But this chaff was interrupted by a trooper, who had ridden back from the advance guard, and the intelligence he brought caused his superior to swear. The river was down, and the pa.s.sage of the Gilwana drift would be impossible for at least a couple of hours.

"That's that infernal thunder burst up in the hills early this morning,"

declared Bray. Then he gave orders to off-saddle where they were, for, of course, he had originally intended to do so on the further side.

However, it was open here, at any rate, and they might still be able to push through the thickest and most dangerous part before dark.

"This is a real old picnic now, Miss Halse," p.r.o.nounced Sub-Inspector Dering, as he helped to unpack from the spider the requisite things which had been brought along for lunch. "Lord, what a nuisance those kids are!" he added in an undertone. "Always howling."

For Minton's small family was uttering shrilling expostulation at the delayed meal. The while vedettes were posted, and the police, split up into groups, were discussing their rations. The officers and the civilian element were making a picnic together, and as such it seemed, but the stacked rifles and full bandoliers told a different tale.

"What d'you think, Halse?" said Inspector Bray, as the two talked apart while the others were laughing and joking and making merry as they laid out the things. "Shall we slip through, or shall we get a chance at Sapazani?"

"Can't say. You see, I've been cut off from communication ever since I left home. But I should say the chances are about even. One thing you may rely upon, we have been watched every inch of the way."

"Sure?"

"Dead cert. However, let's fall-to, at any rate. We'll be ready for them if they do come, and we can't do more."

The picnic proceeded merrily enough. Sub-Inspector Dering attached himself very attentively to Verna. He was aware of her engagement, but he was an Irishman, and therefore bound to attach himself to the best-looking woman present. Harry Stride was rather silent, hardly talking with the other prospectors, among whom he had chosen to keep himself. But when the after-lunch pipes came out, Bray, with an escort of a dozen men, started off to examine the drift for himself, and with him went Denham.

It was barely two miles off. The river, not a wide one, swirled between high, clayey banks fringed with dense bush. If attacked at the point of crossing the matter might be serious.

He was relieved. The high-water mark of the flood had left a broad, wet stripe between it and the surface. The stream was subsiding rapidly.

"In half-an-hour we shall be able to take it," he said. "Hallo! Don't see anything, Denham?"

"Yes," said the latter, with his gla.s.ses to his eyes. "It looks like cattle. Yes, it is; black and white ones. But they are not being driven; they seem to be grazing."

Away on the hill, some seven hundred yards beyond the river, where the bush thinned out into rocks and open ground, white specks were visible to the naked eye.

"It's a signal, I believe," said Bray. "Well, we'll take the drift now, at any rate. If we are to have a fight here, I prefer it by daylight."

And he ordered a trooper to gallop back to the camp with instructions to saddle up and inspan immediately.

In a surprisingly short s.p.a.ce of time the troop was ready to march. But a delay occurred through Minton's rotten harness, which kept giving way in all sorts of unexpected directions. Inspector Bray cursed hideously to himself; but for the presence of the women he might have earned heartfelt admiration from his troop at large by reason of his proficient originality in that direction. Willing hands, and handy ones, there were and plenty, but by the time the damage was repaired quite a considerable portion of precious time had been wasted.

Again at the drift more delay. The storekeeper's wretched horses stuck.

All the flogging in the world was of no use; and there was the trap in the middle of the stream, the water flowing through the bottom boards soaking everything, and the woman and children howling dismally. Had an attack been delivered then the result might have been disastrous. But Ben Halse outspanned his pair and hitched them on, and by this aid, and much shouting and flogging, the whole outfit emerged, panting and dripping on the opposite bank. By then a great deal more valuable time had been lost. And it was nearly sundown, and about seven miles of the most dangerous and bushy part of the road had to be negotiated.

The early afternoon was drawing in, and there is little or no twilight in those lat.i.tudes. They had covered about three miles from the drift, when suddenly and without any warning a ma.s.s of Zulus rose up from the bush on One side of the road, and roaring "_Usutu_!" charged down upon the front of the column. They were naked, save for their _mutyas_ and ornaments of flowing cowhair, and carried shields and bright, business-like a.s.segais.

"Sapazani's people," exclaimed Ben Halse. "Look out for the chief, boys. You can't mistake him once you sight him--half a head taller than the longest here."

There was not even time to dismount, but the revolvers of the police at such close quarters, aimed low, poured such a terrific fire into the advancing ma.s.s that those behind could not come on for the line of writhing, struggling bodies that lay in front.

"Give it them again, boys," yelled Sub-Inspector Dering, lifting the top off the skull of a gigantic savage who was clutching at his bridle rein with one hand, a broad a.s.segai held ready to strike in the other. The great body toppled over with a thud, and at the same time another crashing volley sent many more to earth, the residue dropping into cover again. With splendid discipline the troop resumed its march.

