Meanwhile, Wilfred fired at the figures climbing the railings, while sharp reports from the side and back of the house told that Frank and Eileen were also engaged.
Once their magazines were empty, it took only a few moments to replenish them, and again they poured a stream of bullets through the loopholes.
But the Boers had already had sufficient. With shouts and shrill cries of fear they disappeared in the darkness, leaving many of their number dead or wounded in the garden.
"That will make them more careful next time," muttered Jack. "I wonder what their next move will be!"
He had not long to wait, for almost before he had finished speaking there was a roar of musketry all round, and a hail of bullets flew through the house, piercing the walls as if they were merely composed of paper, and sending splinters flying in all directions. It was decidedly unpleasant, but all escaped by the greatest luck, the only injury sustained being a flesh wound by Jack. The bullet had pa.s.sed through the calf of his leg, but so unimportant was it that a handkerchief tied round it was amply sufficient to staunch the blood which flowed, while the pain was so little that he scarcely felt it then, though later on he suffered considerably.
"Lie down, all of you!" shouted Frank at this moment. "They will be giving us another volley."
All threw themselves on the ground close to their loopholes, through which they stared out at the veldt, which was now becoming more visible every moment.
A second later another storm of bullets tore through the house, while others struck the iron roof above, giving rise to an alarming noise.
For five minutes the fusilade continued, and then suddenly ceased.
"To your posts!" cried Jack. "They will hope to have killed or wounded all of us, and will make a rush."
Sure enough, a host of Boers now appeared in the growing light, running towards the house, and into them all four rifles poured a stream of lead, each shot of which, though hastily fired, was carefully aimed. At such close quarters it proved disastrous, and though a few of the bolder spirits amongst the enemy did manage to reach the house, the majority were either struck down or retired precipitately. For those who were attempting to kick in the door Jack"s Mauser pistol still remained, and he emptied it amongst them without pity.
At any other time the fact that he was taking human life, and sending fellow-beings to a last and sudden account, would have shocked him and filled him with lasting remorse. But now it was different. He had seen a crew of powerful men injuring and threatening a helpless girl. For that alone they deserved punishment, part of which had been summarily meted out to them. But the remainder had escaped, to return with other comrades, all enemies of the queen. They would not hesitate to take the lives of those who so gallantly defended the farmhouse, and he in turn would not spare a single one of them. Jack hardened his heart, and calmly loaded the magazines of his weapons again, in preparation for the next a.s.sault.
But they had read the Boers a severe lesson, and those of them who had escaped the hail of bullets fled from the neighbourhood of the little farmhouse, and, flinging themselves upon their ponies, galloped away across the veldt till well out of range of fire. Then they pulled up and collected together, solemnly swearing that, come what might, they would subdue those few English opposed to them, and wreak a fearful vengeance on their heads. The pluck and dauntless determination of the little band they fully recognised and admired; but they had already killed or wounded some forty or more of their brothers, and a price must be exacted for those lives.
With sullen and determined looks they parted to surround the house, while a few were despatched for reinforcements, and for guns with which to splinter the walls behind which the defenders lay.
Meanwhile Jack and his friends stood grimly at their posts, thankful for the breathing-s.p.a.ce allowed them, and for the daylight which was fast stealing across the veldt. At last the day broke completely, leaving the plain in front of them partially obscured in a thin grey mist. But a few minutes later a golden glow lit up the eastern sky, and in course of time first a rim and then the whole of the morning sun rose above the steep spires and pinnacles of the range of mountains beyond the Vaal River, and poured a flood of warmth across the lonely veldt. Instantly the mist cleared away, and a glorious day had dawned.
"Now our first duty is to give the enemy permission to remove their dead and wounded," exclaimed Frank. "Let us pull down one of these boards and shout to them."
Accordingly a plank was wrenched from one of the windows, and a white flag waved through the opening. A Boer horseman at once galloped up, and, riding into the garden, reined in opposite the window.
"You can remove your dead and wounded," said Jack, who had agreed to act as spokesman, so that Frank Russel should not appear. "Only ten of you must come for them, and on no account must anyone be armed. We will give you an hour to do the work. After that we shall fire on anyone who approaches."
The Boer courteously expressed his thanks, and at once rode away.
Five minutes later a wagon was driven up to the railings, and the party who had come to pick up the dead and wounded entered the garden.
Those inside the house sat down at their loopholes and kept a close watch, for they had heard before of Boer treachery and slimness, and more than one incident of the abuse of the white flag had been clearly exposed during the opening days in Natal. As they watched they hastily ate a meal, and having finished looked to their rifles.
All this while the unhappy men who had been wounded were being gently conveyed to the wagons, and Jack and his friends pitied them, and admired them for their fort.i.tude. Scarcely a groan did they utter.
They bore their sufferings patiently and in silence, and won the unstinted sympathy and praise of those who, by the fortune of war, had been the cause of their trouble.
At last all were removed, the search-party retired, and the young Boer who had at first replied to the white flag trotted up to the window and once more expressed his thanks. Then he turned his horse and galloped away, leaving the four inmates of the farmhouse to resume the desperate and one-sided struggle.
CHAPTER TEN.
DESPERATE ODDS.
The sun had climbed some way into the heavens, and the day had already advanced three hours on its course before Jack and his staunch little following saw a horseman galloping across the veldt towards the farmhouse.
He was a big, handsome man, well-dressed for a Boer, and wore a long tawny beard. Attached to a stick which he held in his hand was a white flag, and having ridden to within two hundred yards of the house he waved it vigorously, and shouted to attract the attention of those within. A moment later a handkerchief was fluttering from the window, and Jack was waiting there in readiness to hold a parley.
