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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a5a256e --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #68294 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68294) diff --git a/old/68294-0.txt b/old/68294-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 312deb1..0000000 --- a/old/68294-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6014 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Dulcie Carlyon, Volume II (of 3), by -James Grant - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Dulcie Carlyon, Volume II (of 3) - A novel - -Author: James Grant - -Release Date: June 11, 2022 [eBook #68294] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Al Haines - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DULCIE CARLYON, VOLUME II (OF -3) *** - - - - - - - - DULCIE CARLYON. - - - A Novel. - - - - BY - - JAMES GRANT, - - AUTHOR OF 'THE ROMANCE OF WAR,' ETC. - - - IN THREE VOLUMES. - - VOL. II. - - - - LONDON: - WARD AND DOWNEY, - 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. - - 1886. - - [_All Rights Reserved._] - - - - -NEW NOVELS AT EVERY LIBRARY. - - -FROM THE SILENT PAST. By Mrs. HERBERT MARTIN. 2 Vols. - -COWARD AND COQUETTE. By the Author of 'The Parish of Hilby.' 1 vol. - -MIND, BODY, AND ESTATE. By the Author of 'Olive Varcoe.' 3 vols. - -AT THE RED GLOVE. By KATHARINE S. MACQUOID. 3 vols. - -WHERE TEMPESTS BLOW. By the Author of 'Miss Elvester's Girls.' 3 -vols. - -IN SIGHT OF LAND. By Lady DUFFUS HARDY. 3 vols. - -AS IN A LOOKING-GLASS. By F. C. PHILIPS. 1 vol. - -LORD VANECOURT'S DAUGHTER. By MABEL COLLINS. 3 vols. - - -WARD AND DOWNEY, PUBLISHERS, LONDON. - - - - -CONTENTS OF VOL. II. - - -CHAPTER - -I. SEPARATED - -II. AN UNWELCOME VISITOR - -III. A BRUSH WITH THE ZULUS - -IV. THE CAMP - -V. THE MASSACRE AT ISANDHLWANA - -VI. 'HAS SHE DISCOVERED ANYTHING?' - -VII. FEARS AND SUSPICIONS - -VIII. BY THE BUFFALO RIVER - -IX. ON THE KARROO - -X. FLORIAN JOINS THE MOUNTED INFANTRY - -XI. DULCIE'S NEW FRIEND - -XII. GIRLS' CONFIDENCES - -XIII. THE EVENING OF GINGHILOVO - -XIV. NEWS FROM THE SEAT OF WAR - -XV. PERSECUTION - -XVI. A THREAT - -XVII. WITH THE SECOND DIVISION - -XVIII. ON THE BANKS OF THE ITYOTYOSI - -XIX. FINDING THE BODY - -XX. THE SKIRMISH AT EUZANGONYAN - - - - -DULCIE CARLYON. - - - -CHAPTER I. - -SEPARATED. - -'Something must be done, and deuced soon too, to separate this pair -of spoons, or else they will be corresponding by letter, somehow or -anyhow, after he has taken himself off; and Lady Fettercairn is -always saying it is high time that something was definitely arranged -between the girl and me! But, of course, Finella thinks _him_ -handsome enough to be the hero of a three-volume novel.' - -Thus muttered Shafto, who, after a long absence, had returned to -Craigengowan again, believing that Hammersley must now be gone; but -he found, to his extreme annoyance, that two days of that officer's -visit yet remained; so, with the futile _fracas_ about the cards in -his mind, Shafto avoided him as much as possible, and the house and -grounds were ample enough to give him every scope for doing so. - -He was sedulously bent on working mischief, and Fate so arranged -that, on the second day, he had the power to do so. - -They were on the very eve of separation now, yet Finella knew their -love was mutual and true, and a glow of exultation was mingled with -the sadness of her heart--a glow which had a curious touch of fear in -it, as if such joy in his faith and truth could not be lasting. It -was a kind of foreboding of evil about to happen, and when the time -came that foreboding was remembered. - -On the day of Hammersley's departure, he was to leave Craigengowan -before dinner: thus, after luncheon, he contrived, unseen, to slip a -little note into her hand. It contained but two lines:-- - - -'Darling, meet me in the Howe of Craigengowan an hour hence, for the -last time. Do not fail. - -'V. H.' - - -She read it again and again, kissed it, of course, and slipped it -into her bosom. - -To avoid everyone and to be alone with her own thoughts, she ran -upstairs to the top of the house--to the summit of the old Scottish -square tower, which was the nucleus whereon much had been engrafted -even before the Melforts came to hold it, and going through a turret -door which opened on the stone bartizan--a pleasant promenade--she -sat down breathlessly, not to enjoy the lovely landscape which -stretched around her, where Bervie Brow and Gourdon Hill were already -casting their shadows eastward, but to wait and re-read her tiny note. - -She put her hand into her bosom to draw it forth; but it was -gone--she had lost it--and her first thought was, into whose hands -might it fall! - -She had a kind of stunned feeling at first, and then a glow of -indignation that she should be treated like a child, in awe of Lady -Fettercairn, and in a state of tutelage. - -Vincent Hammersley went to the trysting-place betimes--the shady Howe -of Craigengowan. The evening air was heavy with the fresh pungent -fragrance of the Scottish pines, the flat boughs of which nearly met -overhead thickly enough to exclude the sunshine, which here and there -found its way through breaks in the bronze-green canopy, and fell -like rays of gold on the thick grass and pine cones below; but there -was no appearance of Finella. - -Shafto had resolved to achieve a separation between these two, we -have said, and evil fortune put the power to do so completely in his -hands. - -Before Finella could reach the meeting-place among the shrubberies in -the lawn, she came face to face with Shafto. - -'Shafto!' she exclaimed, with intense annoyance, as she recoiled, -'you here--I did not know that you had returned.' - -'And didn't care, no doubt? Yes--you are on the way to meet someone -else?' - -'How do you know that?' - -'I found his little note to you.' - -'Where?' - -'At the foot of the turret stair.' - -'And you dared to read it.' - -'It was open. Dared!--well, I like that. Let us be friends at -least.' - -'I have much to pardon in you, Shafto,' said she, remembering the -unpleasant trick he had played Hammersley about the cards. - -'Let us understand each other, Finella.' - -'I thought we did so already,' said she defiantly, and impatiently at -his untimely presence; 'surely we have spoken plainly enough before -this.' - -His face was pale, and there was an expression of mischief in his -eyes that startled her. It was mere jealous rage that acted love. -He caught her hand, and, fearing him at that moment, she did not -withdraw it, but did so eventually and sharply. - -'What folly is this?' exclaimed Shafto; 'do not shrink from me thus, -Finella, but allow me to make a last appeal to you. I cannot think -that you are so utterly changed towards me, but that you are wilfully -blinding yourself.' - -'This is intolerable!' exclaimed the girl passionately, knowing that -precious time was passing, that Vivian had but a minute or two to -spare to receive a farewell kiss and last assurance of her love. - -'You used to love me, I think, in past days, before this man -Hammersley came here?' - -'I knew and loved him in London before I ever heard of your -existence,' she exclaimed, wound up to a pitch of desperation. 'Give -me up my note--I see it in your hand.' - -'His note?' - -'Mine, I say.' - -'You shall not have it for nothing then.' - -'What do you mean?' - -'Precisely what I say, pretty cousin. I must have some reward,' and -holding the note before her at arm's length he again captured her -right hand. - -'Restore my property. Would you be guilty of theft?' - -'No,' replied Shafto, laughing now with triumphant malice, as he -remembered Dulcie Carlyon and her locket. 'But what will you give me -for it?' - -'What _can_ I give you?' - -'Something better than your grandmother will for it--a kiss, freely,' -said he softly, as he saw what Finella did _not_ see--Vivian -Hammersley between the shrubberies, pausing in his approach, loth to -compromise her, yet perplexed and startled by the presence of Shafto -and the bearing of both. - -Finella flashed a defiant glance at her tormentor, but aware that he -was capable of much mischief, lest he might make some troublesome use -of the note with her grand-parents, of whom she certainly stood in -some awe, she was inclined to temporise with him. - -'If I give you a kiss, cousin Shafto, will you please give me my -note?' she asked. - -'Yes,' said he, and his heart leaped. - -'Take it, then.' - -She put up her sweet and innocent face to his, but instead of taking -one, he clasped her close to his breast, and holding her tightly, he -daringly and roughly kissed again and again the soft lips that he had -never touched before save in his day-dreams, and all this was in -sight of Vivian Hammersley, as he very well knew, and the latter, to -Shafto's secret and intense exultation, silently drew back and -disappeared. - -Shafto had certainly then his moment of triumph! - -Finella was greatly relieved when she obtained possession of her -note; but her proud little heart was full of fury and indignation at -the unwarrantable proceedings of Shafto, who hung or hovered about -her just long enough to preclude all hope of her meeting with -Hammersley, and when, full of sorrow, she returned to the house, she -could see nothing of him, but was told by Grapeston, the old butler, -that his departure had been suddenly hastened; that the trap was -already at the hall-door to take him to the station, and the captain -had charged him with a note for her. - -It was hastily written in pencil, and a pencilled address was on the -envelope. It ran thus:-- - - -'I went at the appointed time. You did not come, but I saw you -_elsewhere_ in the arms of your cousin, who doubtless has been -hereabout for some time past, unknown to me. _Those were no cousinly -kisses you gave him_. God may forgive your falsehood, but I never -will! - - -The room seemed to swim round her as she read and re-read the lines -like one in a dream. As she did so for the second time and took in -the whole situation, a cry almost escaped her. Then she heard some -farewells hastily exchanged on the terrace, and the sound of wheels -on gravel as the departing waggonette swept Hammersley away to the -railway station, and no power or chance of explanation was left her. - -The false light through which he--so brave, so true and -honourable--must now view her tortured and humiliated her, and -unmerited shame, mingled with just anger, burned in her heart. And -Shafto had brought all this about! - -Oh for language to describe her loathing of him! His was the -mistake--the crime to be explained; but would it ever be explained? -And she dared not complain to Lord or Lady Fettercairn, who openly -abetted Shafto's avaricious aspirations as regarded herself. - -She rushed away to her own room, lighted candles, and locked herself -in. She sat down by the dressing-table; was that wan face reflected -in the mirror hers? She leaned her elbows on the former, with her -face in her hands, and sat there sobbing heavily in grief and rage -without ever sighing, though her heart felt full to bursting. - -She pleaded a headache as an excuse for non-appearance at dinner, and -Lord and Lady Fettercairn exchanged a silent glance of mutual -intelligence and annoyance, not unmingled, perhaps, with satisfaction. - -Finella sat in her room as if turned to stone; at last she heard the -stable clock strike midnight, and mechanically she proceeded to -undress without summoning her maid. - -A rosebud was in the rich cream-tinted lace about her pretty neck. -_He_ had given it to her but that morning, as they lingered on the -terrace, and with haggard eyes she looked at it, kissed it, and put -it in her white bosom. - -This morning she was with him--her lover, her affianced husband--her -own--and he was hers--all to each other in the world--and now! - -'He hates me, most probably,' she murmured. - -A few days stole away, and she tried to act a part, for watchful eyes -were upon her. Hammersley was gone! Doubly gone! How she missed -his presence was known only to herself. He was ever so sweetly but -not obtrusively tender; so quick of wit, ready in attention and -speech, though the envious Shafto phrased it, 'he would coax a bird -off a tree.' He was so gentlemanly and gallant--every way such -irreproachably good style, that she loved him with all the strength -of her loving and passionate nature. The memory of the past--of her -lost happiness--lost more than she might ever know, through the -deliberate villainy of Shafto, rose ever before her with vivid -distinctness; the evening on which their love was avowed in the -drawing-room--the evening in the Howe of Craigengowan, when he gave -her the two rings, and many other chance or concerted meetings, were -before her now, and she could but clasp her hands tightly, while a -heavy sob rose in her throat. - -The wedding ring, he had given her to keep, was often drawn forth -fondly, and slipped on her wedding finger in secret--a temptation of -Fate, as any old Scotchwoman would have told her. She would have -written a letter of explanation to Hammersley, but knew not where to -address him; and ere long the announcement in a public print that he -had sailed from Plymouth with a strong detachment of the 2nd -Warwickshire, for the seat of war in South Africa, put it out of her -power to do so, and she had but to bear her misery helplessly. - -More than ever were they now separated! - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -AN UNWELCOME VISITOR. - -Lady Fettercairn was in the drawing-room at Craigengowan, and talking -with Shafto seriously and affectionately on the subject of Finella -and the wishes of herself and Lord Fettercairn; and Shafto was making -himself most agreeable to his 'grandmother,' for he was still in high -glee and elfish good humour at the mode in which he had 'choked off -that interloper, Hammersley,' when a valet announced that an elderly -woman 'wished to speak with her ladyship.' - -'What is her name?' - -'She declined to say.' - -'Is she one of our own people?' - -'I think not, my lady.' - -'But what can she want?' - -'She would not say--it was a private matter, she admitted.' - -'Very odd.' - -'She is most anxious to see your ladyship.' - -'It is some begging petition, of course,' said Shafto; 'desire her to -be off.' - -'It may be so, sir.' - -'Then show her the door.' - -'She seems very respectable, sir,' urged the valet. - -'But poor--the old story.' - -'Show her in,' said Lady Fettercairn. - -The elderly woman appeared, and curtseyed deeply twice in a graceful -and old-fashioned manner. Her once black hair was now seamed with -white; but her eyes were dark and sparkling; her cheeks were yet -tinged with red, and her rows of teeth were firm and white as ever, -for the visitor was Madelon Galbraith, now in her sixtieth year, and -with the assured confidence of a Highland woman she announced herself -by name. - -'I read in the papers,' said she, 'that the grandson of Lord -Fettercairn had shot some beautiful eaglets at the ruins of Finella's -castle. The grandson, thought I--that maun be the bairn I nursed, as -I nursed his mother before him, and so I'm come a the way frae -Ross-shire to see him, your leddyship.' - -'I have heard of you, Madelon, and that you were in early life nurse -to--to my younger son's wife,' said Lady Fettercairn, with a freezing -stare and slight inclination of her haughty head; but she added, 'be -seated.' - -'Yes--I was nurse to Captain MacIan's daughter Flora,' said Madelon, -her eyes becoming moist; 'the Captain saved my husband's life in the -Persian war, but was killed himself next day.' - -'What have we to do with this?' said Shafto, who felt himself growing -pale. - -'Nothing, of course,' replied Madelon sadly. - -'Then what do you want?' - -'What I have said. I heard that the son of Major Melfort--or MacIan -as he called himself in the past time--was here at Craigengowan, and -I made sae bold as to ca' and see him--the bairn I hae suckled.' - -'If you nursed my grandson, as you say,' said Lady Fettercairn, 'do -you not recognise him? Stand forward, Shafto.' - -'Shafto--is this Mr. Shafto!' exclaimed Madelon. - -'Yes, my son Lennard's son.' - -'Shafto Gyle!' said Madelon bewildered. - -'What _do_ you mean?' - -'What I say, my leddy.' - -'This is Major Melfort's only son.' - -'Only nephew! The bairn I nursed--the son of Lennard Melfort and my -darling Flora--was named after her, Florian, and was like herself, -dark-haired, dark-eyed, and winsome. Where is he? What is the -meaning of this, Mr. Shafto? I recognise ye now, though years hae -passed since I saw ye.' - -'She is mad or drunk!' exclaimed Shafto, starting up savagely. - -'I am neither,' said Madelon, firmly and defiantly. - -'Turn her out of the house!' said Shafto, with his hand on the bell. - -'There is some trick here--where is Florian?' - -'How the devil should I know, or be accountable for him to a creature -like you?' - -'Ay, ay, Mr. Shafto, as a bairn ye were aye crafty, shrewd, and -evil-natured, and if a lie could hae chokit ye, ye wad hae been deid -lang syne.' - -'This is most unseemly language, Madelon Galbraith,' said Lady -Fettercairn, rising from her chair, 'and to me it seems that you are -raving.' - -'Unseemly here or unseemly there, it is the truth,' said Madelon, -stoutly, and, sooth to say, Lady Fettercairn's estimation and -knowledge of Shafto's character endorsed the description given of it -by Madelon. - -'Florian was dark, and you are, as you were, fair and fause too; and -Florian had what you have not, and never had, a black mole-mark on -his right arm.' - -'Such marks pass away,' said Shafto. - -'No, these marks never pass away!' retorted Madelon; 'there is some -devilry at work here. I say, where is Florian? Ay, ay,' she -continued; 'my bairn, Florian, was born on a Friday, and a Friday's -birth, like a Friday's marriage, seldom is fortunate; but this is no -my bonnie black-eyed lad, Lady Fettercairn--so _where_ is he?' - -'This is intolerable!' said Lady Fettercairn, whom that name by old -association of ideas seemed to irritate; and, on a valet appearing in -obedience to a furious ring given to the bell by Shafto, she added, -'Show this intruder out of the house, and do so instantly.' - -The man was about to put his hand on Madelon, but the old Highland -woman drew herself up with an air of defiance, and swept out of the -room without another word. - -'See her not only out of the house, but off the grounds,' shouted -Shafto, who was almost beside himself with rage and genuine fear. -'Nay, I'll see to that myself,' he added. 'Such lunatics are -dangerous.' - -Seeing her hastening down the avenue, he whistled from the stable -court a huge mastiff, and by voice and action hounded it on her. The -dog bounded about her, barking furiously and tore her skirts to her -infinite terror, till the lodgekeeper dragged it off and closed the -gates upon her. Then she went upon her way, her Highland heart -bursting with rage and longing for revenge. - -Shafto was glad that Lord Fettercairn was absent, as he might have -questioned Madelon Galbraith more closely; but to his cost he was -eventually to learn that he had not seen the last of Florian's nurse. - -This visit taken in conjunction with the mode in which Finella now -treated him made Craigengowan somewhat uncomfortable for Shafto, so -he betook himself to Edinburgh, and to drown his growing fears -plunged into such a mad career of dissipation and extravagance that -Lord Fettercairn began to regret that he had ever discovered an heir -to his estates at all. - -While there Shafto saw in the newspaper posters one day the -announcement of the terrible disaster at Isandhlwana, 'with the total -extirpation of the 24th Warwickshire Foot!' - -'_His_ regiment, by Jove! I'll have a drink over this good news,' -thought the amiable Shafto, and certainly a deep 'drink' he did have. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -A BRUSH WITH THE ZULUS. - -When Florian recovered consciousness the African sun was high in the -sky; but he lay still for a space in his leafy concealment, as he -knew not what time had elapsed since he had last seen his mounted -pursuers, or how far or how near they might be off. - -Dried blood plastered all one side of his face, and blood was still -oozing from the wound in his temple. Over it he tied his -handkerchief, and with his white helmet off--as it was a conspicuous -object--he clambered to the edge of the donga and looked about him. - -The vast extent of waste and open veldt spread around him, but no -living object was visible thereon. His pursuers must have ridden -forward or returned to Elandsbergen without searching the donga, and -thus he was, for the time at least, free from them. - -In the distance he saw the Drakensberg range, and knew that his way -lay westward in the opposite direction. It is the name given to a -portion of the Ouathlamba Mountains, which form the boundary between -the Free States, Natal, and the land of the Basutos. They rise to a -height of nine thousand feet, and their topography is imperfectly -known. - -Having assured himself that he was unwatched and unseen, Florian -quitted the donga, and, after an anxious search of an hour or more, -succeeded in striking upon the ruts or wheel-tracks that must lead, -he knew, to the camp at Rorke's Drift, beside the Buffalo River, and -then he steadily, though weary and somewhat faint, proceeded upon his -return journey. - -How many miles he walked he knew not--there were no stones to mark -them; but evening was at hand, and he had traversed a district of -_ruggens_, as it is called there--a succession of many grassy -ridges--before an exclamation of supreme satisfaction escaped him, -when he saw the white bell-tents of Colonel Glyn's column, pitched on -the grassy veldt beside the winding stream, and, passing the advanced -sentinels, he lost no time in reporting himself to Sheldrake, and -relieving himself also of that unlucky gold which had so nearly cost -him his life. - -Sheldrake sent instantly for Dr. Gallipott, a staff-surgeon, who -dressed Florian's hurt. In the bearing of the latter as he related -his late adventures Sheldrake was struck with a certain grave -simplicity or quiet dignity--an air of ease and perfect -self-possession--far above his present position. - -'You are "not what you seem to be," as novels have it?' said the -young officer inquiringly. - -'I am a soldier, sir, as my---- (father was before me, he was about -to say, but paused in confusion and substituted) 'as my fate decided -for me.' - -Impressed by his whole story and the terrible risks and toil he had -undergone, young Sheldrake offered a substantial money reward to -Florian, who coloured painfully at the proposal, drew back, with just -the slightest air of hauteur, and declined it. - -'You are somewhat of an enigma to me,' said the puzzled officer. - -'Is there any news in camp, sir?' - -'Only that we enter Zululand to-morrow, and a draft from home joined -us to-day under Captain Hammersley.' - -Florian heard the name of Captain Hammersley without much concern, -save that he was one of the same corps. He little foresaw how much -their names and interests would be mingled in the future. - -'Here he comes,' said Sheldrake, as the handsome officer in his fresh -uniform came lounging, cigar in mouth, into the tent, and Florian, -with a salute, withdrew. Ere he did so, - -'Tom,' said Sheldrake to his servant, 'tell the messman to give the -sergeant a bottle of good wine; he'll need it to keep up his pecker -after last night's work and with the work before us to-morrow.' - -Florian thanked the officer and retired; and he and Bob Edgehill -shared the contents of the bottle, while the latter listened to his -narration. - -'You have grown to look very grave, Hammersley,' said Sheldrake; 'of -what are you thinking so much?' - -'Nothing.' - -'Nothing?' - -'Yes; the best way to get through life is _not_ to think at all,' -replied Hammersley bitterly, for his thoughts were ever and always of -Finella and that fatal evening in the shrubbery at Craigengowan, -where he saw her lift up her face to Shafto, who kissed her as though -he had been used to do so all his life. - -Colonel Glyn's column consisted of seven companies of his own -regiment, the 24th, the Natal Mounted Police, a body of Volunteers, -two 7-pounder Royal Artillery guns under Major Harness, and 1000 -natives under Rupert Lonsdale, late of the 74th Highlanders. - -At half-past three on the morning of the 12th of January, the -colonel, with four companies, some of the Natal Native Contingent, -and the mounted men, left his camp to reconnoitre the country of -Sirayo, which lay to the eastward of it. With his staff, Lord -Chelmsford accompanied this party, which, after a few miles' march, -reached a great donga, in a valley through which the Bashee River -flows, and wherein herds of cattle were collected, and their lowing -loaded the calm morning air, though they were all unseen, being -concealed in the rocky krantzes or precipitous fissures of the ravine. - -A body of Zulus now appeared on the hills above, and Florian regarded -them with intense interest, while the mounted men advanced against -them, and his company, with the others, pushed in skirmishing order -up the ravine where the cattle were known to be. - -He could see that these Zulu warriors were models of muscle and -athletic activity, and nearly black-skinned rather than -copper-coloured. They were dressed in feathers, with the tails of -wild animals round their bodies, behind and before; their ornaments -were massive rings formed of elephants' tusks, and their anklets were -of brass or polished copper; they had large oval shields, rifles, and -bundles or sheafs of assegais, their native deadly weapon, and they -bounded from rock to rock before our skirmishers with the activity of -tree-tigers. - -'With the assegai,' says Sir Arthur Cunynghame, 'the Zulu cuts his -food, he fights and does many useful things, and it is used as a -surgical instrument. Carefully sharpening it, he uses it to bleed -the human patient, and with it he inoculates his cow's tail. In the -chase it is his spear, a deadly weapon in his hand, and ready -instrument for skinning his game.' - -The orders of the main body of this reconnoitring force, which had -suddenly become an attacking one, were to ascend a hill on the left, -then to work round to the right rear of the enemy's position, and -assault and destroy a kraal belonging to the brother of Sirayo, whose -surrender the Government had demanded as one of the violators of the -British territory. - -The moment the companies of the 24th got into motion a sharp fire was -opened on them by the Zulus, who were crouching behind bushes and -great stones, and on the Native Contingent which led the attack, -under Commandant Browne. - -The latter had their own armament of assegais and shields, to which -the Government added Martini-Henrys or Enfields, but their -fighting-dress consisted of their own bare skins. Each company -generally was formed of a separate tribe, under its own chief, with a -nominal allowance of three British officers; but there were none of -minor rank, to lead sections, or so forth, as these natives could not -comprehend divided authority. They were pretty well drilled, and -many were skilled marksmen; but now many fell so fast under the fire -of the Zulus that every effort of their white officers was requisite -to get the others on. - -Dying or dead, with the red blood oozing from their bullet-wounds, -rolling about and shrieking in agony, or lying still and lifeless, -they studded all the rocky ascent, while the survivors gradually -worked their way upward, planting in their fire wherever a dark head -or limb appeared; and when they came within a short distance of the -enemy's position, the men of the 24th prepared to carry it by a rush. - -Hammersley's handsome face glowed under his white helmet, and his -dark eyes sparkled as he formed his company for attack on the march. - -'From the right--four paces extend!' - -Then the skirmishers swung away out at a steady double. - -Florian was now for the first time under fire. He heard the ping of -the rifle-bullets as they whistled past him from the smoke-hidden -position of the Zulus, and he heard the splash of the lead as they -starred the rocks close by. Then came that tightening of the chest -and increase of the pulse which the chance of sudden death or a -deadly wound inspire, till after a time that emotion passed away, and -in its place came the genuine British bull-dog longing to grapple -with the foe. - -The Zulus fired briskly and resolutely from their rocky eyries; and -while one party made a valiant stand at a cattle-kraal, another -nearly made the troops quail and recoil by hurling down huge -boulders, which they dislodged by powerful levers and sent thundering -and crashing from the summit of the hill till it was captured by the -bayonets of the 24th; they were put to flight in half an hour, and by -nine in the morning the whole affair was over, and Florian found he -had come unscathed through his baptism of fire; but Lieutenant -Sheldrake had his shoulder-arm lacerated by a launched assegai when -leading the left half-company. - -Sirayo's kraal, which lay farther up the Bashee Valley, was burned -later in the day by mounted men under Colonel Baker Russell. Our -losses were only fourteen; those of the Zulus were great, including -the capture of a thousand cattle and sheep. All the women and -children captured were sent back to their kraals by order of Lord -Chelmsford, who, on the 17th of January, rode out to the fatal hill -of Isandhlwana, which he selected as the next halting-place of the -centre column, and which was eventually to prove well nigh its grave! - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE CAMP. - -On the 20th of January the column began its march for the hill of -Isandhlwana, through a country open and treeless. - -'Where and how is Dulcie now?' was the ever-recurring thought of -Florian as he tramped on in heavy marching order in rear of -Hammersley's company. Oh, to be rich and free--rich enough, at -least, to save her from that cold world upon which she was cast, and -in which she must now be so lonely and desolate. - -But he was a soldier now, and serving face to face with death in a -distant and savage land, and, so far as she was concerned, hope was -nearly dead. - -'My position seems a strangely involved one!' thought Florian, when -he brooded over the changed positions of himself and Shafto; 'there -is some mystery in it which has not yet been unravelled. Am I to be -kept in this state of doubt and ignorance all my life--but that may -be a short period as matters go now. _My father!_ Must I never more -call or consider him I deemed to be so, by that name again!' - -Four companies of the 24th Regiment were left at Rorke's Drift when -Colonel Glyn's column reached Isandhlwana, which means the Lion's -Hill. Precipitous and abrupt to the westward, on the eastward it -slopes down to the watercourse, and grassy spurs and ridges rise from -it in every direction. The waggon track to Rorke's Drift passes over -its western ridge, and groups of lesser hills, covered with masses of -loose grey stones, rise in succession like waves of a sea in the -direction of the stream called the Buffalo. - -When the column reached the hill and began to pitch their tents, the -young soldiers of the 'new system' were sorely worn and -weary--'pumped out,' as they phrased it. 