The Young Colonists: A Story of the Zulu and Boer Wars Read online

thestream by canoes. The passage had commenced at early morning, and bynightfall the whole of the caravan and its contents were safely acrossthe stream.

  "We are now," Mr Harvey said, "in the Matabele country; the natives arefor the most part friendly, as they know the advantage they derive fromthe coming of English traders, but there are portions of the tribealtogether hostile to us, and the greatest caution and care have to beexercised in passing through some portions of the country. To the eastlies a land said to be very rich in gold, and there can be little doubtthat it is so, for we frequently find natives who have traded with thatcountry in possession of gold-dust, but they allow no white men to passtheir frontier on any pretext whatever. They have become aware in someway how great is the value of gold in the eyes of Europeans, and fearthat if the wealth of the country in that metal were but known a vastemigration of Europeans would take place, which would assuredly sooneror later end in the driving out or extirpation of the presentinhabitants of the land."

  The news which they had learned at the village where they had crossed,of the state of affairs among the tribes of the north, was notencouraging. The natives said that there had been much fighting. Notonly had eruptions taken place with tribes still further north, but theMatabele had also been quarrelling among themselves.

  "This is bad news indeed," Mr Harvey said; "these tribal wars makejourneying very difficult; for, although none of the tribes may behostile to Europeans at ordinary times, they view them with distrustwhen coming from a tribe with whom they are at war. In peace-time, too,when each section of the tribe is under some sort of control by the headchief, each will hesitate to rob or attack an European caravan, becausethe whole would consider themselves aggrieved and injured by such aproceeding. In war-time, on the other hand, each thinks, `If we do notrob this rich caravan some one else is sure to do so; we may as wellhave the plunder as another.' War is injurious to us in other ways;instead of the tribes spending their time in hunting, they remain athome to guard their villages and women, and we shall find but littleivory and few ostrich feathers gathered to trade for our goods. I hadnot intended to have encumbered myself with a larger following, but Ithink, after what I have heard, it will be wise to strengthen our partybefore going further. I will therefore hire twenty men from the villagehere to accompany us; they will be useful in hunting, and will cost butlittle; their wages are nominal, and we shall have no difficulty inproviding them with food with our rifles. In one respect they are moreuseful than men hired from time to time from among the people farthernorth for the purpose of driving game, for, as you see, many of themcarry guns, while beyond the river they are armed only with bows andarrows."

  "I am surprised to see so many guns." Dick said; "where could thesepeople have got the money to buy them?"

  "It is the result of a very bad system," Mr Harvey replied. "The Capeauthorities, in spite of all the representations which have been made tothem, of the extreme danger of allowing the natives to possess firearms,allow their importation and sale to them, simply on account of therevenue which they derive from it, as a duty of a pound is charged oneach gun imported into the colony. From all parts of South Africa thenatives, Pondos, Basutos, Zulus, and other Kaffirs, go to thediamond-fields and work there for months; when their earnings suffice toenable them to buy a gun, a stock of ammunition, and a blanket, theyreturn to their homes. All these fellows you see carrying guns haveserved their six or eight months in the diamond-mines; a dozen of themwould be a strong reinforcement to our fighting power, in case of anattack."

  There was no difficulty in engaging the required number of men. Eachwas to be paid on the conclusion of the journey with a certain quantityof powder and lead, a few yards of cotton, some beads and other cheaptrinkets, and was to be fed on the journey. Thus reinforced the Caravanproceeded on its way.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN.

  A TROOP OF LIONS.

  The country across which the waggons now made their way differedsomewhat from that over which they had previously passed; it was not soundulating, and the herbage was shorter and more scanty; the soil wasfor the most part sandy; trees were much more abundant, and sometimesthere were thick growths of jungle. Even before leaving the Transvaalthey had at night often heard the roar of lions, but these had notapproached the camp.