Fresh cartridges were slapped into the pistols; it seemed likely to prove a revolver duel, in that the bush was too thick to admit of using rifles. The trained horses, being all together, had shown themselves wonderfully free from restiveness. As for the men, an extraordinary thrill of excitement had run through all ranks. This was battle indeed, and, so far, they had held their own.

For a few minutes they kept on in silence, with pulses tingling, but cool-nerved, alert, ready for any fresh move. Then a volley broke forth, flashing redly from the dim duskiness of the slope. Bullets hummed over the heads of the troop, two of them splintering the side of Ben Halse's spider. Verna, who had got out her magazine rifle, and was straining her eyes in search of a mark, heard them and moved not a muscle. Her father, who was driving, but whose revolver was ready to his hand, also took no notice. But just before the volley ceased down went a trooper almost under the wheels of the trap.

"In here with him," cried Verna, springing to the ground, and herself helping to lift the stricken man in. He was badly hurt, too, and insensible, but there was little enough time then for attending the wounded, for immediately a fresh volley was poured in. This time two troopers fell, one shot stone dead. The concealed savages raised a deafening roar of exultation.

But now some of them began to show themselves. There was a break in the dense bush, and in their eagerness they began to cross this too soon.

The order for half the escort to dismount was followed by a volley from the rifles. It was now too dark to see the result clearly but from the vengeful yells that went up it was obvious that more than one bullet had gone home. Again the volleys roared redly through the night.

A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, which for present purposes may be taken to mean that two of the prospectors' horses had gone dead lame. After the repulse of the first attack the escort had been going at a trot, and the prospectors, who had been bringing up the rear, had dropped dangerously behind, and among all the noise and firing their shouts to that effect had gone unheard. One, galloping furiously up, now brought the intelligence.

"d.i.c.kinson, ten men and come along," yelled Dering, who was looking after the rear of the column. "Those devils'll have 'em if we ain't sharp."

It happened that Denham had been chatting with the sergeant, incidentally little dreaming of the nature of the other's furtive interest in him. Now that there was a call to the rescue he dashed off with the party. These they came up with not far down the road. Robson had been hit by a bullet and badly wounded, and a comrade was supporting him on his horse. Stride's horse was one of the lame ones, and Stride himself was doing all he knew by kicks and blows and cursed to urge that n.o.ble but unreliable animal onward. Just then the enemy seemed to become aware that something was wrong.

"Look out, sir," warned d.i.c.kinson to his officer. "On the right!"

They could hear the bushes parting, the thud of running feet. Then Stride's horse fell.

"Here, jump up, man!" cried Denham. "Up behind me. My horse is as strong as the devil."

"_Usutu_!" broke from the onrushing crowd. "_Usutu, 'Sutu_!"

The savage forms were almost in among them now--a.s.segais ready.

"Quick, quick, d.a.m.n it!" shouted Denham. Stride hesitated no longer, and the horse with its double burden started off after the rest.

The roar of the war-shout was right in their ears now. They had just regained their comrades when something seemed to strike Denham with a debilitating numbness, followed by a spasm of the most intense agony.

His hold relaxed. He was conscious of a roaring inside his head, and out of it. The whole world seemed to be whirling round with him.

Rescuers and rescued reached the column just in time, just as another fierce attack was delivered. But again that well-directed volley was available, and the a.s.sailants dropped back. Moreover, the bush ended here, and in the face of that determined repulse the savages had no stomach for trying their luck in the open. The troop moved on unmolested.

Then was heard a voice, a clear, woman's voice, audible in the still night to every man in the whole escort.

"Where is Mr Denham?"

A thrill of instinctive consternation ran through all who heard.

Denham's name was called up and down the line of march, but with no result. In the confusion attendant on the last close attack on the rescue party n.o.body had seen anybody. It had been very much a case of every man for himself. Some one, however, had seen Denham mount Stride behind him on his horse. And then Stride himself came forward.

"You left him," said Verna, her pale face and gleaming eyes looking dreadful in the brilliant starlight. "He saved you, and you left him.

You coward!"

"So help me, G.o.d, I didn't!" objected Stride vehemently. "I don't really know what happened. I'll go back this moment and look for him.

Any one go with me?" looking around somewhat vacantly. "Then I'll go alone." Then he swayed and tottered, pulled himself together, then subsided on the ground, in total unconsciousness.

"He's. .h.i.t, himself," said one of the police who were bending over the wounded man. "Rather. He's got it bang through the chest."

Verna looked at the fallen man, and her bitter resentment left her, but not her grief.

"I am going back to look for him," she said. "Who'll volunteer?"

"You shan't go," said her father decisively; "but I will. How many men can you spare me, Bray?"

Inspector Bray was not pleased. Here he had brought off this expedition with success, even with brilliancy, and now the kudos he would gain would be utterly marred. For to allow any of his men to go on this insane quest would mean to send them to their death. There was not a chance of the missing man being found, except cut into small pieces.