'We may laugh at the old -stiff stock and pipeclay school,' says a popular military writer, -'but it may be no laughing matter some day to find out that, together -with the stock and pipeclay which could easily be spared, we have -sacrificed the old _solidity_ which army reformers should have -'grappled to their souls with hooks of steel,' and painfully was that -want of hardihood and foresight shown in the tragedy that was acted -on the Hill of Isandhlwana. - -A long ridge, green and grassy, ran southward of the camp, and -overlooked an extensive valley. Facing this ridge, and on the -extreme left of the camp, were pitched the tents of the Natal Native -Contingent. A space of three hundred yards intervened between this -force and the next two regiments. - -The British Infantry occupied the centre, and a little above their -tents were those of Lord Chelmsford and the head-quarter staff. The -mounted infantry and the artillery were on the right, lining the -verge of the waggon track--road it could scarcely be called. The -camp was therefore on a species of sloping plateau, overlooked by the -crest of the hill, which rose in its rear, sheer as a wall of rock. -The waggons of each corps were parked in its rear. - -The camp looked lively and picturesque on the slope of the great -green hill, the white tents in formal rows, with the red coats -flitting in and out, and the smoke of fires ascending here and there, -as the men proceeded to cook their rations. - -Florian was detailed for out-piquet duty that night, for the Zulus -were reported to be in force in the vicinity, and no one on that duty -could close an eye or snatch a minute's repose. The circle of the -outposts from the centre of the camp extended two thousand five -hundred yards by day, lessened to one thousand four hundred by night, -though the mounted videttes were further forward of course; but, by a -most extraordinary oversight, no breastworks or other barriers were -formed to protect the camp. - -Before coming to the personal adventures of our friends in this -story, we are compelled for a little space to follow that of the war. - -Early on the morning of the following day, the mounted infantry and -police, under Major Dartnell, proceeded to reconnoitre the -mountainous ground in the direction of a fastness in the rocks known -as Matyano's stronghold, while the Natal force, under Lonsdale, moved -round the southern base of the Malakota Hill to examine the great -dongas it overlooked. - -Dartnell's party halted and bivouacked at some distance from the -camp, to which he sent a note stating that he had a clear view over -all the hills to the eastward, and the Zulus were clustering there in -such numbers that he dared not attack them unless reinforced by three -companies of the 24th next morning. - -A force to aid him left the camp accordingly at daybreak, in light -marching order, without knapsacks, greatcoats, or blankets, with one -day's cooked provisions and seventy rounds per man; and with it went -Lord Chelmsford. - -These three detached parties so weakened the main body in camp that -it consisted then of only thirty mounted infantry for videttes, -eighty mounted volunteers and police, seventy men of the Royal -Artillery, six companies of the 24th, including Hammersley's, and two -of the Natal Native Contingent. - -When these reconnoitring parties were far distant from Isandhlwana, -the Zulus in sight of them were seen to be falling back, apparently -retiring on what was afterwards found most fatally to be a skilfully -preconceived plan; and, prior to making a general attack upon them, -Lord Chelmsford and his staff made a halt for breakfast. - -It was at that crisis that a messenger--no other than Sergeant -Florian MacIan--came from the camp mounted, with tidings that the -enemy were in sight on the left, and that the handful of mounted men -had gone forth against them. - -On this Lord Chelmsford ordered the Native Contingent to return at -once to the hill of Isandhlwana. - -Soon after shots were briskly exchanged with the enemy in front; a -vast number were 'knocked over,' and some taken prisoners. One of -the latter admitted to the staff, when questioned, that his King -Cetewayo expected a large muster that day--some twenty-five thousand -men at least. - -It was noon now, and a suspicion that something might be wrong in the -half-empty camp occurred to Lord Chelmsford and his staff, and this -suspicion was confirmed, when the distant but deep hoarse boom of -heavy guns came hurtling through the hot atmosphere. - -'Do you hear that?' was the cry on all hands; 'there is fighting -going on at the camp--we are attacked in the rear!' - -Then a horseman came galloping down from a lofty hill with the -startling tidings that he could see the flashing of the cannon at the -hill of Isandhlwana, and that it was enveloped on every side by smoke! - -To the crest of that hill Lord Chelmsford and his staff galloped in -hot haste and turned their field-glasses in the direction of the -distant camp, but if there had been smoke it had drifted away, and -all seemed quiet and still. The rows of white bell-tents shone -brightly in the clear sunshine, and no signs of conflict were -visible. Many men were seen moving among the tents, but they were -supposed to be British soldiers. - -This was at two in the afternoon, and the suspicion of any -fatality--least of all the awful one that had occurred--was dismissed -from the minds of the staff and Lord Chelmsford, who did not turn his -horse's head towards the camp till a quarter to three, according to -the narrative of Captain Lucas of the Cape Rifles. - -When, with Colonel Glyn's detachment, he had marched within four -miles of it, he came upon the Native Contingent halted in confusion, -indecision, and something very like dismay, and their bewilderment -infected the party of the General, towards whom, half an hour after, -a single horseman came up at full speed. - -He was Commandant Lonsdale, the gallant leader of the Natal -Contingent, who had gone so close to the camp that he had been fired -on by what he thought were our own troops, but proved to be Zulus in -the red tunics of the slain, the same figures whom the staff from the -distant hill had seen through their field glasses moving among the -snow-white tents. - -Out of one of them he saw a Zulu come with a blood-dripping assegai -in his hand. He then wheeled round his horse, and, escaping a shower -of rifle-bullets, galloped on to warn Lord Chelmsford of the terrible -trap into which he was about to fall. The first words he uttered -were, 'My Lord, the camp is in possession of the enemy!' - -Of the troops he had left there that morning nothing now remained but -the dead, and that was nearly all of them. - -The silence of death was there! And now we must note what had -occurred in the absence of the General, of Colonel Glyn, and the main -body of the second column. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE MASSACRE AT ISANDHLWANA. - -'What the deuce is up?' cried Hammersley and other officers, as they -came rushing out of their tents when the sound of firing was heard -all along the crest of the hill on the left of the camp, as had been -reported to Lord Chelmsford; and, soon after, the few Mounted -Infantry under Colonel Durnford were seen falling back, pursued -swiftly by Zulus, who, like a dark human wave, came rolling in -thousands over the grim crest of the hill, throwing out dense clouds -of skirmishers, whose close but desultory fire fringed all their -front with smoke. - -There was no occasion for drum to be beaten or bugle blown to summon -the troops; in a moment all rushed to arms, and the companies were -formed and 'told off' in hot and nervous haste. - -The Zulus came on in very regular masses, eight deep, maintaining a -steady fire till within assegai distance, when they ceased firing, -and launched with aim unerring their deadly darts. - -Our troops responded by a close and searching fire, under which the -black-skinned savages fell in heaps, but their places were fearlessly -taken by others. - -The rocket battery had been captured by them in their swift advance, -and every man of it perished in a moment with Colonel Russell. - -Driven back by their furious rush and force, the cavalry gave way, -and Captain Mostyn, with two companies of the noble 24th, was -despatched at the double to the eastern neck of the hill of -Isandhlwana, where the Zulus in vast force were pressing along to -outflank the camp, and on this wing of theirs he at once opened a -disastrous fire. - -Near the Royal Artillery guns the other two companies of the 24th -were extended in skirmishing order; this was about half-past twelve -p.m., and, as the mighty semicircle--the horns of the Zulu -army--closed on them, every officer and man felt that they were -fighting for bare existence now, and only procrastinating the moment -of extirpation. - -The shock which Hammersley's heart had received by the supposed -deception of Finella was still too terribly fresh to render him -otherwise than desperate and reckless of life, and in the coming -_mêlée_ he fought like a tiger. - -He longed to forget both it and her--to put death itself, as he had -now put distance, between himself and the place where that cruel blow -had descended upon him; thus he exposed himself with a temerity that -astonished Sheldrake, Florian, and others. - -D'Aquilar Pope's company of the 24th was thrown forward in extended -order near the waggon track till his left touched the files of the -right near the Artillery. Facing the north were the companies of -Mostyn, Cavaye, and Hammersley, with two of the Native Contingent, -all in extended order, and over them the guns threw shot and shell -eastward. But all the alternative companies were without supports to -feed the fighting line, unless we refer to some of the Native -Contingent held as a kind of reserve. - -The crest of that precipitous mountain in front of which our luckless -troops were fighting with equal discipline and courage in the silent -hush of desperation, is more than 4,500 feet high; but the camp upon, -its eastern slope had been in no way prepared, as we have said, for -defence by earthworks or otherwise. - -'The tents,' we are told, 'were all standing, just as they had been -left when the troops under Chelmsford and Glyn marched out that -morning, and their occupants were chiefly officers' servants, -bandsmen, clerks, and other non-combatants, who, until they were -attacked, were unconscious of danger. Fifty waggons, which were to -have gone back to the commissariat camp at Rorke's Drift, about six -miles in the rear as the crow flies, had been drawn up the evening -before in their lines on the neck between the track and the hill, and -were still packed in the same position. All other waggons were in -rear of the corps to which they were attached. The oxen having been -collected for safety when the Zulus first came in sight, many of them -were regularly yoked in.' - -It was not until after one o'clock that our handful of gallant -fellows on the slope of the hill fully realised the enormous strength -of the advancing army, now ascertained to have been _fourteen -thousand men_, under Dabulamanzi. - -By that time the Zulus had fought to within two hundred yards of the -Natal Contingent, which broke and fled, thus leaving a gap in the -fighting line, and through that gap the Zulus--loading the air with a -tempest of triumphant yells and shrieks--burst like a living sea, and -in an instant all became hopeless confusion. - -'Form company square,' cried Hammersley, brandishing his sword; -'fours deep, on the centre--close.' - -But there was no time to close in or form rallying-squares, and never -again would our poor lads 're-form company.' - -Before Mostyn's and Cavaye's companies could close, or even fix their -bayonets, they were destroyed to a man, shot down, assegaied, and -disembowelled, while the shrieks and fiend-like yells of the Zulus -began to grow louder as the rattle of the musketry grew less, and the -swift game of death went on. - -Hammersley's company, which had been on the extreme left, though -unable to form square, succeeded in reaching, but in a shattered -condition, a kind of terrace on the southern face of the hill, from -whence, as the smoke cleared away, they could see the Zulus using -their short, stabbing assegais with awful effect upon all they -overtook below. - -Under the fire of the cannon, which had been throwing case-shot, the -Zulus fell in groups rather than singly, and went down by hundreds; -but as fast as their advanced files melted away, hordes of fresh -savages came pouring up exultingly from the rear to feed the awful -harvest of death; and, as they closed in, 'Limber up!' was the cry of -Major Smith, the Artillery commanding officer; but the limber gunners -failed to reach their seats, and, save a sergeant and eight, all -perished under the assegai; and while in the act of spiking a gun, -the Major was slain amid an awful _mêlée_ and scene of carnage, where -horse and foot, white man and black savage, were all struggling and -fighting in a dense and maddened mass around the cannon-wheels. - -Notwithstanding the manner in which he exposed himself, Hammersley, -up to this time, found himself untouched; but his subaltern, poor -Vincent Sheldrake, whose wounded sword-arm rendered him very -helpless, was bleeding from several stabs and two bullet-wounds, -which it was impossible to dress, yet he strove to save his servant -Tom, who was lying in his last agony, and who, in gratitude, strove -to accord him a military salute, and died in the attempt. - -'Poor Vincent! you are covered with wounds!' said Hammersley. - -'Ay; so many that my own mother--God bless her!--wouldn't know me; so -many that if I was stripped of these bloody rags you would think I -was tattooed. It is no crutch and toothpick business this!' replied -Sheldrake, with a grim faint smile, as from weakness he fell forward -on his hands and knees, and Florian stood over him with bayonet fixed -and rifle at the charge. - -At that moment an assegai flung by a Zulu finished the mortal career -of Sheldrake. But Florian shot the former through the head, and the -savage--a sable giant--made a kind of wild leap in the air and fell -back on a gashed pile of the dead and the dying. It was Florian's -last cartridge, and his rifle-barrel was hot from continued firing by -this time. - -All was over now! - -Every man who could escape strove to make his way to the Buffalo -River, but that proved impossible even for mounted men. Intersected -by deep watercourses, encumbered by enormous boulders of granite, the -ground was of such a nature that the fleet-footed Zulus, whose bare -feet were hard as horses' hoofs, alone could traverse it, and the -river, itself swift, deep, and unfordable, had banks almost -everywhere jagged by rocks sharp and steep. - -A few reached the stream, among them Vivian Hammersley, his heart -swollen with rage and grief by the awful result of that bloody and -disastrous day, by the destruction of his beloved regiment--the old -24th--for which he could not foresee the other destruction that 'the -Wolseley Ring' would bring upon it and the entire British Army, and -the loss by cruel deaths of all his brother-officers--the entire -jolly mess-table. In that time of supreme agony of heart, we believe -he almost forgot his quarrel with Finella Melfort, but found the -track to Helpmakaar and Rorke's Drift, where a company of the 24th -were posted under the gallant young Bromhead; but most of the -fugitives were entirely ignorant of the district through which they -wildly sought to make their escape, and thus were easily overtaken -and slain by the Zulus; and so hot was the pursuit of these poor -creatures, that even of those who strove to gain a point on the -Buffalo, four miles from Isandhlwana, none but horsemen reached the -river, and of these many were shot or drowned in attempting to cross -it. - -Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Pulleine of the 24th, on perceiving all -lost, and that the open camp was completely in the hands of the -savages, called to Lieutenant Melville, and said, - -'As senior lieutenant, you will take the colours, which must be saved -at all risks, and make the best of your way from here!' - -He shook warmly the hand of young Melville, who, as adjutant, was -mounted, and then exclaimed to the few survivors: - -'Men of the old 24th, here we are, and here we must fight it out!' - -Then his gallant 'Warwickshires' threw themselves in a circle round -him, and perished where they stood. - -Melville galloped off with the colours, escorted by Lieutenant -Coghill of the same corps, and by Florian, who was ordered to do so, -as colour-sergeant, and who, luckily for himself, had found a strong -horse. These three fugitives were closely pursued, and with great -difficulty kept together till they reached the Buffalo River, the -bank of which was speedily lined with Zulu pursuers armed with rifle -and assegai. - -Melville's horse was shot dead in the whirling stream, and the -green-silk colours, heavy with gold-embroidered honours, slipped from -his hands. Coghill, a brave young Irish officer, reached the Natal -side untouched and in perfect safety; but on seeing his Scottish -comrade clinging to a rock while seeking vainly to recover the lost -colours, he went back to his assistance, and his horse was then shot, -as was also that of Florian, who failed to get his right foot out of -the stirrup, and was swept away with the dead animal down the stream. - -The Zulus now continued a heavy fire, particularly on Melville, whose -scarlet patrol jacket rendered him fatally conspicuous among the -greenery by the river-side at that place. Two great boulders, six -feet apart, lie there, and between them he and Coghill took their -last stand, and fought, sword in hand, till overwhelmed. 'Here,' -says Captain Parr in his narrative, 'we found them lying side by -side, and buried them on the spot'--truly brothers in arms, in glory -and in death. - -When all but drowned, Florian succeeded in disentangling his foot -from the stirrup-iron, and struck out for the Natal side. A shrill -yell from the other bank announced that he was not unseen; bullets -ploughed the water into tiny white spouts about him, and many a long -reedy dart was launched at him--but with prayer in his heart and -prayer on his lips he struggled on, and reached the bank, where he -lay still, worn breathless, incapable of further exertion, and -weakened by his recent fall in the donga, after escaping from -Elandsbergen; thus believing that all was over with him, the Zulus -ceased firing, and went in search of congenial carnage elsewhere. -And there, dying to all appearance, in a reedy swamp by the Buffalo -river, the tall grass around him, bristling with launched assegais, -lay Florian Melfort, the true heir of Fettercairn, friendless and -alone. - -* * * * * - -No Briton survived in camp to see the complete end of the awful scene -that was acted there! And of that scene no actual record exists. -For a brief period--a very brief one--a hand to hand fight went on -among, and even in, the tents, and the company of Captain Reginald -Younghusband of the 24th alone appears to have made any organized -resistance. Making a wild rally on a plateau below the crest of the -hill, they fought till their last cartridges were expended, and then -died, man by man, on the ground where they stood. The Zulus surged -round and over them with tiger-like activity, frantic gestures, -remorseless ferocity, and lust of blood, whirling and flinging their -ponderous knobkeries, or war-clubs, one blow from which would suffice -to brain a bullock. - -Even the savage warriors who slew and mutilated them were filled with -admiration at their courage, while tossing their own dead again and -again on the bayonet-blades to bear down the hedge of steel. 'Ah, -those red soldiers at Isandhlwana!' said the Zulus after; 'how few -they were, and how they fought! They fell like stones--each man in -his place.' - -There is something pathetic in the description of the stand made by -the _last man_ (poor Bob Edgehill, of the 24th), as given in the -_Natal Times_. - -Keeping his face to the foe, he struggled towards the crest of the -hill overlooking the camp, till he reached a small cavern in the -rocks. Therein he crept, and with rifle and bayonet kept the Zulus -at bay, while they, taking advantage of the cover some rocks and -boulders afforded them, endeavoured by threes and fours to shoot him. - -Bob--that rackety Warwickshire lad--was very wary. He did not fire -hurriedly, but shot them down in succession, taking a steady and -deliberate aim. At last his only remaining cartridge was dropped -into the breech-block of his rifle; another Zulu fell, and then he -was slain. This was about five in the evening, when the shadow of -the hill of Isandhlwana was falling far eastward across the valley -towards the ridge of Isipesi. - -'We ransacked the camp,' said a Zulu prisoner afterwards, 'and took -away everything we could find. We broke up the ammunition-boxes and -took all the cartridges. We practised a great deal at our kraals -with the rifles and ammunition. Lots of us had the same sort of -rifle that the soldiers used, having bought them in our own country, -but some who did not know how to use it had to be shown by those who -did.' - -Five entire companies of the 1st battalion of the 24th perished -there, with ninety men of the 2nd battalion; 832 officers and men -mutilated and disembowelled, in most instances stripped, lay there -dead, shot in every position, amid gashed and gory horses, mules, and -oxen, while 1400 oxen and £60,000 of commissariat supplies were -carried off. - -At ten minutes past six in the evening of that most fatal day Lord -Chelmsford was joined by Colonel Glyn's force. A kind of column was -formed, with the guns in the centre, with the companies of the 2nd -battalion of the 24th on each flank, and when the sun had set, and -its last light was lingering redly on the rocky scalp of Isandhlwana, -this force was within two miles of the camp, where now alone the dead -lay. The opaque outline of the adjacent hills was visible, with the -dark figures of the Zulus pouring in thousands over them in the -direction of Ulundi; and after shelling the neck of the Isandhlwana -Hill--where it would seem none of the enemy were, for no response was -made--the shattered force, crestfallen in spirit, heavy in heart, and -after having marched thirty miles, and been without food for -forty-eight hours, bivouacked among the corpses of their comrades. - -When, five months after, the burial parties were sent to this awful -place, great difficulty was experienced in finding the bodies, the -tropical grass had grown so high, while the stench from the -slaughtered horses and oxen was overpowering. Every conceivable -article, with papers, letters, and photographs of the loved and the -distant, were thickly strewn about. 'A strange and terrible calm -seemed to reign in this solitude of death and nature. Grass had -grown luxuriantly about the waggons, sprouting from the seed that had -dropped from the loads, falling on soil fertilised by the blood of -the gallant fallen. The skeletons of some rattled at the touch. In -one place lay a body with a bayonet thrust to the socket between the -jaws, transfixing the head a foot into the ground. Another lay under -a waggon, covered by a tarpaulin, as if the wounded man had gone to -sleep while his life-blood ebbed away. In one spot over fifty bodies -were found, including those of three officers, and close by another -group of about seventy; and, considering that they had been exposed -for five months, they were in a singular state of preservation.' - -Such is the miserable story of Isandhlwana. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -HAS SHE DISCOVERED ANYTHING? - -Finella Melfort knew by the medium of telegrams and despatches in the -public prints--all read in nervous haste, with her heart sorely -agitated--that Hammersley had escaped the Isandhlwana slaughter, and -was one of the few who had reached a place of safety. So did Shafto, -but with no emotion of satisfaction, it may be believed. - -When the latter returned to Craigengowan, Lady Fettercairn had not -the least suspicion of the bitter animosity with which Finella viewed -him, and of course nothing of the episode in the shrubbery, and thus -was surprised when her granddaughter announced a sudden intention of -visiting Lady Drumshoddy, as if to avoid Shafto, but delayed doing so. - -At his approach she recoiled from him, not even touching his -proffered hand. All the girlish friendship she once had for this -newly discovered cousin had passed away now, crushed out by a -contempt for his recent conduct, so that it was impossible for her to -meet him or greet him upon their former terms. She feared that her -loathing and hostility might be revealed in every tone and gesture, -and did not wish that Lord or Lady Fettercairn should discover this. - -To avoid his now odious society--odious because of the unexplainable -quarrel he had achieved between herself and the now absent -Vivian--she would probably have quitted Craigengowan permanently, and -taken up her residence with her maternal relation at Drumshoddy -Lodge; but she preferred the more refined society of Lady -Fettercairn, and did not affect that of the widow of the ex-Advocate -and Indian Civilian, who was vulgarly bent on urging the interests of -Shafto, and would have derided those of Hammersley in terms -undeniably coarse had she discovered them. And Lady Drumshoddy, -though hard by nature as gun-metal, was a wonderful woman in one way. -She could back her arguments by the production of tears at any time. -She knew not herself where they came from, but she could 'pump' them -up whenever she had occasion to taunt her granddaughter with what she -termed contumacy and perverseness of spirit. - -On the day Shafto returned Finella was in the drawing-room alone. -She was posed in a listless attitude. Her slender hands lay idly in -her lap; her face had grown thin and grave in expression, to the -anxiety and surprise of her relatives. Her chair was drawn close to -the window, and she was gazing, with unseeing eyes apparently, on the -wintry landscape, where the lawn and the leafless trees were powdered -with snow, and a red-breasted robin, with heart full of hope, was -trilling his song on a naked branch. - -It was a cheerless prospect to a cheerless heart. She had drawn from -her portemonnaie (wherein she always kept it) the bitter little -farewell note of Hammersley, and, after perusing it once more, -returned it slowly to its place of concealment. - -Where was he then? How employed--marching or fighting, in peril or -in safety? Did he think of her often, and with anger? Would he ever -come back to her, and afford a chance of explanation and -reconciliation? Ah no! it was more than probable their paths in -life would never cross each other again. - -Tears welled in her eyes as she went over in memory some episodes of -the past. She saw again his eager eyes and handsome face so near her -own, heard his tender and pleading voice in her ear, and recalled the -touch of his lips and the clasp of his firm white hand. - -Another hand touched her shoulder, and she recoiled with a shudder on -seeing Shafto. - -'What is this I hear,' said he; 'that you think of leaving -Craigengowan?' - -'Yes,' she replied, curtly. - -'Because I have returned, I presume?' - -'Yes.' - -His countenance darkened as he asked: - -'But--why so?' - -'Because I loathe that the same roof should be over you and me. -Think of what your infamous cunning has caused!' - -'A separation,' said he, laughing malevolently, 'a quarrel between -that fellow and you?' - -'Yes,' she replied with flashing eyes. - -'Can nothing soften this hostility towards me?' he asked after a -pause. - -'Nothing. I never wish to see your face or hear your voice again.' - -'Well, if you leave Craigengowan simply to avoid me I shall certainly -tell your grandmother the reason; and how will you like that?' - -'You will?' - -'By heaven, I will! That he and you alike resented my regard for -you?' - -To say that Shafto loved Finella, with all her beauty, would be what -a writer calls a 'blasphemy on the master-passion;' but he admired -her immensely, longed for her, and more particularly for her money, -as a protection--a barrier against future and unseen contingencies. - -At his threat Finella grew pale with anticipated annoyance and -mortification; but in pure dread of Shafto's malevolence, and for the -other reasons given, she did not hasten her preparations for -departure, and ere long the arrival of a new guest at Craigengowan -decided her on remaining, for this guest was one for whom she -conceived a sudden and lasting affection, and with whom she found -ties and sympathies in common. - -After being out most part of a day riding, Shafto returned in the -evening, and, throwing his horse's bridle to a groom, was ascending -the staircase to his own room, when, framed as it were in the archway -of a corridor, he saw, to his utter bewilderment, the face and figure -of Dulcie Carlyon! - -His voice failed him, and with parted lips and dilated eyes she gazed -at him in equal amazement, too, but she was the first to speak. - -'Shafto,' she exclaimed, 'you here--_you_?' - -'Yes,' he snapped; 'what is there strange in that? This is my -grandfather's house.' - -'Your grandfather's house?' she repeated, and then the details of the -situation came partly before her. She lifted up her eyes, wet with -tears like dewy violets, for his voice, if hard and harsh, was -associated with her home and Revelstoke, but she shrank from him, and -her lips grew white on finding herself so suddenly face to face with -one whom she felt intuitively was a kind of evil genius in her life! - -Dulcie just then seemed a delightful object to the eye. That pure -waxen skin, which always accompanies red-golden hair, was set off to -the utmost advantage by the dead black of her deep mourning, and her -plump white arms and slender hands were coquettishly set off by long -black lace gloves, for Dulcie was dressed for dinner, and her soft -white neck shone like satin in contrast to a single row of jet beads, -her only other ornament being Florian's locket, on which the startled -eyes of Shafto instantly fell. - -Dulcie saw this, and instinctively she placed her hand--a slim and -ringless little white hand--upon it, as if to protect it, and gather -strength from its touch; but her bosom now heaved at the sight of -Shafto, and fear and indignation grew there together, for she was -losing her habitual sense of self-control. - -'You--here?' he said again inquiringly. - -'Yes,' she replied in a broken voice, 'and I wonder if I am the same -girl I was a year ago, when poor papa was well and living, and I had -dear Florian--to love me!' - -'Dulcie _here_--d--nation!' thought Shafto: 'first old Madelon -Galbraith and now Dulcie; by Jove the plot is thickening--the links -may be closing!' - -He had an awful fear and presentiment of discovery; thus perspiration -stood like bead-drops on his brow; yet the mystery of her presence -was very simple. - -Poor Mrs. Prim could stand no longer the cold treatment and the -'whim-whams,' as she called them, of Lady Fettercairn; she had gone -away, and it was known at Craigengowan that a substitute--a more -pleasing one, in the person of a young English girl--was coming as -companion, through the instrumentality of the Rev. Mr. Pentreath. - -Shafto had been absent in Edinburgh when this arrangement was made. -Lady Fettercairn had thought the matter too petty, too trivial, to -mention in any of her letters to her 'grandson;' Dulcie knew not -where Shafto was, and thus the poor girl had come unwittingly to -Craigengowan, and into the very jaws of that artful schemer! - -Few at the first glance might have recognised in Dulcie the bright, -brilliant little girl whom Florian loved and Shafto had insulted by -his so-called passion. The character of her face and perhaps of -herself were somewhat changed since her affectionate father's death, -and Florian's departure to Africa in a position so humble and -hopeless. The bright hair which used to ripple in a most becoming -and curly fringe over her pretty white forehead had to be abandoned -for braiding, as Lady Fettercairn did not approve of a 'dependant' -dressing her hair in what she deemed a fast fashion, though -sanctioned by Royalty; and now it was simply shed back over each -shell-like ear without a ripple if possible, but Dulcie's hair always -would ripple somehow. - -'Shafto,' said Dulcie, in a tone of deep reproach; 'what have you -done with Florian? But I need not ask.' - -'By the locket you wear, you must have seen or heard from him since -he and I parted,' replied Shafto, with the coolest effrontery; 'so -what has he done with himself?' - -'I should ask that of you.' - -'Of me!' - -'Yes--why is he not here?' - -'Why the deuce should he be _here_?' was the rough response. - -'He is your cousin, is he not?' - -'Yes: we are full cousins certainly,' admitted Shafto with charming -frankness. - -'Nothing more?' - -'What the devil more should we be?' asked Shafto, coarsely, annoyed -by her questions. - -'Friends--you were almost brothers once--in the dear old Major's -time.' - -'We are not enemies; he chose some way to fortune, I suppose, when -Fate gave me mine.' - -'And you know not where he is?' - -'No.' - -'Nor what he has done with himself?' - -'No--no--I tell you no!' exclaimed Shafto, maddened with annoyance by -these persistent questions and her tearful interest in her lover. - -'Poor Florian!' said the girl, sadly and sweetly, 'he has become a -soldier, and is now in Zululand.' - -Shafto certainly started at this intelligence. - -'In Zululand,' he chuckled; '_he_ too there! Well, beggars can't be -choosers, so he chose to take the Queen's shilling.' - -'Oh, Shafto, how hard-hearted you are!' exclaimed Dulcie, restraining -her tears with difficulty. - -'Am I? So he has left you--gone away--become a soldier; well, I -don't think that a paying kind of business. Why bother about him?' - -'Why--Shafto?' - -'It will be strange if you do so long.' - -'Wherefore?' - -'Because, to my mind, a woman is seldom faithful, unless it suits her -purpose to be so; and in this instance it won't suit yours.' - -Dulcie's eyes sparkled with anger, though they were eyes that, -fringed by the longest lashes, looked at one usually sweetly, -candidly, with an innocent and fearless expression. Her bosom -heaved, as she said-- - -'Florian will gain a name for himself, I am sure; and if he dies----' -Her voice broke. - -'If not in the field it will be where England's heroes usually die.' - -'Where?' - -'In the workhouse,' was the mocking response of Shafto; and he -thought, 'If he is killed by a Zulu assegai, or any other way, to -prevent exposure or public gossip, the game will still lie in my -hands.' - -In the public prints Dulcie had of course seen details of the episode -of Lieutenants Melville and Coghill, and their attempts to save that -fatal colour, which was afterwards found in the Buffalo, and -decorated with immortelles by the Queen at Osborne; the papers also -added that the colour-sergeant who accompanied them was missing, and -that his body had not been found. - -_Missing!_ - -As no name had yet been given, Dulcie was yet mercifully ignorant of -what that appalling word contained for her! - -'Already you appear to be quite at home here in Craigengowan,' said -Shafto, after an awkward pause. - -'I am at home,' replied Dulcie simply; 'and hope this may be the -happiest I have had since papa died.' - -(But she doubted that, with Shafto as an inmate.) - -'I am glad to hear it; but you don't mean to treat me--an old -friend--as you have done?' - -'Friend!' she exclaimed, and laughed a little bitter laugh, that -sounded strange from lips so fresh, so young and rosy. - -'You have not yet accepted my hand.' - -'Nor ever shall, Shafto Gyle,' said she defiantly, and still -withholding hers. - -'Melfort!' said he menacingly. - -'I knew and shall always know you as Shafto Gyle.' - -It was not quite a random speech this, but it stung the hearer. He -crimsoned with fury, and thought--'She is as vindictive as Finella. -Has she discovered _anything about me_?' - -'Shafto, do you know that the dressing-bell was rung some time -since?' said Lady Fettercairn with the same asperity, as she appeared -in the corridor. - -Both started. How long had she been there, and what had she -overheard? was in the mind of each. