Chapter Thirty Four.
The Return.
“It is a wonderful story, boys. With those stones and bric-à-brac to support it, I am the last man in the world to cast doubts upon its veracity. I wish, however, that you had brought with you that quarter cohort of young amazons; we could do with them now in Rhodesia. However, go on and finish your yarn. What did you do with this poor girl?”
Dr Jim had received our heroes at Bulawayo.
At present they were on their way from the capital of Rhodesia to Mafeking with a train-load of native allies. Other laden trains were following in their track.
Much had happened during their absence from the field of progress, as their captain informed them. The Transvaal Government only, like the kingdom of Karnadama, stood still.
The suzerainty dispute had swallowed up many mouths, while Kruger, with his usual policy of aggressive arrogance and false professions, had lain like a great tortoise in the way, pushing its head out, and drawing it back again before it could be chopped off.
He was making a move at last. Emboldened by the quiet deportment of Britain, he considered that the hour had arrived when he could show his head plainly, and walk on as he wanted.
Crafty and timid although he was, Kruger had not been idle inside his shell. He had watched the political troubles that threatened his enemy, until now he considered their hands too full with outside affairs to be able to send much help to South Africa.
It was a fixed belief with Kruger and his countrymen that England was in the same position that the Roman Empire had been when her legions were recalled from Albion. He knew how her power was envied by the other great nations, and how isolated she stood facing the world. He had intrigued with those ill-wishers until he considered himself sure of support.
Only blind hatred moved him now. To break the power of this abhorred race, he was prepared to sacrifice the Republic and make his countrymen serfs, so that he might be allowed to have a life-post as governor, and see the Uitlanders crushed.
“You have just come in time to take a hand in clearing the board, if you are not afraid to venture once more into Krugerland,” Dr Jim had told them when he met them.
“We have sure intelligence that he intends to abrogate the Convention of London, and declare the absolute independence of the South African Republic on the tenth of this month. We have a copy of his intended ultimatum. He will allow the Uitlanders only twenty-four hours to decide whether they will declare themselves as enemies to their native land, or else be driven from the country, or imprisoned, with their property confiscated. A general massacre is clearly intended of all who dare resist.
“It is now the third of October, so that we have seven days before us to prepare for the old murderer. We have not been idle any more than Kruger has, and this time we have played his own game, the hiding one. From Fourteen Streams to the Portuguese border on the north we have the Transvaal environed and practically hemmed in; from Fourteen Streams to Usuta they are also isolated, although they do not know it; the natives of Swazi and Gaza lands are ready to rise at the signal, and pour across the border; a fleet of warships protects Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and Durban, so that the tactics of Mr Schreiner are so far defeated.
“We have hundreds of volunteers on their way from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. They are bringing arms and ammunition enough for all purposes. They will land at Durban and Cape Town in a few weeks at latest. Yes; I think we are nearly ready this time for the tortoise when he puts out his head, without having to trouble our mother for too much help, except those who man her fleet.”
“And what can we do?” asked our heroes. “Command us, for we are ready.”
“Well, I want you, Romer, to take a message into Johannesburg, and wait there till the fun begins.”
“Yes,” replied Ned.
“You must have some kind of disguise. I see you have grown a crop of down on your cheeks. I think you might sacrifice that, and you’ll make as smashing a young woman as one of your amazons.”
Ned laughed, and said he was willing to change his sex for the time.
“All right,” replied the doctor. “We’ll put the dressmaker of Mafeking on to you and your chums, and send you in to cajole the Boers. You, Raybold, must go to Pretoria. And you, Weldon, to Bloemfontein. I shall want Cocoeni and his fellows along with me.
“There must be no hesitation this time amongst the Uitlanders. On the midnight of the eleventh they must rise to a man, and hold the different towns until the outside forces join you. If all goes well, as I cannot see how it can miss, take possession of the trains and telegraph offices, so as to let no message go out or enter the land. Our part of the game must be finished before the world can hear about its opening, and this rotten Republic will then be a thing of the past. We intend to hold the kopjes this campaign, and force these skunks into the open; also to avoid bloodshed as much as possible, only the victory must be on our side—and complete.”
Dr Jim gave our heroes a great many other details and instructions on the journey down. He had been training and moving men to different parts for the past seven months in anticipation of this event, as settlers and their servants, as unostentatiously as he could manage it. While Kruger had been busy coquetting with foreign powers, and buying the latest improvement in weapons, Cecil Rhodes had been quietly stocking and populating the lands adjacent to the Transvaal.
“By the way, Romer, I have some personal news for you, which might have interested you more deeply than it is likely to do now that you have made your own fortune.”
“Yes?” asked Ned, curiously.
“Mr Rhodes has been home, and looking into your affairs. He always finds time to attend to the interests of those he takes in hand, with all his other big concerns.”
“And what has he discovered about me?”
“That your father first, and afterwards you, trusted as scoundrelly a thief as was ever transported, to manage your fortune.”
“Ah!”
“Yes; this Jabez Raymond, the solicitor, has robbed your late father and you systematically for many years, forging papers and creating mortgages wholesale. Mr Rhodes knew your father and the position he held during his life, so he set ruthlessly to work and unveiled the sanctimonious scoundrel. He is at present doing a seven years’ stretch at Dartmoor for his delinquencies, while your property is being looked after by a respectable agent. You are at present the possessor of a comfortable fifteen hundred per annum and a fine estate in Devon, free of all incumbrances. This, however, is a flea-bite to what you will have when these stones are sold.”
