Part 43 (1/2)

”Of course. But how do we know that they won't all bolt back for the Boers' camp? They're Boer bullocks, you know. Oh! I'll never forgive the Colonel if he loses all that beef.”

”The poor brutes will only make for the nearest patches of gra.s.s and bush,” I said, ”and their guard will take care to head them back if they seem disposed to stray.”

”But is any one on the lookout with a gla.s.s on the wall?”

”Sure to be,” I said.

”I'm not so sure,” cried Denham impatiently. ”Why, there must be going on for six hundred sirloins there, without counting other t.i.t-bits; and if the bullocks are taken care of, each one is a sort of walking safe full of prime meat for the troops.”

”There-look!” I said; ”they're settling down to graze, and the guard is spreading out between them and the open veldt.”

”Yes, I see,” said Denham anxiously; ”but I hope they'll take great care. That job ought to be ours.”

But it was not, and I did not want it. I said so, too.

”That's bosh,” replied Denham. ”You say so because you're not hungry; but just wait till you are, and then you'll be as fidgety about the bullocks as I am.”

”But you're not hungry now,” I said laughingly.

”Well, no-not at present; but I shall be soon. I haven't made up the balance of two days' loss yet. Ugh! only fancy-grilled cat's-meat for a commissioned officer in Her Majesty's service! Ugh! To think that I was compelled by sheer hunger to eat horse! I'd swear off all flesh-feeding for good if it wasn't for that beef.”

He burst into a hearty fit of laughing then, and we rode on, chatting about our position and the fact that the Boers seemed to consider they could not do better for their side than keep us shut up as we were till we surrendered as prisoners of war.

”That's it, evidently,” said Denham. ”They hate us horribly, for we'd been doing a lot of mischief amongst them before you joined, as well as ever since.”

”Shall we be able to cut our way through before long?” I asked.

”I don't know, old fellow,” he replied.

”We ought to,” I said, ”because we could be of so much use to the General's troops.”

”Well, I don't know so much about that,” said Denham as we neared the fortified gateway, with its curtain of empty wagons. ”I'm beginning to think that we're being a great deal of help to the General here.”

”How?” I asked wonderingly. ”Our corps is completely useless.”

”Oh no, it isn't, my little man. Look here; I'm of opinion that we're surrounded by quite a couple of thousand mounted men.”

”Yes, perhaps there are,” I said, ”at a guess.”

”Well, isn't that being of use to the British General? We're keeping these fellows fully occupied, so that they can't be hara.s.sing his flanks and rear with all this mob of sharpshooters, who know well how to use their rifles.”

”I say,” I cried, ”what's the matter yonder?”

”Nothing! Where?”

”Look at the baboons right at the far end of the kopje. They're racing about in a wonderful state of excitement.”

”Smell cooking, perhaps,” said Denham. ”Here, Sergeant,” he continued, calling up Briggs, ”take Mr Moray and a couple of men. Canter round yonder and see if you can make anything out. Scout. Perhaps the brutes can see the Boers advancing.”

In another minute we were cantering round the ragged outskirts of the great pile of stones, where they came right down to the plain, among which were plenty of gra.s.sy and verdant patches, little gorges and paths up amongst the tumbled-together blocks; and as we rode along we startled apes by the dozen from where they were feeding, and sent them shrieking and chattering menacingly, as they rushed up to the higher parts.