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -FEARS AND SUSPICIONS. - -'Well, Dulcie,' said Shafto, who, full of his own fears, contrived to -confront her alone before the dinner, which was always a late one at -Craigengowan, 'won't you even smile--now that we are for a little -time apart--for old acquaintance sake?' - -'How can I smile, feeling as I do--and knowing what I do?' - -'_What_ do you know?' he asked huskily, and changing colour at this -new and stinging remark. - -'That poor Florian is facing such perils in South Africa,' she -replied in a low voice. - -'Pooh! is that all?' said Shafto, greatly relieved; 'he'll get on, as -well as he can expect, no doubt.' - -'Amid all the wealth that surrounds you, could you not have done -something for him?' asked the girl, wistfully and reproachfully. - -'Poor relations are a deuced bother, and here they dislike his name -somehow.' - -As his fears passed away Shafto's aspect became menacing, and knowing -her helplessness and her dependent position in the house to which he -was the heir, for a moment or two the girl's spirit failed her. - -'Well, what do you mean to say now?' he asked abruptly. - -'About whom?' she asked softly and wonderingly. - -'Me!' - -'I shall say nothing, Shafto--nothing to injure you at least--with -reference to old times.' - -'What the devil could you say that would injure me in the eyes of my -own family?' - -Dulcie thought of the locket stolen from her so roughly, of his -subsequent villainy therewith, and of his tampering with her long and -passionate letter to Florian, but remained judiciously silent, while -striving to look at him with defiant haughtiness. - -'I am speaking to you, Dulcie; will you have the politeness to attend -to me?' - -'To what end and purpose?' - -She eyed him with chilling steadiness now, though her heart was full -of fear; but his shifty grey eyes quailed under the cold gaze he -challenged, and thought how closely her bearing and her words -resembled those of Finella. - -'You don't like me, Dulcie,' said he with a bitter smile, 'that is -pretty evident.' - -'No, I simply hate you!' said she, losing all control over herself. - -'You are charmingly frank, Miss Carlyon, but hate is a game that two -can play at; so beware, I say, _beware!_ I must hold the winning -cards.' - -'Oh, how brave and generous you are to threaten and torture a poor, -weak girl whom you call an old friend, and under your own roof!' - -'And the dear dove of Florian--Florian the private soldier!' he -sneered fiercely. - -'How horrible, how cruel!' she wailed, and covered her eyes with her -hands. - -'Never mind,' he resumed banteringly, 'you have got back your locket -again.' - -'I wonder how you dare to refer to it!' she exclaimed, and for a -moment the angry gleam of her eyes was replaced by a soft, dreamy -smile, as she recalled the time and place when Florian clasped the -locket round her neck, when the bells of Revelstoke Church were heard -on the same breeze that wafted around them the perfumes of the -sweetbriar and wild apple blossoms in the old quarry near the sea, -which was their trysting-place. How happy they were then, and how -bright the future even in its utter vacuity, when seen through the -rosy medium of young love! - -Shafto divined her thoughts, for he said with jealous anger-- - -'You used the term dare with reference to your precious locket?' - -'Yes; the locket of which you, Shafto Gyle, deprived me with coarse -violence, like--like----' - -'Well, what?' - -'The garotters who are whipped in prison!' - -His face grew very dark; then he said-- - -'We may as well have a truce to this sort of thing. A quarrel -between you and me, Dulcie Carlyon, would only do me no harm, but you -very much. The grandmater wouldn't keep you in the house an hour.' - -'How chivalrous, how gentlemanly, you are!' - -'Hush!' said he, with alarm, for at that instant the dinner-bell was -clanging, and Finella with others came into the drawing-room, Lady -Fettercairn luckily the last, though Shafto had warily withdrawn -abruptly from Dulcie's vicinity at the first sound of it. Her first -dinner in the stately dining-room of Craigengowan, with its lofty -arched recess, where stood the massive sideboard arrayed with ancient -plate, its hangings and full-length pictures, was a new experience--a -kind of dream to Dulcie. The lively hum of many well-bred voices in -easy conversation; the great epergne with its pyramid of fruit, -flowers, ferns, and feathery grasses; the servants in livery, who -were gliding noiselessly about, and seemed to be perpetually -presenting silver dishes at her left elbow; old Mr. Grapeston, the -solemn butler, presiding over the entire arrangements--all seemed -part of a dream, from which she would waken to find herself in her -old room at home, and see the waves rolling round the bleak -promontory of Revelstoke Church and in the estuary of the Yealm; and, -sooth to say, though used to all this luxury now, and though far from -imaginative, Shafto had not been without some fears at first that he -too might waken from a dream, to find himself once more perched on a -tall stool in Lawyer Carlyon's gloomy office, and hard at work over -an ink-spotted desk, the memory of which he loathed with a disgust -indescribable. - -Seeing that Dulcie looked sad and abstracted, Finella, who kindly -offered a seat beside her, said softly and sweetly: - -'I hope you won't feel strange among us; but I see you are full of -thought. Did you leave many dear friends behind you--at home, I -mean?' - -'Many; oh yes--all the village, in fact,' said Dulcie, recalling the -sad day of her departure; 'but, perhaps, I was selfish enough to -regret one most--my pet.' - -'What was it?' - -'A dear little canary--only a bird.' - -'And why didn't you bring it?' - -'People said that a great lady like Lady Fettercairn would not permit -one like me to have pets, and so--and so I gave him to our curate, -dear old Mr. Pentreath. Oh, how the bird sang as I was leaving him!' - -'Poor Miss Carlyon?' said Finella, touched by the girl's sweet and -childlike simplicity. - -For a moment--but a moment only--Dulcie was struck by the painful -contrast between her own fate and position in life, and those of the -brilliant Finella Melfort, and with it came a keen sense of -inequality and injustice; but Finella, fortunately for herself, was -an heiress of money, and not--as Lord Fettercairn often reminded -her--an unlucky landed proprietor, in these days of starving -crofters, failing tenants, Irish assassinations, and agricultural -collapses, with defiant notices of impossibility to pay rent, and -clamours for reduction thereof. She was heiress to nothing of that -sort, but solid gold shaken from the Rupee Tree. - -When the ladies withdrew to the drawing-room, Dulcie gladly -accompanied them, instead of retiring (as perhaps Lady Fettercairn -expected) to her own apartment; we say gladly, as she was as much -afraid of the society of Shafto as he was of hers--and she had a -great dread she scarcely knew of what. - -How, if this cold, stately, and aristocratic lady, to whom she now -owed her bread, and whose paid dependant she was, should discover -that Shafto, the recovered 'grandson,' had ever made love to her once -upon a time in her Devonshire home? - -Dulcie, as it was her first experience of Craigengowan, did not sink -into her position there, by withdrawing first, and, more than all, -silently. She effusively shook hands with everyone in a kindly -country fashion, but withdrew her slender fingers from Shafto's eager -clasp with a haughty movement that Lady Fettercairn detected, and -with some surprise and some anger, too; but to which she did not give -immediate vent. - -'Her hair is unpleasantly red,' said she to Finella after a time. - -'Nay, grandmamma,' replied the latter; 'I should call it golden--and -what a lovely skin she has!' - -'Red I say her hair is; and she looks ill.' - -'Well, even if it is, she couldn't help her hair, unless she dyed it; -besides, she is in mourning for her father, poor thing, and has had a -long, long journey. No one looks well after that--and she travelled -third-class she told me, poor girl.' - -'How shocking! Don't speak of it.' - -Dulcie had indeed done so. Her exchequer was a limited one; and -farewell gifts to some of her dear old people had reduced it to a -minimum. - -'She seems rather a Devonshire hoyden,' said Lady Fettercairn, slowly -fanning herself; 'but I hope she will be able to make herself useful -to me.' - -'Grandmamma, I quite adore her!' exclaimed the impulsive Finella; 'we -shall be capital friends, I am sure.' - -'But you must never forget who she is.' - -'An orphan--or a lawyer's daughter, do you mean?' - -'What then?' - -'My paid companion,' said Lady Fettercairn icily; but Finella was not -to be repressed, and exclaimed: - -'I am sure that she is, by nature, a very jolly girl.' - -'Don't use such a phrase, Finella; it is positive slang.' - -'It expresses a great deal anyway, grand-mamma,' said Finella, who -was somewhat of an enthusiast; and added, 'There is something very -pathetic at times in her dark blue eyes--something that seems almost -to look beyond this world.' - -'What an absurd idea!' - -'She has evidently undergone great sorrow, poor thing.' - -'All these folks who go out as companions and governesses, and so -forth, have undergone all that sort of thing, if you believe them; -but they must forget their sorrows, be lively, and make themselves -useful. What else are they paid for?' - -Lady Fettercairn had been quite aware at one time that Shafto had -been in the employment of a Mr. Carlyon in Devonshire, and Dulcie -wondered that no questions were asked her on the subject; but -doubtless the distasteful idea had passed from the aristocratic mind -of the matron, and Shafto (save to Dulcie in private) had no desire -to revive Devonshire memories, so _he_ never referred to it either. - -Dulcie, her grief partially over and her fear of Shafto nearly so, -revelled at first in the freedom and beauty of her surroundings. -Craigengowan House (or Castle, as it was sometimes called, from its -turrets and whilom moat) was situated, she saw, among some of the -most beautiful mountain scenery of the Mearns; and, as she had spent -all her life (save when at school) in Devonshire, the lovely and -fertile surface of which can only be described as being billowy to a -Scottish eye, she took in the sense of a complete change with wonder, -and regarded the vast shadowy mountains with a little awe. - -In the first few weeks after her arrival at Craigengowan she had -plenty of occupation, but of a kind that only pleased her to a -certain extent. - -She had Lady Fettercairn's correspondence to attend to; her numerous -invitations to issue and respond to; her lap-dog to wash with scented -soaps--but Dulcie always doted dearly on pets; and she had to play -and sing to order, and comprehensively to make herself 'useful;' yet -she had the delight of Finella's companionship, friendship, and--she -was certain--regard. But she was imaginative and excitable; and when -night came, and she found herself alone in one of the panelled rooms -near the old Scoto-French turrets, with their vanes creaking -overhead, and she had to listen to the boisterous Scottish gales that -swept through the bleak and leafless woods and howled about the old -house, as a warning that winter had not yet departed, poor little -English Dulcie felt eerie, and sobbed on her pillow for the dead and -the absent; for the days that would return no more; for her parents -lying at Revelstoke, and Florian--who was she knew not where! - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -BY THE BUFFALO RIVER. - -The morning of a new day was well in when Florian, lying among the -tall, wavy reeds and feathery grass by the river-bank, awoke from a -sleep that had been deep and heavy, induced by long exhaustion, toil, -and over-tension of the nerves. Ere he started up, and as he was -drifting back to consciousness, his thoughts had been, not of the -awful slaughter from which he had escaped, but, strange to say, of -Dulcie Carlyon, the object of his constant and most painful -solicitude. - -His returning thoughts had been of the past and her. In fancy he saw -her again, with her laughing dark blue eyes and her winning smile; he -felt the pressure of her little hand, and heard the tones of her -voice, so soft and winning, and saw her, not as he saw her last, in -deep mourning, but in her favourite blue serge trimmed with white, -and a smart sailor's hat girt with a blue yachting ribbon above her -ruddy golden hair; then there came an ominous flapping of heavy -wings, and he started up to find two enormous Kaffir vultures -wheeling overhead in circles round him! - -On every side reigned profound silence, broken only by the -lap-lapping of the Buffalo as it washed against rocks and boulders on -its downward passage to the Indian Ocean. A few miles distant rose -the rocky crest of fatal Isandhlwana, reddened to the colour of blood -by the rising sun, and standing up clearly defined in outline against -a sky of the deepest blue; and a shudder came over him as he looked -at it, and thought of all that had happened, and of those who were -lying unburied there. - -His sodden uniform was almost dried now by the heat of the sun, but -he felt stiff and sore in every joint, and on rising from the earth -he knew not which way to turn. He knew that two companies of the -first battalion of his regiment were at Helpmakaar, with the -regimental colour, and that one of the second battalion was posted at -Rorke's Drift, under Lieutenant Bromhead, but of where these places -lay he had not the least idea. He was defenceless too, for though he -had his sword-bayonet he had lost his rifle when his horse was shot -in the stream. - -He passed a hand across his brow as if to clear away his painful and -anxious thoughts, and was making up his mind to follow the course of -the river upward as being the most likely mode of reaching Rorke's -Drift when a yell pierced his ears, and he found himself surrounded -by some twenty black-skinned Zulus, with gleaming eyes and glistening -teeth, all adorned with cow-tails, feathers, and armlets, and armed -in their usual fashion--Zulus who had been resting close by him among -the long reeds, weary, as it proved; after their night's conflict at -Rorke's Drift and their repulse at that place. - -Florian's blood ran cold! - -Already he seemed to feel their keen assegais piercing his body and -quivering in his flesh. However, to his astonishment, these savages, -acting under the orders of their leader, did nothing worse then than -strip him of his belts and tunic, and, strange enough, examined him -to see if he was wounded anywhere. - -He then understood their leader to say--for he had picked up a few -words of their not unmusical language--that they would give him as a -present to Cetewayo. - -Their leader proved to be one of the sons of Sirayo--one of the -original causes of the war, and has been described as a model Zulu -warrior, lithe, muscular, and without an ounce of superfluous flesh -on his handsome limbs; one who could launch an assegai with unerring -aim, and spring like a tiger to close quarters with knife or -knobkerie--the same warrior who lay long a prisoner in the gaol of -Pietermaritzburg after the war was over. - -They dragged Florian across the river at a kind of ford, and partly -took him back the way he had come from Isandhlwana, and awful were -the sights he saw upon it--the dead bodies of comrades, all -frightfully gashed and mutilated, with here and there a wounded -horse, which, after partially recovering from its first agony, was -cropping, or had cropped, the grass around in a limited circle, which -showed the weakness caused by loss of blood; and Florian, with a -prayerful heart, marvelled that his savage captors spared _him_, as -they assegaied these helpless animals in pure wantonness and lust of -cruelty. - -All day they travelled Florian knew not in what direction, and when -they found him sinking with exertion they gave him a kind of cake -made of mealies to eat, and a draught of _utywala_ from a gourd. -This is Kaffir beer, or some beverage which is like thin gruel, but -on which the army of Cetewayo contrived to get intoxicated on the -night before the battle of Ulundi. - -Early next day he was taken to a military kraal, situated in a -solitary and pastoral plain, surrounded by grassy hills, where he was -given to understand he would be brought before the king. - -Like all other military kraals, it consisted of some hundred -beehive-shaped huts, surrounded by a strong wooden palisade, nine -feet high and two feet thick. He was thrust into a hut, and for a -time left to his own reflections. - -The edifice was of wicker-work made of wattles, light and straight, -bent over at regular distances till they met at the apex, on the -principle of a Gothic groined arch. The walls were plastered, the -roof neatly thatched; the floor was hard and smooth. Across it ran a -ledge, which served as a cupboard, where all the clay utensils were -placed, and among these were squat-shaped jars capable of holding -twenty gallons of Kaffir beer. - -Ox-hide shields and bundles of assegais were hung on the walls, which -were thin enough to suggest the idea of breaking through them to -escape; but that idea no sooner occurred to the unfortunate prisoner -than he abandoned it. He remembered the massive palisade, and knew -that within and without were the Zulu warriors in thousands, for the -kraal was the quarters of an Impi or entire column. - -After a time he was brought before Cetewayo, who was seated in a kind -of chair at the door of a larger hut than the rest, with a number of -indunas (or colonels) about him, all naked save at the loins, wearing -fillets or circlets on their shaven heads, and armed with rifles; and -now, sooth to say, as he eyed this savage potentate wistfully and -with dread anxiety, Florian Melfort thought not unnaturally that he -was face to face with a death that might be sudden or one of acute -and protracted torture. - -There is no need for describing the appearance of the sable monarch, -with whose face and burly figure the London photographers have made -all so familiar; but on this occasion though he was nude, all save a -royal mantle over his shoulders--a mantle said to have borne 'a -suspicious resemblance to an old tablecloth with fringed edges'--he -wore his other 'royal' ensignia, which these artists perhaps never -saw--a kind of conical helmet or head-dress, with a sort of floating -puggaree behind, and garnished by three feathers, not like the modern -badge of the Prince of Wales--but like three old regimental hackles, -one on the top and one on each side. - -Near him Florian saw a white man, clad like a Boer, whom he supposed -to be another unfortunate prisoner like himself, but who proved to be -that strange character known as 'Cetewayo's Dutchman,' who was there -to act as interpreter. - -This personage, whose name was Cornelius Viljoen, had been a Natal -trader, and acted as a kind of secretary to the Zulu King throughout -the war; but latterly he was treated with suspicion, and remained as -a prisoner in his hands, and now he was ordered to ask Florian a -series of questions. - -'Can you unspike the two pieces of cannon captured by the warriors of -Dabulamanza at Isandhlwana?' - -These were seven-pounder Royal Artillery guns. - -'I cannot,' replied Florian. - -'Why?' - -'Because I am not a gunner--neither am I a mechanic,' he replied, -unwilling to perform this task for the service of the enemy. - -'The king desires me to tell you that if you can do this, and teach -his young men the way to handle these guns, he will give you a -hundred head of oxen, a kraal by the Pongola River, where your people -will never find you, and you will ever after be a great man among the -Zulus.' - -Again Florian protested his inability, assuring them that he knew -nothing of artillery. - -When questioned as to the strength of the three columns that entered -Zululand, the king and all his indunas seemed incredulous as to their -extreme weakness when compared to the vast forces they were to -encounter, and when told that there were hundreds of thousands of red -soldiers who could come from beyond the sea, they laughed aloud with -unbelief, and Cetewayo said the more that came the more there would -be to kill, and that when he had driven the last of the British and -the last of the Boers into the salt sea together, he would divide all -their lands among his warriors. - -Cetewayo waved his hand, as much as to say the interview was over, -and said something in a menacing tone to Cornelius Viljoen. - -'You had better consider the king's wish,' said the latter to -Florian; 'he tells me that if you do not obey him in the matter of -the guns, you will be cut in small pieces with an assegai, joint by -joint, beginning with the toes and finger-tips, so that you may be -long, long of dying, and pray for death.' - -For three successive days he was visited by the Dutchman, who -repeated the king's request and threat, and, in pity perhaps for his -youth, the speaker besought him to comply; but Florian was resolute. - -Each day at noon the latter was escorted by two tall and powerful -Zulus, one armed with a musket loaded, and the other with a -double-barbed assegai, into the adjacent mealie fields, where, to -sustain life, he was permitted with his hands unbound to make a -plentiful repast on this hermit-like diet; and it was while thus -engaged he began to see and consider that this was his only chance of -escape, if he could do so, by preventing the explosion of the musket -borne by one of his guards from rousing all the warriors in and about -the kraal. - -Florian was quite aware now of the reason _why_ Methlagazulu (for so -the son of Sirayo was named) had so singularly spared his life, when -captured beside the Buffalo River, and he knew now that if he failed -to obey the request of Cetewayo in the matter of unspiking the two -seven-pounders, or wore out the patience of that sable potentate, he -would be put to a cruel death; and he shrewdly suspected, from all he -knew of the Zulu character, that even were he weak enough, or traitor -enough, to do what he was requested, he would be put to death no -doubt all the same, despite the promised kraal and herd of cattle -beyond the Pongola River. - -He had seen too much of ruthless slaughter of late not to be able to -nerve himself--to screw his courage up to the performance of a -desperate deed to secure his own deliverance and safety. - -His two escorts were quite off their guard, while he affected to be -feeding himself with the green mealies, and no more dreamt that he -would attack them empty-handed or unarmed than take a flight into the -air. - -Suddenly snatching the assegai from the Zulu, who, unsuspecting him, -held it loosely, he plunged it with all his strength--a strength that -was doubled by the desperation of the moment--into the heart of the -other, who was armed with the rifle--a Martini-Henry taken at -Isandhlwana--and leaving it quivering in his broad, brawny, and naked -breast, he seized the firearm as the dying man fell, and wrenched -away his cartridge-belt. - -The whole thing was done quick as thought, and the other Zulu, -finding himself disarmed, fled yelling towards the kraal, about a -mile distant, while Florian, his heart beating wildly, his head in a -whirl, rushed with all his speed towards a wood--his first -impulse--for shelter and concealment. - -In the lives of most people there are some episodes they care not to -recall or to remember, but this, though a desperate one, was not one -of these to Florian. - -He had the start of a mile in case of pursuit, which was certain; but -he knew that a mile was but little advantage when his pursuers were -fleet and hard-footed Zulus. - -Whatever the reason, the pursuit of him was not so immediate as he -anticipated; but he had barely gained the shelter of the thicket, -which, with a great undergrowth or jungle, was chiefly composed of -yellow wood and assegai trees, when, on giving a backward glance, he -saw the black-skinned Zulus issuing in hundreds from the gates in the -palisading, and spreading all over the intervening veldt. - -Would he, or could he, escape so many? - -A few shots that were fired at him by some of the leading pursuers -showed that he was not unseen; but, as the Zulus knew not how to -sight their rifles or judge of distance, their bullets either flew -high in the air or entered the ground some sixty yards or so from -their feet; and Florian, knowing that they would be sure to enter the -wood at the point where he disappeared in it, turned off at an angle, -and creeping for some distance among the underwood to conceal, if -possible, his trail, which they would be sure to follow, he reached a -tree, the foliage of which was dense. He slung his rifle over his -back, and climbed up for concealment, and then for the first time he -became aware that his hands, limbs, and even his face, were -lacerated, torn, and bleeding from the leaves and thorns of the -sharp, spiky plants among which he had been creeping.[*] - - -[*] The escape of Florian from the kraal is an incident similar, in -some instances, to that of Private Grandier, of Weatherly's Horse, -after the affair at Inhlobane. - - -He had scarcely attained a perch where he hoped to remain unseen till -nightfall, or the Zulus withdrew, and where he sat, scarcely daring -to breathe, when the wood resounded with their yells. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -ON THE KARROO. - -Heedless of the spikes and brambles of the star-shaped carrion-flower -and other Euphorbia, prickly cacti, and so forth, as if their bare -legs were clothed in mail, the Zulus rushed hither and thither about -the wood in their fierce and active search, and, as they never -doubted they would find the fugitive, they became somewhat perplexed -when he was nowhere to be seen; and after traversing it again and -again, they dispersed in pursuit over the open country, and then -Florian began to breathe more freely. - -He had lost his white helmet in the Buffalo, and been since deprived -of his scarlet tunic; thus, fortunately for himself, his attire -consisted chiefly of a pair of tattered regimental trousers and a -blue flannel shirt, and these favoured his concealment among the -dense foliage of the tree. - -Night came on, but he dared not yet quit the wood, lest the searchers -might be about; and he dared not sleep lest he might fall to the -ground, break a limb, perhaps, and lie there to perish miserably. - -When all was perfectly still, and the bright stars were shining out, -he thought of quitting his place of concealment; but a strange sound -that he heard, as of some heavy body being dragged through the -underwood, and another that seemed like mastication or chewing, made -him pause in alarm and great irresolution. - -Florian thought that night would never pass; its hours seemed -interminable. At last dawn began to redden the east, and he knew -that his every hope must lie in the opposite direction; and, stiff -and sore, he dropped a fresh cartridge into the breech-block of his -recently acquired rifle, and then slid to the ground and looked -cautiously about him. - -Then the mysterious sounds he had heard in the night were fearfully -accounted for, and his heart seemed to stand still when, not twenty -paces from him, he saw a lion of considerable size, and he knew that -more than one horse of the Kind's Dragoon Guards. had been devoured -by such animals in that country. - -Florian had never seen one before, even in a menagerie; and, -expecting immediate death, he regarded it with a species of horrible -fascination, while his right hand trembled on the lock of his rifle, -for as a serpent fascinates a bird, so did the glare of that lion's -eye paralyze Florian for a time. - -The African lion is much larger than the Asiatic, and is more -powerful, its limbs being a complete congeries of sinews. This -terrible animal manifested no signs of hostility, but regarded -Florian lazily, as he lay among the bushes near a half-devoured -quagga, on which his hunger had been satiated. His jaws, half open, -showed his terrific fangs. Florian knew that if he fired he might -only wound, not slay the animal, and, with considerable presence of -mind he passed quickly and silently out of the wood into the open, at -that supreme crisis forgetting even all about the Zulus, but giving -many a backward nervous glance. - -It has been remarked in the Cape Colony that a change has come over -the habits of the lion on the borders of civilization. In the -interior, where he roams free and unmolested, his loud roar is heard -at nightfall and in the early dawn reverberating among the hills; but -where guns are in use and traders' waggon-wheels are heard--perhaps -the distant shriek of a railway engine--he seems to have learned the -lesson that his own safety, and even his chances of food, lie in -silence. - -Over a grassy country, tufted here and there by mimosa-trees and -prickly Euphorbia bushes, Florian, without other food than the green -mealies of which he had had a repast on the previous day, marched -manfully on westward, in the hope of somewhere striking on the -Buffalo River, and getting on the border of Natal, for there alone -would he be in safety. But he had barely proceeded four miles or so, -when he came suddenly upon three Zulus driving some cattle along a -grassy hollow, and a united shout escaped them as they perceived him. -Two were armed with rifles, and one carried a sheaf of assegais. - -The two former began to handle their rifles, which were -muzzle-loaders; but, quick as lightning, Florian dropped on his right -knee, planting on the left his left elbow, and sighting his rifle at -seven hundred yards, in good Hythe fashion, knocked over the first, -and then the second ere he could reload; for both had fired at him, -but as they were no doubt ignorant of the use of the back-sight, -their shot had gone he knew not where. - -One was killed outright; the other was rolling about in agony, -beating the earth with his hands, and tearing up tufts of grass in -his futile efforts to stand upright. - -The third, with the assegais, instead of possessing himself of the -fallen men's arms and ammunition to continue the combat, terrified -perhaps to see both shot down so rapidly, and at such a great -distance, fled with the speed of a hare in the direction of that -hornets' nest, the military kraal. - -To permit him to escape and reach that place in safety would only, -Florian knew, too probably destroy his chances of reaching the -frontier, so he took from his knee a quiet pot-shot at the savage, -who fell prone on his face, and with a quickened pace Florian -continued his progress westward. - -Compunction he had none. He only thought of his own desperate and -lonely condition, of those who had perished at Isandhlwana, of poor -Bob Edgehill and his song-- - - 'Merrily, lads, so ho!' - -the chorus of which he had led when the 'trooper' came steaming out -of Plymouth harbour. - -He had now to traverse miles of a genuine South African _karroo_, a -dreary, listless, and uniform plain, broken here and there by -straggling _kopjies_, or small hills of schistus or slate, the colour -of which was a dull ferruginous brown. No trace of animal nature was -there--not even the Kaffir vulture; and the withered remains of the -fig-marigold and other succulent plants scattered over the solitary -waste crackled under his feet as he trod wearily on. - -Night was closing again, when, weary and footsore, he began to feel a -necessity for rest and sleep, and on reaching a little donga, through -which flowed a stream where some indigo and cotton bushes were -growing wild, he was thankful to find among them some melons and -beans. Of these he ate sparingly; then, laying his loaded rifle -beside him, he crept into a place where the shrubs grew thickest, and -fell into a deep and dreamless sleep. - -Laden with moisture, the mild air of the African night seemed to kiss -his now hollow cheeks and lull his senses into soft repose. - -Next day betimes he set out again, unseen by any human eye, and after -traversing the karroo (far across which his shadow was thrown before -him by the rising sun) for a few more miles, a cry of joy escaped him -when he came suddenly upon a bend of the Buffalo River and knew that -the opposite bank was British territory. - -Slinging his rifle, he boldly swam across, and had not proceeded -three miles when he struck upon a kind of beaten path that ran north -and south; but, as a writer says, 'the worst by-way leading to a -Cornish mine, the steepest ascent in the Cumberland hills which -draught horses would never be faced at, is a right-royal Queen's -highway compared with a Natal road.' - -Great was his new joy when, after a time spent in some indecision, he -saw a strange-looking vehicle approaching at a slow pace, though -drawn by six Cape horses. This proved to be Her Majesty's post-cart -proceeding from Greytown to Dundee, _viâ_ Helpmakaar, the very point -for which the escaped prisoner was making his way. - -It overtook him after a time, and he got a seat in it among four or -five men like Boers, who, however, proved to be Englishmen. It was a -wretched conveyance, without springs, and covered with strips of old -canvas, patched in fifty places, and fastened down by nails. No -luggage is allowed for passengers in these post-carts, which carry -the mail-bags alone. - -A naked Kaffir running on foot, armed with a whip, cut away -indefatigably at the two leaders; another on the box plied a long -jambok or team-whip of raw ox-thong, urging the animals on the while -in his own guttural language, and only used English when compelled to -have recourse to abuse, and after ten miles' progress along a -road--if it could be called so--encumbered by boulders in some -places, deep with mud in others, Florian found himself in the village -of Helpmakaar, and among the tents of the few survivors of the two -battalions of the 24th Regiment. - -Then he heard for the first time of the valiant defence of Rorke's -Drift by Bromhead and Chard, with only one hundred and thirty men of -all ranks against four thousand Zulus, all flushed with the slaughter -at Isandhlwana. - -He was told how the gallant few in that sequestered post beside the -Buffalo River--merely a loop-holed store-house, a parapet of -biscuit-boxes, and a thatched hospital, wherein thirty-five sick men -lay--fought with steady valour for hours throughout that terrible -night, resisting every attempt made by the wild thousands to storm -it, and without other light than the red flashes of the musketry that -streaked the gloom; how the hospital roof took fire, and how six -noble privates defended like heroes the doorway with their bayonets -(till most of the sick were brought forth), each winning the Victoria -Cross; how no less than six times the Zulus, over piles of their own -dead, got inside the wretched barricades, and six times were hurled -back by our soldiers with the queen of weapons, which none can wield -like them--the bayonet. - -'Thank God that some of the dear old 24th are left, after all!' was -the exclamation of Florian, when among their tents he heard this -heroic story, and related his own desperate adventures to a circle of -bronzed and eager listeners. - -For the first time after several days he saw his face in a mirror, -and was startled by the wild and haggard aspect of it and the glare -in his dark eyes. - -'Surely,' thought he, 'I am not the same fellow of the dear old days -at Revelstoke--not the lad whom Dulcie remembers--this stern, -wild-eyed man, who looks actually old for his years;' but he had gone -through and faced much, hourly, of danger, suffering, and probable -death. Could he be the same lad whom she loved and still loves, and -with whom she fished and boated on the Erme and Yealm, and gathered -berries in the Plymstock woods and the old quarries by the sea? - -How often of late had he lived a _lifetime_ in a _minute_! - -There were sweet and sad past memories, future hopes, strange doubts, -retrospections, and present sufferings all condensed again and again -into that brief space, with strange recollections of his youth--his -dead parents, the old home, the cottage near Revelstoke, Dulcie, -Shafto, and old nurse Madelon--a host of confused thoughts, and ever -and always 'the strong vitality of youth rebelling against possible -death'--for death is always close in war. - -But it was not death that Florian feared, but--like the duellists in -'The Tramp Abroad'--_mutilation_. