Tales from the Veld Part 27

"'Kaffirs!' sed Jimmie, scowling after Jake.

"'Hurrah!' sed Harry, and threw up his hat.

"'What's all this I yere from Jake?' said ole man Tolver, striding up.

'So,' he sed, when Jimmie tole him, putting the ends of his beard into his mouth, which were a trick he had when thinking. 'So; they're coming. Well, let 'em come! I tole that Guv'ment chap I'd stay here, and here I'll stay. If any of you boys would like to go, you'd better clear now.'

"They were all of them together--all but Jake, and he had gone running into the house.

"'It's too much trouble to run,' said Oll, biting on a piece of gra.s.s.

''Sides, I ain't finished "scoffling" the mealies. I'll stay.'

"The ole baas he jes' grunted.

"'So'll I,' said Seth.

"'Ef you all went,' said Harry, with his eyes shining, 'I'd stop.'

"The ole baas he jes' grunted ag'in.

"'An' me,' said Willie; 'and me too'--'and me,' said Jim and baby Tom.

"'Thank you, my sons,' sed Tolver, softly, and jes' then Jake came outer the house--Jake the biggest and the oldest, and the kindest of the brothers. In his hand he carried a big chopping axe, which were like a little stick in his grasp. He looked at his brothers, and his father looked at him.

"'I'm going over to Clumber,' he sed.

"'So,' sed his father; and they all stood silent.

"'Yes,' sed Jake after a time, 'I give 'em warning.'

"'And take yourself out of danger,' sed the ole baas quietly.

"Jake looked at his father rather sad-like, and then he said: 'Shall I take Jim and Tom with me?'

"'I won't go,' sed Tom, turning red.

"Jimmie sed nothin', but his lip trembled. He thought a heap of Jake, and here he seed him turnin' tail.

"'Abe,' said Jake, speaking quietly; 'you've got no part in this--come with me.'

"'I'm not running away,' I sed. 'I'll stay with Harry.'

"Jake opened his mouth as if he'd speak, then he turned on his heel and strode away with his axe over his shoulder.

"His brothers turned to look after him, and ole Tolver, he called out in a hard voice, 'Don't you come back here again. You're no son of mine.'

Jake he gave no sign, and I seed Jimmie's face working.

"'Yah! you're afraid like him,' I sed.

"'You lie,' he sed, and hit me 'longside the jaw.

"'Be quiet, boys,' said Oll Tolver, ketching Jim by the arm.

"'Seth,' said the ole baas, speaking short and firm. 'Get ter the top of that hill, and keep a sharp look-out. Willie and Jim, bring the cows into the kraal. Oll and Harry, fill the water barrel, and put it inside the house. Tom and you, Abe, move all the things outer the big room, and get the guns ready.'

"Seth sot off up the hill at a lope, and the other boys all went about their work, and got things to rights in no time. Then we hung about fidgettin'--picking things up and putting them down, and looking up to Seth all the time.

"Arter a long time Seth lifted up his hand, and we all stood in a bunch watching him till our eyes ached--then here he come down the hill like a cart wheel, while the big chaps grabbed their guns, and I bolted inter the house.

"'Are they coming?' shouted Harry.

"Seth nodded as he ran.

"'How many?'

"'One,' said Seth, with a gasp.

"'Good lord!' said Harry, throwing his rifle down.

"'I say,' sed Seth, drawlin' out his words--his neck was that long; 'you fellows jes' slouch around 's if you were at work. I'm goin' to meet this chap. Maybe he's a spy.'

"'Seth's right,' said the ole baas; and the boys put the guns away, and scattered about as if they were restin'.

"Seth slipped a naked hunting-knife inside the band of his trousers, and lounged away up the path; and bymby, when he nearly got to the top, a Kaffir came over the ridge, stood a moment looking, then come down. He carried his blanket over his right shoulder.

"When they met, the Kaffir he took snuff, and Seth he gave him a bit of tobacco. Then they talked and talked, and the Kaffir, he kep' his eye on the house, and arter a time he kep' movin' around--'s if he'd like to get behind Seth--and Seth all the time he kep' his face to the t'other.

Then the Kaffir went away back, and Seth went up to the ridge again, and there was another spell of waiting.

"Then Harry sed he weren't going to fool about any more, and he made tracks for the little wood above the clearing, and Willie follered. No sooner'd they got clear than here comes Seth again, like a streak.

"'It's all right,' he sed; 'they're comin' thick. The veld's red with 'em.'

"They gave a hail for Harry and went inside, and each one looked to see the shiny, bra.s.s caps were hard down on the nipple--while Tom, he laid out the round bullets, and the greased rags for wroppin' 'em in, and the slugs handy. Seth were tellin' how the Kaffir ast him questions, and how he seed the a.s.segai under his blanket--then there came a deep sound rolling along the ground, which made me hide away in the barrel churn, and made the brothers all go silent. It were the war song of the red Kaffirs, deep from their chests, slow and boomin', and solum, and in between there were the shrill crying of the women, follering behind the fightin' men with the mats and the pots.

"Ole baas Tolver stood at the door looking for Harry, and he give a shout for him to hurry; and the Kaffirs came over the crest of the hill.

Jimmie pushed his rifle through a hole in the wall, with a gasp in his throat.

"'Don't shoot!' sed his father; and he looked away to the woods for his two sons. And so they stood, waiting and watching.

"I crept out of the barrel to see what they were looking at so set, and there I seed the Kaffirs slipping down the hill, from rock to rock, edging all the time towards the wood, and others coming up over the ridge, their bodies stripped and oiled for war, and their faces smeared with red clay.

"'My G.o.d!' sed the ole man under his breath; then he bellered out 'Run!'

"I looked between his legs, and seed Harry and Willie comin' up from the wood, and walkin' jes' 's if they were comin' in to dinner.

"The Kaffirs yelled when they seed them, and started running. Harry threw up his gun, and they dropped down, hiding away behind nothing. I yeard Harry laugh. Well, they came on at that fool pace, and all on a sudden the Kaffirs came leaping and dodging down. The two brothers they stood still, with their rifles up and fired; then they come on loading, and fired again.

"'Run, Willie,' sed Harry; 'let's see who can get in first,' and with that he made to run, and Willie let out full speed, with the Kaffirs yelling like mad. When he got near the door he looked round and seed Harry walking backwards with his rifle ready, and the Kaffirs hanging away back and whizzing their a.s.segais. He made 's if to start back, but the ole man caught him by the arm and yanked him in.

"'Fire!' sed the ole baas, and he and the three boys blazed away, Jimmy letting rip a handful of slugs.