"I believe the fellow is asleep," said Lionel. "Yes! listen, I can hear him snoring. I see his head nodding through the opening. If that"s the way he keeps guard, I think I can play him a trick; and the chances are the rest of the fellows are asleep also. It is now nearly dark outside.
In a little time the whole camp will have lain down. We could easily make a hole under the wall of the hut, large enough for me to creep through, and once outside, if the guards don"t catch me, I could find my way to where the horses are feeding."
"A capital idea," said Denis. "I don"t think there will be much difficulty in carrying it out."
"But you would run a fearful risk of having an a.s.segai sent through you if you were discovered," exclaimed Percy. "For your own sake I had much rather you did not make the attempt."
"I am not afraid of that," answered Lionel. "I"ll take good care not to be caught. I know the ways of the people, where they are likely to be sleeping, and where their guards are posted. The chances are they will be asleep in a short time, like that fellow who is acting as doorkeeper to us. If I can manage to reach our camp, Hendricks will soon come and set you free."
"But suppose you were to meet a lion or leopard, as you have no rifle, how would you defend yourself?"
"I would keep out of his way, and shout and shriek at the top of my voice, you may depend upon that," he answered.
Percy was at last induced, though not very willingly, to consent to Lionel"s making the attempt he proposed.
They all three sat down on the ground to talk over the matter, and agreed that it would not be wise to commence operations until later on in the night.
Fortunately Percy had a match-box, for the Zulus had not rifled their pockets, and striking a light, he ascertained that it was about eleven o"clock.
"We cannot have a better time," said Denis, "so we"ll set to work immediately; but I say, we must keep talking, lest that black guard of ours should open his ears and suspect something."
They accordingly all three began talking as if holding some exciting discussion, Denis every now and then giving way to a hearty laugh.
Percy tried to imitate him, but did not succeed very well, for he was exceedingly anxious about Lionel"s undertaking, which he thought more dangerous than it really was. Having no tools except their knives, the operation was a long one. They cut through the lower part of the twigs, and had to sc.r.a.pe away the earth with their hands. Only two could work at a time, and they took it by turns, the third sitting near the door to hide his companions or give notice, should the guard awake and look in.
"We shall be through in another minute!" exclaimed Lionel. "Hurrah, it is done now!" he cried out soon afterwards. "I can be through in a moment. What is the old fellow at the door about?"
"He is still snoring away," answered Percy.
"Well, then, do you and Denis keep talking and laughing, and I"ll slip out."
"But do come back if you find any difficulty in making your way to the horses," said Percy. "It would be far better that we should submit to whatever the prince intends than that you should run the risk of being killed."
"No fear," answered Lionel, as he shook hands with his companions.
"Depend upon it, I shall be safe with Hendricks before the morning.
Good-bye!" and he began to crawl through the opening. He stopped, however, before he was quite through, and backing in said, "Remember to close the hole, Denis, before the morning, so that, if possible, the Zulus might not discover how I got out."
"I"ll do my best," said Denis, and Lionel again crawled through the opening. Not the slightest noise was made, so that the guards at the entrance of the hut, even if they had not been asleep, would not have heard him. Denis, as soon as he had gone, lay down with his head to the opening to listen. No sound reached his ears. He then crept partly through, but could see nothing. Not a person was stirring, not even a dog barked. "Lionel will get clear, I hope," he said, as he drew back into the hut. "He is a wonderfully sharp, clever little fellow. As he lived so long among the Zulus, he knows all their ways. Even if he meets any one, he will be able to pretend to be a young Zulu, provided it is still dark, though of course his dress would betray him in daylight. I almost wish that we had gone too," said Denis. "If he succeed, so might we."
"Not so sure of that," observed Percy. "Three objects moving along the ground would be more likely to be discovered than one; and if I were addressed, I, at all events, could not pretend to be a Zulu boy, whatever you might do. Still, it would have been satisfactory had we all got free; but then, what would have become of poor Gozo? They would have a.s.segaid him in revenge. Depend upon it, we were wiser to remain.
Perhaps, after all, Lionel is hiding, and may find it necessary to come back."
They waited anxiously, almost fearing to hear Lionel"s voice. Time went on, but he did not make his appearance. At last Denis thought that he might venture to stop up the opening; so he began shovelling in the earth and replacing the twigs; he knew, however, should any one examine the outside, it must be discovered that a hole had been made; but it was just possible that it might not be observed, and he amused himself by thinking that if so how puzzled the Zulus would be to account for the disappearance of Lionel.