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -FLORIAN JOINS THE MOUNTED INFANTRY. - -Vincent Hammersley, we have said, achieved, with a few others, his -escape to the Natal side of the Buffalo River, and reached the -village of Helpmakaar, situated about five miles therefrom, where two -companies of the first battalion of his unfortunate regiment were -posted, under the command of a field-officer, and where for a few -days he found himself in comparative comfort, though he and his -brother-officers had a crushing sense of sorrow and mortification for -what had befallen their corps at Isandhlwana; for regiments were not -then what they have become now, mere scratch battalions, without much -cohesion in peace or war, but were happy, movable homes--one family, -indeed--full of _cameraderie_, grand traditions, and old _esprit de -corps_; and often at Helpmakaar was the surmise, which is ever in the -minds of our soldiers at the scene of war, put in words, 'What will -they think of this at home? What are folks in Britain saying about -this?' - -Hearing of Florian's arrival, kindly he sent for him to congratulate -him on his escape, and the interview took place in what was termed -the 'mess-tent' (an old tarpaulin stretched on poles), where, seeing -his worn and wasted aspect, he insisted on his taking some -refreshment before relating what he and several officers were anxious -to hear--details of the gallant but fatal episode of Melville and -Coghill, when they perished on the left bank of the Buffalo. They -then heard his subsequent adventures and the story of his narrow -escape. - -'I should like to have seen you potting those three fellows on the -open karroo,' said an officer. - -'It was a mercy to me that they knew not how to sight their rifles, -sir, or I should not have been here to-clay probably,' replied -Florian modestly. - -'By Jove!' said Hammersley, 'I can't think enough of your act in the -mealie-field, polishing off the Zulu who had the rifle with the -assegai of his companion, and so becoming master of the situation. -There were courage and decision in the act--two valuable impulses, -for indecision and weakness of character are at the bottom of half -the failures of life. You can't go about thus, in your -shirt-sleeves,' added Hammersley. 'I have an old guard-tunic in my -baggage; it will be good enough to fight in, and is at your service.' - -'Thanks, sir,' replied Florian, colouring; 'but how can I appear in -an officer's tunic?' - -'One may wear anything here,' said Hammersley, laughing. 'By Jove! -you are sure to be an officer some day soon; but meantime you may rip -off the badges.' - -Florian was glad of the gift, as all the stores of every description -had been captured at Isandhlwana. - -Hammersley had seriously begun the apparently hopeless task of -rooting Finella's image out of his heart. - -'Flirts and coquettes,' he would think, 'I have met by dozens in -society; but I could little have thought that the childlike, -apparently straightforward and impulsive Finella would form such a -deuced combination of both characters! And, not content by bestowing -an engagement ring, I actually gave her--ass that I was!--a wedding -one. Yet I am not sure that I would not do all the same folly over -again. "Unstable as water--thou shalt not excel." So we have it in -Genesis.' - -A hundred times he asked of himself, how could she lure him into -loving her and then deceive him so, and for such a cub as -Shafto?--the bright, childlike, outspoken girl. The act seemed to -belie her honest, fearless, and beautiful eyes--for honest, fearless, -and sweet they were indeed. Oh! it was all like a bad dream, that -sudden episode in the garden at Craigengowan. How much of that game -had been going on before and since? This thought, when it occurred -to him, seemed to turn his heart to stone or steel. - -Hammersley was now, by his own request, appointed to the Mounted -Infantry. His casual remark about the tunic had fired the sparks of -ambition in Florian's heart; thus he might run great risks, face more -peril, and thus win more honour. - -He volunteered to join the same force, and was placed in Hammersley's -troop, which was to form a part of the column to relieve Colonel -Pearson's force, then isolated and blockaded by the Zulus at a place -called Etschowe, where he had skilfully turned an old Norwegian -mission-station into a fort. - -Nearly on the summit of the Tyoe Mountains, more than two thousand -feet in height, it stood amid a district of wonderful sylvan beauty. -An open and hilly country lay on the south, bounded by the vast -ranges of the Umkukusi Mountains; on the north the Umtalazi River -rolled in blue and silver tints through the green and grassy karroo. -On the westward lay the Hintza forest of dark primeval wood, and far -away, nearly forty miles to the eastward, could be seen Port Durnford -or the shore of the Indian Ocean. - -But there the Colonel, whose force consisted chiefly of a battalion -of his own regiment, the 3rd Buffs, six companies of the Lanarkshire, -a naval brigade, some cavalry and artillery, found himself undergoing -all the inconvenience of a blockade, with provisions and stores -decreasing fast and of twelve messengers, whom he had sent to Lord -Chelmsford asking instructions and succour, eleven had been slain on -the way, so there was nothing for it but to fight to the last, and -defend the fort till help came, or share the fate of those who fell -at Isandhlwana. - -Fort Tenedos (so called from her Majesty's ship of that name) was -thirty miles distant from Etschowe, and formed the base from which -Lord Chelmsford went to succour the latter place at the head of -nearly 7,000 men of all arms. - -Hammersley's little troop was with the vanguard of the leading -division, which was composed of a strong naval brigade, with two -Gatlings, or 'barrel-organs,' as the sailors called them, 900 -Argyleshire Highlanders, 580 of the Lanarkshire and Buffs, 350 -Mounted Infantry, and a local contingent; and another column, -similarly constituted, under Colonel Pemberton of the 60th Rifles. -'I am glad to have you on this duty with me,' said Hammersley, as the -Mounted Infantry rode off in the dark hours of the morning, 'to feel -the way,' _en route_ to the Tugela River. - -'I thank you, sir,' replied Florian; 'and am proud to be still under -your orders. I only wish that Mr. Sheldrake were with us too.' - -'Poor Sheldrake is lying yet unburied with all the rest!' - -'With what solicitude,' thought Hammersley, smiling in the dark, 'he -used to caress his almost invisible moustache! This Mounted Infantry -service is rather desperate work,' he said aloud. 'Why did you -volunteer for it?' - -'To win honour and rank, if I can. But you, sir?' - -'To forget--if possible--to forget!' was the somewhat enigmatical -reply of Hammersley. Then, after a long pause, he said somewhat -irrelevantly, 'My instinct told me from the first that you are a -gentleman, though a sergeant in my company.' - -'Yes, I am a gentleman,' replied Florian; 'I have passed through a -school of adversity to you unknown, Captain Hammersley. - -'Sorry to hear it--poor fellow.' - -'And yet, sir, if I may venture to make the remark, from some things -I have heard you say, you seem to be at warfare with the world.' - -'In one sense, at least, I am embittered against it,' said -Hammersley, and urged, he knew not by what emotion, unless that -impulse which inspires men at times to make strange confidences, he -added, 'I have learned the truth of what an author says, "That a -woman can smile in a man's face and breathe vows of fidelity in his -ear, each one of which is black as her own heart." This is the reason -I volunteered for this rough work. Have you learned that too?' - -'No, sir, thank Heaven!' - -'As yet you are lucky; some day you may be undeceived.' - -The noise made by the convoy, two miles and a half long, descending -towards the river, could now be heard in the rear. It consisted of -113 waggons, each drawn by twelve oxen; fifty strongly wheeled -Scottish carts; and about fifty mules all laden. - -Every man carried in his spare and expansion pouches 200 rounds of -ball-cartridge. - -As the sun rose, the appearance of the long column, with the convoy, -descending towards the river, and leaving the forests behind, was -impressive and imposing. Brightness, colour, sound, and action, all -were there. - -Like a river of shining steel, the keen bayonets seemed to flash and -ripple in the sunshine; the red coats and white helmets came out in -strong relief against the background of green; the pipes of the -Highlanders, and the drums and fifes of the other corps, loaded the -calm moist morning air with sounds, in which others blended--the -neighing of chargers, the lowing of the team-oxen, the rumble and -clatter of many wheels, the yells and other unearthly cries of the -Kaffir drivers. - -Rain had fallen heavily of late; and the Tugela, at the point at -which the column crossed, was six hundred yards in breadth. The -mounted infantry were first over, and rode in extended -order--scouting--each man with his loaded rifle planted by the butt -on his right thigh. Florian was mounted on a horse which he named -Tattoo--as it was a grey having many dark spots and curious -stripes--a nag he soon learned to love as a great pet indeed. The -country around was open; thus with the sharp activity of the scouting -force on one hand and the partial absence of wood or scrub on the -other, the Zulus had few or no opportunities for surprise or ambush, -and the relieving column had achieved half the distance to be -traversed before any great difficulties occurred. - -Each night, on halting, an entrenched camp or laager was formed, with -a shelter built twenty yards distant outside, and the strictest -silence was enjoined after the last bugles had sounded. On the march -the column was joined by the 57th 'Regiment,' the 'Old Die Hards' of -Peninsular fame, whom they received with hearty cheers. - -Some Zulus in their simple war array were visible on the 1st of -April; and during the night many red signal-fires were seen to flash -up on the hills to the north, thus indicating the gathering of a -great force, and these continued to blaze, though the rain fell -heavily, wetting every man in the laager to the skin, as the column -was without tents. - -It was a night of anxiety, gloom, and suffering. In fitful gleams, -between masses of black and flying cloud, the weird, white moon shone -out at times; but no sound reached the alert advanced sentinels, save -the melancholy howl of the jackal or the hoarse croak of the Kaffir -vulture expectant of its coming feast. - -The trumpets sounded at dawn on the 2nd of April. The mounted -infantry sprang into their saddles and galloped forth to reconnoitre, -while the troops unpiled and stood to their arms, though no one knew -where the wily and stealthy Zulus were. Captain Percy Barrow, of the -19th Hussars, had reconnoitred on the previous day eight miles to the -north-east, as far as Wamoquendo, and could see nothing of them, and -on the morning Hammersley with his troop had ridden as far in a -westerly direction with the same success, and yet ere the day closed -the desperate battle of Ginghilovo was fought. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -DULCIE'S NEW FRIEND. - -And how fared it with Dulcie at Craigengowan? - -The season was the early days of April; but in the Mearns they are -usually more like last days of March, when the Bervie, the Finella -River, and their tributaries were hurrying towards the sea in haste, -as if they had no time to dally with the pebbles and boulders that -impeded them; when the early-yeaned lambs begin to gambol and play, -and the cloud and sunshine seem to chase each other over the tender -grass; and when violets, as Shakspeare has it, 'sweeter than the lids -of Juno's eyes,' give their fragrance to the passing breeze. - -As yet Dulcie knew nothing of what had exactly befallen Florian, like -many others who had deep and thrilling interest in the lists of the -sergeants, rank and file. - -Like Finella, Shafto knew that Hammersley's name had not appeared in -the list of casualties, and he remembered him--jealousy apart--with a -bitter hatred; for latterly the former, even before the affair of the -cards, had been very cold, and many a time, notwithstanding Shafto's -position in the house, used to honour him with only a calm and -supercilious stare. Now it has been said truly that there are few -things more irritating to one's vanity than to be calmly ignored. -'Argument, disagreement, even insolence, are each in their way easier -to bear than that species of lofty indifference intended to convey a -sensation of inferiority and of belonging to a lower class of beings -altogether. It gives the feeling of there being something _wrong_ -about you without your exactly knowing _what_.' - -But Shafto felt the falsehood of his position whenever he was with -supposed equals and failed to assume perfect confidence or proper -dignity. - -Though comfortable enough in her new surroundings, Dulcie was -somewhat changed from the winsome and impulsive Dulcie whom we first -described in the sailor's hat and blue serge suit at Revelstoke. -Though her keener grief had subsided, anxiety about Florian, who had -not another creature in the world to love him but herself, and a -natural doubt about her own future had stolen the roundness from her -cheeks, and the roseleaf tints too, while her skin in its delicate -whiteness had become waxen in aspect, and the coils of her red golden -hair seemed almost too heavy for her shapely head and slender neck. -But she was far from idle. She had 'my lady's' lap-dog, a snarling -little brute whose teeth filled her with terror, to feed and comb -daily; she had much 'lovely china' to dust; a wardrobe to attend to, -and rich laces to darn; she had notes innumerable to write; and be -always smiling and lively as well as useful when her heart was full -of dull pain and despondency concerning the unfortunate Florian, -which at night especially put her in a species of fever, and made her -turn and toss restlessly on her pillow, and start from sleep with a -little cry of terror as she flung out her arms as if to ward off the -frightful thoughts of what might be happening, or had happened -already, so far, far away. And all this was the harder to bear -because she was then without a friend or confidant with whom she -could share the burden of her secret sorrow. - -She had been some time at Cravengowan before she discovered in its -place of honour the portrait of young Lennard Melfort, which had been -so long relegated to a lumber-attic, and its resemblance to 'Major -MacIan,' even in his elder years, startled and amazed her; moreover, -it was still more wonderful that it so closely resembled Florian, -whom all at Revelstoke were astounded to hear was only the Major's -nephew, and not his son, while Shafto, she saw, bore no likeness to -the picture at all. - -She was never weary of looking at it, and asking questions of Finella -about Lennard, which that young lady was unable to answer, as that -which had happened to him occurred long before she was born. - -As for Shafto, he never dared to look at this work of art. Though -the portrait of a young man, and his last memory of the Major was -that of a prematurely old one, the likeness between the two was -marvellous; and its deep, thoughtful eyes seemed to follow, to haunt, -and to menace him. He loathed it; and though one of the best efforts -of Sir Daniel Macnee, the President of the Royal Scottish Academy, he -would fain, if he could, have found some plan for its destruction. -He avoided, however, as much as possible, the apartment in which it -hung. - -To his annoyance, one morning, he found Dulcie radiant with joy, and -an ugly word hovered on his lips when he discovered the cause thereof. - -She had been reading about the march of the relieving column towards -Etschowe under Lord Chelmsford, and saw Florian's name mentioned in -connection with a brilliant scouting exploit of the Mounted Infantry -under Captain Hammersley; and a great happiness thrilled her heart, -for now she knew that, up to the date given, he was alive and well, -and she thought of writing to him, but would he ever get the -letter?--she knew nothing of the camp postal arrangements, and feared -it might be futile to do so. Moreover, she had an irrepressible -dread of Lady Fettercairn, whose bearing to her was as cold as that -of Finella was kind and warm. - -'Don't you ever wear flowers in your hair, Miss Carlyon?' said the -latter, as she regarded with honest admiration the glories of -Dulcie's ruddy hair shot with gold. - -'No.' - -'Why?' - -'So few tints go well with my hair: people call it red,' said Dulcie. - -'People who are your enemies.' - -'I never had an enemy,' said Dulcie simply. - -'That I can well believe. Then it must be those who are envious of -your loveliness,' added Finella frankly. - -'A pink or crimson rose would never do in my hair, Miss Melfort.' - -'But a white one would,' said Finella, selecting a creamy white rose -from a conservatory vase, and pinning it in Dulcie's hair, giving it -a kindly pat as she did so. 'Look, grandmamma; doesn't she look -lovely now?' - -And the frank and impulsive girl would have kissed poor Dulcie but -for a cold and somewhat discouraging stare she encountered in the -eyes of Lady Fettercairn. - -'Somehow, Miss Carlyon,' she whispered after a time, 'I don't get on -well with grandmamma. It is my fault, of course: I suppose I am a -little wretch!' - -The friendship of these--though one was a wealthy heiress and the -other but a poor companion--grew rapidly apace; both were too warm -hearted, too affectionate and impulsive by habit, for it to be -otherwise, and it enabled them to pass hours together--though young -girls, like older ones, dearly love a little gossip of their own -kind--without any sense of embarrassment or weariness; for ere long -it came to pass that they shared their mutual confidence; and, as we -shall show, Finella came to speak of Vivian Hammersley to Dulcie, and -the latter to her of Florian. But there was something in Dulcie's -sweet soft face that made people older than Finella confide to her -their troubles and difficulties, for she was quick to sympathise with -and to understand all kinds of grief and sorrow. - -One evening as they walked together on the terrace, and tossed -biscuit to a pair of stately long-necked swans, the white plumage of -which gleamed like snow in the setting sun as they swam gently to and -fro in an ornamental pond (a portion of the old moat) that lay in -front of the house, Dulcie said, with tears of gratitude glittering -in her blue eyes-- - -'You have done me a world of good by your great kindness of heart to -me, Finella--oh, I beg your pardon--Miss Melfort I mean--the name -escaped me,' exclaimed Dulcie, covered with confusion. - -'Call me always Finella,' said the other emphatically. - -'Oh, I dare not do so before Lady Fettercairn.' - -'Then do so at other times, Dulcie. You talk of doing you good--I do -not believe anyone could have the heart to do you harm.' - -'Why?' - -'You seem so good--so pure, so simple. Oh, I do love you, Dulcie!' -she exclaimed, with true girlish effusiveness. - -'I thank you very much; and yet we think you Scotch folks are cold -and stiff.' - -'_We_--who?' - -'The English, I mean.' - -'They must be like the Arab who had never seen the world, and thought -it must be all his father's tent,' said Finella laughing; 'the -insular, untravelled English, I mean.' - -'Such kindness is delightful to a lonely creature like me. I have -fortunately only myself to work for, however.' - -'And no one else to think of?' - -'Oh--yes--yes,' said the girl sadly and passionately; 'but he is far, -far away, and every day seems to make the void in my heart deeper, -the ache keener, the silence more hard to bear.' - -'Our emotions seem somehow the same,' said Finella, after a pause. -Then thinking that she had perhaps admitted too much, or laid a -secret uselessly bare, Dulcie blushed, and thought to change the -subject by saying reflectively, 'How many great and pleasant things -one might do if one had the chance of doing so; but such chances -never come in my way, for every change with me has been for the -worse.' - -'Not, I hope, in coming to Craigengowan?' - -'Oh no; they are painful matters I refer to. First, I lost my dear -papa, and was thereby cast on the world penniless. Since then I have -lost one who loved me quite as well as papa did.' - -'Another?' said Finella inquiringly. - -'Yes; but let me not speak of that,' replied Dulcie hastily, and -colouring deeply again; so Finella, like a lady, thought to drop the -subject, but somehow, with the instinctive curiosity of her sex, -unconsciously revived it again, after a time. - -Dulcie, however, perhaps forgetting her present position, and -remembering chiefly her old acquaintance with Shafto, was mystified. -She thought 'the cousins' were free to marry, so why don't they? If -engaged, they act strangely to each other--Finella to him -especially--thus she said:-- - -'Is there anything between Mr. Shafto and you, Finella?' - -'Yes,' replied the latter, growing pale with anger. - -'What is it?' - -'Hatred on my part!' - -'And on his?' - -'Pretended love and--and--avarice. He knows I am rich.' - -'But why hatred?' asked Dulcie, without surprise. - -'That is my secret, Dulcie.' - -'I beg your pardon, I have no right to question you. Surely you are -one of those people who always get what they wish for.' - -'Why?--for riches do not always give happiness.' - -'I mean because you are so good and sweet.' - -But Finella shook her pretty head sadly as she thought of Vivian -Hammersley, and replied: - -'Young says in his "Night Thoughts:" - - '"Wishing of all employment is the worst!" - -and Young was right, perhaps.' - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -GIRLS' CONFIDENCES. - -It was a sweet and mild spring morning, and Finella and Dulcie, each -with a shawl over her pretty head, were again promenading on the -terrace before the mansion. Lady Fettercairn was not yet down, and -the breakfast-bell had not yet been rung. The trees were already -making a show of greenery, with half-developed foliage; the oak was -putting out its red buds; the laburnums were clothed in green and -gold, and the voice of the cuckoo could be heard in the woods of -Craigengowan. - -'The cuckoo--listen!' said Dulcie, pausing in her walk. - -'His note is, I believe, a call to love,' said Finella softly. - -'The male only uses it; and see, yonder he sits on a bare bough.' - -'You can wish: one can do so when they hear the cuckoo.' - -'And wish, as I often do, in vain,' said Dulcie, with a tone of -sadness unconsciously. - -'For what?' - -'To hear from one who is far--far away from me; the only friend I -have in the world.' - -'He of whom you spoke some time ago--a brother.' - -'I have no brother, nor a relation on this side of the grave, Miss -Melfort.' - -'Call me Finella,' said the latter, again struck by Dulcie's desolate -tone. 'Who is it--a lover?' she added, becoming, of course, deeply -interested. - -'A lover--yes,' replied Dulcie, with a fond smile. 'The dearest and -sweetest fellow in the world!' - -'Yet he left you because your papa died and you became penniless?' - -'Oh!--no, no; do not say that. Do not think so hardly of Florian!' - -'Florian!--what a funny, delightful name; just like one in a novel!' -exclaimed Finella. 'So he is called Florian?' - -'He, too, was poor. He could not marry me, and probably never can do -so.' - -'How sad!' said Finella, with genuine sympathy, though from her own -experience she could not quite understand poverty. - -'Florian--my poor Florian!' said Dulcie, quite borne away by this new -sympathy, as she covered her face with her white and tremulous hands, -and tried to force back her tears, while Finella kissed, caressed, -and tried most sweetly to console her. - -'See!' said Dulcie, after a pause, opening her silver locket. - -'Oh, what a handsome young fellow!' exclaimed Finella. 'Are you -engaged?' - -'Hopelessly so.' - -'Hopelessly?' - -'I have said we are too poor to marry.' - -'I don't understand this,' said Finella, greatly perplexed: 'won't he -become rich in time?' - -'Never: he is a soldier, fighting in Africa.' - -'A soldier!' said Finella, becoming more deeply interested; 'not an -officer?' - -'His father or uncle was,' replied Dulcie confusedly. 'Poverty drove -him into the ranks.' - -'Of what regiment?' - -'The 24th Warwickshire.' - -Finella changed colour, and her breath seemed to be taken from her, -when she heard the name of Hammersley's corps; and thus, after a -time, a great gush of confidence took possession of both girls. - -'I am rich,' said Finella; 'I will buy him back to you--I will, I -will. Do not weep, dearest Dulcie. The memory of a past that has -been happy is always sweet; is it not?' - -'Yes, even if the present be sad.' - -'I do believe, Dulcie, that tears agree with you.' - -'Why?' - -'Because they make those blue eyes of yours positively lovely.' - -Dulcie for a moment felt pleasure. Florian had said the same thing -once before, and she only half believed him; but to have it endorsed -by such a girl as Finella made it valuable indeed to her. - -'And Florian--I am quite _au fait_ with his name,' said Finella; 'he -is a gentleman?' - -'Oh, yes--yes!' exclaimed Dulcie impetuously. - -'Poor fellow! Then am I to understand that there is a kind of -undefined engagement between you?' - -'Something of that kind,' answered Dulcie, simply. 'We knew we might -have to wait for each other for years, if, indeed, we ever meet -again. We never spoke of marriage quite. How could we, hopeless and -poor as we were?' - -'But you spoke of love, surely?' said Finella, softly and archly. - -'Of love for each other--oh, yes; many, many times.' - -'Well, Dulcie, I shall purchase Florian's discharge, as I have said. -This kind of thing can't go on,' said Finella decidedly, unaware that -neither officer nor soldier can quit the service when face to face -with an enemy or at the actual seat of war. - -Finella was in the act of closing Dulcie's silver locket, when a -voice said: - -'Please to let me look at this, Miss Carlyon. I have remarked your -invariable ornament.' - -The speaker was Lady Fettercairn, who had approached them unnoticed. - -Blushing deeply, Dulcie, with tremulous little fingers, re-opened the -locket, expectant, perhaps, of reprehension; but Lady Fettercairn -became strangely agitated. - -'Lennard!' she exclaimed. 'This is my son Lennard as he looked when -I saw him last.' - -'Oh, no, madam, that cannot be,' said Dulcie. - -'Where got you it?' - -'At home in Devonshire, where the photograph was taken about a year -ago.' - -'Ah--true,' said Lady Fettercairn: 'when Lennard was that age--the -age of this young man--the art was scarcely known. And who is he?' - -Dulcie hesitated. - -'I have no right to ask,' said Lady Fettercairn, hauteur blending -with the certainly deep interest with which she regarded the contents -of the still open locket. - -'One who loved me,' said Dulcie, with a kind of sob. - -'And whom you love?' said the lady, stiffly. - -'Yes, madam.' - -'It is the image of Lennard!' continued Lady Fettercairn musingly; -'but there sounds the breakfast-bell,' she added, and turned abruptly -away. - -What were the precise antecedents of this girl, Miss Carlyon, who had -been recommended to her by her friend, the vicar, in London? thought -Lady Fettercairn, as her cold, passive, and aristocratic frame of -mind resumed its sway. Yet, though she remained silent on the -subject, and disdained to inquire further about it, that miniature -interested her deeply, and frequently at table and elsewhere Dulcie -caught her eyes resting on the locket. - -It filled her with a distinct and haunting memory of one seen long -ago, and not in dreams, for Lady Fettercairn was not of an -imaginative turn of mind. - -It may seem strange that amid all this Dulcie never thought of -mentioning that Florian was the cousin of Shafto; but she knew how -distasteful to Lady Fettercairn was anyone connected with the family -of Lennard's dead wife, Flora MacIan. - -When Shafto heard of all this, as he did somehow, the qualms of alarm -he experienced on seeing first Madelon Galbraith and then Dulcie at -Craigengowan were renewed; and he resolved, if he could, to get -possession of that locket, and deface or destroy the dangerous -likeness it contained. - -But Dulcie had an intuitive perception or suspicion of this; and -finding that his evil gaze rested upon it repeatedly, after a time -she ceased to wear it, but locked it away in a secure place, from -whence she could draw it when she chose for her own private -delectation. - -When Finella, in mutual confidence, told Dulcie of the manner in -which Shafto had brought about a separation between herself and -Vivian Hammersley, the girl expressed her indignation, but no -surprise. She knew all he was capable of doing, and related the two -ugly episodes of the locket. - -'Heavens!' exclaimed Finella; 'if Lord Fettercairn knew of this -business he would surely expel him from Craigengowan.' - -'No, no; the person expelled would to a certainty be poor me--an -expulsion that Lady Fettercairn would endorse to the full on learning -that Shafto had sought to make love to me. Then I should again be -more than ever homeless; so let us be silent, dear Finella.' - -'Do you ever ride, Dulcie?' asked the latter. - -'How can I ride now? In papa's time I had a beautiful little Welsh -cob, on which I used to scamper about the shady lanes and breezy -moors in Devonshire. I can see still in fancy his dear little head, -high withers, and short joints.' - -'You shall ride with me,' said Finella, in her pretty, imperative -way. 