"Good morning!" said the Boer in excellent English as he pulled up alongside the window. "It"s a grand day, and far too fine to be spoilt by fighting. I"ve come from the commandant to offer you terms--liberal terms. We believe Frank Russel is with you after all, and if so, as a rebel he shall be shot. For the others, honourable captivity is offered, and the girl shall be in my special charge. I have known her for many years, and she shall be safe with my mother."
"Don"t trust him, Jack," whispered Eileen, who had crept close up against the window, where she looked through one of the rifle apertures and listened intently to all that was said. "I know him well. He is an Africander, and a British subject. His farm lies ten miles to the north, and Father will tell you why he is anxious for me to be given over to his care."
"Yes, it"s true," growled Frank Russel, joining in at this moment. "He is a rebel, and not to be trusted. He"s been pestering round here for many a day, and asking Eileen to become his wife. But she hates the sight of him, and for my part, though I"ve no doubt he"s smitten with her, it"s this farm and the fat acres attached to it he is more interested in obtaining. Don"t trust him, Jack; send him about his business!"
"And what if we refuse these liberal terms of your commandant?" Jack asked coolly. "How will he guarantee all he promises? Words are not sufficient. Let him put it in writing, and we will consider it; but understand, we will not accept captivity, nor will we give up Miss Russel. As to Frank Russel, you did not find him here, and how can we have done so?"
"Surely the word of Elof Visser is sufficient!" exclaimed the Boer.
"You have heard the terms, and they are the only ones I have to propose.
We will give you half an hour to discuss them, and then, if the white flag is not waving from this window, we shall open fire. Only, if you should foolishly still decide to resist us, I ask you to pa.s.s out the girl. We do not wish to war with her s.e.x. Hand her over to me, and I swear, by the G.o.d who made us all, that she shall be safe from harm."
"We will consider your proposal," answered Jack, "and if you do not see the flag at the termination of the time you mention, you are free to fire on us again. But I warn you we are well prepared, and you would do far better to leave us alone."
"Tush, boy, don"t lecture me!" exclaimed the Boer angrily. "Discuss the terms, and if you refuse, we will knock this house about your heads like a pack of cards, and shoot every one of you."
Giving an impatient jerk at his reins, he pulled his animal round and cantered away.
"Well, what answer shall we give?" asked Jack, turning to his companions.
"What answer!" retorted Frank Russel grimly. "Lads, if you"re ready and willing to stand by me and my child, as I believe you are, I say let us stand fast. The Boer promises aren"t worth the breath that"s wasted on them, and that fellow Elof Visser has his own ends in view."
"Then we"ll face it out," exclaimed Jack, "and after all, things are not so very desperate. Last night was our worst time, and if we could beat them back then we ought to be able to do the same during daylight.
We"ve lots of ammunition, food, and water. The only thing I don"t like the thought of is the sh.e.l.l which will soon be thrown at us, but the Boer gunners are not such good marksmen as to be able to strike us every time, and when the sh.e.l.l do strike, if they are like those used in Natal and do not burst, they will go clean through these walls and do no further damage. When they fire we shall have to take to the cellar, and it seems to me that the sooner we make it bomb-proof the better. It won"t be difficult. The kitchen is paved with big slabs of stone, and by forcing them up and placing them here on the floor, and half over the trap, we shall have a secure place to hide in. The ponies must take their chance, though I expect most of the poor beasts will be killed as soon as the bombardment commences."
"George! The very thing!" cried Frank Russel, smacking Jack on the back. "Now all hands to the job! There are plenty of tools to work with in the kitchen, and I fancy a good strong poker will be the best to use."
All at once went into the kitchen and set to work as only men can whose lives depend upon their exertions. Once the first slab was raised the rest was easy, and while Eileen kept watch the others laboured at the work, Frank Russel levering up the stones, while Jack and Wilfred carried them into the room and laid them over the cellar.
"One will be sufficient to keep watch above, so the others had better go below," cried Jack, as soon as the flooring was completed. "There is no saying when a sh.e.l.l may pitch into the house. Light the lamp and make all comfortable. Perhaps it will be a good plan to pa.s.s a few buckets of water down also, in case they make it too hot for us to come up and fetch it."
This was quickly done, and Eileen and her father climbed down the ladder into the cellar, while Jack and Wilfred remained on top to watch for the next attack by the enemy. The half-hour had already pa.s.sed, and indeed double that period had gone by, but still there was no movement. Then Wilfred cried out that he saw a force of Boers approaching, and looking through his field-gla.s.ses Jack made out a body of about sixty men following a couple of guns. One of these was smaller than the other and had no limber attached. The larger one, which was drawn by six horses, galloped forward till within less than 1200 yards of the house and commenced to unlimber.
"We"ll just teach those fellows to keep at a more respectful distance,"
muttered Jack. "Put up your sights, Wilfred, and have a shot at them.
There is a good big lump to fire at, and with a little luck we might pick a few of them off."
Both at once took a steady aim and fired, and a second later Jack seized his gla.s.ses and saw one of the horses in the gun team rear up and fall backwards.
Another and another shot followed, one of the gunners and a second horse being hit. Then the gun was hurriedly limbered up again and galloped back out of rifle fire. Ten minutes later there was a puff of smoke, followed in about half a minute by a sharp report, and by the ominous hum of a sh.e.l.l overhead.
"Ha, ha!" Jack chuckled coolly; "they"ll want to do a deal better than that to turn us out of this. Look out, here comes another!"
As he spoke there was a second puff, and this was followed by a deafening thud overhead and by a loud explosion behind the house.