CHAPTER XXV
CHARGED BY RHINOCEROSES
On the day after the fight by the swamp, while Challis was exercising his men, some of the boys whom he had turned into scouts ran in with the news that a band of fifty or more armed negroes was approaching from the south-west.
Challis hoped that he would not have to engage a new enemy. Giving John orders to watch the newcomers, he went on with his work. By and by, out of the tail of his eye, he saw John talking to a group of strangers, who looked on at the drilling with the interest and curiosity of children.
It was plain that the newcomers were friends, and that John, with much self-importance, was eloquently expounding the virtues of white man's medicine.
When the drilling was over, John announced that the strangers had heard in their village, several miles away, of the defeat of the Tubus, and had come to see the white man who had punished them. He further explained that the negroes wished to join the forces, and learn how to march, advance, spin round, and use pikes like them.
While John was speaking, the scouts signalled the approach of a smaller band. Shortly afterwards, to Challis's amazement, a third party was announced.
It was a striking proof of the extraordinary rapidity with which news spreads in the wilds of Africa. Before the day closed, two or three hundred men had arrived from widely scattered villages, all eager to see the white man, and to learn something of his magic.
They were armed for the most part with spears. Challis saw in them the making of a very respectable army; but it was clear that, if Royce were to be relieved, there would not be time to give them even the very slight training of the earlier recruits. He did not, however, reject them. They would help to make a good show, and might come in useful, if not to achieve a victory, possibly to follow it up.
Before the night was over he had reason to doubt the wisdom of his decision. The new men belonged to different tribes, and were inclined to quarrel among themselves. Challis ordered John to quarter the various parties separately in the neighbourhood of the cave, hoping that by keeping them apart he would prevent disturbance.
But a new trouble arose. One of the bands got up a war dance around their camp fire, and worked themselves up to a fury of excitement. Then, having learnt the whereabouts of the Tubu prisoners, they made a rush towards them, and Challis was only just in time to prevent a wholesale massacre.
The ringleader, who had fairly lost his head, threw a spear at the Tubus in spite of Challis's stern command. It was clear that a lesson was needed. Challis doubled his fists, and with two well-planted blows, left and right, sent the man spinning.
"Tie him up," he said to John, "and keep a guard over him for the rest of the night. To-morrow I shall send him back to his village. These people must understand that they must do as they are told."
The fall of their leader sobered the rest of the band. They felt a great respect for the white man's fists, and remained peaceful until morning broke. Challis was sitting alone, waiting for John to bring his breakfast. When the Hausa came up, he was followed by a group of the negroes, looking anxious and sheepish.
"Silly fellas, sah," said John with a grin. "Dey say Umgabaloo berry fine fella, sah. No want him to go back."
"Oh! He's sorry for himself, perhaps; wants me to forgive him."
"Dat's him, sah. Just a silly chap. No savvy good things like me; no savvy sah knock him down."
Challis could not help smiling at John's notion of "good things." He reflected. It was said that negroes respected nothing but force; that they took forgiveness as a sign of weakness. Would it be wise to pardon this Umgabaloo, who seemed popular with his friends?
"I'll risk it," he thought. "Bring Umgabaloo to me," he said.
John fetched the negro, marched him up, and stood him before Challis, keeping his hand on the man's neck. Umgabaloo looked very crestfallen.
"Tell him that he's no good to me unless he can do what he is told," said Challis.
John translated this with forcible additions.
"Tell him I'll let him off this time if he'll promise to obey," Challis went on.
When John made this announcement, Umgabaloo's friends shouted, and the man himself tried to move forward, but was brought up by John's determined grip.
"Does he promise?" asked Challis.
"Him say, Sah him father and mother," said John, "do eberyfing what Sah say."
"Very well; let him go."
Umgabaloo, released, threw himself at Challis's feet and poured out a torrent of thanks and protestations.
"I wonder if I've done right," thought Challis, as he dismissed the man.
He had decided to make a start for the fort that day, while the impression made on the enemy was fresh. At his orders, every man loaded himself with four days' provisions from the ample stores in the cave. Then he drew up in column the men whom he had already led to victory, and the newcomers tried to arrange themselves in similar formation behind, but were too much excited to be very successful.