'I have three pads of my own.' - -'But I have no habit.' - -'Then you shall wear one of mine. I have several. A blue or green -one will be most becoming to you; and though you are as plump as a -little English partridge, I have one that will be sure to fit you.' - -'Thanks. Oh, how kind you are.' - -'Now, let us go to the stables. I go there once every day to feed -"Fern," as you shall see.' - -Sandy Macrupper, the head-groom, always thought the stables never -looked so bright as during the time of Finella's visit. He had known -her from her childhood, and taught her to ride her first Shetland -pony. He was a hard-featured and sour-visaged old man, with that -peculiarity of grooms, a very small head and puckered face. He was -clad in an orthodox, long-bodied waistcoat, in one of the pockets of -which a currycomb was stuck, and wore short corded breeches. He was -always closely shaven, and wore a scrupulously white neckcloth, -carefully tied. His grey eyes were bright and keen; his short legs -had that peculiar curve that indicates a horsy individual. And when -the ladies appeared, he came forth from the harness-room with smiling -alacrity, a piece of chamois-leather in one hand and a snaffle-bit in -the other. - -'Good-morning, miss,' said he, touching his billycock. - -'Good-morning, Sandy. I want Fern and Flirt for a spin about the -country to-day after luncheon;' and the sound of Finella's voice was -the signal for many impatient neighs of welcome and much rattling of -stall-collars and wooden balls. - -Fern, the favourite pad of Finella--a beautiful roan, with a deal of -Arab blood in it--gave a loud whinny of delight and recognition, and -thrust forward his soft tan-coloured muzzle in search of the carrot -which she daily brought to regale him with; but Flirt preferred -apples and sugar. Then, regardless of what stablemen might be -looking on, she put her arms round Flirt's neck, and rubbed her -peach-like cheek against his velvety nose. - -On hearing of the projected ride, at luncheon, Lady Fettercairn's -face grew cloudy, and she took an opportunity of saying: - -'Finella, you are putting that girl, Miss Carlyon, quite out of her -place, and I won't stand it.' - -'Oh, grandmamma!' exclaimed Finella, deprecatingly, 'this is only a -little kindness to one who has seen better times; and she had a horse -of her own in Devonshire.' - -'Ah! no doubt she told you so.' - -The horses were duly brought round in time: Fern with his silky mane -carefully and prettily plaited by the nimble little fingers of -Finella--a process which old Sandy Macrupper always watched with -delight and approval. And Dulcie, mounted on Flirt, a spotted grey, -looked every inch a lady of the best style, in an apple-green habit -of Finella's, with her golden hair beautifully coiled under a smart -top-hat, put well forward over her forehead. She was perfect, to her -little tan-coloured gauntlet gloves, and was--Lady Fettercairn, who -glanced from the window, was compelled to admit silently--'very good -form indeed.' - -Escorted by Shafto and a groom, they set forth; and, save for the -unwelcome presence of the former, to Dulcie it was a day of delight, -which she thought she never should forget. - -Dulcie, we have said, had been wont to scamper about the Devonshire -lanes, where the clustered apples grew thick overhead, on her Welsh -cob, and now on horseback she felt at home in her own sphere again; -her colour mounted, her blue eyes sparkled, and the girl looked -beautiful indeed. - -She almost felt supremely happy; and Finella laughed as she watched -her enjoying the sensations of power and management, and the -independence given by horse-exercise--the life, the stir, the action, -and joyous excitement of a thorough good 'spin' along a breezy -country road. - -Shafto, however, was in a sullen temper, and vowed secretly that -never again would he act their cavalier, because the girls either -ignored him by talking to each other, or only replied to any remarks -he ventured to make and these were seldom of an amusing or original -nature. Indeed, he felt painfully and savagely how hateful his -presence was to both. - -Despite Lady Fettercairn, other rides followed, for Finella was -difficult to control, and in her impulsive and coaxing ways proved -generally irrepressible. Thus she took Dulcie all over the country: -to the ruined castle of Fettercairn, to Den Finella, and to the great -cascade--a perpendicular rock, more than seventy feet high, over -which the Finella River pours on its way from Garvock, where it -rises, to the sea at Johnshaven. - -Returning slowly from one of these rides, with their pads at a -walking pace, with the groom a long way in their rear, Dulcie, -breaking a long silence, during which both seemed to be lost in -thought, said: - -'Troubles are doubly hard to bear when we have to keep them to -ourselves; thus I feel happier, at least easier in mind, now that I -have told you all about poor Florian.' - -'And I, that I have told you about Captain Hammersley,' replied -Finella; 'though of course I shall never see him again.' - -'Never--why so?' - -'After what he saw, and what he no doubt thinks, how can I expect to -do so? My greatest affliction is that I must seem so black in his -eyes. Yet it is impossible for me not to feel the deepest and most -tender interest in him--to watch with aching heart the news from the -seat of war, and all the movements of his regiment--the movements in -which he must have a share.' - -'Things cannot, nay, must not, go on thus between you. The false -position should be cleared up, explained away. What is to be done?' - -'Grin and bear it, as the saying is, Dulcie. Nothing can avail us -now--nothing,' said Finella, with a break in her voice.' - -'Finella, let me help you and him.' - -'How?' - -'I shall write about it to Florian. I mean to write him now, at all -events.' - -Despite all she had been told about the antecedents of the latter, -Finella blushed scarlet at the vision of what Hammersley--the proud -and haughty Vivian Hammersley--would think of his love-affairs being -put into the hands of one of his own soldiers; but Dulcie, thinking -only of who Florian was, did not see it in this light, or that it -would seem like a plain attempt to lure an angry lover back again. - -'Unless you wish me to die of shame,' said Finella, after a bitter -pause--'shame and utter mortification--you will do no such thing, -Dulcie Carlyon!' - -The latter looked at the speaker, and saw that her dark eyes were -flashing dangerously as she added: - -'He left me in a gust of rage and suspicion of his own free will; and -of his own free will must he return.' - -'Will he ever do so, if the cause for that just rage and suspicion, -born of his very love for you, is not explained away?' - -'No, certainly. He is proud, and so am I; but I will never love -anyone else, and mean in time to come to invest in the sleekest of -tom-cats and die an old maid,' she added, with a little sob in her -throat. - -'And meanwhile you are in misery?' - -'As you see, Dulcie; but I will rather die than fling myself at any -man's head, especially at his, through the medium of a letter of -yours; but I thank you for the kind thought, dear Dulcie.' - -So the latter said no more on the subject, yet made up her mind as to -what she would do. - -The circumstance that both their lovers, so dissimilar in rank and -private means, were serving in the same regiment, facing the same -dangers, and enduring the same hardships, formed a kind of -sympathetic tie between these two girls, who could share their -confidences with each other alone, though their positions in life, by -present rank and their probable future, were so far apart. - -They never thought of how young they were, or that, if both their -lovers were slain or never seen by them again through the -contingencies of life, others would come to them and speak of love, -perhaps successfully. Such ideas never occurred, however. Both were -too romantic to be practical; and both--the rich one and the poor -one--only thought of the desolate and forlorn years that stretched -like a long and gloomy vista before them, with nothing to look -forward to, and no one to care for, unless they became Sisters of -Charity; and Finella, with all her thousands, sometimes spoke -bitterly of doing so. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -THE EVENING OF GINGHILOVO. - -Much about the time that the conversation we have just recorded was -taking place between the two fair equestriennes, the subject thereof, -then with the troops in the laager of Ginghilovo, was very full of -the same matter they had in hand--himself and his supposed wrongs. - -'She never could have really cared for me, or she never could have -acted as she did, unless she wished with the contingencies of war to -have two strings to her bow,' thought Hammersley, as he lay on the -grass a little apart from all, and sucked his briar-root viciously. -'Perhaps she thought it was her money I wanted--not herself. Ah, how -could she look into her glass and think so!' - -Ever before him he had that horrid episode in the shrubbery, and saw -in memory the girl he loved so passionately in the arms of another, -who was giving her apparently the kisses men only give to one woman -in the world--a sight that seemed to scorch his eyes and heart. - -'Yes,' he would mutter, 'one may be mistaken in some things, but -there are some things there is no mistaking, and that affair was one -of them.' - -Perhaps at _that_ very instant of time Finella was posed, as he had -seen her last, with 'Cousin' Shafto, and the thought made him hate -her! He felt himself growing colder and harder, though his heart -ached sorely, for the 'soul-hunger of love' was in it. - -'Well, well,' he would mutter, as he tugged his dark moustache; 'what -are called hearts have surely gone to the wall in this Victorian age.' - -His bitter memories would have soon passed away, could he have seen, -as if in a magic mirror, at that moment Finella, in her riding-habit, -on her knees in the solitude of her own room, before a large photo of -a handsome young fellow in the uniform of the 24th (his helmet under -his right arm, his left hand on the hilt of his sword), gazing at it, -yet scarcely seeing it, so full were her soft eyes of hot salt tears, -while her sweet little face looked white, woe-begone, and most -miserable. But now the bugles sounding on the various flanks of the -laager, when about six in the evening a general hum of voices -pervaded it, and the order 'Stand to your arms!' announced that the -enemy was in sight of the trenches. - -In front of the old kraal of Ginghilovo, behind an earthen breastwork -and abattis of felled trees, were the 60th Rifles, in their tunics of -dark green, and sailors of the _Shah_ with their Gatling guns, which -they playfully called 'bull-dogs and barrel-organs.' - -They were flanked by some of the 57th and two seven-pounders; the -Argyleshire Highlanders, then in green tartan trews, held the rear -face; and the defences were prolonged by the Lanarkshire, the 3rd -Buffs, and some more of the Naval Brigade with a rocket battery. - -Every heart in the laager beat high, and every face flushed with -intense satisfaction, as two sombre columns of Zulus appeared, -spreading like a human flood over the ground, after crossing the -reedy Inyezane stream, deploying in a loose formation, which enabled -them to find cover behind scattered boulders and patches of bush. - -Now, when on the eve of an action, Hammersley, like every other -officer, felt that new and hitherto unknown dread and doubt of the -result which has more than once come upon our troops of all ranks, -born of the new and abominable system which in so many ways has -achieved the destruction of the grand old British army--'the army -which would go anywhere, and do anything'--by the abolition of the -regimental system, and with it the power of cohesion; but the worst, -the so-called 'territorial system,' had not yet come. - -Encouraged by the countenance and praises of Hammersley, Florian left -nothing undone to win himself a name, and had already become -distinguished for his daring, discretion, and acuteness of -observation among all the Mounted Infantry when scouting or -reconnoitring, and his further promotion seemed now to be only a -matter of time. - -Both courted danger, apparently with impunity, as the brave and -dashing often do: Florian with a view to the future; Hammersley to -forget. Soldiers will make fun, even when under fire, so some of his -comrades quizzed Florian in his old laced tunic, and dubbed him 'the -Captain;' but Vivian Hammersley thought, how like a gentleman and -officer he looked in the half-worn garment he had given him. - -Through the long, wavy, and reed-like grass two columns of Zulus -crept swiftly on in close rather than extended order, and furiously -assailed the north face of the square held by the Highlanders, -flanked as usual by extended horns, and all yelling like fiends -broken loose, while brandishing their great shields and glittering -assegais, till smitten with death and destruction under the -close-rolling Highland musketry. - -They were commanded by a noble savage, named Somapo, with Dabulamanzi -and the eldest son of Sirayo as seconds. - -Almost unseen by the darkness of their uniforms, the Rifles lay down -flat behind their shelter-trenches; the barrels of their weapons -rested firmly on the earthen bank, enabling them to take steady and -deadly aim, while dropping in quick succession the cartridges into -the breech-blocks without even moving the left arm or the right -shoulder, against which the butt-plate of the rifle rested, and their -terrible fire knocked over in writhing heaps the Zulus, who, in all -their savage fury and bravery, came rushing on ten thousand strong -and more. - -'Their white and coloured shields,' wrote one who was present, 'their -crests of leopard-skin and feathers, and wild ox-tails dangling from -their necks, gave them a terrible unearthly appearance. Every ten or -fifteen yards, and a shot would be fired, and then, with an unearthly -yell, they would again rush on with a sort of measured dance, while a -humming and buzzing sound in time to their movement was kept up.' - -Meanwhile the laager was literally zoned with fire and enveloped with -smoke; yet within it no sound was heard save the rattling roar of the -musketry, the clatter of the breech-blocks, and triumphant bagpipes -of the Highlanders, with an occasional groan or exclamation of agony -as a bullet found its billet. - -In the fury of their advance and struggles to get onward over their -own dead and dying, the Zulus from the rear would break through the -fighting line, jostling and dashing each other aside, and rush -yelling on, until they too bit the dust. - -The booming of the Gatling guns and the dread hiss of the blazing -rockets were heard ever and anon amid the medley of other sounds, and -for half an hour the showers of lead and iron tore through and -through the naked masses, where the places of the fallen were -instantly taken by others. - -By half-past six the shrill yells of the Zulus died away; but in mute -despair and fury they still struggled in hope to storm the laager, -when, if once within its defences, the fate of all would be sealed. - -Four times like a living sea they flung themselves against it, and -four times by sheets of lead and iron they were hurled back from the -reddened bayonet's point, while some remained in the open, firing -from behind the bloody piles of their own dead, which lay in awful -lines or swathes of black bodies with white shields, a hundred yards -apart, in rear of each other. - -At last the survivors gave way, and all fled in confusion. - -'Forward, the Mounted Infantry!' cried Lord Chelmsford. - -And these, under Captain Barrow and Hammersley, sprang with alacrity -to their saddles, slinging their rifles as they filed out of the -laager. - -'Front form squadron!' was now the order, and the sections of fours -swept round into line. - -'Come on, my lads!' cried Hammersley, as he unsheathed his sword and -dug the spurs into his horse; 'forward--trot, gallop! By Jove! an -hour of this work - - '"Is worth an age without a name!"' - -And away went the Mounted Infantry over the terrible swathes at a -swinging pace. - -Like most of the few officers of that peculiar and extemporised -force, Vivian Hammersley had been accustomed to cross country and -ride to hounds, and to deem that the greatest outdoor pleasure in -life. - -Tattoo, Florian's horse, fortunately for him in the work he had to do -that evening, proved to be a tried Cape shooting-horse, accustomed to -halt the moment his rein is dropped, and to stand like a rock when -his rider fires. An experienced shooting-horse requires no sign from -his master when required to stand, and on hearing a sound or stir in -the bush is alert as a dog scenting danger or game. - -Florian loved the animal like a friend, and often shared his beer -with him, as Homer tells us the Greek warriors of old shared their -wine with their battle-chargers; we suppose it is only human nature -that we must love something that is in propinquity with us. - -The Mounted Infantry overtook the fugitive Zulus, and fell furiously, -sword in hand, upon their left flank, but not without receiving a -scattered fire that emptied a few saddles. - -The routed fled with a speed peculiarly their own; but Captain Barrow -and his improvised troopers were in close pursuit, and from the -laager their sword-blades could be seen flashing in the evening -sunshine, as the cuts were dealt downward on right and left, and the -foe was overtaken, pierced, and ridden over and through. - -In this work the force necessarily became somewhat broken, and -Hammersley, who, in the ardour of the pursuit, and being splendidly -mounted, had outstripped all the Mounted Infantry and gone perilously -far in advance, had his horse shot under him. - -'Captain Hammersley--Hammersley! He will be cut to pieces!' cried -several of the soldiers, who saw him and his horse go down in a cloud -of dust, and in another moment he was seen astride the fallen animal -contending against serious odds with his sword and revolver. And now -ensued one of those episodes which were of frequent occurrence in the -service of our Mounted Infantry. - -Florian saw the sore strait in which Hammersley was placed, and had, -quick as thought, but one desire--to save him or die by his side. At -that part of the field a watercourse--a tributary of the Inyezene -River--separated him from Hammersley, but putting the pace upon -Tattoo, he rode gallantly to face it. Rider and horse seemed to -possess apparently but one mind--one impulse. Tattoo cocked his -slender ears, gave a glance at the water, sparkling in the setting -sun, and, springing from his powerful and muscular hind-legs, cleared -the stream from bank to bank--a distance not less than fifteen feet. - -'Well done, old man!' exclaimed Florian; 'you _are_ game!' - -'Hurra!' burst from several of the troop, some of whom failed to -achieve the leap. So Florian rode forward alone, and in less time -than we have taken to record it, was by the side of Hammersley, who -was bleeding from a wound in the left arm from an assegai launched at -him by one of three powerful savages with whom he was contending, and -in whom Florian recognised Methagazulu, the son of the famous Sirayo. - -The last shot in Hammersley's revolver disposed of one; Florian shot -a second, 'and drove his bayonet through the side of Sirayo's son, -whom others were now returning to succour, and, lifting Hammersley on -his own horse, conducted him rearward to a place of safety, covering -the rear with his rifle, pouring in a quick fire with an excellent -aim till a dozen of his comrades came up and received them both with -a cheer. - -Though wounded, Methagazulu did not die then, for, as we have -elsewhere said, the close of the war found him a prisoner in the gaol -of Pietermaritzburg. - -But for the succour so promptly accorded by Florian, another moment -would have seen that savage, after wounding Hammersley by one -assegai, give him the _coup de grace_ with another; as it is a -superstition with the Zulus that if they do not rip their enemies -open, disembowelling them, as their bodies swell and burst when dead, -so will those of the slayers in life; and so firm is their belief in -that, that after the victory had been won at Rorke's Drift many of -the Zulus were seen to pause, even under a heavy fire, to rip up a -few of our dead who lay outside the entrenchment; and cases have been -known in which warriors who have been unable to perform this -barbarous ceremony have committed suicide to escape what they deemed -their inevitable doom. - -Florian tied his handkerchief round Hammersley's arm, above the -wound, to stay the blood, till he left him safely with the ambulance -waggons and in care of Staff-Surgeon Gallipot; and though faint with -the bleeding, for the wound was long and deep--a regular -gash--Hammersley wrung the hand of his saver, and said: - -'My gallant young fellow, you will have good reason if I live--as I -doubt not I will--to recall this evening's work with satisfaction.' - -'I shall ever remember, sir, with pride that I saved your life--the -life of the only friend I have now in our decimated regiment since I -lost poor Bob Edgehill.' - -'It is not that I mean,' said Hammersley faintly, 'but, if spared, I -shall see to your future, and all that sort of thing, you understand.' - -'I thank you, sir, and hope----' - -'Hope nothing,' said Hammersley, closing his eyes, as memory brought -a gush of bitterness to his heart. - -'Why, sir?' - -'Because when one is prepared for the worst, disappointment can never -come.' - -Florian knew not what to make of this sudden change of mood in his -officer, and so remained discreetly silent. - -'Have you any water in your bottle?' asked Hammersley. - -'A little, sir.' - -'Then give me a drop, for God's sake--mine is empty.' - -Florian took the water-bottle from his waist-belt and drew out the -plug; the sufferer drank thirstily, and on being placed in a sitting -position, with a blanket about him, strove to obtain a little sleep, -being weary and faint with the events of the past day. - -'Whoever he is, that lad has good blood in his veins, and he has no -fear of lavishing it,' was his last thought as he watched the -receding figure of Florian leading away his favourite Tattoo by the -bridle. - -Our total casualties at Ginghilovo were only sixty-one; those of the -Zulus above twelve hundred. The story of the encounter might have -been different had another column of ten thousand men, which had been -despatched from Ulundi by Cetewayo the day after the march of Somapo, -effected a junction with the latter. - -Etschowe, the point to be relieved, was now fifteen miles distant; -but Colonel Pearson in his isolated fort must have heard of the -victory, for Florian, when out with a few files on scouting duty, -could see the signals of congratulation flashed therefrom. - -After the fierce excitement of the past day, he felt--he knew not -why--depressed and almost sorrowful; but perhaps the solitudes among -which he rode impressed him when night came on. - -Lighted up by hundreds and thousands of stars, the clear sky spread -like a vast shining canopy overhead, and then the great round moon -shed down a flood of silver sheen on the grassy downs where the black -bodies of the naked dead, with fallen jaws and glistening teeth and -eyes, lay thick as leaves in autumn, and Tattoo picked his steps -gingerly among them. - -And in such a solemn and silent time, more keenly than ever, came to -Florian's mind the ever-recurring thoughts of Dulcie Carlyon and of -what she was doing; where was she and with whom--in safety or in -peril? - -Next morning Florian--as he was detailed for duty to the front with -the Mounted Infantry, paid a farewell visit to Captain Hammersley, -whom he found reposing among some straw in a kind of tilt cart, and -rather feverish from the effects of his wound, and who had been -desired to remain behind in the laager for a little time, though he -could with difficulty be prevailed upon to do so. - -Preceding the march of the column, the Mounted Infantry under Barrow -filed forth at an easy pace in search of the enemy. - -It was scarcely a new experience to Florian now, or to any man with -the army in Zululand, that of putting a savage to death. Every rifle -slew them by scores, when a hundred rounds of ammunition per man were -poured into the naked hordes in less than an hour's time. - -Lord Chelmsford left some of the Kentish Buffs, the Lanarkshire, and -the Naval Brigade to garrison the laager at Ginghilovo, and marched -for Etschowe with the 57th, the 60th Rifles, and Argyleshire -Highlanders, escorting a long train of Scottish carts, laden with -food and stores, preceded by the Mounted Infantry scouting far in -advance. - -The whole column wore the white helmet, but the dark green of the -Rifles and the green tartan trews of the Highlanders varied the -colour of the scarlet mass that marched up the right bank of the -Inyezene river, with drums beating and bayonets flashing in the April -sunshine. - -Along the whole line of march were seen shields, rifles, assegais, -furs, and feathers strewed about in thousands, cast away by the -fugitives who had fled from Ginghilovo, and here and there the Kaffir -vultures, hovering in mid air above a donga, or swooping down into it -with a fierce croak, indicated where some dead men were lying. - -Briskly the troops pushed on to rescue Colonel Pearson and his -isolated garrison, which, during a blockade that had now extended to -ten weeks, had been in daily expectation of experiencing the fate of -those who perished at Isandhlwana; and surmounting all the natural -difficulties of a rugged country, intersected by watercourses which -recent rains had swollen, by sunset the mounted men under Barrow were -close to the fort, and heard the hearty British cheers of a hungry -garrison mingling with a merry chorus which they were singing. - -Under Colonel Pemberton, the Rifles pushed on ahead with Lord -Chelmsford, just as an officer on a grey charger came dashing round -the base of the hill surmounted by the fort. - -'Here is Pearson, gentlemen,' cried the Commander-in-Chief. - -'How are you, my friend?' - -'Old fellow--how are you?' and grasping each other's hand, they rode -on towards the fort, where the General was received with an -enthusiasm which grew higher when the Argyleshire Highlanders marched -in with all their kilted pipers playing 'The Campbells are coming.' - -The fort was destroyed and abandoned, and on the 4th of April the -united columns began to fall back on Ginghilovo, the Mounted Infantry -as usual in front, but clad in the uniform of that service--a Norfolk -jacket and long untanned boots, all patched and worn now. - -It was justly conceived that the laager would not be reached without -fighting, as a body of Zulus, led in person by Dabulamanzi and the -son of Sirayo, was expected to bar the way, and consequently serious -loss of life was expected; but so far as Florian was concerned, he -felt that he could face any danger now with comparative indifference, -and his daily pleasure consisted in carefully grooming and feeding -Tattoo; and Florian, as he rode on, was thinking with some perplexity -of the farewell words of Captain Hammersley. - -'Good-bye, sergeant--we have all our troubles, I suppose, whatever -they are, and I should not care much if mine were ended here at -Ginghilovo.' - -'I should think that you cannot have much to trouble you, sir,' was -Florian's laughing response as he left him. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -NEWS FROM THE SEAT OF WAR. - -It was a soft and breezy April morning. The young leaves had -scarcely burst their husk-like sheaths in the alternate showers and -sunshine; the lambs were bleating in the meadows, the birds sang on -bush and tree, the white clouds were floating in the azure sky, and -the ivy rustled on the old walls of turreted Craigengowan, when there -came some tidings that found a sharp echo in the hearts of Dulcie and -Finella. - -Arm-in-arm, as girls will often do, they were idling and talking of -themselves and their own affairs in all the luxury of being together -alone, near a stately old gateway of massive iron bars, hung on solid -pillars, surmounted by time-worn wyverns, and all around it, without -and within, grew tall nettles, mighty hemlock, and other weeds; while -the avenue to which it once opened had disappeared, and years upon -years ago been blended with the lawn, for none had trod it for 146 -years, since the last loyal Laird of Craigengowan had ridden forth to -fight for King James VIII., saying that it was not to be unclosed -again till his return; and he returned no more, so it remains closed -unto this day. - -And it has been more than once averred by the peasantry that on the -13th of November, the anniversary of the battle in which he fell, -when the night wind is making an uproar in the wintry woods of -Craigengowan, the low branches crashing against each other, a weird -moon shines between rifts in the black flying clouds, and the -funeral-wreaths of the departed harvest flutter on the leafless -hedges, a spectred horseman, in the costume of Queen Anne's time, his -triangular hat bound with feathers, a square-skirted coat and gilded -gambadoes--a pale, shimmering figure, through which the stars -sparkle--can be seen outside the old iron gate, gazing with wistful -and hollow eyes through the rusty bars, as if seeking for the -vanished avenue down which he had ridden with his cuirassed troop to -fight for King James VIII.; for sooth to say, old Craigengowan is as -full of ghostly legends as haunted Glamis itself. - -Finella had just told this tale to Dulcie when a valet rode past the -gate and entered the lawn by another with the post-bag for the house. -From this Finella took out a newspaper--one of the many it -contained--and with eager eyes the two girls scanned its columns for -the last news from Zululand, and simultaneously a shrill exclamation, -which made the man turn in his saddle as he rode on, escaped them -both. - -The paper contained a brief telegraphic notice of the conflict at the -laager of Ginghilovo, and with it the following paragraph: - - -'Captain Vivian Hammersley, of the unfortunate 24th Regiment, led a -squadron of Barrow's Mountain Infantry; and having, with the most -brilliant gallantry, pressed the flying foe much too far, had his -horse shot under him, and was in danger of being instantly assegaied -by several infuriated savages, who were driven off and shot down in -quick succession by Sergeant Florian MacIan, who mounted the wounded -officer on his own horse and brought him safely into the lines, for -which noble act of humanity and valour he is, we believe, recommended -for promotion by Captain Barrow, of the 19th Hussars, commanding the -Mounted Infantry, and by Lord Chelmsford. The fatal day of -Isandhlwana has made many commissions vacant in the unfortunate 24th -Foot; and we have no doubt that one of them will be conferred upon -this gallant young sergeant.' - - -'Oh, Dulcie, let me kiss you--I can't kiss your Florian just now!' -exclaimed the impulsive Finella, embracing her companion, whose eyes, -like her own, were brimming with tears of joy and sympathy. - -Hammersley had received a wound of which no details were given; and -that circumstance, by its vaguity, filled the heart of Finella with -the keenest anxiety. Oh, if he should die believing what he did of -her, when she had been and was still so true and loyal to him! - -The intelligence rather stunned her; and for some minutes she -remained paralyzed with dismay. She was powerless, with all her -wealth, to succour in any way her suffering lover, and no resolution -could shape itself in her mind. He might be dying, or already dead, -for the fight had taken place some days ago--dying amid suffering and -misery, while she remained idly, lazily, and in comfort amid the -luxuries of Craigengowan. Even Dulcie failed to console her; and -declining to appear at the breakfast-table, she took refuge in her -own room, with the usual feminine plea of a headache. - -'Florian, poor dear Florian! so good, so brave, so fearless!' said -Dulcie to herself aloud; 'how glad I am he has achieved this, for -_her_ sake!' - -How sweet and soft grew her voice as she uttered the name of the -lost, the absent one, while an hysterical lump was rising in her -throat, and Shafto, who had seen the paper and knew the source of -this emotion, looked grimly in her face, with twitching lips and -knitted brows. - -'I have no chance,' thought he, 'with these two girls--either Dulcie -the poor or Finella the rich. Yet why should I not contrive to bend -_both_ to my purpose?' was his evil afterthought. 