  "We must look out for lions to-night," Mr Harvey said, when the caravanencamped near a large pool which in the wet season formed part of ariver, and was now for the most part dry. "We must laager our waggons,and get as many cattle inside as we can, and must keep the rest closetogether, with fires in readiness to light in case of an attack."

  "But surely the lions would never venture to attack so large a party?"Dick said in surprise.

  "They will indeed," Mr Harvey answered. "These brutes often hunttogether, as many as twenty or thirty; they are nothing like suchpowerful beasts as the North African lions, but they are formidableenough, and the less we see of them the better. But there are numerousprints on the sand near the water, and probably large numbers of themare in the habit of coming to this pool to drink. I expect thereforethat we shall have a stirring night."

  As soon as the oxen were unyoked, they were driven a short distance outto pasture. Five or six of the natives looked after them, while theremainder set to work to gather sticks and dried wood for the fires.

  "I think," Tom said, "that I will go and have a bathe in the pool."

  "You will do no such thing," Mr Harvey remarked; "the chances are thatthere are half a dozen alligators in that pool--it is just the sort ofplace in which they lurk, for they find no difficulty in occasionallytaking a deer or a wild hog, as he comes down to quench his thirst.There! don't you see something projecting above the water on the otherside of the pool?"

  "I see a bit of rough wood, that looks as if it were the top of a logunderneath the water."

  "Well, just watch it," Mr Harvey said, as he took aim with his rifle.

  He fired; the water instantly heaved and whirled at the spot the boy waswatching; the supposed log rose higher out of the water, and thenplunged down again; five or six feet of a long tail lashed the water andthen disappeared, but the eddies on the surface showed that there was aviolent agitation going on underneath it.

  "What do you think of your log now?" Mr Harvey asked, smiling.

  "Why, it was an alligator," Tom said. "Who would have thought it?--itlooked just like a bit of an old tree."

  "What you saw," Mr Harvey said, "was a portion of the head; thealligator often lies with just his eyes and nostrils out of water."

  "Did you kill it, sir, do you think?" Dick asked.

  "Oh! no," Mr Harvey replied; "the ball would glance off his head, as itwould from the side of an ironclad ship. It woke him up, and flustratedhim a bit; but he is none the worse for it. So you see, Tom, that poolis hardly fit to bathe in."

  "No, indeed, sir," Tom answered, turning a little pale at the thought ofthe danger which he had proposed to incur. "I would rather fight half adozen lions than get into the water with those brutes."

  "I don't know about half a dozen lions," Mr Harvey said; "althoughcertainly one lion is an easier foe to tackle than an alligator. Butone can never be too careful about bathing in this country. In thesmallest pools, only a few yards long and a few feet wide, an alligatormay be lurking, especially if the weather is dry and the pools farapart. Even when only drawing water at such places it is well to becareful, and it is always the best plan to poke the bottom for a shortdistance round with a pole before dipping in a bucket. Remember, if youshould ever happen to be seized by one of these animals, there is butone chance, and that is to turn at once and stick your thumbs into hiseyes. It requires nerve when a brute has got you by the leg, but it isyour only chance, and the natives, when seized by alligators, oftenescape by blinding their foes. The pain and sudden loss of sight alwaysinduces them to loose their hold."

  "I hope I shall never have to try," Tom said, shivering.

  "It is safer not, certainly," Mr Harvey agree
d; "but there, I seedinner is ready, and Jumbo has got a bucket of water, so you can douseyour heads and wash your hands without fear of alligators."

  At nightfall the cattle were all driven in. The horses and a few of themost valuable oxen were placed in the laager formed by the waggons; therest were fastened outside to them, side by side, by their horns; ateach corner the natives had piled up a great heap of firewood. An hourafter sunset the roar of a lion was heard out on the plain; it wasanswered simultaneously in six or eight directions, and the stamping ofthe oxen announced that the animals were conscious of danger.

  "There are a troop of them about," Mr Harvey said, "just as I feared.Put a little more wood on the fires, boys; it is as well to keep