"I've never seen any of it!" said the previous speaker. "Bah! Rubbish!

They drive us out of South Africa! Why, that would mean taking Rhodesia too."

"Of course," replied Ingleborough, "and that's what they believe they are going to do."

"With popguns?"

"No," said Ingleborough gravely; "but with their rifles. Do you know that they can at any time arm a hundred thousand men with the best magazine-rifles in the world?"

"No!" came in chorus. "We don't."

"And that they have a magnificent force of artillery, which includes such guns as would dwarf any that we could bring against them, thoroughly outrange ours, and that in addition they have a great number of repeating-cannon--Maxims and Nordenfelts? Above all, they have a vast supply of ammunition."

"Where did they get it from?" cried one.

"The moon," shouted another, and there was a roar.

"The fellow's a regular Boer himself," shouted a man behind; and there was a hiss raised, followed by a menacing groan, which made West's blood tingle as he closed up to his friend's side.

"The old story," said Ingleborough contemptuously, "You can't bear the honest truth."

"Yes, we can," cried one of the men; "but we can't bear lies. Do you think we are fools to believe your c.o.c.k-and-bull stories about magazine-rifles and guns that would dwarf all that the British Army could bring up against the Boers?"

"You can do as you like about believing," said Ingleborough coldly. "I have only told you what I learned for myself when I was staying in Pretoria."

"And do you mean to tell us that the Boers have guns like that?"

"I do," said Ingleborough.

"Then where did they get them?"

"From the great French and German makers, From Creusot and Krupp."

"And how did they get them up to Pretoria?"

"From the Cape and Delagoa Bay."

"What nonsense!" cried another voice. "Their arms and ammunition would have been stopped at once. What do you say to that?"

"The Boers are slim," said Ingleborough. "Hundreds of tons of war material have been going up-country for years as ironmongery goods and machinery. They have a tremendous a.r.s.enal there, and they mean to fight, as you'll see before long."

The hissing and threatening sounds ceased, for there was so much conviction in the tone adopted by the speaker that his hearers began to feel uneasy and as if there might be something in the declarations, while, upon Ingleborough turning to West with: "Come Oliver, let's get home!" the little crowd of volunteers hedged the pair in, and the man who had been the most ready to laugh laid a hand upon his arm.

"Hold hard a minute," he cried frankly. "I felt ready to laugh at you and chaff all your words; but I'm not going to be a dunder-headed fool and shut my eyes to danger if there really is any. Look here, Ingleborough: are you an alarmist, or is there really any truth in what you have said?"

"It is all true," replied the young man calmly.

"Well, then, I for one will believe you, my lad; for, now you have spoken out as you have, I begin to put that and that together and I feel that the Boers have been playing dark."

"They have been playing dark," said Ingleborough warmly, "and I should not be surprised to hear any day that they had declared war and found us anything but prepared."

"They only want to be free," said a voice.

"Free?" cried Ingleborough. "Yes, free to do exactly what they please: to tax every stranger, or outlander, as they call us, for their own benefit: to rob and enslave the unfortunate natives, and even murder them if it suits their hand. Free? Yes, look at their history from the first. Why, their whole history has been a course of taking land from the original owners by force."

That very night rumours reached Kimberley which sent a tingle into the cheeks of every man who had joined in the demonstration against Ingleborough: though the greatest news of all had not yet arrived, that the Transvaal Government had thrown down the glove and made the advance.

CHAPTER FIVE.

AN UGLY CHARGE.

As everyone knows, the declaration of war was not long in coming, and the news came like a thunderclap to all in Kimberley, where those who had been in doubt as to the wisdom of the preparations previously made were the loudest in finding fault because more had not been done.

"But do you think it's true, Ingle?" said West.

"Think what is true?"

"That the Boers have invaded Natal."

"I'm sure it is," was the reply; "and before very long we shall have them here."

"Why should they come here?" said West.

"Because they have plenty of gold at Johannesburg, and they want to utilise it for settings to our diamonds, my lad. They're a nice, modest, amiable people, these Boers, with very shrewd eyes for the main chance. They'll soon be down here to take possession, so if you feel at all uncomfortable you had better be off south."

"Is that what you are going to do?" asked West quietly.

"I? Of course not! I shall keep with the volunteers."

"Of course," said West; "and I shall too."

Ingleborough smiled grimly and went on with his work, West following suit, and they were busy enough till "tiffin-time" that morning.

Their "tiffin" went on as usual; but out in the town there was a buzz of excitement which resembled that heard in a beehive when some mischievous boy has thrust in a switch and given it a good twist round before running for his life.

So eager and excited did everyone seem that West could hardly tear himself away from the main street, which was full of talking groups, everyone seeming to be asking the same question--"What is to be done first?"--but getting no reply.

"We ought to fortify the place," said West to himself, and full of this idea, which he intended to propound to Ingleborough and Anson as soon as he reached the office, he hurried in that direction, all the faster from the fact that he had been so interested in the busy state of the streets that he had overstayed his time.

On approaching the office door the conscious blood rose to his cheeks, for he could hear an angry voice speaking, upon which he could only place one interpretation--namely, that one of the princ.i.p.als was finding fault severely because he, the guilty one, was not back to his time.

"What a fool I am!" muttered West. Then, pulling himself together, he stepped forward, muttering again: "Must take my dose like a man."

The next moment he had opened the door quickly, entered and closed it, and then stood staring in wonder at the scene before him.

For there was no angry princ.i.p.al present--only his two fellow-clerks: Ingleborough stern and frowning, and Anson with his ordinarily pink face turned to a sallow white, and, instead of being plump and rounded, looking sunken and strange.

"What's the matter?" said West, for Anson, who had the moment before been talking rapidly, suddenly ceased. "You're not quarrelling, are you?" he continued, for no one replied. "Oh well, I'll be off till you've done."