Settlers and Scouts Part 24

CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIRST--A Combined a.s.sault

"Think they'll give it up?" said Ferrier, as they sat over their dinner.

"Not they! Those fellows haven't come all the way from their village for nothing. They wouldn't have come at all but for some strong inducement, for Juma isn't an old friend of theirs, remember."

"Well, there's very little inducement so far as I can see. There's next to no loot bar the rifles and ammunition, and Juma would bag those if he licked us. The others would have a very poor look-in."

"You forget the sort of old curiosity shop collection that the men were so delighted with. The 'bad men' would get those, of course."

"It's very little among so many; you said there were about four hundred of them."

"Yes, but Juma wouldn't be over particular as to what he promised. All he wanted was to get their help. If he were to lick us, he could safely defy the 'bad men,' for with the rifles and practically unlimited ammunition he could do what he liked with 'em. He's sure to attack us, maybe to-day, maybe to-morrow; and the best thing we can do is to strengthen our defences. We shall have all our work cut out to keep 'em off this time: we're three rifles short; I suppose Coja and the others took theirs with them?"

"Yes, unfortunately. But I've already begun to strengthen the defences--started when I got your message."

"Good man! What did you do?"

"First thing, I cut down some of the young trees at the further end of the island. I thought they might give cover to the enemy if they tried an attack in that quarter. Then it occurred to me that if we could raise a sort of bastion to jut over the wall by the gate yonder, we could fire at them without exposing ourselves, and--what do they call it?--enfilade them."

"Capital! I wondered what that rummy erection meant. Didn't like to say so, but it looks like a funeral pyre."

"Well, it's not finished, you know. It took us a good time to cut down the trees and strip off the branches. The enemy didn't see what we were about until we had got a pretty good pile of logs, and then they began shooting at us--with arrows; they didn't want to waste ammunition, I suppose. I had to draw the men off then, and we haven't gone at it again: your arrival has put everything else in the shade."

"We may as well finish that bastion now, at any rate, and put up another on the other side of the gate, if there's wood enough. Sorry I can't help you; I'm too stiff. You'll have to perch me up on one of the bastions when the attack comes, and leave me there."

"Oh, you'll soon be all right. I'll give you a good rubbing by and by with hippo grease; it'll be as good as goose fat, and that's what the old wives use, isn't it?"

Ferrier set the men to work on the bastions, instructing them how to pile the logs and to interlace the branches they had lopped off, so as to form a kind of parapet, the interstices between the branches making natural loopholes.

They were still engaged on this task, about four o'clock in the afternoon, when Ferrier's attention was attracted by movements among the enemy, who formed a dense black ma.s.s, with a few white spots, against the background of trees. He thought that the signs of activity portended an attack, and called to some of the men to occupy the one bastion that was finished. They obeyed quickly, carrying John with them at his own order. But it was soon apparent that the enemy were not contemplating an immediate a.s.sault. They suddenly threw themselves on the ground in a large circle, three ranks deep, the Swahilis, eight in number, standing at the centre.

"A council of war: what they call a shauri," said John.

It was soon seen that there was a difference of opinion among the a.s.sembly. At first the discussion proceeded in a quiet and orderly manner, the sound of voices reaching the fort very faintly. But presently there were clear signs of excitement. Some of the warriors sprang up, and harangued the Swahilis fiercely, brandishing their spears in the direction of the fort. Their voices were raised; the tumult increased moment by moment; and the sound became a continuous roar, like the noise of surf at a distance.

"The allies are at loggerheads," said Ferrier. "They may raise the siege."

The chief of the "bad men" was in fact demanding to know why the Swahilis had brought him and his men on a fool's errand. Where was the promised spoil? In a fort, defended by a wall, a pool of water, and an army led by wasungu. How had the msungu whom they had left in the village, bound and under guard, come into the fort? Surely by magic; and if the wasungu had such wonderful medicine it was useless to attack them.

To this Juma--for it was he--replied that the spoil was indeed within the fort, but the defences were not so formidable as they appeared. The wall had been partly demolished; the pool could be swum, it contained no crocodiles; and as for the men within, it was clear they must be very weak, for they had taken no food into the fort for many days. Nor could they get any; no doubt an attempt had been made that morning, and found to be impossible because of the current. (Such was his explanation of the incident of the raft.) And as for the msungu who had reappeared so mysteriously, it was no magic, but the carelessness of the guards that accounted for that: the msungu must have escaped, and not being afraid of the dark had marched during the night.