'Well,' said he -aloud; 'you have seen the news, of course?' - -'Yes, Shafto,' replied Dulcie in a low voice, while her tears fell -fast. - -'So--he is not killed yet!' - -She regarded him with bitter reproach. - -'Don't cry, Dulcie!' said Shafto, with a little emotion of shame, 'or -you will make me feel like a brute now.' - -'I always thought you must have felt like one long ago,' retorted the -girl, as she swept disdainfully past him. - -As Lord and Lady Fettercairn had no desire to bring the name of -Captain Hammersley on the _tapis_, no reference whatever to the -affair of Ginghilovo, or even to the Zulu War, was made in the -presence of Finella. - -Even if the latter had not been engaged, as she still could not help -deeming herself, to Hammersley, and had she not a decided, repugnance -to Shafto, her pride and her whole soul must have revolted against a -_mariage de convenance_. She had formed, girl-like, her own -conceptions of an ideal man, and beyond all whom she met, in London -or elsewhere, Vivian Hammersley was her 'Prince Charming;' and in a -day or two her mind was partially set at rest when she read a -description of his wound, a flesh one, inflicted by an assegai, and -which was then healing fast, but, as she knew, only to enable him to -face fresh perils. - -To be bartered away to anyone after being grotesquely wooed did not -suit her independent views, and ere long her grandparents began to -think with annoyance that they had better let her alone; but Lady -Fettercairn was impatient and irrepressible. - -Not so Shafto. - -He had a low opinion of the sex, picked up perhaps in the bar-parlour -of the inn at Revelstoke, if not inherent in his own nature. He had -read somewhere that 'women love a judicious mixture of hardihood and -flattery--the whole secret lies in that;' also, that if their hearts -are soft their heads are softer in proportion. - -Lady Fettercairn was somewhat perplexed when watching the young folks -at Craigengowan. - -She shrewdly suspected, of course, that Finella's coldness to Shafto -was due to the influence of their late guest Hammersley, though she -never could have guessed at the existence of the wedding-ring and -diamond keeper he had entrusted to her care; but she failed to -understand the terms on which her 'grandson' was with her companion, -Miss Carlyon, and, though there was nothing tangible or -reprehensible, there was an undefined something in their bearing she -did not like. - -Sometimes when talking of Devonshire, of Revelstoke, of the old town -of Newton Ferrars, the dell that led to Noss, of the Yealm, the Erme, -and the sea-beat Mewstone as safe and neutral topics, the girl seemed -affable enough to him, for memories of her English home softened her -heart; but when other topics were broached she was constrained to him -and icy cold. - -Was this acting? - -To further the interests of Shafto by keeping him and Finella -isolated and as much together as possible, Lady Fettercairn did not -go to London and thus seek society. Fashionable folks--unless -Parliamentary--do not return to town till Easter; but Lord -Fettercairn, though a Representative Peer, cared very little about -English and still less about Scottish affairs, or indeed any -interests but his own; so, instead of leaving Craigengowan, they had -invited a few guests there--men who had come for rod-fishing in the -Bervie, the Carron and the Finella, with some ladies to entertain -them, thus affording the girl means of avoiding Shafto whenever she -chose. - -The stately terrace before the house often looked gay from the number -of guests promenading in the afternoon, or sitting in snug corners in -wicker chairs covered with soft rugs--the ladies drinking tea, the -bright colours of their dresses coming out well against the grey -walls of the picturesque old mansion. - -Among other visitors were the vinegar-visaged Lady Drumshoddy, and -Messrs. Kippilaw, senior and junior, the latter a dapper little -tomtit of a Writer to the Signet, intensely delighted and flattered -to be among such 'swell' company, believing it was the result of his -natural brilliance and attractions, and not of respect for his worthy -old father, Kenneth Kippilaw. - -The latter--a _rara avis_, scarce as the dodo and his kindred--was -intensely national--a lover of his country and of everything -Scottish; an enthusiast at Burns' festivals, and singularly patriotic -to be what is locally termed a 'Parliament House bred man.' Thus the -anti-nationality or utter indifference of Lord Fettercairn was a -frequent bone of contention between them; and so bitterly did they -sometimes argue about Scotland and her neglected interests, that it -is a marvel the Peer did not seek out a more obsequious agent. - -'Like his uncle, the late Master of Melfort, Mr. Shafto must go into -Parliament,' said old Mr. Kippilaw; 'but I hope he will make a better -use of his time.' - -'What do you mean?' asked Lord Fettercairn coldly. - -'By attending to Scottish affairs, and getting us equal grants with -England and Ireland for public purposes.' - -'Stuff--the old story, my dear sir. Who cares about Scotland or her -interests?' - -'Ay, who indeed!' exclaimed old Kippilaw, growing warm. - -'She is content to be a mere province now.' - -'The more shame for her--a province that contributes all her millions -to the Imperial Exchequer and gets nothing in return.' - -'A sure sign she doesn't want anything,' replied the peer, with one -of his silent laughs. 'I wish you would not worry me with this -patriotic "rot," Kippilaw--excuse the vulgarity of the phrase; but so -long as I can get my rents out of Craigengowan and Finella, I don't -care a jot if all the rest, Scotland with all its rights and wrongs, -history, poetry and music, was ten leagues under the sea!' - -So thus, for two reasons, political and personal, the 'Fettercairns' -just then did not go to 'town.' - -On the terrace this very afternoon Lady Fettercairn was watching -Finella and Dulcie, linked arm in arm conversing apart from all, and -her smooth brow clouded; for she knew well that the fact of -Hammersley owing his life to Florian MacIan would make--as it did--a -new tie between the two girls. - -'You see, Shafto,' said she, 'how more than ever does Finella put -that girl out of her place. Though most useful as she is to me, -always pleasant and irreproachably lady-like, I think I must get rid -of her.' - -'Not yet--not yet, grandmother,' said Shafto, who did not just _then_ -wish this climax; 'do give her another chance.' - -'To please you, I will, my dear boy; but I fear I am rash.' - -'I wish Finella were not so beastly rich!' he exclaimed. - -'Do not use such shocking terms, Shafto! But why?' - -'It makes me look like a fortune-hunter, being after her.' - -'"After her"? Another vulgarism--impossible--you--you--the heir of -Fettercairn!' - -'Well, it gives one no credit for disinterested affection,' said this -plausible young gentleman. - -We have said that Lady Fettercairn was irrepressible in seeking to -control Finella. - -'How quiet and abstracted you seem! Why don't you entertain our -friends?' said she, as the girl drew near her in an angle of the -terrace, where they were alone. - -'I am thinking, grandmamma,' said Finella wearily. - -'You seem to be for ever thinking, child; and I wonder what it can -all be about.' - -'I don't believe, grandmamma, it would interest you,' said Finella, a -little defiantly. - -'There you are wrong, Finella; what interests you, must of necessity -interest me,' said Lady Fettercairn, haughtily yet languidly, as she -fanned herself. - -'Not always.' - -'Is it something new, then? I suspect your thoughts,' she continued -with some asperity. 'Finella, listen to me again. You and Shafto -are the only two left of the Melfort family; we wish the two branches -united, for their future good--the good of the name and the title; -and if Shafto goes into Parliament, I do not see why he should not -perhaps become Viscount or Earl of Fettercairn.' - -'The old story! I have no ambition, grandmamma,' shrugging her -shoulders, 'and certainly none to be the wife of Shafto, even were he -made a duke. So please to let me alone,' she added desperately, 'or -I may tell you that of--of--Shafto you may not like to hear.' - -And in sooth now, Lady Fettercairn, like her lord, had heard so much -evil of Shafto lately that she abruptly dropped the subject for the -time. - -And now Shafto began once more to persecute poor Dulcie--a -persecution which might have a perilous effect upon her future. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -PERSECUTION. - -Shafto felt, with no small satisfaction, that he could, to a certain -extent, control the actions of both these girls. Finella could not -reveal the secret of her quarrel with him without admitting the terms -on which she had been with Hammersley; and Dulcie, he thought, dared -not resent his conduct, lest--through his influence with Lady -Fettercairn--she might be cast into the world, without even a -certificate that would enable her to procure another situation of any -kind. Thus, to a certain extent, he revelled in security so far as -both were concerned. - -And deeming now that all must be at an end between Finella and -Hammersley, he thought to pique the former perhaps by attentions to -Dulcie--attentions by which he might ultimately gain some little -favours for himself. - -In both instances vain thoughts! - -He was aware that he had an ample field of old and mutual interest or -associations to go back upon with Dulcie; thus he thought if he could -entangle her into an apparent flirtation for the purpose of -mortifying Finella, and catching her heart on the rebound, sore as it -must be with the seeming indifference of Hammersley, he would gain -his end; and this mutual intimacy eventually annoyed and surprised -Lady Fettercairn, and was likely to prove fatal to the interests and -position of Dulcie, whom he felt he must either win for himself in -some fashion, and, if not, in revenge have her expelled from -Craigengowan. - -One day the girl was alone. She was feeding the swans in the -artificial lakelet that lay below the terrace. It was a serene and -sunny forenoon; the water was smooth as crystal, and reflected the -old house with all its turrets, crow-stepped gables, and -dormer-gablets line for line. It mirrored also the swans swimming -double, bird and shadow, like beautiful drifting boats, and the great -white water-lilies that seemed to sleep rather than float on its -surface. - -It was indeed a drowsy, golden afternoon, and Dulcie Carlyon, an -artist at heart, was fully impressed by the loveliness of her -surroundings, when Shafto stood before her. - -Shafto!--she quite shivered. - -'Oh!' she exclaimed, as if a toad had crossed her path. - -'A penny for your thoughts, Dulcie.' said that personage smilingly, -seeing that she had been pondering so deeply that his approach had -been unnoticed by her. - -'They might startle you more than you think,' replied Dulcie, with -undisguised annoyance. - -'Indeed; are you weaving out a romance?' - -'Perhaps.' - -'With yourself for the heroine, or Finella; and that fellow Florian -for the hero? Then there must be the requisite villain.' - -'Oh, he is ready to hand,' said she daringly, with a flash in her -blue eyes. - -Shafto's brow grew black as midnight, and what coarse thing he might -have said we know not, but policy made him ignore her reply. - -'Please not to remain speaking to me,' said she, glancing nervously -at the windows of the house; 'your doing so may displease the friends -of Finella.' - -'It is of her I wish to speak. Listen, Dulcie. I have not the -influence over her I had hoped to have before you came among us. If -that interloper Hammersley had not absorbed her interest, no doubt, -as matters once looked, she might have pleased her relations and -bound herself to me, provided she had never found out that I had -loved a dear one, far away in Devonshire, and had but a -half-concealed fancy for herself.' - -Dulcie listened to this special pleading in contemptuous silence. - -'I don't want to marry her now, any more than she wants to marry me,' -he resumed unblushingly; 'but I may tell you it is rather hard to be -ordered to play the lover to a girl who will scarcely throw me a -civil word.' - -'After the cruel trick you played her, is it to be expected?' - -'So--you are in her confidence, then?' - -But Dulcie only thought, 'What paradox is this? He dared again to -make love to herself, after all that had passed with reference to -Florian, and yet to be jealous of Finella's profound disdain of him.' - -'Won't you try and love me a little, Dulcie?' said he, attempting his -most persuasive tone. - -'What do you mean, Shafto?' demanded the girl in great anger and -perplexity; 'even if I would take you, which I would rather die than -do, with all your wealth and prospective title, you could not marry -me and Finella too!' - -'Who speaks of marriage?' growled Shafto, under his breath, while a -malicious smile glittered in his cold eyes, as he added aloud, 'You -know which I wish to marry.' - -'Then it cannot be me, nor shall it be Finella either, for the matter -of that.' - -'Does she act under your influence?' - -'Do not think of it--she is under a more potent influence than I -possess,' replied Dulcie, who, bewildered by his manner and remarks, -was turning away, when he again confronted her, and the girl glanced -uneasily at the windows, where, although she knew it not, the eyes of -those she dreaded most were observing them both. - -To marry Dulcie, even if she would have him, certainly did not suit -'the book' of Shafto; but, as he admired her attractive person, and -hated Florian with unreasoning rancour, as some men do who have -wronged others, he would gladly have lured her into a _liaison_ with -himself. He knew, however, her pride and purity too well, but he was -not without the hope of blunting them, and eventually bending her to -his will, under the threat or pressure of getting her expelled from -Craigengowan, and thrown penniless, friendless, and with, perhaps, a -tainted name, upon a cold, bitter, and censorious world. - -'I know you better than to believe that you love me any more than I -do you,' said Dulcie, with ill-concealed scorn; 'love is not in your -nature, even for the brilliant Finella. You love her money--not -herself.' - -Dissembling his rage, he said in a suppliant tone: - -'Why are you so cold and repellant to me, Dulcie?' - -'I do not know that I am markedly so.' - -'But I do: beyond the affair of the locket, born of my very regard -for you, what is my offence?' - -'What you are doing now, following me about--forcing your society on -me, and tormenting as you do. I shall be compromised with Lady -Fettercairn if you do not take care.' - -'I think you treat me with cruel coldness, considering the love I -have borne you so long. Why should not we be even the friends we -once were at Revelstoke, and like each other always?' - -'After all you have done to Florian!' - -'What _have_ I done to Florian?' he demanded, changing colour under -the influence of his own secret thoughts. - -'Cast him forth into the world penniless.' - -'Oh, is that all?' said he, greatly relieved. - -'Yes, that is all, so far as I know as yet.' - -Again his brow darkened at this chance shot; but, still dissembling, -he said: - -'My dear little Dulcie, what is the use of all this foolish regard -for Florian and revengeful mood at me? We shall never see him again.' - -'Oh, Shafto, how can you talk thus coldly of Florian, with whom you -went to school and college together, played together as boys, and -read together as men--were deemed almost brothers rather than -cousins! Shame on you!' and she stamped her little foot on the -ground as she spoke. - -'How pretty you look when angry! You do not care for me just now, -perhaps; but in time you will, Dulcie.' - -'Never, Shafto.' - -'Surely you don't mean to carry on this game ever and always?' - -'Ever and always, while I am a dependant here.' - -'But I will take you away from here, and you need be a dependant no -longer,' said he, while his countenance brightened and his manner -warmed, as he utterly mistook her meaning. 'My allowance is most -handsome, thanks to Lord--Lord--to my grandfather, and he can't last -for ever. The old fellow is sixty-eight if he is a day. Forget all -past unpleasantness; think only of the future, and all I can make it -for you. I will give you any length of time if you will only give me -your love.' - -'Never, I tell you. Oh, this is intolerable!' exclaimed the girl -passionately, finding that he still barred her way. - -'Beware, Dulcie,' said he, as his shifty eyes flashed. 'The world -and success in it are for him who knows how to wait; meantime, let us -be friends. Friendship is said to be more enduring than love.' - -'Well--we shall never be even friends again, Shafto.' - -'Why?' - -'Well do you know _why_. And let me remind you that all sin brings -its own punishment in this world.' - -'If found out,' he interrupted. - -'And in the next, whether found out here or not.' - -'Why the deuce do you preach thus to me?' he asked savagely, his -fears again awakened, so true is it that - - 'Many a shaft at random sent - Finds mark the archer never meant.' - - -'And what do you take me for that you treat me thus, and talk to me -in this manner?' - -'What do I take you for? By your treatment of me I take you to be an -insolent, cruel, and heartless fellow, who can be worse at times.' - -'Take care! the pedestal you stand on may give way. It lies with me -to smash it, and some fine day you may be sorry for the way in which -you have dared to treat me, Shafto----' - -'Gyle,' interrupted Dulcie almost spitefully. - -'Melfort, d--n you!' he retorted coarsely, and losing all command -over himself. - -Tears now sprang to her eyes, and then, as he half feared to carry -the matter so far with her, he apologized. - -'Let me pass, sir,' said she. - -'Won't you give me one little kiss first, Dulcie?' - -She made no reply, but fixed her lovely dark blue eyes upon him with -an expression of such loathing and contempt that even he was stung to -the heart by it. - -'Let me pass, sir!' she exclaimed again. - -He stood aside to let her do so, and she swept by, holding her golden -head haughtily erect; but Dulcie feared him now more than ever, and -certainly she had roused revenge in his heart, with certain vague -emotions of alarm. - -Of all the thousands of homes in Scotland and England how miserable -and unlucky was the chance that cast her under the same roof with the -evil-minded Shafto! thought the girl in the solitude of her own room. -But then, otherwise, she would never have known and shared the sweet -and flattering friendship of Finella Melfort; and, as she never knew -what wicked game Shafto might play, he would perhaps succeed in -depriving her even of that solace as the end of his persecution. - -The whole tenor of the conversation or interview forced upon her by -Shafto impressed her with a keen and deep sense of humiliation that -made her weep bitterly; how much more keen would the sense of that -have been had she known what in the purity of her nature she never -suspected, that, amid all his grotesque love-making, marriage was no -way comprehended in his scheme! - -Much as she disliked Shafto, an emotion of delicacy, with a timid -doubt of the future with regard to Captain Hammersley, and what was -behind that future with regard to 'the cousins,' as she of course -deemed them to be, induced Dulcie to remain silent with Finella on -the subject of his persistent and secret attentions to herself, -though she would have deplored to see Finella the wife of Shafto. - -The interview we have described had not passed without observers, we -have said. - -'Fettercairn, look how Miss Carlyon and Shafto are flirting near the -Swan's Pool!' said the Lady of that Ilk, drawing her husband's -attention to the pair from a window of the drawing-room. - -'What makes you think they are doing so?' he asked, but nevertheless -with knitted brows. - -'Cannot you see it?' - -'No; it is so long since I did anything in that way myself that -really I--aw----' - -'See with what _empressement_ he bends down to address her, and she -keeps her head down, too, though she seems to crest it up at times.' - -'But she edges away from him palpably, as if she disliked what he is -saying, and, by Jove, she looks indignant, too!' - -'That may be all acting, in suspicion that she is observed, or it may -be to lure him on; one never knows what may be passing in a girl's -mind--if she thinks herself attractive especially.' - -'Well--to me they seem quarrelling,' said Lord Fettercairn. - -'Quarrelling--and with my companion! How could Shafto condescend to -do so?' - -'That is more than I can tell you--he is rather a riddle to me; but -the girl is decidedly more than pretty, and very good style, too.' - -'And hence the more dangerous. I must speak with Shafto on this -subject seriously, or----' - -'What then?' - -'Get rid of her.' - -'If we fail in marrying Shafto to Finella, who can say whom he may -marry, as his instincts seem somewhat low, and after we are gone -there may be a whole clan of low and sordid prodigals here in -Craigengowan.' - -'And Radicals!' suggested Lady Fettercairn. - -'Desecrating the spots rendered almost sacred by association with a -great and famous past,' said Lord Fettercairn loftily. - -What this great and famous 'past' was, he could scarcely have told. -It was not connected with his own mushroom line, whatever it might -have been with the former lords of Craigengowan, whose guests had at -times been Kings of Scotland and Princes of France and Spain. - -'Finella is young, and does not know her own heart,' he resumed; -'besides, I believe it is enough generally to recommend a girl to -marry a certain man, for her to set her face against him -unreasoningly. But I think--and hope--that our Finella is different -from the common run of girls.' - -'Not in contriving, perhaps, to fall in love with the wrong man.' - -'You mean that young fellow Hammersley?' - -'Yes; I must own to having most grave suspicions,' replied Lady -Fettercairn. - -'She is a Melfort, and as such has no notion of being coerced.' - -Lady Fettercairn thought of Lennard and Flora MacIan and remained -silent, remembering that _he_ too, the disowned and the outcast, was -a genuine Melfort in the same sense. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -A THREAT. - -To Finella, so pure in mind and proud in spirit, it was fast becoming -utterly intolerable to find herself in the false and degraded -position the craft of Shafto had placed her in with regard to so -honourable a man as Vivian Hammersley; and the more she brooded over -it, the deeper became her loathing of the daring trickster--a -sentiment which she was, by the force of circumstances, compelled to -veil and conceal from her guardians: hence, the more bitter her -thoughts, the more passionate her longing for an explanation, and -more definite her wishes. - -Hammersley, though still a fact, seemed somehow to have passed out of -her life, and thus she often said in a kind of wailing way to Dulcie: - -'Oh, that he had never come here, or that I had never known or met -him, in London or anywhere else! Then I should not have felt what it -is to love and to lose him!' - -'Pardon me, darling, but take courage,' replied Dulcie, caressing -her. 'I have written to Florian at last, and his reply will tell us -all about Captain Hammersley, and how he is looking, and so forth; -though Florian, in a position so subordinate, cannot be in his -confidence, of course.' - -She did not add that she had in her letter told the whole story of -the false position in which Finella had been placed, lest the -latter's pride might revolt at such interference in her affairs, -however well and kindly meant; and lest the letter--if it proved -disappointing, by her lover remaining jealous, suspicious, obdurate, -or contemptuous, if Florian ventured to speak on the subject, which -she scarcely hoped--should prove a useless humiliation to Finella, -who longed eagerly as herself for the reply. - -But Dulcie prayed in her simple heart that good might come of it -before the evil which she so nervously dreaded fell upon herself; for -Shafto had made such humble apologies for his conduct to her on the -day he interrupted her when feeding the swans, that, though she gave -him her hand in token, not of forgiveness but of truce, she feared he -was concocting fresh mischief; for soon after, encouraged thereby, he -began his old persecution, but carefully and in secret again. - -Finding that his chances with Finella were now apparently _nil_, even -though all seemed at an end between her and Vivian Hammersley, -Shafto, by force of old habit, perhaps, turned his attention to -Dulcie, who, in her humble and dependent capacity, had a difficult -card to play, while feeling exasperated and degraded by the passion -he expressed for her on every available opportunity. Not that he -would, she suspected, have married a poor girl like her, as one with -money, no matter who, was the wisest match for him, lest the -discovery of who he was came to pass, though that he deemed -impossible now. - -Shafto had learned and imitated much among the new and aristocratic -folks in whose circle he found himself cast; and thus it was that he -dared to make secret love, and to torment the helpless Dulcie with -words that spoke of-- - - 'Riches and love and pleasure, - And all but the name of wife.' - - -Had he done that, she would have treated him quite as coldly and -scornfully; but she could do no more than she did. Yet he was fast -making her life at Craigengowan a torture, and she feared him almost -more than his so-called grandmother, who was only a proud and selfish -patrician, while he--ah, she knew too well what he was capable of; -but Dulcie had something more to learn yet. - -One day, after having imbibed more wine, or _eau-de-vie_, than was -good for him in Mr. Grapeston's pantry, as he sometimes did, he -addressed the girl in a way there was no misunderstanding. She -trembled and grew pale. - -'Well, one thing I promise you if you try to please me,' said he--'to -_please_ me, do you understand?--while you remain under this roof, -which I hope, darling, will not be long now--I shall trouble you no -more.' - -'To please you, Shafto!' stammered the girl; 'what _do_ you mean?' - -'I'll tell you that by-and-by, my pretty Dulcie, when the time comes.' - -She drew back with a pallid face and a hauteur that would have become -Lady Fettercairn herself, while he in turn made her a low mock bow, -and stalked tipsily off with what he thought a dignity of bearing, -leaving her sick with terror of a future of insult and apprehension. - -Somehow she felt at his mercy, and began to contemplate flight, but -to where? - -Watching closely, Lady Fettercairn observed the extreme caution and -coldness of Dulcie's bearing to Shafto; but, not believing in it, or -that a person in her dependent state could resist advances of any -kind from one in his lofty position, supposed she had only to wait -long enough and observe with care to find out if aught was wrong. - -'But why wait?' said Lady Drumshoddy; 'why not dismiss the creature -at once?' she added with asperity. - -'How comes it that you are so intimate with this girl Carlyon?' said -Lady Fettercairn one day. - -'Your companion?' said Shafto. - -'Yes.' - -'How often have I told you that we are old friends--knew each other -in Devonshire since we were a foot high.' - -'But this intimacy now is--to say the least of it, -Shafto--undignified.' - -'I am sorry you think so.' - -'Besides, she has a lover, I believe, whose likeness she wears in a -locket; and though she may be content to throw him over for rank and -wealth with you, surely you would not care to receive a second-hand -affection.' - -'How your tongue goes on, grandmother!' said Shafto, greatly -irritated; 'you are like Finella's pad Fern when it gets the bit -between its teeth.' - -'Thank you! But this lover or cousin, or whatever he is, of whom -Miss Carlyon actually once spoke to me--who is he, and where is he?' - -'How the deuce should I know!' exclaimed Shafto, growing pale; 'gone -to the dogs, I suppose, as I always thought he would.' - -'It was of him that madwoman spoke?' - -'Yes, Madelon Galbraith. He was named Florian after his _aunt_.' - -'Miss MacIan.' - -That was enough for Lady Fettercairn, who, dropping that subject, -returned with true feminine persistence to the other. - -'I don't like this sort of thing, I repeat, Shafto.' - -'What sort of thing?' - -'This secret flirting with my companion, Miss Carlyon.' - -'I don't flirt with her; and, by Jove, he'd be a pretty clever fellow -who could do so.' - -'Why?' - -'She is so devilish stand-off, grandmother.' - -'I am truly glad to hear it.' - -'But can't I talk with her? We are old acquaintances, and have -naturally much to say to each other.' - -'Too much, I fear. You may talk, as you say, but not hover about -her.' - -'Anything more?' asked Shafto rudely. - -'Yes, I wish you to settle down----' - -'Oh! and marry Finella?' - -'Yes, that you know well, dear Shafto,' said the lady coaxingly. - -'Oh, by Jove! that is easier said than done. You don't know all the -outs and ins of Finella; and one can't walk the course, so far as I -can see.' - -Shafto withdrew, but not before he saw the lace-edged handkerchief -come into use, to hide the tears she did not shed at the brusque -manner of her 'grandson,' who had failed to convince her, for she -said to herself bitterly: - -'There is a curse upon Craigengowan! Our youngest son threw himself -and his life away upon a beggarly governess; and now our only -grandson seems likely to play the same game with my upstart -companion! I _do_ like the girl, but, however, I must get rid of -her.' - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -WITH THE SECOND DIVISION. - -Meanwhile the events of the war were treading thick on each other in -Zululand. A fresh disaster had ensued at the Intombe river, where a -detachment of the 80th Regiment was cut to pieces, and again old -soldiers spoke with sorrow and disgust of the blunders and incapacity -of those at head-quarters, who by their newfangled systems had -reduced our once grand army to chaos. - -Such alarms and surprises, like too many of the disasters and -disgraces which befell our arms in these latter wars, were entirely -due to the new formation of our battalions. 'That the destruction of -the regimental system by Lord Cardwell has been the original cause of -all our reverses, surprises, and humiliation, there can be little -hesitation in saying,' to quote Major Ashe. 'The men at Isandhlwana -were not well handled, it must be admitted, but it has since leaked -out that many of them would not rally round their officers, but -attempted safety in flight. Dozens of the men, sergeants, and other -non-commissioned officers, have since disclosed that they did not -know the names of their company officers, or those of their right or -left hand men.' - -Hence, by the newfangled system, there could be neither confidence -nor cohesion. Elsewhere he tells us that the once-splendid 91st -Highlanders, 'the envy of all recruiting sergeants, could only muster -200 men when ordered to Zululand,' but was made up by volunteers from -other regiments--men all strangers to each other and to their -officers, and whose facings were all the colours of the rainbow. -Then, after the Intombe, followed the storming of the Inhlobane -Mountain, where fell the gallant Colonel Weatherley, and the no less -gallant old frontier farmer Pict Nys, who was last seen fighting to -his final gasp against a horde of Zulus, across the dead body of his -favourite horse, an empty revolver in his left hand, a blood-dripping -sabre in his right, and more than one assegai, launched from a -distance, quivering in his body. - -The cry went to Britain now for more troops; and fresh reinforcements -came, while the army in Zululand was reconstituted by Lord Chelmsford -at Durban. - -There, amid a brilliant staff in their new uniforms fresh from home, -was one central figure, the ill-starred Prince Imperial of France, -who had landed two days after the battle of Kambula, and had been -appointed an extra aide-de-camp to the general commanding. - -The army was now formed into two divisions: one under Major-General -Crealock, C.B., and another under Major-General Newdigate, while a -flying column under Sir Evelyn Wood was to act independently. -Hammersley's squadron of Mounted Infantry was attached to the Second -Division, with the movements of which our story has necessarily alone -to do. - -The 16th of April saw it marching northward of Natal, and on the 4th -of May Lord Chelmsford, who had joined it after church parade--for -the day was Sunday--suggested that a reconnaissance should be made -towards the Valley of the Umvolosi River to select ground for an -entrenched camp, and for this purpose Hammersley's squadron and -Buller's Horse were ordered to the front. - -The local troopers under that brilliant officer were now clad in a -uniform manner--in brown cord breeches, mimosa-coloured jackets, long -gaiters laced to the knee, and broad cavalier hats, with long scarlet -or blue puggarees. The open collars of their flannel shirts -displayed their bronzed necks; and picturesque-looking fellows they -were, all armed with sabres and rifles of various patterns, slung -across the back by a broad leather sling. Their horses were rough -but serviceable, and active as mountain deer. - -After riding some miles over grassy plateaux and rugged hilly ground, -tufted with cabbage-tree wood, on a bright and pleasant morning, the -local Horse were signalled to retire, as it was discovered that a -great body of Zulus were watching their movements. - -Unaware of this, Hammersley, with his Mounted Infantry, rode on for -three miles, till they reached a great plateau near a place called -Zungen Nek, where the pathway, if such it could be styled, was -bordered by mimosa thorns, and where two bullets mysteriously -fired--no one could tell from where, for no enemy was to be -seen--whistled through the little squadron harmlessly, though both -were as close to Florian as they could pass without hitting him, and -one made Tattoo toss his head and lay his quivering little ears -angrily back on his neck. - -At this time some officers who had cantered to the front from where -the division was halted, saw the dark figures of many of the enemy -creeping along in the jungle, and watching them so intently that they -were all unaware of their retreat being cut off by twenty of the -Mounted Infantry under a sergeant--Florian. - -'Forward, and at them!' cried the latter, as his men slung their -rifles and galloped in loose formation, sabre in hand, to attack the -savages, but suddenly found themselves on the edge of some -precipitous cliffs, some three hundred feet in height, which -compelled them for a moment or two to rein up till a narrow track was -found, down which they descended in single file in a scrambling way, -the hoofs of the rear horses throwing sand, gravel, and stones over -those in front. - -When the sounds made by the descent ceased, and the soldiers gained a -turfy plateau, nothing could be seen of the foe, and all was -silence--a silence that could be felt, like the darkness that rested -on the land of Egypt. Then there burst forth a united yell that -seemed to rend the welkin, and a vast horde of black-skinned Zulus, -led by Methagazulu (the son of Sirayo), who had recovered from the -wound he received at Ginghilovo, came rushing on, brandishing their -assegais and rifles. - -This ambuscade was more than Florian anticipated, and believing that -all was lost, and that he and his party would be utterly cut off to a -man, he gave the order to retire on the spur, and they splashed, -girdle deep, through a ford of the Umvolosi, on which, as if by the -guidance of Heaven, they chanced to hit. - -With yells of baffled rage the savages followed them so closely that -Florian and another trooper named Tom Tyrrell, who covered the rear, -had to face about and fire by turns, till the open ground on the -other side was reached. - -'A close shave that business,' said Tom breathlessly. 