‘Be jabers! and the Indians have come at last!’ Terence exclaimed, and they all three started at a run.
Maud turned round and waved her hand to them, and then she and Ethel continued looking over the plain. At this moment they were joined on the tower by Mrs. Hardy and Sarah.
‘It is all right,’ Charley, who was of an unexcitable temperament, said. ‘The Indians must be a long way off, or the girls would be waving to us to make haste. Take it easy; we shall want to keep our hands steady.’
So they broke from the headlong speed at which they had started, into a steady trot, which in five minutes brought them up to the house.
‘What is it?’ they exclaimed as they gained the top of the tower.
‘Oh dear, oh dear!’ Ethel said. ‘They have got all the animals.’- 170 -
‘And I fear they have killed Gomez and Pedro,’ Mrs. Hardy added.
It was too evidently true. At a distance of six miles the boys could see a dark mass rapidly retreating, and numerous single specks could be seen hovering round them. Two miles from the house a single horseman was galloping wildly. The girls had already made him out to be Lopez.
The boys and Terence stood speechless with dismay. The Irishman was the first to find his tongue.
‘Och, the thundering villains!’ he exclaimed; ‘the hathen thieves! And to think that not one of us was there to give them a bating.’
‘What will papa say?’ Hubert ejaculated.
Charley said nothing, but looked frowningly, with tightly closed lips, after the distant mass, while his hands closed upon his carbine. ‘How was it, Maud?’ he asked at length.
‘I was down-stairs,’ Maud said, ‘when Ethel, who had just gone up, called down, “Come up, Maud, quickly; I think that something’s the matter.” I ran up the steps, and I saw our animals a long way off, nearly four miles, and I saw a black mass of something going along fast towards them from the left. They were rather nearer to us than the cattle were, and were in one of the slopes of the ground, so that they would- 171 - not have been seen by any one with the cattle; then, as they got quite near the animals, I saw a sudden stir. The beasts began to gallop away, and three black specks—who, I suppose, were the men—separated themselves from them and went off sideways. One seemed to get a start of the other two. These were cut off by the black mass, and I did not see anything more of them. Lopez got away; and though some of the others rode after him for about a mile, they could not overtake him. Directly I saw what it was, I caught up the gun and fired, and Ethel ran up the flag. That’s all I saw.’
Ethel confirmed her sister’s account, merely adding that, seeing the two bodies in the distance, one going very fast towards the other, she suspected that something was wrong, and so called at once to Maud.
The animals were now quite out of sight, and the whole party went down to meet Lopez, who was just riding up to the enclosure. He was very pale, and his horse was covered with foam.
‘Are the peons killed, Lopez?’ was Mrs. Hardy’s first question.
‘I do not know, signora; but I should think so. The Indians caught them; I heard a scream,’ and the man shuddered. ‘Santa Virgine’—and he crossed himself piously—‘what an escape! I will burn twenty pounds of candles upon your altar.’- 172 -
‘How was it that you were surprised, Lopez?’ Charley asked. ‘You were so particularly ordered to keep a good lookout.’
‘Well, Signor Charles, I was keeping a good lookout, and it is lucky that I was. I was farther away than I ought to have been,—I know that, for the signor told me not to go far; but I knew that the rise that I took them to was the highest in that direction, and that I could see for miles away into the Indian country. So I got out there, and Pedro and Gomez had got the sheep and cattle all well together, and there was no fear of them straying, for the grass there is very good. So the men lay down for their siesta, and I was standing by my horse looking over the campo. Some of the beasts seemed uneasy, and I thought that there must be a lion somewhere about. So I got on my horse, and just as I did so I heard a noise; and looking behind, where I had never dreamt of them, I saw a lot of Indians coming up at full gallop from the hollow. The cattle went off at the same instant; and I gave a shout to the men, and stuck my spurs into Carlos. It was a near touch of it, and they gave me a hard chase for the first mile; but my horse was fresher than theirs, and they gave it up.’
