Part 32 (1/2)

”They say they're splendid pieces; but it would be a terrible theft, because I should take the bandoliers too.”

West was still silent.

”I say, lad,” whispered Ingleborough, laughing gently: ”you couldn't object to my stealing the rifles that would be used to kill our men.”

”How would you manage?” whispered West.

”Hah!” sighed Ingleborough, relieving his breast of a long pent-up breath, as he looked up at the arched-in wagon-tilt: ”this fellow's very nearly as wicked as I am.”

”Don't--don't joke!” said West: ”the matter is too serious. How would you manage?”

”Never you mind, old Very Particular! Leave that to me! By the way, though, before I lie down and have a good nap, in case I should be out all night, I don't think there is the slightest probability of our joining the Boer forces, do you?”

”Not the slightest!” answered West drily. ”There'll be plenty of traitors to their country without us!”

Five minutes later Ingleborough, whose head troubled him more than he owned to, was sleeping soundly, leaving West thinking deeply over the prospects of a daring escape, and every now and then glancing out and across the laager to make sure that the ponies had not been moved, as well as to fix the position of every wagon well in his mind ready for the time when his comrade and he would be stealing across in the dark, and thinking at times that the Boers must be mad to leave their prisoners' mounts tethered in sight of their temporary prison.

”But they're altogether mad!” he mused, ”or they would never have dared to defy the power of England in the way they have done!”

This thought had hardly pa.s.sed through his mind when he saw a group of the laager's occupants come by the prison wagon, each with a couple of well-filled bandoliers crossbelt-fas.h.i.+on over his breast, and rifle slung, making for the range forming one side of the laager. They broke up into twos and threes, and as they approached they unslung their weapons and took off their cartridge-belts to place them beneath the wagon-tilts, while they settled down to prepare a meal before having a rest.

”Just come off duty!” thought the prisoner, and, with his heart beating fast, he sat watching two of the men and then gazing hard at the nearest wagon, piercing in imagination the thick canvas covering spread over the arching-in hoops, and seeing, as he believed, exactly where two Mauser rifles and the Boers' bandoliers had been laid.

”Why, if it were dark,” he thought, ”I could creep out and secure those two rifles as easily as possible--if they were not taken away!”

West's face turned scarlet, and it was not from the heat of the sun upon the wagon-tilt, nor from the sultry air which pa.s.sed in from one end and out at the other.

He drew a deep breath and moved towards Ingleborough to tell him of the burning thoughts within him; but his comrade was sleeping so peacefully that he shrank from awakening him.

”He'll want all his strength!” thought West, and then he fell to wondering whether or not they would succeed.

The plan was so wonderfully simple that it seemed very possible, but--

Yes, there were so many ”buts” rising up in the way. The slightest hitch would spoil all, and they would be detected and subjected to the roughest of usage, even if they were not shot. But it was worth the risk, and the thinker's heart began to beat faster, and his hand stole to the part of his jacket where he had hidden the despatch, and as he did so he mentally saw himself and his companion riding through the darkness with the Boers, and waiting for an opportunity to dash off, taking the enemy so by surprise that they would be off and away and well into the gloom before they could be followed.

Once well mounted, with the open veldt before them, and the darkness for their friend, he felt that it would go hard if they did not escape.

He had come to this point, and was full of a wild exhilaration, feeling at heart that the venture only wanted the dash with which they would infuse it, when his attention was taken up by seeing the Boer leader with about half-a-dozen of his field-cornets pa.s.s by the open end of the tent and cross the laager.

He watched them with some anxiety, and then all at once his heart began to sink with a sudden attack of despair, for two of the party went off in front, unfastened the reins by which the two Basuto ponies were tethered to the wagon-wheels, and led them to where the Boer leader and the rest had halted, prior to putting the little animals through their paces as if to test their powers in connection with some object in view.

A castle in the air dashed down into nothingness, and he uttered a low groan, which made Ingleborough start up with a wondering look in his eyes.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

HOW TO ESCAPE.

”What's wrong?” said Ingleborough, in a whisper.

”Look out at the bottom of the wagon,” was West's reply.