'I thought -that in three minutes' time every man Jack of us would have been -assegaied.' - -Galloping out of range, Florian's party now rejoined that of -Hammersley, who congratulated them on their escape, and they all rode -together back to head-quarters. But these movements had alarmed the -whole valley of the White Umvolosi. - -On every hand, in quick succession, signal fires, formed of vast -heaps of dried grass, blazed on the hill-tops; vast columns of black -smoke shot upwards to the bright blue sky, and were repeated from -summit to summit, showing that the whole country was actively alive -with armed warriors, who in many places could be seen driving and -goading their herds of cattle into rocky kloofs and all kinds of -places inaccessible to horse and foot alike. - -From the summit of the Zungen Nek a full view of the beautiful valley -through which the Umvolosi rolls could be obtained, and near a place -there, called Conference Hill, were seen, like a field of snow, the -white tents of the Second Division shining in the bright, sunny light. - -Twenty-three days it remained encamped there, and during that time a -vast amount of useful information regarding the topography of the -country in which the coming campaign would be, was furnished by the -reports and sketches made by Colonel Buller, the Prince Imperial, by -Hammersley, and even by Florian, who was a very clever draughtsman, -and on many occasions was complimented by the staff in such terms as -made his young heart swell in his breast. - -But the sketches of none surpassed those of the handsome and -unfortunate Prince, whose passion for information was boundless, and -the questions he was wont to ask of all were searching in the extreme. - -One day, when out on a reconnaisance, the Mounted Infantry were -suddenly fired upon from a kraal, and in the conflict that ensued -many were killed and wounded, especially of the enemy, who were -completely routed. - -The great and unfathomable mystery of death was close indeed to -Florian on that day, and around him lay hundreds who had discovered -it within an hour or less. He had narrowly escaped it by skilfully -dodging a ponderous knobkerie flung at his head as the last dying -effort of a warrior whose black and naked breast had been pierced by -a bullet from Tom Tyrrell's rifle, and from which the crimson blood -was welling as if from a squirt; and so close was the weapon to doing -Florian a mortal mischief that it took the gilt spike close off the -top of his helmet. - -And now, on the very evening before the division broke up its camp -and marched, occurred an event which proved to Florian, and to his -favourite captain too, the chief one of the campaign. - -How little those who live at home at ease can know of the delight it -gives an exile to have tidings, by letter or otherwise, from those -who are dear to them in the old country when far, far away from it! -No matter how short the sentences, how few the facts, or how clumsy -the expressions, they all seem to show that we are not forgotten by -the old fireside; for even amid the keen and fierce excitement of war -the soldier has often time for much thought of friends and home, -especially in the lonely watches of the night, and a pang goes to his -heart with the fear that, as he is absent, he may be forgotten. - -Florian had often envied the delight with which his comrades, Tom -Tyrrell or poor Bob Edgehill, who perished at Isandhlwana, and others -received letters from distant friends and relatives; but month after -month had passed, and none ever came to him, nor did he expect any. - -In all the world there was no one to think of him save Dulcie -Carlyon. How he longed to write to her, but knew not where she was. - -At last there came an evening--he never forgot it--when the sergeant -who acted as regimental postman brought him a letter--a letter -addressed to himself, and in the handwriting of Dulcie! - -His fingers trembled as he carefully but hastily cut open the -envelope. It was dated from Craigengowan, a place of which he -scarcely knew the name, but thought he had heard it mentioned by Mr. -Kenneth Kippilaw on the eventful day when he and Shafto visited that -gentleman at his office. - -After many prettily expressed protestations of regard for -himself--every word of which stirred his heart deeply--of joy that he -was winning distinction, and of fear for the awful risks he ran in -war, she informed him that the situation obtained for her had been -that of companion to Lady Fettercairn, 'and who do you think I found -installed here as master of the whole situation, as heir to the title -and a truly magnificent property--Shafto! Perhaps I am wrong to tell -you, lest it may worry you, but he has resumed his persecution of me. -He often taunts me about you, and fills me with terror lest he may do -me a mischief with Lady Fettercairn, as he has already contrived to -do with his cousin, Miss Finella (a dear darling girl) and Captain -Hammersley, the officer whose life you so bravely saved at -Ginghilovo, and who, I now learn, is in your regiment. It was an -infamous trick, but it succeeded in separating them and nearly -breaking Finella's heart.' - -The letter then proceeded to detail how Finella, to her extreme -dismay and discomfiture, had dropped Hammersley's pencilled note; how -Shafto had found it, and intercepted her in the shrubbery on her way -to the place of rendezvous, and would only restore it on receiving, -as a bribe, a cousinly kiss, which she was compelled to accord, when -he rudely seized her and snatched several before she could repulse -him; how Hammersley had passed at that fatal moment, and misconceived -the whole situation, since when, language could not express the -loathing Finella had of Shafto. That was the whole affair. - -'You know Shafto and all of which he is capable,' continued Dulcie; -'so poor Finella is heartbroken in contemplating the horrid view her -lover must take of her, but is without the means of explaining it -away, nor will her great pride permit her to do so.' - -Dulcie under the same roof with Shafto, and apparently the bosom -friend of Hammersley's love! Florian had now a clue to some of the -bitter remarks that, in moments of unintentional confidence, his -superior had uttered from time to time. - -That Shafto and Dulcie were in such close proximity to each -other--meeting daily and hourly--filled Florian's mind with no small -anxiety. He had no doubt of Dulcie's faith, trust, and purity; but -neither had he any doubt of Shafto's subtle character and the -mischief of which he was capable, and which he might work the -helpless and unfortunate girl if he pursued, as she admitted he did, -the odious and unwelcome love-making he had begun at Revelstoke. - -As he read and re-read her letter in that hot, burning, and far-away -land, how vividly every expression of her perfect face, every -inflection of her soft and sympathetic voice, came back to memory, -till his heart swelled and his eyes grew dim. How self-possessed she -was, with all her gentleness; how self-reliant, with all her timidity. - -'Should I show this letter to Hammersley?' thought Florian. 'The -communication in it must concern him very closely--very dearly, and -my darling, impulsive little Dulcie has evidently written it with a -purpose.' - -Then Florian remembered that though suave and condescendingly kind to -him, especially since the episode at Ginghilovo, Hammersley was -naturally a man of a proud and haughty spirit, and might resent one -in Florian's junior position interfering in the most tender secrets -of his life. - -Florian was keenly desirous of fulfilling what was evidently the wish -of Dulcie--of befriending her friend, and perhaps, by achieving a -reconciliation, conferring an unexampled favour upon his officer; yet -he shrank from the delicate task, while giving it long and anxious -thought. - -He tossed up a florin. - -'If it is a head, I'll do it. Head it is!' he exclaimed, and went -straight to the tent of Hammersley, whom he found lounging on his -camp-bed, with a cigar in his mouth and his patrol-jacket open. - -'What is up?' he demanded abruptly, as if disturbed in a reverie. - -'Only, sir, that I have just had a letter,' began Florian, colouring -deeply, and pausing. - -'From home?' - -'Yes, sir.' - -'I hope it contains pleasant news.' - -'It is from one who is very dear to me.' - -'Oh, the old story--a girl, no doubt?' - -'Yes, sir.' - -'The more fool you: the faith of the sex is writ in water, as the -poet has it.' - -'I hope not, in my case and in some others, Captain Hammersley; but -if you will pardon me I cannot help stating that in my letter there -is something that concerns yourself and your happiness very nearly -indeed.' - -Hammersley stared at this information. - -'Concerns me?' he asked. - -'Yes, and Miss Finella Melfort: permit me to mention her name.' - -The red blood suffused Hammersley's bronzed face from temples to -chin, and he sprang to his feet. - -'What the devil _do_ you mean, MacIan?' he exclaimed sharply; his -supreme astonishment, however, exceeding any indignation to hear that -name on a stranger's lips. 'I know well that you are not what you -seem by your present position in life; but how came you to know the -name of that young lady?' - -'She is mentioned in this letter, sir--the letter of the only being -in all the world who cares for me,' replied Florian, with a palpable -break in his voice. - -'Mentioned in what fashion?' asked Hammersley curtly and with knitted -brows. - -'Please to read this paragraph for yourself, sir.' - -'Thanks.' - -Hammersley took the letter, and saw that it was written in a most -lady-like hand. - -'Dulcie?' said he, just glancing at the signature; 'is she your -sister?' - -'I have no sister. I think I have told you that I am alone in the -world.' - -'I have a delicacy in reading a young lady's letter,' said -Hammersley, whose hand shook on perceiving by the next glance that it -was dated from 'Craigengowan.' - -Florian indicated the long paragraph with a finger; and as Hammersley -read it his face became again deeply suffused. - -'Permit me again, my good fellow,' said he as he read it twice, as if -to impress its contents on his mind; and then, returning the letter -with unsteady hand to Florian, he seated himself on the edge of the -camp-bed and passed a hand across his forehead. - -'Thank you for showing me this! You can understand what I felt and -thought on seeing the episode this young lady explains so kindly in -her letter--God bless the girl! It seems all too good to be true.' - -'You do not know the vile trickery of which this fellow Shafto is -capable,' said Florian. - -'I do,' replied Hammersley, remembering the affair of the cards. -'Finella!' said he, as if to himself, 'how her memory haunts me! By -Jove, she is a witch, a sorceress!--like that other Finella after -whom she told me she is named, and who lived--I don't know when--in -the year of the Flood, I think. I thank you from my soul, MacIan, -for the sight of this letter, and it will be a further incitement to -me to further your interests in every way within my power. Heaven -knows how gladly I would betake me to my pen; but this is no time for -letter-writing. By daybreak we shall be in our saddles, and on the -spur to the front.' - -Florian saluted his officer and withdrew, leaving him to the full -tide of his new thoughts. - -So she was true to him after all! The whole affair, so black -apparently, seemed to be so simply and truthfully explained away by -Dulcie's letter that he could not doubt the terrible misconception -under which he had laboured, nor did he wish to do so. The tables -were completely turned. - -It was he--himself--who had cruelly wronged, doubted, upbraided, and -quitted Finella, and now from him must the reparation come. His mind -was full of the repentant, glowing, and gushing letter he would write -her, renewing his protestations of love and faith, and imploring her -to forgive him; but when could that letter be written and sent to the -rear?--for the division advanced by dawn on the morrow, and there -would scarcely be a halt, he supposed, till it reached Ulundi. - -And how could a letter reach her from the Cape at Craigengowan -unknown to Lady Fettercairn?--who, he knew but too well, was bitterly -opposed to his love for Finella, and for many cogent reasons the -adherent of Shafto. - -How would it all end with them both now? - -In a runaway marriage too probably, unless he got knocked on the head -in Zululand, a process he rather shrank from now, as life seemed to -be invested with new attributes, greater hopes, and greater value. - -Finella's _mignonne_ face came before him; the small, straight nose, -with thin, arched nostrils; the proud yet soft hazel eyes, with thin, -long lashes; the firm coral lips; the abundant hair of richest brown; -and with all these came, too, the memory of her favourite perfume, -the faint odour of jasmine that clung to her draperies and laces. - -In a similar mood to some extent, but without the sense of having -aught to explain or a reparation to make, Florian lay in another tent -at some little distance, contemplating the contents of a pretty white -leather toy, lined with pale blue satin--a case containing a -photo--altogether an unsuitable thing for the pocket of a soldier's -tunic, or to place in his haversack, it may be among cooked rations, -shoe-brushes, and a sponge for pipeclay; but it contained a poor -reflection, though delicately tinted, of Dulcie's own sweet face. - -He continued by turns to re-read her letter and contemplate her photo -till the daylight faded and the moon, golden not silver coloured, -shone amid a sky wherein dark blue seemed to blend with apple green -at the horizon, lighting up all the lonely landscape, and making the -blue gum trees and euphorbiæ stand out in opaque _silhouette_, while -the--to him--new constellations of that southern hemisphere seemed to -play hide-and-seek, as they sparkled in and out in the cloudless dome -of heaven. - -As there he lay, full of his own thoughts and tender memories, he was -all unaware of two evil spirits that hovered near, and were actually -watching him. Both were evil-visaged personages, and though clad in -the ordinary costume of Cape Colonists belonged to the Natal -Volunteer Force. - -One had two hideous bullet wounds but lately healed--one on each -cheek--and his jaws were almost destitute of teeth, as Florian's -pistol had left them; for this personage was no other than Josh -Jarrett, the ex-landlord of the so-called hotel at Elandsbergen; and -the other was Dick of the Droogveldt--one of the two ruffians that -had pursued Florian on horseback till his fall into the bushy donga -concealed him from them. - -On the destruction of the town of Elandsbergen by the Zulus these two -worthies, for the sake of the ample pay given to the Colonial troops, -and being incapable of obtaining any other means of livelihood, had -joined the Volunteer Horse, and while serving in that capacity had -discovered and recognised Florian. - -'He's a boss now in the Mounted Infantry; but I'll be cursed if I -don't put a lead plug into him on the first opportunity--kill him as -I would a puff-adder!' said Josh Jarrett fiercely, as he mumbled the -last words into the mouth of a metal flask filled with that -villainous compound known as Cape Smoke, while they grinned, but -without fun, and winked to each other portentously. - -'Hopportunities we'll 'ave in plenty, with the work as goes on here,' -responded Dick of the Droogveldt (which means a dry district), 'and -that cursed fellow shall never quit Zululand alive, all the more so -that they say he is to be made an officer soon.' - -For Dick, like Josh, was one of 'Cardwell's recruits,' as they are -named, and had been a deserter from a line regiment. So their -appearance in camp probably accounted for the two mysterious shots -that Florian had so recently escaped.[*] - - -[*] For many interesting details of the Zulu War, I am indebted to -the narrative of Major Ashe; but more particularly to the Private -Journal of the Chief of the Staff. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -ON THE BANKS OF THE ITYOTYOSI. - -It was bitterly cold in camp that night--one of the _noctes -ambrosianæ_ in Zululand, as Hammersley said laughingly; and on the -morning of the 1st June, when the thin ice stood in the buckets -inside the tents, the latter were struck, and the Second Division -began its march from the Blood River towards the Itelezi Hill. - -'My darling little Finella--may God love you and bless you!' was the -morning prayer of Hammersley as he sprung on his horse, and the -squadron of Mounted Infantry went cantering forward; prior to which, -Florian, after fraternally sharing a ration biscuit with -Tattoo--while the animal whinnied and rubbed his velvet nose against -his cheek, as if thanking him therefor--kissed him quite as tenderly -as Finella ever did Fern; for a genuine trooper has a true affection -for his horse. - -As the squadron rode on in advance of the column, Hammersley beckoned -Florian to his side, and, as they trotted on together, he asked him -many a kindly question about Dulcie Carlyon, of his past life and -future hopes and wishes, betraying a genuine interest which touched -Florian keenly. - -In due time the Itelezi Hill, a long mass, the brown sides of which -were scored by rocky ravines and woody kloofs, the lurking-places of -many Zulus, who acted as spies along the border, was reached; and -now, on the bank of the Ityotyosi River, at a short distance from the -Natal frontier, a halt was made, and another temporary camp formed on -ground selected by the Prince Imperial of France, who had previously -examined it. - -In advance of the whole force on the same morning, the Prince had -ridden on with instructions to examine the nature of the ground -through which the march would lie; and with an emotion of deep -interest, for which he could not account, Florian saw him ride off at -full speed, accompanied by Lieutenant Carey, of the 98th Regiment, -the Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General, with six of Captain -Bettington's European Horse; and pushing on over the open and -pastoral country, the Prince and his party soon disappeared in the -vicinity of the Itelezi Hill, which he reached about ten a.m. - -On the same day Sir Evelyn Wood--with orders to keep one day's march -in front of the Second Division--was reconnoitring in advance of his -flying column, when the halt was made by the Ityotyosi River, where -despatches from the rear overtook the staff, and a few minutes after, -the General sent his orderly for Florian, whom he found carefully -grooming and rubbing down Tattoo. - -Though ignorant of having committed any _faux pas_, Florian's first -idea was that he had fallen into a scrape, and with some trepidation -of spirit and manner found himself before the General, who, wearing a -braided patrol-jacket and a white helmet girt by a puggaree, was -examining the country through a field-glass. - -'Sergeant,' said he, holding forth his hand, 'I have to congratulate -you.' - -'On what, sir?' asked Florian. - -'Your appointment to a second-lieutenancy in your regiment, as the -reward of your disinterested bravery at Ginghilovo, and general -conduct on all occasions. It is duly notified in the _Gazette_, and -here is the letter of the Adjutant-General.' - -Florian's breath was quite taken away by this intelligence. For a -few moments he could scarcely realise the truth of what the general, -with great kindness and interest of manner, had said to him. He felt -like one in a dream, from which he might awaken to disappointment; -and the white tents of the camp, the Ityotyosi that flowed beside -them, the woods and distant hills, seemed to be careering round him, -and it was only when after a little time he felt the firm grasp of -Hammersley's hand, and heard the warm and hearty congratulations from -him and other officers, that he felt himself now indeed to be one of -them. - -The first to accord him a 'a salute as Second Lieutenant' (a rank -since then abolished) was Tom Tyrrell. - -'Let me shake your hand for the last time, sir, as your comrade,' -said he. - -'Not for the last time, I hope, Tom,' replied Florian, whose thoughts -were flashing home to Dulcie, and all she would feel and think and -say. - -An officer--he was already an officer! As his father--or he whom he -had so long deemed his father--was before him. His foot was firmly -planted on the ladder now, and with the thought of Dulcie's joy his -own redoubled. - -'Come to the mess tent,' said Hammersley. 'We must wet the -commission and drink the health of the Queen after tiffin.' - -For the first time on that auspicious afternoon Florian found himself -among his equals, and the kindness with which they welcomed him to -their circle made his affectionate and appreciative heart swell. -Hammersley was President of the Mess Committee, and was a wonderful -strategist in the matter of 'providing grub,' as he said. - -A few rough boards that went with the baggage formed the table, and -at 'tiffin' that day the _menu_ comprised vegetable soup, a sirloin -of beef, an _entrée_ or two, for a wonder, with plenty of -brandy-pawnee and 'square-face;' and what the repast lacked in -delicacy and splendour was amply made up by the general jollity and -good humour that pervaded the board, though, for all they knew, -another hour might find them face to face with the enemy. - -Would either Hammersley or Florian be spared to write to the girl he -loved? - -In the case of Florian it seemed somewhat impossible, especially now, -when he had--all unknown to himself--two secret and unscrupulous -enemies on his trail, and intent on his destruction. - -Meanwhile a terrible tragedy, that was to form a part of the world's -history, was being acted not very far off from where that jocund -circle sat round the board presided over by Hammersley. - -Sir Evelyn Wood, we have said, was reconnoitring in advance of his -column, which was then on the march from Munhla Hill towards the -Ityotyosi River. Scattered in extended order among the growing -undulations and watercourses, the Horse of Redvers Buller were -scouting. - -Rain had fallen during the night, but the sky of the afternoon was -clear, bright, and without a cloud, from the far horizon to the -zenith. - -Following, but at a distance, the line taken by the Prince Imperial -and his six reconnoitring troopers, General Wood, after issuing from -a dense coppice of thorn trees, interspersed with graceful date palms -and enormous feathery bamboo canes, came suddenly on a deep and -smooth tributary of the Ityotyosi, and after contriving to ford it at -a place where its banks were fringed by beautiful acacias and -drooping palms with fan-shaped leaves, to his astonishment some -mounted men appeared in his front, and all apparently fugitives. - -With twelve of his troopers the fearless Buller, who had seen them -also, now came galloping up and rode on with Sir Evelyn, and in -rounding the base of a tall cliff they came suddenly upon Lieutenant -Carey, of the 98th Foot, and four troopers of Bettington's Corps, all -riding at a furious pace, their horses flecked with white foam, and -with sides bloody by the goring spurs. - -They reined up pale and breathlessly, and in another minute or two -their terrible secret was told. - -'Where is the Prince Imperial?' cried Sir Evelyn, as he rushed his -horse over some fallen trees in his haste to meet the fugitives. - -But Carey, who seemed as dead beat as his horse, was at first -apparently incapable of replying. - -'Speak, sir!' cried the General impetuously. 'What has happened?' - -Still Carey seemed incapable of speech. - -'Sir,' said one of the troopers, 'the Prince, I fear, is killed.' - -The speaker was Private Le Toque, a Frenchman. - -'Is that the case? Tell me instantly, sir!' resumed the General, -with growing excitement. - -'I fear it is so,' faltered Carey, in a low voice. - -'Then _what are you doing here, sir?_' - -A veil must be drawn over the rest of the interview, which was of a -most painful character, wrote Major Ashe in his narrative of the -occurrence. - -A soldier--Tom Tyrrell, encouraged by the knowledge that his late -comrade Florian was there--came rushing into the mess-tent, where -Florian, with those who were now his brother-officers, was seated in -happiness and jollity, bearing the terrible tidings, which spread -through the camp like wildfire, and all who had horses mounted and -rode forth to discover if they were true, and all spoke sternly and -reprehensively of the luckless Lieutenant Carey, who eventually was -tried by a court-martial, and died two years after in India, some -said of a broken heart. - -As Florian was one of the searchers for the slain Prince, the story -of this latter's tragic death does not lie apart from ours. - -It would seem, briefly, then, that the charger ridden by the Prince, -when he left Lord Chelmsford's camp, and which in the end chiefly led -to his death, was a clumsy and awkward animal, given to rearing and -shying. After crossing the Ityotyosi, then swollen by the recent -rains, the Prince and his party rode on through a district covered -with grass-like rush, kreupelboom, and dwarf acacias. - -The Prince, who from the time of his landing had always sought out -any Frenchmen who might be among the local levies, and frequently -gave them sovereigns, was riding with Le Toque by his side; and the -latter, in the gaiety of his heart, and exhilarated by the beauty of -the morning, sang more than one French song as they rode onward, such -as-- - - '_Eh gai, gai, gai, mon officier!_' - -And as they began to ascend a still nameless hill with a flat top, -the Prince sang loudly 'Les deux Grenadiers,' an old Bonapartist -ditty--Le Toque joining in the chorus of Beranger's chanson:-- - - 'Vieux grenadiers suivons un vieux soldat, - Suivon un vieux soldat! - Suivon un vieux soldat! - Suivon un vieux soldat!' - -On the summit of the koppie the party slackened their girths, while -the Prince made a sketch of the landscape. 'We may here digress to -say,' adds the _Cape Argus_, 'that the Prince's talent with pen and -pencil, combined with his remarkable proficiency in military -surveying (which so distinguished the first Napoleon), made his -contributions to our knowledge of the country to be traversed of -great value.' - -Amid the heat and splendour of an African noon they now rode on to a -deserted kraal, consisting of five beehive-shaped huts, near a dry -donga, or old watercourse, where they unsaddled and knee-haltered -their horses to graze, while the Prince and his companions chatted -and smoked, all unaware that some forty armed Zulus were actually -stalking them like deer, crawling stealthily and softly on their -hands and knees through the long Tambookie grass and mealies, drawing -their rifles and assegais after them. - -About four o'clock Corporal Grub, of Bettington's Horse, got a -glimpse of a Zulu, and warned the Prince of the circumstance. - -'Saddle up at once!' said the latter; 'prepare to mount!' - -The brief orders had scarcely left his lips when a volley from forty -rifles crashed through the long Tambookie grass and waving reeds, -which bent as if before a breeze, and then the ferocious lurkers -rushed with flashing and glistening teeth, bloodshot, rolling eyes, -and loud yells, upon the solitary party of eight men. - -Terrified by the sudden tumult, all the horses swerved wildly round; -a trooper named Rogers was shot dead with his left foot in the -stirrup, and those who actually got into their saddles found it -impossible to control their horses, so terrific were the yells, -mingled with ragged shots, and they bore their riders across the open -karoo and towards the deep and dangerous donga. - -Prince Napoleon's horse, a difficult one to mount at all times, and -sixteen hands high, resisted every attempt at remounting in its then -state of terror; thus one by one the party rode or were borne away, -while the unhappy Prince endeavoured to vault into his saddle. - -'_Mon Prince, dépêchez-vous, si'l vous plait!