‘How many Indians were there?’ Charley asked.
‘I don’t know, Signor Charles. It was only those in- 173 - front that I caught sight of, and I never looked round after I started. Some of them had firearms, for eight or ten of them fired after me as I made off, and the arrows fell all round me.’
‘What do you think, girls, about the number?’
The girls were silent, and then Ethel said: ‘They were all in a lump, Charley. One could not see them separately.’
‘The lump seemed to be about the size that our cattle do when they are close together at the same distance. Don’t you think so, Ethel?’ Maud said.
‘Yes,’ Ethel thought that they were.
‘Then there must be from a hundred to a hundred and fifty of them,’ Charley said. ‘I wonder what papa will do! One of us had better ride off at once and fetch him.’
‘I will go,’ Hubert said, moving away to saddle his horse.
‘Stop, Hubert,’ Charley said; ‘I think you had better take Lopez’s horse. I don’t know what papa may make up his mind to do, and it is better to have your horse quite fresh.’
Hubert agreed at once, and was mounting, when Maud said: ‘Wait a moment, Hubert, I will run up to the lookout. I may see papa; it is nearly time for him to be home.’- 174 -
Hubert paused while Maud ran up to the house, and in a minute appeared at the top of the tower. She stood for a moment looking across the stream towards Canterbury, and then held up her hand. ‘I can see him,’ she called out. ‘He is a long way off, but he is coming.’
Hubert was about to alight again, when Mrs. Hardy said: ‘You had better ride to meet your papa, Hubert. He will be very much alarmed when he sees the flag, and it will be a great satisfaction to him to know that we at least are all safe.’
Hubert at once galloped off, while Maud continued to watch her father. He was about two miles distant, and was riding quietly. Then for a little while she lost sight of him. As he came up on the next rise, she saw him suddenly stop his horse. She guessed that he was gazing at the flag-staff, for there was not a breath of wind, and the flag drooped straight down by the pole, so that it was difficult to distinguish it at a distance. Then she was sure that he made it out, for he came on at a furious gallop; and as he came nearer, she could see that he had taken his gun from its place and was carrying it across his arm in readiness for instant action. In a few minutes Hubert met him, and after a short pause the two rode together back to the house at a canter.- 175 -
Mr. Hardy paused at the men’s hut to give Lopez a hearty rating for his disobedience of orders in going so far out upon the plain. Then he came up to the house. ‘This is a bad affair, my dear,’ he said cheerfully; ‘but as long as we are all safe, we can thank God that it’s no worse. We shall get some of our beasts back yet, or I am mistaken. Ethel, run down to Terence, and tell him to drive the bullocks that are down with the ploughs into their enclosure, and to fasten the gate after them. Maud, give all the horses a feed of Indian corn and some water. Boys, tell Sarah to put some cold meat and bread into your hunting-bags. Load the spare chambers of your carbines, and see that your water-gourds are full.’
Mr. Hardy then retired with his wife—who had been looking on anxiously while these orders were being given—into their own room, where they remained about ten minutes. When they came back into the sitting-room Mrs. Hardy was pale, but composed, and the children could see that she had been crying.
‘Your mamma and I have been talking the matter over, boys, and I have told her that I must do my best to get some, at least, of our animals back. I shall take you both with me. It is unfortunate that two of our friends at Canterbury have ridden over early this morning to Mr. Percy’s, and will not be back until late- 176 - to-night. Had they been at home, they would, I know, have joined us. I thought at first of sending over for Mr. Farquhar, who is at home, but I do not like losing the time. I shall send Lopez over with a note, asking him to come and sleep here to-night. We shall not be back till to-morrow. There is no fear of another alarm to-day; still I shall be more comfortable in knowing that you have some one with you. Do not go beyond the enclosure, girls, until we return. Terence, too, is to remain inside, and can sleep in the house to-night; so also can Lopez. You will therefore be well protected. Let us have something to eat, and then in ten minutes we will be in the saddle. Charley, fetch down three blue-lights, two signal rockets, and two of the tin rockets. Maud, fill our pocket-flasks with brandy. Hubert, you boys will each take your carbine and a revolver; I will carry my long rifle, and the other two Colts.’
