Part 28 (1/2)
On a half-sheet of notepaper he wrote hurriedly--laconically--
”Farm attacked by Matabele, and blown up. Peters, Ancram, and self escaped--have just come in. Went to warn Tewson, found whole family ma.s.sacred. Saw impi this morning, heading as though towards Kezane Store. Warn Isard, and take precautions.
”Lamont.”
This he folded and addressed to the Resident Magistrate, and the boy was started off at once.
”I've a bit of good news for you, Mr Lamont,” said Foster, as the latter returned--tubbed, and to that extent refreshed--to begin upon the much needed food. ”That _rooi-schimmel_ horse you left with Greene the day you were in for the race meeting--well, he's all right again now.
Greene brought him in couple of days back, and there isn't an atom of lameness about him.”
”That's good news indeed, for it strikes me there's plenty of work sticking out for him.”
They had just finished breakfast, and were enjoying the luxury of an excellent cigar when Orwell arrived. He was in a great state of excitement, and glanced meaningly in the direction of Foster, but this the hotel-keeper pretended not to see. He was all on thorns to hear the news himself, for that news there was--great and grave--he felt sure.
”Is this a fact, Lamont?” began Orwell, producing the slip of paper.
”Good Lord, man, but the whole country must be in a blaze!”
”So it must. By the way, Orwell, of course you've got that laager all fixed up by this time.”
”Er, well--no--the fact is we have been planning it out, and--er--”
”You haven't got it up yet? Well, if you'll take my advice you'll set about it at once. It isn't a case of 'another of Lamont's scares' this time,” he added, with somewhat excusable bitterness. ”By the way, Foster, you might bring us another bottle of the same. Oh, and you'll join us again.”
”Thanks. But, Mr Lamont, for G.o.d's sake, say what _has_ happened. We are a trifle interested too, as well as our officials, and I, for one, have got a wife and family into the bargain.”
The hotel-keeper was a very good fellow, and he and Lamont liked each other. Said the latter--
”Quite right, Foster. Fetch the liquid first and then you shall hear all about it. It's time everyone knew, but I don't want to create a panic. One of 'Lamont's scares.'”
Orwell looked rather foolish.
”Oh, don't keep harping on that, old chap,” he said. ”We are all liable to make mistakes, and I, for one, am the first to own it. And now the first thing to do is to organise a defence committee, and set to work with a will.”
Then, as the hotel-keeper returned, Lamont started to narrate all that had befallen, the attack on Peters, then on the homestead, and how they had stood off the savages until night.
”They must have found dynamite while looting,” he said, ”for soon after we'd left we heard the devil of an explosion.”
He continued his narrative shortly and succinctly. When he got to the ma.s.sacre of the Tewsons, his listeners grew white with horror.
”Yes. We saw what we don't want to see again, and would like to forget we ever had seen. And now we'd better get hold of the best men here, Orwell, and fix up a plan. Jennings and Fullerton, and some of the others.”
”Fullerton's not here,” said Orwell. ”He started for Buluwayo only this morning with his wife and sister. Wyndham's driving them--”
”WHAT?”
It was Lamont who had spoken--shouted, rather. And in truth the interruption was startling. He who made it was leaning forward over the table, his dark face without a vestige of colour, his eyes staring as though already they beheld a reproduction of the grim horror upon which they had so recently gazed, only, in this case--
”Yes. But they had an escort,” explained Orwell wonderingly. ”Isard sent some police with them.”