narrow chasm below, bent upon finishing the monstrous bird's struggles with the kiris they grasped in their hands.

The place they descended was almost dangerous at times, but the two Zulu boys made nothing of it, and were soon approaching the spot where the bird had fallen.

As it saw them approach, it left off flapping its wings, turned itself upon its back, and struck at them savagely with its powerful talons.

The boys were not daunted though, and making a dash in, Coffee struck at the bird and missed it, receiving, in return for his intended blow, an ugly scratch from the eagle, which was about to bury its beak in his leg when Chicory's kiri struck it heavily upon the neck, and the fight was over; the bird's head dropping upon one side, and its powers of doing mischief for ever gone.

Then each seized a wing, and they bore it in triumph to their young leaders, who in turn helped to carry the majestic bird down to where Mr Rogers was waiting, ready to take great interest in their prize, but also eager to hurry them back to the waggon, where they arrived to find all right, and the cattle carefully secured in their kraal.

CHAPTER FORTY THREE.

DINNY IN "THROUBLE" AGAIN.

"An' if there was one there was over a thousand of thim, sor," cried Dinny, a day or two later, when he had been out with Peter to bring back a strayed ox. "Ye niver see such savage little men in yer loife, sor.

They came at us shouting bad language, and calling us all the blayguards they could lay their tongues to; and then one avil-looking owld reprobate ups wid a shtone and throws it at me. That was jist what the others wanted--a bad patthern, sor--and they began shying shtones as hard as they could, till Pater and me was obliged to re-threat."

"And you ran away, Dinny?" said d.i.c.k; "you let the baboons drive you back?"

"The which, sor?"

"The baboons, Dinny; the apes."

"Ah, ye can call 'em by that name, Masther d.i.c.k, if ye loike; I calls 'em little stumpy men, and as ugly as anything I iver see."

"Well, we shall have to go and pepper them," said Jack. "Let's go and tell father, d.i.c.k."

"Shure, ye may pepper and salt 'em too, Masther Jack," said Dinny, grinning, "but ye'll niver make anything of 'em but the toughest mate ye iver saw in yer loives."

"Ah, well, Dinny, we'll see," said Jack; and the two boys went and told Mr Rogers of Dinny and Peter having been attacked by a troop of baboons, that were close up to the camp amongst the rocks.

"How much of it is exaggeration?" said Mr Rogers, who was busy filling out some choice bird-skins, the bright plumed coverings of some of the natural history treasures he had secured.

"Some of it, of course, father," replied d.i.c.k. "But they are both cut about the faces with stones."

This being the case, it was decided to try and scare off the little vicious animals with a few charges of duck-shot, reserving the bullets in their rifles in cases of extremity.

Dinny said he was too much hurt to go to the attack; but the rest of the forces were collected, and, led by Peter, they made their way up over the ridge into the next valley; but no baboons were in sight, and though they went on their trail for some little distance, it seemed to be a useless task; so, sending part of their little company back, Mr Rogers went in one direction, the boys in another, to pa.s.s round a rocky hill and meet upon the other side.

Everything was very silent in the stillness of the hot midday, and what with the sun's torrid beams, and the reflection from the rocks, progress was very slow, till a faint bleating noise, that seemed to come from behind a patch of rocks, made the boys c.o.c.k their pieces, and approach cautiously.

They were so accustomed to hunting now, that they had no difficulty in stalking up to the clump of rocks, and there, sheltered behind some bushes, they stood with presented pieces, ready to fire, but hesitating for a time before the novelty of the scene.

Just in a depression amongst the rocks, where there was an open patch of fine gra.s.s, crouched an antelope, with a glossy black skin, and a pair of the longest and most beautifully curved horns they had ever seen.

d.i.c.k knew it in a moment as the swart vitpense, or lion-killer, as it was called by the Boers; and sure enough it was there at bay before a large tawny lion, crouched ready to spring, but hesitating to bound and impale itself upon those two finely pointed horns, which the antelope's lowered head pointed straight for the charge.

Twice over the monster seemed about to spring, but each time it hesitated, shuffling its feet beneath it, and altering its position more to the right; but the antelope had no intention of being taken in flank, and kept changing front so as to meet the attack.

Then for the first time, they saw that the antelope had its little one beneath it, and with all a mother's instinct she was protecting it with her horns.

This roused the boys on the instant. They had no sooner seen the head of that antelope and its wondrously beautiful horns, than they made up their minds to add it and its skin to their collection. But the brave mother's defence of her offspring won the young hunters to her side, and they had just levelled their rifles for a deadly shot at the lion, when it took them unawares, making a sudden spring, meaning to seize the antelope on the shoulder; but she had twisted a little round, so that the great cat threw itself right upon the two keen points, which pa.s.sed completely through its body.

At the same moment the little antelope dashed away, and there was a horrible struggle going on upon the patch of gra.s.s, the lion growling and snarling hideously as it struck at the antelope, and then strove to get free from the horns which the swart vitpense dragged out, and then stood up shivering by its a.s.sailant, which, far from thinking of attacking again, lay upon its side, biting the gra.s.s and tearing at the ground in its impotent fury.

d.i.c.k would have fired, but the monster had evidently received its death wound; and it was well he and his brother reserved their charges, for, as the injured lion lay wallowing in its blood, making the rocks echo to its agonised roar, and as the poor torn antelope stood shivering and bleeding there, another fierce roar was heard, and a second lion bounded into the depression, crouched, and sprang.