In ten minutes they were ready to mount, and after a final embrace, and many a ‘Be sure and take care of yourselves’ from their mother and sisters, they started off across the plain at a long, steady gallop.
‘They have got just an hour’s start, boys,’ Mr. Hardy said. ‘Your mother said that it was exactly half an hour from the first alarm to my arrival, and I was in the house a minute or two under that time. It is about half past twelve now.’- 177 -
‘It is very fortunate, papa, that we had our horses safe up at the house.’
‘Yes, boys. If we had been obliged to wait until to-morrow morning before starting, our chance of coming up would have been very slight. As it is, we shall be up with them in three or four hours. The sheep cannot go really fast more than twelve or fifteen miles, especially with their heavy fleeces on.’
Half an hour’s riding took them to the scene of the attack. As they neared it, they saw two figures lying upon the grass. There was no occasion to go near: the stiff and distorted attitudes were sufficient to show that they were dead.
Mr. Hardy purposely avoided riding close to them, knowing that the shocking sight of men who have met with a violent death is apt to shake the nerves of any one unaccustomed to such a sight, however brave he may be.
‘They are evidently dead, poor fellows!’ he said. ‘It is no use our stopping.’
Charley looked at the bodies with a fierce frown upon his face, and muttered to himself, ‘We’ll pay them out for you, the cowardly scoundrels.’
Hubert did not even glance towards them. He was a tender-hearted boy, and he felt his face grow pale, and a strange feeling of sickness come over him, even- 178 - at the momentary glance which he had at first taken at the rigid figures.
‘I suppose you do not mean to attack them until night, papa?’ Charley asked.
‘Well, boys, I have been thinking the matter over, and I have come to the conclusion that it will be better to do so directly we get up to them.’
‘And do you think, papa, that we three will be able to thrash the lot of them? They must be a poor, miserable set of cowards.’
‘No, Charley; I do not think that we shall be able to thrash the lot, as you say; but, with our weapons, we shall be able to give them a terrible lesson. If we attack at night they will soon find out how few are our numbers, and having no particular dread of our weapons, may rush at us, and overpower us in spite of them. Another thing, boys, is, I want to give them a lesson. They must know that they shan’t come and murder and steal on our place with impunity.’
Scarcely another word was exchanged for the next hour. At a long, steady gallop they swept along. There was no difficulty in following the track, for the long grass was trampled in a wide swathe. Several times, too, exclamations of rage burst from the boys as they came across a dead sheep, evidently speared by the savages because he could not keep up with the others.- 179 - After passing several of them, Mr. Hardy called to the boys to halt, while he leapt off his horse by the side of one of the sheep, and put his hand against its body and into its mouth.
‘It’s quite dead; isn’t it, papa?’ Hubert said.
‘Quite, Hubert; I never thought it was alive.’ And Mr. Hardy leapt upon his horse again. ‘I wanted to see how warm the body was. If we try again an hour’s ride ahead, we shall be able to judge, by the increased heat of the body, as to how much we have gained on the Indians, and whether they are far ahead. You see, boys, when I was a young man, I was out many times in Texas against the Comanches and Apaches, who are a very different enemy from these cowardly Indians here. One had to keep one’s eyes open there, for they were every bit as brave as we were. Don’t push on so fast, Charley. Spare your horse; you will want all he’s got in him before you have done. I think that we must be gaining upon them very fast now. You see the dead sheep lie every hundred yards or so, instead of every quarter of a mile. The Indians know well enough that it would take a whole day out on the edge of the settlements to collect a dozen men for pursuit, and would have no idea that three men would set off alone; so I expect that they will now have slackened their pace a little, to give the sheep breathing time.’- 180 -
After another ten minutes’ ride Mr. Hardy again alighted, and found a very perceptible increase of warmth in the bodies of the sheep. ‘I do not think that they can have been dead much more than a quarter of an hour. Keep a sharp lookout ahead, boys; we may see them at the top of the next rise.’