"I"ll pretend not to know what has become of him, and to be as much astonished as they are," he said, laughing. "I"ll suggest that he might have vanished through the roof, or that he was not put in at all, or that he has evaporated, although, to be sure, they won"t know what that means, and I don"t know how I could well explain it, as the Kaffir tongue has nothing equivalent to the term. However, I"ll do my best to mystify them."
"I would rather not make the attempt. I always hold that we ought to tell the truth and stand the consequences," said Percy. "He had a perfect right to run away, and he exercised that right. I would rather you said what had happened, and that he had gone only for our sakes, to let our friends know what has become of us."
"Well, we"ll see how things turn out," said Denis. "Are you not beginning to feel hungry?"
"Indeed I am, and sleepy too," answered Percy. "I would rather have something to eat; but as we cannot get that, the best thing we can do is to go to sleep. I"ll try, although our couches are not of the most luxurious description."
Percy lay down, as did Denis. They felt various creatures crawling over them; but they knew that they must bear such annoyances patiently.
Their eyes in a short time closed, and they went fast asleep. They were aroused at early dawn by the shouts and cries of hundreds of voices.
The Zulu gaoler no longer stopped up the doorway by his black body.
They concluded that he was not afraid they would attempt to escape during daylight, as they would certainly be seen.
Denis therefore crawled out of the hut to look about him. The sun was just rising over the hills to the eastward. The whole valley, at the farther end of which they were, was filled with warriors formed into regiments of four or five hundred men each. Some little distance off, in front of his hut, stood the chief, Umbulazi, surrounded by his counsellors and other wise men.
Suddenly all the men commenced performing the most extraordinary antics, leaping, and whirling, and twisting, and turning, at the same time uttering the loudest shrieks and cries at the top of their voices.
"What are they about?" asked Percy, who had crept out after Denis.
"They are simply dancing a war dance in honour of their chief. We shall have an opportunity of witnessing their performance."
The chief and his attendants were so busily employed in watching the troops, that they did not observe the young Englishmen standing outside their prison.
Presently the leading regiment began to move forward, the men still leaping, twisting, and turning, shaking their shields, quivering their a.s.segais, and shouting all the time until they approached to where the chief stood, when halting for an instant they redoubled their efforts, and then pa.s.sed on (it cannot be said they marched) to give room for another party who went through the same style of performance.
When the whole had pa.s.sed in review, they dispersed in different directions, some to bring in wood, and others to slaughter some oxen which had been driven into the camp for the purpose.
So occupied had Umbulazi been with this extraordinary review of his troops, that he had apparently forgotten all about his prisoners, who meantime stood watching the proceedings, much interested with the curious spectacle. Denis at length proposed that they should make off, catch their horses, and gallop away. Percy was opposed to this, as it was nearly certain they would be seen and followed.
"I"m afraid you are right," said Denis; "and there"s another strong argument in favour of staying--I"m so desperately hungry, that I don"t think I could ride far without food; and as these fellows will soon be having breakfast, I conclude that they will have the grace to offer us some. If they don"t, I shall make bold to go and take it, for they won"t object, even though they may intend to a.s.segai us directly afterwards."
They waited until the review was over. Denis then advised Percy to go back into the hut, while he set off on a foraging expedition.
"If we two were to go together, they would wonder what had become of Lionel, but if I alone appear, they will suppose that you are both inside the hut," he said. "The chances are, they don"t put in their heads to find out; for everybody is so busily employed that they won"t trouble themselves about us."
Percy agreed to the proposal, and creeping in, sat down to wait the return of Denis.
"There"s nothing like putting a bold face upon the matter," thought Denis; and seeing Umbulazi standing in front of his hut, he walked boldly up to him.
"_Unigane_!" he said, saluting him in the Kaffir fashion.
"_Saka bona_," answered the chief, equivalent to good morning. "What is it you want, my friend?"
"My companions and I were made prisoners by your people, but I conclude that you do not wish to starve us, and we want some breakfast," answered Denis.
"You should have remained inside the hut where you were placed, and it would have been brought to you," said the chief, apparently just recollecting all about his captives. "How dare you come out?"
"To obtain some fresh air, and to see you review your magnificent army,"
answered Denis.
"And you think that my soldiers are fine fellows?" said the chief, evidently well pleased. "They will be able to drive Cetchwayo and all his followers out of the country, so that none will be left to oppose me."
"I have not seen Cetchwayo"s army, so that I cannot reply to that remark," answered Denis. "What is in the future no man can tell."
"Ah! but I have engaged a famous enchantress who knows all things that are going to happen. She is to come to me this morning, having spent the night in looking into the future, and will tell me what is to be my fate, whether I shall be defeated or gain the victory and become king of the Zulus."