The Luck of Gerard Ridgeley Part 5

"Come out of that!" he raved, as poor Harry began ruefully and rather gingerly to pick himself up. "Come out of it. I'll have twenty pound out of you for this little bit of fun. But first of all I'm going to give you the biggest licking you ever had in your life, you spick-and-span popinjay masher!"

"We'll see about that part of the business," said Gerard, who, seeing the hostile turn of affairs, had dismounted and hitched his bridle to a convenient rail. "If there's going to be any fighting, it'll have to be done fair, you understand."

"What the blazes have you got to say to it anyhow?" cried the man, turning to Gerard, but with something of the light of battle gone out of his unprepossessing countenance as he took in the well-knit frame and determined aspect of his younger opponent.

"Just this," said Gerard. "My chum there's shaken by his fall, and I doubt if he's much good with his fists or a match for you. So if there's any licking to be done, just start here. See?"

But the man apparently did not see. He hesitated, staring at the speaker, his features working with rage. He was a hard-looking customer of about forty, with shifty eyes and a s.h.a.ggy sandy beard. His raiment withal was slovenly, consisting of moleskin trousers none too clean, a collarless flannel shirt, also none too clean, and a slouch hat.

"Why don't you fence your confounded mealie-field, or whatever you call it?" said Gerard, angrily, for although a good-tempered fellow he had all the average young Englishman's objection to being bullied or crowed over. "You deserve all that's happened for keeping a place like that practically unfenced, for one can't call that broken-down thing a fence.

And right by the roadside, too! Shouldn't wonder if it was left that way on purpose."

The man yelled out a fresh torrent of blasphemy. The last remark had all-unwittingly hit the right nail on the head. That mealie patch was a source of revenue to its owner beyond the mere value of its crop. But he hesitated to come to close quarters.

"Fence or no fence," he shouted, "I'm going to have twenty pound out of that paper-collared, monkey-headed son of a bandbox. His brute of a horse has done more than twice that amount of damage. So sh.e.l.l out, Shiny-boots!"

Harry, to whom this remark was addressed, though, as his comrade had said, somewhat shaken by his fall, was quite alive to the situation. He realised what a tower of strength lay in Gerard's thews and sinews, and was not at all unwilling that his comrade should fight his battles for him. So he answered with a spirit born of that confidence.

"Keep your confounded cheek to yourself, you dirty-looking clodhopper.

Twenty pounds! Why, I'll summon you for shying stones at me and starting off my horse. And if he's lost you'll have to pay for him."

"Look here," said Gerard, "if you think you've any claim upon us, we are staying in Maritzburg, at the Imperial. I'll give you our names and addresses, and you can do what you like. But we are not going to stick fooling around here all day."

"Oh, you're not, eh? We'll soon see about that." And turning, he began bawling out something in a language they did not understand.

A house stood back from the road. This building they had at first hardly noticed. Now, from around it, a swarm of natives were pouring, about a dozen of whom, leaving the rest, came running down to the scene of the dispute.

"This is getting serious," said Gerard to himself. "I'm afraid we're in for a ripe old row."

The natives had surrounded our two friends. They were mostly well-set-up, stalwart fellows, some clad in European clothes, others wearing only the _mutya_, a sort of ap.r.o.n which hangs from the loins before and behind. All carried sticks.

The white man was haranguing them vehemently in their own tongue--in fact, binding them to his interests by promises of grog and tobacco.

Gerard cast an eager glance up and down the long riband of dusty road, over the shimmering expanse of sun-baked _veldt_. But in vain. No help need be looked for from outside. He resolved to make one more appeal to reason.

"Look here," he began.

But the other stopped him short.

"Shut up. We don't want any more _indaba_. Are you going to fork out or are you not? because, if not, we are going to take your horse and yourselves too. There are enough of us, you see."

"Possibly there are," said Gerard. "But before you attempt anything foolish, just hear what I've got to say. My name's Ridgeley, and--"

"Eh? What!" The other was staring at him open-mouthed now. "What did you say your name was?"

"Ridgeley--Gerard Ridgeley," was the reply, in some astonishment at the sadden transition in the other's demeanour.

"Why on earth didn't you say so before?"

"Well, I tried to, but you wouldn't let me get in a word edgeways.

Isn't there a Mr Anstey living somewhere about here? Umjilo is the name of his place, I believe."

"Quite right, Gerard, quite right. There is. _I'm_ Mr Anstey, and yonder's Umjilo"--pointing to the house before referred to. "And so you're young Ridgeley! Well, well!"

Gerard started and stared, then stared again. His countenance exhibited surprise, relief, amazement, but no satisfaction; relief at this fortunate termination of their difference, yet a profound sense of disappointment. That this seedy, disreputable-looking rowdy should turn out to be the relative of whom he was in search was something of a shock, and that such a specimen as this should have it in its power to advance his prospects in life seemed incredible. His hopes sank to zero.