Challis had now between three and four hundred men at his command. They were still largely outnumbered by the Tubus; and what was of still more consequence, they were not so well armed. In the recent encounter he had been able to choose a good tactical position; such a chance was not likely to occur again. No doubt, moreover, the Tubus, warned by their defeat, would move more cautiously, and, being mounted, they would take advantage of their mobility to fight on ground of their own choice.
These considerations, and the desire to avoid bloodshed, influenced Challis's plan. His object was to reach the neighbourhood of the fort unobserved, to communicate with Royce, and if possible to secure a peaceful withdrawal. He therefore decided not to follow either the route by which he had come, or that taken by the Tubus when they made their ill-fated attack.
As his orderly, John had distributed among the best of the men the rifles and ammunition captured from the Tubus. But Challis commanded them on no account to use these weapons without orders. No warning must be given to any Tubus who might be scouting along the route.
All being ready, he went to the head of the column with a man who knew the country well and would act as guide. Then the whole party set off in a north-westerly direction, to skirt the swamp and cross the river some distance to the west.
The first stage of the march was very difficult. The negro knew paths across the swamp which a stranger could hardly have discovered, but even so progress was slow and laborious. The men had to go in single file, sometimes over boggy land close to the water's edge, keeping a wary eye for crocodiles; sometimes through rushes as tall as their heads, from the midst of which they disturbed game of all kinds, birds and beasts.
They had been some two or three hours on the march, and had got round to the far side of the swamp, where the ground was drier and firmer, when Challis saw the guide, some few yards ahead, suddenly halt and make signs to him to be cautious.
Wondering if the Tubus were in sight, Challis halted the column, ordering the men to be silent, and walked warily forward. When he came up with the guide, the latter pointed to the path about a hundred yards in front. And there Challis saw, not Tubus, but two enormous square-mouthed rhinoceroses, lying in the mud right across the path.
At the moment he caught sight of them the great beasts scrambled to their feet, turned their heads in his direction, and snorted. They had evidently scented him.
Knowing that the rhinoceros is usually a timid and inoffensive creature, living on herbs, and not a flesh-eater like the lion, Challis expected the beasts to sheer off. But these animals, like other denizens of the wilds, are sometimes driven into hostility and aggression by alarm.
There was a moment of suspense. Then the rhinoceroses raised their blunt-horned heads, snorted again, and came at a lumbering charge straight for the head of the column. The guide shouted and threw his spear, which glanced off the tough hide of the first, then he uttered a yell and bolted.
Challis had only an instant for making up his mind what to do. On one side of the path was yielding bog, on the other was drier ground, dotted with bushes. The path itself was blocked by the halted column. He dared not use his rifle, for fear of giving warning to the enemy. The leading rhinoceros was charging straight towards him. The only chance of safety was to run.
He turned and sprinted across the open ground. The rhinoceros, infuriated by the guide's spear, swerved off the path and followed him. Its companion headed straight along the path.
In a few seconds Challis found that the beast, in spite of its size and unwieldiness, was gaining upon him. He darted aside when it was close behind him, expecting that it would continue in its half-blind charge. To his alarm it struck off almost immediately in his direction.
There was no friendly tree in sight. The rhinoceros broke through the bushes as if they were cobwebs. Challis dodged, first on one side, then on the other, but the beast showed an alarming nimbleness. More than once Challis escaped its formidable horn only by inches.
Running on in desperation he stumbled, and had given himself up for lost when he was conscious of a diversion. A dark form, running with extraordinary speed, dashed obliquely towards him, and buried a spear deep in the animals' side. It turned savagely to deal with this new assailant, who had darted off at an angle. For a few yards the rhinoceros followed him, then it staggered, made a vain effort to recover itself, and fell a huge heap upon the ground.
The negro rushed back, plucked out his spear, and driving it again into the quivering beast dealt it a death-blow. Challis went up to him. Umgabaloo fell on his knees.
"I was right," thought Challis, glowing with pleasure. "Any one who says that the negro knows no gratitude lies."
Meanwhile the column had scattered far and wide to escape the second rhinoceros, which had apparently taken fright at the number of men, and had now disappeared. It was an hour before the negroes were collected and the march resumed.
