Part 5 (2/2)
”I did not think the girl looked cruel,” replied Hans, ”and she see a part as I looked at her”
”Let us make our plans now What do you propose, Hans?” inquired Victor
”We will try my plan first, if that fail ill just rush out and drive off the boys, and so escape Ito, for it depends on that where we ride to Our horses may not be very fit for a journey, however, and as we shall certainly be followed, and our spoor will be as plain as a waggon-track, we ain captured, we shall never have another chance Ah, here coain cah threw in a handful of dirt which she had appeared to pick up from the cattle-kraal near Amidst this heap was another lump of clay, froive you no other weapons than three assagies, these will be pushed through your hut soon after sunset; look out for them and draw them in rapidly, so as not to be seen We must first ride _north_ God help us!”
”Katrine is better than gold,” exclai this risk for her, and will readily die without complaint, if need be She will be a fit wife for you, Hans”
A gratified smile passed over Hans' face as he heard Katrine thus spoken of; but being more disposed to discuss with his companions any other subject than the uns will be the great thing, then we can fight well Why they give us this chance of escape, I don't know”
”They trapped us so easily before, they fancy they can venture to leave us with boys, I suppose,” was Victor's explanation
”Ah,” replied Hans, ”they don't know that a real hly act till his case seems desperate and he completely defeated, then he rises to victory”
The sun appeared to move very slowly to the prisoners in the hut, who anxiously watched the lengthening shadows, and waited iet dusk The accuracy of Katrine's infors of the door Hans saw several Matabili warriors, completely armed, silently move away across the plain outside the kraal It appeared as if there were to be so of the forces of the Matabili chief, which required all thesupposed securely bound, htest alarht summon the uess, an hour had scarcely elapsed when the girl who had previously brought the notes of Katrine and her sister, passed by the hut in which Hans and his co, see eagerly for sonal, heard the word 'loop' uttered several ti
”That,” said Hans, ”o or _be off_) ”Katrine has taught her this Bernhard, open the door quietly and look out, all the boys, I fancy, are behind the hut talking to this girl”
The door was slowly pushed on one side by Bernhard; and there appearing no watchers near, he whispered to his companions the result of his examination
”Now for our lives,” said Hans, ”and for those of the girls We will go very quickly, but silently, to the hut for our guns, then for our horses, and then for Katrine Let us go”
Bernhard led the way out of the hut, the door of which was so low that it was necessary to crawl out on all fours, Victor followed, and lastly, Hans, who stayed to fasten the wicker door in its former position The three men then walked away towards the hut in which they believed their guns to be, and opening the door, Hans first entered The inside of the hut was so dark that scarcely any thing was visible; but no sooner had Hans stood up and stretched out his arm, to feel the side of the hut, than his hand ca In an instant his hand closed on this are that life or death depended now on every trivial circurasp the throat of whoever it was, a whispered voice exclaiuns,” and Katrine's voice was inised by her lover Bernhard and Victor had by this tihted, to find Hans talking to soed herself from her lover, who held her almost as firmly as he would have held an enemy, she explained to him what she believed to be their best chance of escape
”We et out of the enclosure behind it,” she said; ”we can creep through an opening in the palisades, and then go round to the kraal where the horses are It will be difficult to secure thee of the out, and will tell us what is best to be done All of you must put a blanket each over you, then, if you hide your hats, you will not be known in the dark from Kaffirs, at least till you are seen very close Then we must lead the horses some distance before we ride away, and we must ride northwards, away fro All the one south, so we may miss them Do you see what to do, Hans?”
”Yes,” whispered Hans, ”ill go out now Let me feel, are my powder-horn and bullets here? Yes, they are untouched Bernhard, you take these and take : then I have a plan”
The threeobserved; the occupants of the various huts being engaged inside, cooking their eveningthrough, was found behind the hut; and in a few minutes Hans had conducted Katrine to a spot some fifty yards outside the enclosure, where he stopped near a clump of bushes that offered concealment ”Now for the most difficult part of the affair,” said Hans, ”to procure the horses Are thethe,” said Katrine, ”and inexperienced”
”Then I will try a bold plan If I call Help! you, Victor, come to me, whilst you, Bernhard, take care of Katrine; but if I don't call, then go down to the strea from the cattle-kraal
Where is your sister, Kate?”
”She is close here, Hans, and will come when she hears one whistled note; she is hid I don't knohere”
”Bring her to you, then, and now for the attempt,” said Hans
To men used, as were these hunters, to make rapid plans, and execute them as quickly, no further explanations were needed; and the tho remained with Katrine waited patiently to see the result of Hans'
sche about a favourable result The method which Hans intended to attempt was a bold one He knew that, dark as it was, he could not be recognised unless he were exa Kaffir or Matabili men were ordered about in a very summary way by their elders, and no discussion was ever allohen an order was given He had ascertained, by the conversation of the boys outside of the hut, the name of the chief of the kraal; and thus provided he walked boldly towards the kraal, with no effort at conceale, ”Where are you?”
”Here,” answered the two men
”The chief wants to show the horses,” said Hans, in his best Kaffir; ”bring them out, I am to take them”
A murmur of surprise escaped the twoto dispute or question, they entered the kraal, and, unfastening the horses, led theateway Hans covered himself almost completely with his blanket, and as the men came out he said, ”Follow me, lead the horses this way”