"Lord, now, to think of that!" went on Anstey. "And to think how near we came to punching each other's heads! You'd never have dreamt it, eh, Gerard? I'm a bit of a rough chap, I'm afraid. Years of this cursed country and climate are apt to touch up a man's temper and liver; but I mean no harm--bless you, no. We haven't shaken hands yet."

Gerard reddened, as he came to himself, and held out his hand eagerly.

Young as he was, his natural ac.u.men had detected a false ring underlying the a.s.sumed heartiness of the other's speech, and he feared by his manner to show it.

"Now, introduce your friend. Ah, very sorry, sir, we should have had any difference of opinion. Shake hands and forget all about it. I'll soon have your horse brought back. And now, come round to the house and have some dinner. It's a bit rough, maybe, but very much at your service."

The almost deferential tone of this apology completely availed to salve Harry Maitland's wounded dignity, and he began to see in his whilom foe, but now prospective host, an uncommonly sensible fellow, shrewd enough to appreciate to a hair his own sense of self-importance. The natives, with many surprised e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns over this unlooked-for turn events had taken, dispersed by twos and threes, not, however, before Anstey had despatched a couple of them to hunt up the runaway steed.

"Come on up to the house," he went on. "I dare say you've learnt not to expect much by this time--not much in the way of comfort, that is. When did you land?"

"Only a few days ago," answered Gerard. "We came straight on here at once. Travelled up to Maritzburg in a waggon, chartered a horse apiece, and came out to find you."

"Travelled up in a waggon, did you say? Whose waggon?"

"John Dawes's. A rattling good chap. Do you know him?"

"Used to. But, between you and me, Gerard, he's not really much of a chap. Did he--er--seem to know me?"

The covert anxiety of the tone brought back to Gerard's mind the queer expression which the mention of his relative had called up to the transport-rider's face. Still it was possible that the two men had but quarrelled. At the same time, do what he would he could not quite overcome a growing aversion to Anstey. This was hardly promising for their future relationship.

"This is my crib," said Anstey, as they approached the house. "The store's at the back. We'll go round and look at it presently. Come in; come in."

The house was a rough, square, one-storeyed building, roofed over with corrugated iron. A low _stoep_ ran round the front of it, and the door opened into the sitting-room direct, without the intervention of any entrance hall. The floor was of hard clay covered with matting, and the furniture of the very plainest. Accommodation seemed strictly limited, for besides the room which did duty as the proprietor's bedroom there was only one other, and it was half full of lumber of every description.

The whole of the back part of the house was used for the trading store, and from this came a foetid and pungent whiff, mingled with the deep ba.s.s hum of native voices.

While they dined--on a baked shoulder of mutton, with pumpkin and sweet potatoes--Anstey questioned his young guests somewhat profusely as to their plans and prospects. Gerard, whose rising aversion had engendered in him suspicions of which he was more than half ashamed, fancied he detected a slight change of manner on his host's part, as he frankly avowed his own utter lack of prospects or means, and a corresponding increase of cordiality towards Harry Maitland, who was not p.r.o.ne to underrate himself or his possessions.

"I remember your mother perfectly well, Gerard," said Anstey. "But I never saw your father. So they shipped you off to shift for yourself, eh? Well, we must see what can be done for you. And what are your plans, Maitland?"

"Oh, I must first go round and look up a lot of people I've got introductions to," was the airy reply. "Nothing like looking around a bit before making up one's mind, eh?"

"Quite right, quite right," nodded their host approvingly, inking another gla.s.s of grog, which, by the way, was the sixth he had taken since he came in. Then he proposed they should light their pipes and stroll round and look in at the store.

The latter was a long low room, with a counter running through it.

This, as also the shelves lining the walls, was covered with goods-- blankets and rugs, canisters of coffee and sugar, bra.s.s wire and bangles and every species of native "track," biscuit and paraffin tins. Strings of beads of every conceivable hue, overcoats, and flannel shirts, and moleskin trousers hung from pegs, and cl.u.s.ters of _reims_, or raw-hide thongs--for rope is but little used in South Africa--in fact, half a hundred varieties of the genus "notion" for supplying the needs of customers, native or white.

The room was pretty full of tobacco smoke and natives, who suspended their conversation and nudged each other as they recognised the two young strangers against whom their aid had been invoked for hostile purposes, but who were now hand in glove with the proprietor behind the counter. A lanky youth in shirt-sleeves, with a mud-coloured, wispy face, was presiding over the transactions.

"Well, Smith, how's 'biz'?" said Anstey. The wispy youth shrugged his shoulders and growled some inarticulate reply in monosyllable. Then, on being introduced to the new-comers, he extended a limp paw to each, and returned to his former occupation of measuring out roll tobacco to a native, always with the same wooden and vacant expression.

"Well, how do you think you'd like storekeeping?" said Anstey, as he went through the performance which he jocosely termed "showing them round the place," though, apart from a tumble-down stable and the historic mealie-field before described, there was no "place" to show them round.