“Do you think they will realise much?”
“Two or three hundred thousand pounds at the least, I should say.”
“But by rights they belong to our employer, Mr Cecil Rhodes.”
“He will be content with a share in the mine you have discovered, if it ever gets into the market. These were presents given to you, therefore they are undoubtedly your own property,” said the doctor.
“And our followers.”
“Nonsense! These Kaffirs were your servants. Besides, so much money would ruin them. Divide the stones between you three, for they are undoubtedly your property. As for the idols and cups, you can lend a few of them for our Salisbury Museum. Now finish your yarn.”
Dr Jim leaned back on the cushion, smoking his pipe, while Ned resumed his story. As he told the tale, the train ran smoothly over that country which so lately had been an unexplored wilderness.
“We had no time to mourn long over the poor young amazon who had fallen a victim to friendship. We knew that our pursuers would spare no efforts to reach us as soon as they could do so.
“Therefore, satisfied that she, Rhae, was no more, we opened one of the mummy-cases, and, taking out the original lodger, we placed her inside instead. We wrapped her up in the outer linen of the mummy, after reading the service over her, and replaced the lid of the sarcophagus. Properly, I suppose, she should have been embalmed, for, according to her religion, her soul was in jeopardy by her being entombed in this fashion. But I dare say she’ll find her body again at the resurrection day quite as easily as any of her countrywomen will find their more carefully preserved earthly shells.
“This done we started up the stairs, carrying the mummy with us. We did this so as not to horrify the Karnadamains too much with our sacrilege. We reached the top all right; then, remembering the dying advice of Rhae about breaking down the steps, I took back with me a good charge of gunpowder and dynamite, and, placing this in a wide crevice about a couple of dozen steps from the top, I ran up a train of gunpowder to the hall above.
“I had hardly finished this operation when we heard them coming. We could hear their shouts and the clashing of their armour as they filled the chamber below and crowded up the stairs. At once I fired the train, and bolted as hard as I could spin to the outer door of the hall.
“I had only taken about a dozen leaps when the explosion took place. Into the vast hall the smoke and dust flew from the smaller room, accompanied by the crushing and tumbling of the blasted slabs.
“As soon as the sounds ceased and the smoke cleared, we ventured back to look at the damage done. We had demolished not only the stairs, but torn great masses out of the walls of the room as well. Where the entrance to the stairs had been now lay several tons of broken masonry; the passage was completely blocked up.
“We listened, but heard no sounds from below; then, satisfied that we were at last safe, we left the large painted hall.
“Outside we went on the walls and looked over. There a vast crowd of chariots were standing, with a number of amazon guards. They saw us, and several bent their bows, but we could afford to laugh at this display, as the arrows only reached a short distance up the cliffs.
“We at once hurried away, however, for suddenly a thought occurred to me that there might be some other way up, and we had no desire to be captured.
“Another thing made us not linger in that deserted citadel. We had plenty of ammunition and wealth, etc., but we had very little provisions, and only about one bag full of water.
“Fortunately we were going down the hill, and knew exactly how long we should take before we reached the Rhodes fountain. But for all that, we were nearly dead from thirst before we reached it.
“Those awful bashikonay ants were in our minds also, all down that hot and parching defile. If we should meet them here, there was no hope for us. Luckily we did not, nor did we see any of them again.
“The stream was still running as clearly as ever. We felt happy when we reached it, even although we had not half a meal each left out of our scanty stock.
“Nor did we taste anything after that until we were a full day’s journey from the mountain. Then we killed a couple of lions, and had to satisfy our appetites on them until we got once more amongst the game.
“Here we were all right. We stayed three weeks on the plains, hunting and drying meat, and otherwise preparing ourselves for the dismal forest. We had not lost a man since starting, and for this we all rejoiced; but in the return through the forest we were not quite so fortunate, and I am sorry to have to report the loss of ten, whom we had to bury there.
“One day we ran right into a camp of those active little nomads, who surrounded us and gave us battle. How many they were we could not tell, as they dodged us amongst the trees and brushwood.
“There must have been thousands, for although we shot about fifty of them and kept the rest at bay, yet we suffered from them night and day afterwards. Not until we were clear of the forest were we able to shake them off.
“They were dreadful and revengeful pests; nor were we ever sure when we might be pierced with one of their poisoned arrows.
“Three of our boys went down during the first conflict, and after that the rest of the ten died from the effects of the poison, one after the other. They had been touched in vital parts, or else neglected to look after their wounds at the time.
“I got one arrow in the ankle, but my boot so far protected me, that my wound was better in a week. Cocoeni was wounded in the arm, and suffered dreadfully for three weeks. The others who were hit managed to suck the poison out quickly and wash the wounds with disinfectants, so that they managed to escape.
“None of us had fever, however, coming back. The constant excitement we were kept in by these dwarfish, light-coloured savages, with the quick marches we took, must have saved us from that evil.
“After the forest was over, the rest of our journey was only a matter of time. You may judge of our astonishment, however, when one day we saw the corrugated iron roof of a railway station where some months before we had passed through a country peopled only by natives. You cannot, however, realise our delight when amongst those who came to welcome us we beheld you—the hero of South Africa.”
“I was as delighted to see you, my lads, and so will Mr Rhodes, when he lands in Cape Town and gets my telegram announcing your safe return. Let me congratulate you on your remarkable success. You have more than answered our expectations, and I am proud of your achievements.”
“That repays us tenfold for all we have gone through,” answered our heroes, with beaming faces and exultant hearts.