Part 40 (1/2)
Within littleNatal, Jack Somerton and the staff-officer whom he had met on board the transport were seated in the train _en route_ for Lord Methuen's ca and tedious run--noling along the iron track, and scaling steep acclivities which barred their onward progress, and round the sides of which the railway could be seen winding in and out, and later rattling down the other side till the veldt was reached; then on and on, over an endless, brownish waste of sand and barren earth, here and there relieved by a bright patch of vivid green, where the young spring grass had made its appearance
”Here is a note for you, Mr Soht of the Modder caeneral staff, and he will give you a tent and bedding, and also obtain a good pony for you When you have settled down coeneral's quarters You know, Lord Roberts is here He arrived last night, and sent special orders to ram to introduce you to him Goodbye for the present! I shall see you in an hour's ti him for his kindness, Jack made his way into the cah platfor enquiries, was shohere the quartermaster was to be found Half an hour later his tent was pitched close behind those allotted to Lord Roberts's staff
”You want a pony too, I see,” said the quartermaster ”Well, Mr So, and are now being taken out of the train I will speak to the officer in charge of remounts and transport animals, and if you will come back later on I have no doubt you will be able to choose your anily Jack retraced his steps, and shortly afterwards walked across to the little fareneral had taken up his quarters When he eed from the commander-in-chief's sanctuhted with the kindness and urbanity of Lord Roberts, but had mastered all the particulars which he was to carry into Kimberley
Then he went across to the reht he on-saddled, and without a word to anyone slipped out of the ca care to avoid the notice of the British sentries This was in accordance with the general's wishes, which had been communicated to him only an hour before by his friend the staff-officer
”Look here, Soeneral has just sent et away fro whether or not spies are about I firmly believe they are everywhere; and the news you are to take into Kimberley is so important that it is absolutely necessary that no one should have an idea as to what are our intentions Get away from this secretly There--I will leave the rest to you Do as well as you did while escaping fro to complain about”
It was still pitch dark, therefore, when Jack vaulted into his saddle and rode silently across the camp Arrived at the outskirts, he turned to the left and kept steadily on, keeping carefully on the grass, which dulled the sound of his pony's hoofs Very shortly he was clear of the pickets, and turning once uered town of Kimberley Soon a brilliant st the rugged boulders of a kopje, and, raising his head, swept the country round with his glasses There was no one in sight, so he ain and cantered on at a rapid pace Early the next h the circle of Boers with the greatest ease
He was immediately taken before Colonel Kekewich, the coe
”I was instructed by Lord Roberts,” he said, after saluting the colonel, ”to tell you that, all being well, you may expect him to relieve you in a month's time from this date He also asks that you will be ready to act, as far as possible, in conjunction with his relieving force”
The news, erly listened to, and Jack had to answer many questions before he was permitted to leave Outside the house he found To smile on his sunburnt face
”Ah, Jack!” he cried out with a ain like a bad penny, have you? Well, I quite expected it, and my only wonder is that you haven't been here before You've so ain, haven't you, old boy? Why, I can assure you that I know several who are si to see you, one especially, Eileen Russel, turned as white as a sheet, poor girl, when she heard the news Ha, ha, it's a shairl is Eileen Russel!”
Torasped his hand and shook it up and down like a puht, Toh of relief, for ever since he had ridden north to Mafeking he had been wondering whether the brave English girl who had stood so staunchly by them in Frank Russel's ruined fare which had lasted now so many weeks
”Tell erly ”I have been over in Ladys and was taken to Pretoria I have heard not a single word of you”
”Goodness, Jack! Pretoria and Ladysmith! whatever do you mean?”
exclaimed Tom in astonishment ”You left us here to carry despatches to Baden-Powell--and precious sorry hearts you left behind you,of you save that you had reached your destination, we quite believed that you had taken up your quarters with the plucky garrison in Mafeking and were helping them to keep out the Boers And now you talk about Pretoria and Ladysmith!
What does it allyarn, To, but just now I should like to see the others”
”Of course you would, old boy!” exclai, and followaround your head Ah, here we are! Hop down into that trench Now push on and take the third turn to the right We are bound to take care of ourselves here, and as our streets are often swept by bullets, and a bursting shell is a co these shelter trenches”
Dropping into a deep trench, Jack and his friend pushed along rapidly, halting once, however, and crouching low as a huge shell shrieked just overhead, and, striking a storehouse opposite, shi+vered it into a thousand frag the ruins on every side
”That's about the only thing our friends are any good at,” said Torowl ”They've sat outside this town for weeks and weeks, and all that tiht Bless you, they thought that the taking of Kimberley was a siot men to deal with, they just sat down to starve us out, or worry us to death with their shells; but assault us, orlike a plucky effort to take us, they have never done But here we are; hop up, old boy Now, followhere to the chamber of horrors; that's e call our bomb-proof rooms There it is; five steps down, and turn to the left”
Jack descended a flight of wooden steps, and, turning to the left, entered a low subterranean cha candle stuck into the neck of a bottle standing upon a table in the centre It was Tom Salter's sanctum, in which he and three others lived and sheltered from the Boer shells, thousands of which had fallen into the beleaguered town since the coe
”Now, put your traps down there and have a wash,” said To a bucket of water and a towel; ”then I will take you along to Frank and his girl Halloo! Come in!” he shouted, as a knock was heard just outside the chamber
The next moment Wilfred Hunter burst in, and rushed up to Jack The two lads shook hands warlad to see you, old chap!” Wilfred cried excitedly ”Why, what a whopping big fellow you've got; as broad as a house, and taller, I ae The Russels want to see you, and ordered ive anything to be in your shoes, for she's the best and sweetest girl that I or any other fellow ever set eyes on!”
Jack blushed red with pleasure, and his chest swelled and his heart beat with pride and hope, for, young though he was, since he had hts had dwelt continuously upon her Had he been at home, perhaps it would have been ridiculous folly; but forit well too,--hich required strength and pluck, and which ht him at any hour of the day face to face with a sudden death No wonder then that, sobered down froht seriously of Eileen Many a ti from his wound, had he wondered how she was, and whether she ever gave a thought to him Sometimes he felt certain she did, and then at others the fear that it was some other--someone older and more of a man than he--turned his heart sick, and round disappear in an instant But they would return again, and as he had ridden towards Kih his heart, and he had determined to see Eileen, if she were yet alive, and ask the question for himself
As if in a dream he sluiced his head and hands ater, and tidied his hair before a slass, a process which he had scarcely troubled about for many weeks Then he followed Wilfred and To the trench towards the Russels' quarters, feeling every yard he went hter