The Kopje Garrison Part 48

"Where can poor old Drew be?" he almost groaned.

At that instant his eyes lit upon the figure of the major, waving his hand to him angrily as if to draw his attention; and raising his own to his lips, he shouted as loudly as he could, "Nothing in sight."

The major's voice came to him clearly enough, in company with another wave of the hand in the other direction: "Ambulance?"

d.i.c.kenson swung round his gla.s.s to direct it towards Groenfontein, and his spirits rose again, for right away beyond the long string of oxen and wagons, as if coming to meet them, he could make out three light wagons drawn by horses, and a knot of about twenty mounted men coming at a canter and fast leaving the wagons behind.

"Ha!" sighed d.i.c.kenson; "that's good. The colonel must have started them to meet us the moment the firing was heard."

He turned directly to shout his news to the watching major, who signed to him to come down; and he descended, meeting two men coming up, one of them carrying a field-gla.s.s.

"To watch for the enemy, sir," said the latter as they met. "Which is the best place?"

"Up yonder by that stone, my lad," replied d.i.c.kenson, pointing. "Any news of Mr Lennox?"

"No, sir; I can't understand it. I think I saw him running down the side of the kopje just as we were getting on, but it was so dark then I couldn't be sure."

"I can't understand his not being found," said d.i.c.kenson to himself, as he hurried down to where the major was posting the men in the best positions for resisting an attack, if one were made before the party could get away.

d.i.c.kenson's attention was soon too much taken up with work waiting, for the wounded had to be seen to. Rightly considering that before long the enemy would advance to try and retake their old position, the major gave orders that the Boer wounded be rearranged so that they were in shelter and safety; and then, as there was still no sign of danger, the few injured of the attacking force were borne to the nearest spot where the ambulance party could meet them. Then the final work of destruction began.

"Seems a thousand pities," said Captain Edwards, "badly as we want everything nearly here."

"Yes," said the major; "but we can take no more, and we can't leave the stores for the enemy.-Here, d.i.c.kenson, take Sergeant James and play engineer. I have had the trains laid and fuses placed ready. You two must fire them as soon as we are a few hundred yards away."

d.i.c.kenson shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.

"Take care, and make sure the fuses are burning; then hurry away. Don't run any risks, and don't let Sergeant James be foolhardy."

"I'll mind, sir," said d.i.c.kenson shortly.

"The wagons will be fired before we start, so that the wind will keep them going."

"What about the powder?" said d.i.c.kenson gruffly. "That is all together. There are three wagons wheeled down into the shelter of the rock, so that the blast will not reach the fire."

"It'll blow it right up," growled d.i.c.kenson.

"No," said the major; "the rocks will deflect it upwards. I've seen to that."

"Couldn't we make the mules carry off the wagons? All three ambulances will not be wanted."

"My dear boy, you mean well," said the major impatiently; "but pray be content with taking your orders. Edwards and I have thought all that out. The fire will not go near the wounded Boers, and the explosion will not touch the fire. As to carrying off these wagon-loads of cartridges that will not fit our rifles or guns, what is the use? Now, are you satisfied?"

"Quite, sir," said d.i.c.kenson. "I was only thinking that-"

"Don't think that, man; obey orders."

"Right, sir," said d.i.c.kenson stiffly, and he went off to look up Sergeant James. "Hang him!" growled the young officer. "It doesn't seem to be my work. Making a confounded powder-monkey of a fellow!"

He glanced up, and saw that the men were busy on high with the field-gla.s.s, but making no sign. Then he noted that the ambulance, with its escort, was coming on fast; and soon, after a little inquiry, he came upon the sergeant, busy with the men, every one with his rifle slung, linking wagons together with tent-cloth poles and wood boxes and barrels so that the conflagration might be sure to spread when once it was started, to which end the men worked with a will; but they did not hesitate to cram their wallets and pockets with eatables in any form they came across.

"Make a pretty good bonfire when it's started, sir," said the sergeant.

"Humph! Yes," said d.i.c.kenson. "But what are those two barrels?"

"Paraffin, sir, for the beggars' lamps."

"Well," said d.i.c.kenson grimly, "wouldn't it help the fire if you opened them, knocked in their heads, and bucketed out the spirit to fling it over the wagon-tilts?"

The men who heard his words gave a cheer, and without orders seized the casks, rolled them right to the end where the fire was to be started, drove in the heads with an axe, and for the next quarter of an hour two of the corporals were busy ladling out the spirit and flinging it all over three of the wagons and everything else inflammable that was near.

"Now pack the paraffin-casks full of that dry gra.s.s and hay," cried d.i.c.kenson, who had been superintending. "It will soak up the rest, and you can start the fire with them."

The men cheered again, and in a very short time the two barrels stood under the tail-boards of two wagons, only awaiting the flashing-off of a box of matches to start a fire that no efforts could check.

"Here is the ambulance party," cried d.i.c.kenson. "Come with me now, sergeant. Let your corporals finish what there is to do."

"I don't see that there's any more to do, sir," said the sergeant, wiping his wet face. "Want me, sir?"

"Yes; I've something to say. You will go down and see the wounded off. Oh dear! oh dear! I've been thinking of what we were doing, and not of poor Mr Lennox. You've heard nothing, I suppose?"

"Neither heard nor seen, sir," replied the sergeant. "Seems to me that, in his plucky way, he must have dashed at the enemy, got mixed, and they somehow swept him off."

"If they did," said d.i.c.kenson, "he'll be too sharp for them, and get away."

"That he will, sir."

"I was afraid the poor fellow was killed."

"Not he, sir," cried the sergeant. "He'd take a deal of killing. Besides, we should have found him and brought him in. He'll turn up somewhere."

"Ha! You make me feel better, James," said d.i.c.kenson. "It took all the spirit out of me. Now then, I've some bad news for you."

"Let's have it, sir. I've had so much that it runs away now like water off a duck's back."

"It has nothing to do with water, sergeant, but with fire."

"That all, sir? I see; I'm to stop till the detachment's well out of the way, and then fire the laager?"

"No," said d.i.c.kenson; "that will be done before the men have marched. You are to stop with me and light the fuses."

"To blow up the ammunition, sir? Well, I was wondering who was to do that."

"It's a risky job, sergeant."

"Pooh, sir! Nothing like advancing against a lot of hiding Boers waiting to pot you with their Mausers. Beg pardon, sir; who was Mauser?"

"I don't know, sergeant. I suppose he was the man who invented the Boer rifles."