This aspersion on the trustworthiness of the guards roused the chief to fury. Springing up, he demanded the instant fulfilment of the promise made to him. He worked himself up to an ecstasy of indignation; his men caught fire from him; and when the tumult was at its height they suddenly wheeled round and, following their chief, began to march off towards their village.

"This looks promising, certainly," said John, who had watched the proceedings closely. "If we could only get out we might even enlist those fellows on our side."

But in a few moments a change came over the scene. Six painted warriors came running from the north-west to meet the marching force, which halted, swallowing up the runners into its own ma.s.s. A few minutes pa.s.sed; then the whole body wheeled about and returned to the spot where the Swahilis and their negroes were still grouped in a circle.

"Men from the village come to report our escape," said John.

"But why should that make the chief turn back?" rejoined Ferrier. "It ought to have the opposite effect."

"I take it that the chief is so mad at being done that he has decided not to go until he has caught me again."

"But your escape is no news to him. They've seen you already."

"That's true. Well, I can't account for it; but it's clear that those six fellows have caused a change in the tide, and I wish them at Halifax."

The conference was resumed, and continued until dark. There was no further outburst. Ferrier utilized the time to finish the second bastion: it was impossible to doubt that the enemy was planning an attack. It would not be made in the night, but must be looked for as soon as morning broke. Ferrier's expression was very grave as he helped John to reach his little gra.s.s hut in the centre of the fort. He had made an inspection of the stock of provisions during the morning, and knew that it would not last beyond another day.

"I won't worry John to-night," he thought, "but he'll have to know in the morning."

Though convinced that no attack would be made during the dark hours, Ferrier took the precaution of putting four men on sentry-go. He insisted on John's going to bed as soon as he had had his ma.s.saging, and sat down by the fire himself, in no cheerful frame of mind. He knew he would get little sleep that night, for the negro, though willing enough, is ever an untrustworthy sentinel. And when he reflected on the horde of savage enemies without, he could not look forward with confidence to the issue of the coming fight. He canva.s.sed the possibility of help coming from Nairobi or Fort Hall, reckoning how long it would take for the messenger to reach Mr. Gillespie, and how long for a rescue party to gain the fort. But he found the very elements of the calculation uncertain; try as he might, he could not recollect clearly how many days had pa.s.sed since they left the farm. Never before had he understood the savage man's indifference to time; it was now clear; time is an invention of civilization.

While he was sitting thus brooding over the fire, one of the sentries, an askari of his original safari, came running to him.

"Bwana," he said, "man ober dere."

He pointed towards the western end of the island. Ferrier sprang up, seizing rifle and revolver: surely the enemy had not crossed the river in the darkness and crept round to attack the fort from this side?

Hastening to the wall, he mounted upon it and peered into the night.

Nothing could be seen. But in a moment he thought he heard a faint sound. He listened intently: yes, he heard it again; it was a kind of whinny--the signal he had arranged with Coja in case he should return after sunset. The men were safe, then; he rejoiced for their own sake, and because it meant the addition of three good rifles to the morrow's defence. Calling up two of the men, he had the canoe lowered and carried down to the water, himself accompanying them, since he could never be sure that unreasoning panic might not seize them. The canoe was launched and paddled quietly to the farther sh.o.r.e of the pool. Two men stepped down to meet it: they were Coja and the askari.

"Where is Said Mohammed?" asked Ferrier.

"Him gone, sah," replied Coja: "dunno where he are."

"You lost him?"

"Long long way ober dere."

"Before it was dark?"

"Long time, sah,"

"Did you look for him?"

"Oh yes, sah, look for him long time, sure nuff."

"Well, get in. You're a couple of m.u.f.fs, to say the least. What were you doing?"

Coja explained that about midday, as they were fording the river, a number of leeches fastened on their legs. They jumped about to rid themselves of the creatures, and suddenly a huge brown crocodile, waked by the disturbance, slid off a mud bank into the stream, within a foot or two of Said Mohammed. The Bengali heard the flop of the loathsome reptile just in time to spring out of its reach. The others dashed across the river at full speed: Said Mohammed ran back to the bank they had left, scrambled up, and sped away as fast as his legs would carry him into the bush. Coja did not venture to recross the stream at that spot: he sought a ford higher up, but was long in finding one. Both he and the askari waded over and searched along the bank; they did not dare to shout, for fear of bringing an enemy upon them; and failing after a long time to discover any trace of the Bengali, they had thought it best to return to the fort.

"And did you find the place where the _bwana_ and Bill are kept?" asked Ferrier.

"No, sah: them's dead, sure miff."

"They're here, and alive," he said. "I was a fool to let the men go,"