Not a word was spoken for the next few minutes. Two or three slight swells were crossed without any sign of the enemy; and then, upon breasting a rather higher rise than usual, they saw a mass of moving beings in the distance.
‘Halt!’ Mr. Hardy shouted, and the boys instantly drew rein. ‘Jump off, boys. Only our heads have shown against the sky. They can hardly have noticed them. There, hold my horse; loosen the saddle-girths of yours too, and let them breathe freely. Take the bridles out of their mouths. It seemed to me, by the glimpse I got of our enemies, that they were just stopping. I am going on to make sure of it.’
So saying, Mr. Hardy again went forward a short distance, going on his hands and knees as he came on to the crest of the rise, in order that his head might not show above the long grass. When he reached it, he saw at once that his first impression had been correct. At a distance of a little over a mile a mass of animals were collected, and round them were scattered a number of horses, while figures of men were moving among them.- 181 -
‘It is as I thought, boys,’ he said when he rejoined his sons. ‘They have stopped for a while. The animals must all be completely done up; they cannot have come less than thirty miles, and will require three or four hours’ rest, at the least, before they are fit to travel again. One hour will do for our horses. Rinse their mouths out with a little water, and let them graze if they are disposed: in half an hour we will give them each a double handful of Indian corn.’
Having attended to their horses, which they hobbled to prevent their straying, Mr. Hardy and the boys sat down and made a slight meal. None of them felt very hungry, the excitement of the approaching attack having driven away the keen appetite that they would have otherwise gained from their ride; but Mr. Hardy begged the boys to endeavour to eat something, as they would be sure to feel the want of food later.
The meal over, Mr. Hardy lit his favourite pipe, while the boys went cautiously up the hill to reconnoitre. There was no change; most of the animals were lying down, and there was little sign of movement. Two or three Indians, however, were standing motionless and rigid by their horses’ sides, evidently acting as sentries. The boys thought that hour the longest that they had ever passed. At last, however, their father looked at his watch, shook the ashes out of his pipe and put it- 182 - in his pocket. ‘Now, boys, it is five minutes to the hour. Examine your carbines and revolvers, see that everything is in order, and that there is no hitch. Tighten the saddle-girths and examine the buckles. See that your ammunition and spare carbine chambers are ready at hand.’
In another five minutes the party were in their saddles.
‘Now, boys, my last words. Don’t ride ahead or lag behind: regulate your pace by mine. Look out for armadillo holes,—they are more dangerous than the Indians. Remember my orders: on no account use the second chamber of your carbines unless in case of great urgency. Change the chambers directly you have emptied them, but don’t fire a shot until the spare ones are charged again. Now, boys, hurrah for old England!’
‘Hurrah!’ the boys both shouted as they started at a canter up the rise. As they caught sight of the Indians, everything was quiet as before; but in another moment they saw the men on watch throw themselves on to their horses’ backs, figures leapt up from the grass and ran towards their horses, and in little over a minute the whole were in motion.
‘Surely they are not going to run away from three men!’ Charley said in a disgusted tone.
‘They won’t run far, Charley,’ Mr. Hardy said quietly. ‘By the time that we are half-way to them they will see - 183 - that we can have no one with us, and then they will come on quickly enough.’
It was as Mr. Hardy said. Keen as had been the watch kept by the Indians, in spite of their belief that no pursuing force could be sent after them, it was some little time before they could get the weary animals on their legs and in motion; and even at the easy canter at which Mr. Hardy approached, he had neared them to within half a mile before they were fairly off. A small party only continued to drive the animals, and the rest of the Indians wheeling sharp round, and uttering a wild war-cry, came back at full gallop towards the whites.