_' cried his countryman -trooper, Le Toque, as he rushed past, lying across but not in his -saddle, and then the heir of France found himself alone--alone and -face to face with more than forty merciless and pitiless savages! - -Who can tell what may have flashed through the brave lad's mind in -that moment of fierce excitement and supreme mental agony--what -thoughts of France and Imperial glory--the glorious past, the dim -future, and, more than all, no doubt, of the lonely mother, who was -so soon to weep for him at Chiselhurst--to weep the tears that no -condolence could quench! - -When last seen by Le Toque, as the latter gave a backward and -despairing glance, he was grasping a stirrup-leather in vain attempts -to mount the maddened animal, which trod upon him, and broke away -when the strap parted; and then, for a moment, the young Napoleon -covered his face with his hands--deserted, abandoned to an awful -death, which no Christian eye was then to see. - -All the obloquy of this tragedy was now heaped upon Lieutenant Carey, -a native of the south of England. It was dark night when he got to -head-quarters, and at that time nothing could be done to ascertain -the fate of the deserted one. - -Scarcely a man slept in our camp by the Ityotyosi River, and after -'lights out' had been sounded by the bugles, the soldiers could talk -of nothing else but the poor Prince Imperial. - -'The news of his death,' wrote an officer who was in the camp, 'fell -like a thunderbolt on all! At first it was regarded as one of those -reports that so often went round. Bit by bit, however, it assumed a -form. Even then people were incredulous, only half believing the -dreadful tale. The two questions first asked were--What will they -say at home? and, secondly, the poor Empress? All was wildest -excitement, and brave men absolutely broke down under the blow. To -them it looked a black and bitter disgrace. The chivalrous young -Prince, repaying the hospitality shown him by England with his -sword--entrusted to us by his widowed mother--to have been killed in -a mere paltry reconnaissance! to have fallen without all his escort -having been killed first! to lie there dead and alone! Many there -were who would have given up life to have been lying with him, so -that our British honour might have been kept sacred.' - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -FINDING THE BODY. - -'Fall in, the Mounted Infantry!' cried the voice of Hammersley, when -with earliest dawn strong parties were detailed from the camps of the -Second Division and Sir Evelyn Wood to scout the scene of the -tragedy; and as his squadron rode forth in the grey light with -rifle-butt resting on the thigh, just as the dawn began to redden the -summit of the Itelezi Hill, Florian remembered that this mournful -search was his first duty as an officer; but the calamity clouded the -joy of his promotion, and would be always associated with it. - -He felt himself again the equal of Dulcie Carlyon; but, still, to -what end? He could not go home to her, nor could she come there to -him, a combatant in Zululand; besides, he knew well enough that an -officer's pay, unless when on service, is not sufficient for himself -without the encumbrance of a wife; and with this enforced practical -view of the situation he could only sigh as he rode on and thought of -poor Dulcie. - -As some of the Volunteer Horse went to the front, Florian became -conscious that two, wearing huge, battered hats, who rode together, -were regarding him furtively, and with a curiously hostile and -scowling expression; and his heart gave a kind of leap when he -recognised in these, two of the ruffians whose odious features were -indelibly impressed upon his memory by the adventures of that -horrible night in the so-called hotel at Elandsbergen--Josh Jarrett -and Dick of the Droogveldt, with his short, thickset figure, small, -dull eyes, and heavy, bull-dog visage. - -That they would work him some mischief, if possible, in their new -capacity he never doubted; and possibly enough it was their design to -do so, secretly and securely, amid the often confused scouting and -scampering to and fro of the Mounted Infantry among bush and cover of -every kind. But, as they were then going to the front, he thought it -unwise to move in the matter at the time; besides, they might be -knocked on the head, and all on the ground were thinking only of the -Prince Imperial. - -A deep silence hovered over the ranks of the various searching -parties that rode round by the base of the flat-topped Itelezi Hill. -The swallow-tailed banneroles of the 17th Lancers, who looked -handsome and gay in their white helmets and blue tunics faced and -lapelled with white, fluttered out on the morning wind; but the iron -hoofs of their horses fell without a sound on the soft and elastic -turf of the green veldt. Occasionally a low murmur would be heard as -the searchers drew nearer the fatal kraal, and the lance was slung -and the carbine grasped instinctively when at times the black Kaffir -vultures, hinting of a dreadful repast, rose from among the tall, -feathery Tambookie grass, and, croaking angrily, winged their way -aloft as if enraged and interrupted. - -Driving out roughly by lance point and rifle bullet about a hundred -Zulus from some holes and scrub, several of the Lancers under -Lieutenant Frith, their adjutant, and the Mounted Infantry under -Hammersley, next drew near the fatal donga, which some officers -crossed on foot. Among those who were in advance of all the rest was -Lieutenant Dundonald Cochrane, of the Cornish Light Infantry. - -'Look!' cried Hammersley to Florian, as Cochrane was seen to pause -and with reverence take off his helmet. Then a hum went along the -ranks of the searchers, who all knew what he had found. - -And there, on the sloping bank of the donga in the evening sunshine, -with his head pillowed on some sweet wild-flowers, nude as he came -into the world, save that a reliquary and locket with his father's -miniature were round his neck--supposed to be potent fetishes--lay -the poor young Prince, the guest of Britain, the hope of Imperial -France, and the only son of his mother, dead, and gashed by sixteen -assegai wounds, among them the usual cruel Zulu _coup de grace_--the -gash in the stomach. - -It was found that, though an accomplished swordsman, he had failed to -use his sword--the sword of his father the Emperor--which had dropped -from the scabbard in his attempts to mount; but that, seizing an -assegai which had been hurled at him, he had defended himself till he -sank under repeated wounds; and a tuft of human hair clenched in his -left hand attested the valour and the desperation of his resistance. - -His faithful little Scottish terrier was found dead by his side. - -All around him the ground was trampled, torn, and stained by gouts of -blood. - -A bier was now formed by crossed lances of the 17th Lancers, covered -by cut rushes and a cavalry cloak. Reverently and almost with -womanly tenderness did our soldiers raise the body, and on this bier, -so befitting to one of his name, Prince Napoleon was borne by loving -hands by the rough and rugged track that led towards the hill of -Itelezi; while all around the place where they had found him were -flowers of gold and crimson tint, where in the gouts and pools of -blood bright-winged moths and butterflies were battening. - -That the Prince was duly prepared to meet any fate that might befall -him the remarkable prayer composed by him fully attests. It was -found in his repositories, and was published in the papers of the -time. - -The entire Second Division was under arms to receive his remains when -brought into the camp beside the river. The body was borne through -the lines on a gun-carriage, wrapped in linen and shrouded by a Union -Jack; the funeral service was performed by the Catholic chaplain to -the forces, and Lord Chelmsford acted as chief mourner. Though -tolerably accustomed to bloodshed now, a profound impression of gloom -pervaded the faces of the troops. - -By mule-cart the body was sent to Pietermaritzburg, and in passing -through Ladysmith there occurred a scene that was touching from its -simplicity. This is a small village in the Division of Riversdale or -Kannaland, where the body remained for the night at the entrance -thereof, in the bleak open veldt, under a guard of honour; but from -the school-house there came forth, and lined the roadway, a -procession of little black children, who, to the accompaniment of an -old cracked harmonium, sang a hymn, as the soldiers of the 58th -Regiment took the body away, and sweetly and softly the voices of the -little ones rose and fell on the chilly air of the morning. - -'This,' says Captain Thomasson, of the Irregular Horse, in his -narrative, 'was but one mark of the feeling that all in the colony, -whatever their age, colour, position, or sex, had at the sudden and -terrible close of that bright young life. And it may safely be -affirmed that not one disassociated in his mind from the thought of -the dead son, the recollection of the blow awaiting the widowed -mother.' - -The next striking scene was at Durban, the only port in Natal Colony, -where the troops handed over the remains to the blue-jackets of -H.M.S. _Shah_ for conveyance to England. - -Here the poor old majordomo of the Prince was left behind. He was so -inconsolable for the loss of his master, that it was feared he would -lose his reason, and more than once he said, with simple truth and -bitterness: - -'My master would not have abandoned one of them!' - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -THE SKIRMISH AT EUZANGONYAN. - -The transmission rearwards of the Prince's remains causing a day's -delay in the advance of the division, Florian gladly availed himself -of it to write to Dulcie a letter full of love and all the -enthusiastic outpouring of his heart to one who was so far away; to -express his astonishment on learning that she was an inmate of the -same house with Shafto, their _bête noir_, of whom she was to beware, -he added impressively. - -He told of his military success--of all that might be in store for -them yet; for Florian had, if small means at present, the vast riches -of youth and hope to draw upon, especially in his brighter moments, -and--if spared--his future promotion from the rank of -second-lieutenant was now but a thing of time. - -There had not been much brightness in his life latterly; but it was -impossible for him not to admit that the dawn of a happier day had -come, and that he had made substantial progress in his profession. - -He told her--among many other things--of Vivian Hammersley's -friendship and favour for himself, even when in the rank and file, -and of his pride and gratitude therefor; of the change her letter to -himself had made in Hammersley's views of Miss Melfort, for whom he -sent an enclosure from the Captain, lest watchful eyes--perchance -those of Shafto--might examine too closely the contents of the -Craigengowan post-bag; and from old experience they knew what the man -was capable of--not respecting even 'the property of H.M. -Postmaster-General.' - -For, now that Florian was an officer, his friend Hammersley, though -proud as Lucifer and at times haughty to a degree, was, under the -circumstances, not loth to avail himself of Dulcie's assistance in -this matter, so necessary to his own happiness; so the two missives -in one were despatched, and with an emotion of thankfulness that was -deep and genuine, Florian dropped it into the regimental post-bag at -the orderly-room tent, for conveyance with the mail to Durban. - -The Second Division began its forward march on the 3rd of January, -and encamped half a mile distant from the kraal near which the Prince -Imperial had perished, while Sir Evelyn Wood's column, advancing by -the left, proceeded along the further side of the Ityotyosi. Already -the bad rations to which they were reduced--eight pounds of inferior -oats and no hay--were telling severely on the horses of the 17th -Lancers and Mounted Infantry. - -On the 4th, when encamped on the bank of the Nondweni River, a -cavalry patrol, under Redvers Duller, Hammersley, and others, had a -narrow escape from being cut off by two thousand five hundred Zulus, -of whom, on the following day, the entire cavalry column went forth -in search. - -When the whole mounted force was getting under arms, Hammersley threw -away the end of a cigar before falling in, and said to Florian-- - -'Look here, old fellow, I have been thinking about you. I am not a -millionnaire, you know, but I have enough and to spare. You have -not, I presume--pardon me for saying so; but now that you are an -officer, and must want many things, my cheque-book is at your -disposal, if you wish to draw on old Chink the Paymaster.' - -'A thousand thanks to you, Captain Hammersley,' replied Florian, his -heart swelling and his colour deepening with gratitude; 'but I have -no need to trespass on your kindness--I want nothing here; we are all -pretty much alike in Zululand--officer and private, general and -drum-boy.' - -'Yes, by Jove! but in the time to come?' - -'Thanks again, I say, dear Hammersley, but I am inclined to let -to-morrow take care of to-morrow, especially while campaigning in -Zululand.' - -'Tiresome work I find that, with all my zeal for the service,' -observed Hammersley, as the entire cavalry force moved off about four -in the morning, when the sky and landscape were alike dark. 'We have -much bodily endurance, and run enormous risks which the people at -home don't understand or fully appreciate, because our antagonists -are naked savages, though second to no men in the world for reckless -valour; thus honour may be accorded to us but scantily and -grudgingly, because they _are_ savages and not civilised enemies, or, -as some one says of the days of the Great Duke, when so many thousand -men in red coats and blue breeches met and beat so many thousand men -in blue coats and red breeches.' - -General Marshall, with the King's Dragoon Guards and 17th Lancers, -had reconnoitred the country in advance as far as the Upoko River, -and there effected a junction with Buller's command on the same -ground where the latter had escaped the ambuscade referred to. - -On a green plain below it a great mass of Zulus, sombre and dark, -spotted with the grey of their oval shields, was seen hovering, the -flash of an assegai-head sparkling out at times when the sun arose, -and near them, enveloped in smoke and all sheeted with flame at once, -were some kraals that had been set on fire by the Irregular Horse; so -the scene, if beautiful, was also a stirring one. - -Above the vast mountain opposite, where the Upoko (a tributary of the -great White Umvulosi, which flows towards the sea) was rolling in -golden sheen between banks clothed with date palms, Kaffir plums, -flowering acacias, and thornwood, the uprisen sun was shining in all -his glory. The mountain was torn by ravines and studded with mimosa -groups. On the left of the troops rose the vast Inhlatzatye, or -mountain of greenstone, turned to crimson in the morning sun, its -base clothed with lovely pasture, and twenty miles in its rear was -known to be Ulundi, the great military kraal of Cetewayo, the chief -object of the advance. - -In the immediate foreground was the force of cavalry, with all their -white helmets and sword blades shining in the sun, the dark blue of -the Lancers, and the sombre uniforms of the Irregular Horse, relieved -and varied by the bright scarlet of the King's Dragoon Guards and the -mimosa-coloured tunics of the Mounted Infantry. - -The sharp blare of the trumpets sounded 'the advance.' - -'Buller's Horse to the left!' cried the officer of that name, digging -spurs into his charger; 'Whalley's to the right! Frontier Light -Horse and Hammersley's Mounted Infantry the centre!' - -Uncovering to the flanks, the formation was made at a canter, and the -forward movement began. During the morning Florian had more than -once (till his men required his attention) an unpleasant sense of the -presence of two secret enemies on the ground, which made him look -frequently to where the oddly costumed volunteer troopers were -advancing, and before that day's fighting was quite over he had -bitter cause to know that both _were_ in the field. - -The 1st King's Dragoon Guards had been quartered in the same barracks -with the regiment to which these two deserters belonged, and, feeling -themselves now in hourly expectation of recognition by some of them, -the camp of the Second Division had become perilous for the two -desperadoes, and on that day they had resolved to 'levant,' but not -before effecting their villainous purpose, if possible. - -They knew well that by the rules of the service, at foreign stations, -when there is no doubt as to the identity of a deserter, he is sent -at once to his own corps to be dealt with there; moreover, they know -that the fact of their serving with the Volunteer Horse constituted -another crime--that of fraudulent enlistment; and neither had any -desire to be tied to the wheel of a field-piece and flogged as an -example to others, for that punishment had not been quite abandoned -yet. - -While Colonel Buller's force was advancing, the Zulus had moved off -by companies in singularly regular formation, and taken post in the -rocky ravines at the base of the Euzangonyan Hill, which was covered -with thick scrub and high feathery reeds, that swayed to and fro in -the wind like a mighty cornfield. - -After crossing the river, the Irregulars and Mounted Infantry at full -speed advanced to within three hundred yards of the foe, and leaped -from their saddles, with rifles unslung. The horses were then led -forward out of fire, or nearly so, by every third file, told off for -that purpose. - -Kneeling and creeping forward by turns, the fighting line opened a -steady fire upon the partly concealed Zulus, whose dark figures were -half seen, half hidden amid the smoke that eddied along the slopes of -the hill, and this continued till the watchful Buller, who was -surveying the position through a field-glass from the summit of a -knoll, discovered from a flank movement that the Zulus had a large -force in reserve, and, in a wily manner, were luring his troops on to -destruction. - -He ordered his bugle to sound the 'retire' and the whole to recross -the river, but not before several men were killed or wounded, with -fifteen horses placed _hors de combat_; then the Queen's cavalry were -ordered to advance to the attack with lance and sword. - -In his saddle, Florian watched them advance in imposing order, led by -that _preux chevalier_, Drury Lowe, the hero of Zurapore, where the -pursuit and the destruction of Tantia Topee were achieved in the -Indian war. When Buller's scouting horse, skilled marksmen even from -the saddle, and mounted on cattle nimble as antelopes, had partly -failed, he could scarcely hope to achieve much with his heavy Lancers -and still heavier Dragoon Guardsmen; but sending a troop of the -latter to guard against any chance of the Zulus creeping down the bed -of the river, he led three troops of Lancers close to the margin, -where the marigold figs grew in profusion, and the yellow Kaffir -melons, large as 40-pound shot, were floating in the current; and -splashing through, he deployed them on some open ground beyond, full -of that fiery confidence that there is nothing in war which the -genuine dragoon cannot achieve. - -'By Jove!' exclaimed Hammersley, 'but it is sad to see these splendid -Lancers going in for this kind of work. It is hopeless for them to -charge such a position, and attempt, at the lance's point, to ferret -these savages out of their holes and dongas.' - -From the Euzangonyan Hill the Zulus were now firing heavily, but as -their rifles were all wrongly sighted--if sighted at all--their -bullets went high into the air. Between these and Lowe spread a -mealie-field, which he believed to be full of other Zulus, and -resolved to let all who might be lurking there feel what the point of -a lance is, he rode straight at it. - -'Trot--gallop--charge!' sounded the trumpets; and with their horses' -manes and the banneroles of their levelled lances streaming backward -on the wind, the 17th rushed on, sweeping through the tall, brown -stalks of the dead mealies, but found no Zulus there. - -When clear of the mealies, Lowe ordered some of the Lancers to -dismount and open fire with their carbines on those Zulus who were -lurking on the hill-slope among some thorn-trees, and there many were -shot down, and their half-devoured and festering remains were found -by our soldiers in the subsequent August. - -After punishing them severely, the cavalry were recalled, but not -before there were some casualties among the Lancers, whose adjutant, -Lieutenant Frith--a favourite officer--was shot through the heart, -and brought to camp dead across the saddle of his charger. - -From fastnesses that were quite inaccessible to horsemen, the Zulus, -covered by an undergrowth of prickly thorns and plants with enormous -brown spiky leaves, continued to fire heavily, wreathing all the -hill-side in white smoke, streaked with jets of fire; while another -portion of them, yelling and running with the swiftness of hares, -lined the bed of the river and opened a sputtering fusilade in flank, -rendering the whole position of our cavalry most perilous. - -'Retire by alternate squadrons!' was now the order for the cavalry, -and beautifully and steadily was the movement executed. - -'Fours about--trot,' came the order in succession from the leaders of -the even and odd squadrons. - -A front was thus kept to the Zulus, but the hope to lure them from -their fastnesses by a movement they had never seen before, and to -have a chance of attacking them in the open, proved vain; and upon -broken and steep ground, on which it would have been impossible for -any cavalry force to assail them, they were seen swarming in vast -black hordes round the flanks of the Euzangonyan Hill, and still -maintaining a sputtering but distant though defiant fire, while the -cavalry and other mounted men fell back towards their respective -columns; and now it was that the calamitous outrage we have hinted at -occurred. - -When the cavalry began to fall back by alternate squadrons, it was -remarked that two men of the Irregular Horse lingered at a -considerable distance in the rear, still firing occasionally, as if -they had not heard the sound of the trumpet to 'retire.' - -'Those rash fools will get knocked on the head if they don't come -back,' said Hammersley to Florian, as they were riding leisurely now -at a little distance in rear of their men. 'They are nearly six -hundred yards off. Well, we have not got even a scratch to-day,' he -added, laughing, as he manipulated and proceeded to light a cigar; -'and now to get back to camp and have a deep drink of bitter beer. -By Jove, I am thirsty as a bag of sand.' - -'And I too,' said Florian. - -Again the 'retire' was sounded, now by two trumpeters together, but -without avail apparently. - -At that moment two rifle-shots came upon the speakers, delivered by -the very men in question, and then they were seen to gallop at full -speed, not after the retreating column, but at an angle towards the -north-west, on perceiving that their shots had taken fatal effect; -for Hammersley, struck by one, fell from his saddle on his face, and -rolled over apparently in mortal agony, while Florian felt Tattoo -give a kind of writhing bound under him and nearly topple over on his -forehead till recovered by the use of spur and bridle-bit. Florian -at once dismounted, for the horse was seriously wounded; but he could -only give a despairing glance at his friend, if he meant to act -decisively and avenge him. - -'These scoundrels are deserters doubly--I know; follow me, men, we -have not a moment to lose!' cried Florian, in a voice husky with -rage, grief, and excitement, as he leaped upon poor Hammersley's -horse; and with a section of four men, one of whom was Tom Tyrrell, -he spurred after them at full speed, without waiting for orders given -or permission accorded. - -If he was to act at all, there was no time for either. - -He never doubted for a moment that they were Josh Jarrett and Dick of -the Droogveldt, who were boldly attempting to escape in the face of -the column after failing to shoot himself, and who had now fully -thousand yards start of him and his pursuing party. - - - -END OF VOL. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Dulcie Carlyon, Volume II (of 3)</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>A novel</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: James Grant</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: June 11, 2022 [eBook #68294]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Al Haines</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DULCIE CARLYON, VOLUME II (OF 3) ***</div> - -<h1> -<br /><br /> - DULCIE CARLYON.<br /> -</h1> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="t3b"> - A Novel.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - BY<br /> -</p> - -<p class="t2"> - JAMES GRANT,<br /> -</p> - -<p class="t4"> - AUTHOR OF 'THE ROMANCE OF WAR,' ETC.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - IN THREE VOLUMES.<br /> -<br /> - VOL. II.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - LONDON:<br /> - WARD AND DOWNEY,<br /> - 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.<br /> -<br /> - 1886.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="t4"> - [<i>All Rights Reserved.</i>]<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> -NEW NOVELS AT EVERY LIBRARY. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="noindent"> -FROM THE SILENT PAST. By Mrs. HERBERT MARTIN. 2 Vols. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -COWARD AND COQUETTE. By the Author of 'The Parish of Hilby.' 1 vol. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -MIND, BODY, AND ESTATE. By the Author of 'Olive Varcoe.' 3 vols. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -AT THE RED GLOVE. By KATHARINE S. MACQUOID. 3 vols. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -WHERE TEMPESTS BLOW. By the Author of 'Miss Elvester's Girls.' 3 vols. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -IN SIGHT OF LAND. By Lady DUFFUS HARDY. 3 vols. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -AS IN A LOOKING-GLASS. By F. C. PHILIPS. 1 vol. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -LORD VANECOURT'S DAUGHTER. By MABEL COLLINS. 3 vols. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> -WARD AND DOWNEY, PUBLISHERS, LONDON. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3b"> -CONTENTS OF VOL. II. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="noindent"> -CHAPTER -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -I. <a href="#chap01">SEPARATED</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -II. <a href="#chap02">AN UNWELCOME VISITOR</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -III. <a href="#chap03">A BRUSH WITH THE ZULUS</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -IV. <a href="#chap04">THE CAMP</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -V. <a href="#chap05">THE MASSACRE AT ISANDHLWANA</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -VI. <a href="#chap06">'HAS SHE DISCOVERED ANYTHING?'</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -VII. <a href="#chap07">FEARS AND SUSPICIONS</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -VIII. <a href="#chap08">BY THE BUFFALO RIVER</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -IX. <a href="#chap09">ON THE KARROO</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -X. <a href="#chap10">FLORIAN JOINS THE MOUNTED INFANTRY</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -XI. <a href="#chap11">DULCIE'S NEW FRIEND</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -XII. <a href="#chap12">GIRLS' CONFIDENCES</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -XIII. <a href="#chap13">THE EVENING OF GINGHILOVO</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -XIV. <a href="#chap14">NEWS FROM THE SEAT OF WAR</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -XV. <a href="#chap15">PERSECUTION</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -XVI. <a href="#chap16">A THREAT</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -XVII. <a href="#chap17">WITH THE SECOND DIVISION</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -XVIII. <a href="#chap18">ON THE BANKS OF THE ITYOTYOSI</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -XIX. <a href="#chap19">FINDING THE BODY</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -XX. <a href="#chap20">THE SKIRMISH AT EUZANGONYAN</a> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap01"></a></p> - -<p class="t2"> -DULCIE CARLYON. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER I. -<br /><br /> -SEPARATED. -</h3> - -<p> -'Something must be done, and deuced soon -too, to separate this pair of spoons, or else -they will be corresponding by letter, -somehow or anyhow, after he has taken himself -off; and Lady Fettercairn is always saying it -is high time that something was definitely -arranged between the girl and me! But, -of course, Finella thinks <i>him</i> handsome -enough to be the hero of a three-volume -novel.' -</p> - -<p> -Thus muttered Shafto, who, after a long -absence, had returned to Craigengowan again, -believing that Hammersley must now be -gone; but he found, to his extreme annoyance, -that two days of that officer's visit yet -remained; so, with the futile <i>fracas</i> about -the cards in his mind, Shafto avoided him as -much as possible, and the house and grounds -were ample enough to give him every scope -for doing so. -</p> - -<p> -He was sedulously bent on working mischief, -and Fate so arranged that, on the -second day, he had the power to do so. -</p> - -<p> -They were on the very eve of separation -now, yet Finella knew their love was mutual -and true, and a glow of exultation was mingled -with the sadness of her heart—a glow which -had a curious touch of fear in it, as if such -joy in his faith and truth could not be lasting. -It was a kind of foreboding of evil about to -happen, and when the time came that foreboding -was remembered. -</p> - -<p> -On the day of Hammersley's departure, he -was to leave Craigengowan before dinner: -thus, after luncheon, he contrived, unseen, to -slip a little note into her hand. It contained -but two lines:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'Darling, meet me in the Howe of Craigengowan -an hour hence, for the last time. Do -not fail. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -'V. H.' -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -She read it again and again, kissed it, of -course, and slipped it into her bosom. -</p> - -<p> -To avoid everyone and to be alone with -her own thoughts, she ran upstairs to the -top of the house—to the summit of the old -Scottish square tower, which was the nucleus -whereon much had been engrafted even before -the Melforts came to hold it, and going through -a turret door which opened on the stone -bartizan—a pleasant promenade—she sat down -breathlessly, not to enjoy the lovely landscape -which stretched around her, where Bervie -Brow and Gourdon Hill were already casting -their shadows eastward, but to wait and re-read -her tiny note. -</p> - -<p> -She put her hand into her bosom to draw -it forth; but it was gone—she had lost it—and -her first thought was, into whose hands -might it fall! -</p> - -<p> -She had a kind of stunned feeling at first, -and then a glow of indignation that she -should be treated like a child, in awe of Lady -Fettercairn, and in a state of tutelage. -</p> - -<p> -Vincent Hammersley went to the trysting-place -betimes—the shady Howe of Craigengowan. -The evening air was heavy with -the fresh pungent fragrance of the Scottish -pines, the flat boughs of which nearly met -overhead thickly enough to exclude the -sunshine, which here and there found its way -through breaks in the bronze-green canopy, -and fell like rays of gold on the thick grass -and pine cones below; but there was no -appearance of Finella. -</p> - -<p> -Shafto had resolved to achieve a separation -between these two, we have said, and evil -fortune put the power to do so completely -in his hands. -</p> - -<p> -Before Finella could reach the meeting-place -among the shrubberies in the lawn, she -came face to face with Shafto. -</p> - -<p> -'Shafto!' she exclaimed, with intense -annoyance, as she recoiled, 'you here—I did -not know that you had returned.' -</p> - -<p> -'And didn't care, no doubt? Yes—you -are on the way to meet someone else?' -</p> - -<p> -'How do you know that?' -</p> - -<p> -'I found his little note to you.' -</p> - -<p> -'Where?' -</p> - -<p> -'At the foot of the turret stair.' -</p> - -<p> -'And you dared to read it.' -</p> - -<p> -'It was open. Dared!—well, I like that. -Let us be friends at least.' -</p> - -<p> -'I have much to pardon in you, Shafto,' -said she, remembering the unpleasant trick -he had played Hammersley about the cards. -</p> - -<p> -'Let us understand each other, Finella.' -</p> - -<p> -'I thought we did so already,' said she -defiantly, and impatiently at his untimely -presence; 'surely we have spoken plainly -enough before this.' -</p> - -<p> -His face was pale, and there was an -expression of mischief in his eyes that startled -her. It was mere jealous rage that acted -love. He caught her hand, and, fearing him -at that moment, she did not withdraw it, but -did so eventually and sharply. -</p> - -<p> -'What folly is this?' exclaimed Shafto; 'do -not shrink from me thus, Finella, but allow -me to make a last appeal to you. I cannot -think that you are so utterly changed towards -me, but that you are wilfully blinding yourself.' -</p> - -<p> -'This is intolerable!' exclaimed the girl -passionately, knowing that precious time was -passing, that Vivian had but a minute or two -to spare to receive a farewell kiss and last -assurance of her love. -</p> - -<p> -'You used to love me, I think, in past -days, before this man Hammersley came -here?' -</p> - -<p> -'I knew and loved him in London before -I ever heard of your existence,' she -exclaimed, wound up to a pitch of -desperation. 'Give me up my note—I see it in -your hand.' -</p> - -<p> -'His note?' -</p> - -<p> -'Mine, I say.' -</p> - -<p> -'You shall not have it for nothing then.' -</p> - -<p> -'What do you mean?' -</p> - -<p> -'Precisely what I say, pretty cousin. I -must have some reward,' and holding the -note before her at arm's length he again -captured her right hand. -</p> - -<p> -'Restore my property. Would you be -guilty of theft?' -</p> - -<p> -'No,' replied Shafto, laughing now with -triumphant malice, as he remembered Dulcie -Carlyon and her locket. 'But what will you -give me for it?' -</p> - -<p> -'What <i>can</i> I give you?' -</p> - -<p> -'Something better than your grandmother -will for it—a kiss, freely,' said he softly, as -he saw what Finella did <i>not</i> see—Vivian -Hammersley between the shrubberies, pausing -in his approach, loth to compromise her, -yet perplexed and startled by the presence of -Shafto and the bearing of both. -</p> - -<p> -Finella flashed a defiant glance at her -tormentor, but aware that he was capable -of much mischief, lest he might make some -troublesome use of the note with her -grand-parents, of whom she certainly stood in some -awe, she was inclined to temporise with -him. -</p> - -<p> -'If I give you a kiss, cousin Shafto, will -you please give me my note?' she asked. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes,' said he, and his heart leaped. -</p> - -<p> -'Take it, then.' -</p> - -<p> -She put up her sweet and innocent face to -his, but instead of taking one, he clasped her -close to his breast, and holding her tightly, -he daringly and roughly kissed again and -again the soft lips that he had never touched -before save in his day-dreams, and all this -was in sight of Vivian Hammersley, as he -very well knew, and the latter, to Shafto's -secret and intense exultation, silently drew -back and disappeared. -</p> - -<p> -Shafto had certainly then his moment of triumph! -</p> - -<p> -Finella was greatly relieved when she -obtained possession of her note; but her -proud little heart was full of fury and -indignation at the unwarrantable proceedings -of Shafto, who hung or hovered about her -just long enough to preclude all hope of her -meeting with Hammersley, and when, full of -sorrow, she returned to the house, she could -see nothing of him, but was told by Grapeston, -the old butler, that his departure had -been suddenly hastened; that the trap was -already at the hall-door to take him to the -station, and the captain had charged him with -a note for her. -</p> - -<p> -It was hastily written in pencil, and a -pencilled address was on the envelope. It -ran thus:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'I went at the appointed time. You did -not come, but I saw you <i>elsewhere</i> in the -arms of your cousin, who doubtless has been -hereabout for some time past, unknown to me. -<i>Those were no cousinly kisses you gave him</i>. -God may forgive your falsehood, but I never -will! -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The room seemed to swim round her as -she read and re-read the lines like one in a -dream. As she did so for the second time -and took in the whole situation, a cry almost -escaped her. Then she heard some farewells -hastily exchanged on the terrace, and the -sound of wheels on gravel as the departing -waggonette swept Hammersley away to the -railway station, and no power or chance of -explanation was left her. -</p> - -<p> -The false light through which he—so brave, -so true and honourable—must now view her -tortured and humiliated her, and unmerited -shame, mingled with just anger, burned in -her heart. And Shafto had brought all this -about! -</p> - -<p> -Oh for language to describe her loathing -of him! His was the mistake—the crime -to be explained; but would it ever be -explained? And she dared not complain to -Lord or Lady Fettercairn, who openly -abetted Shafto's avaricious aspirations as -regarded herself. -</p> - -<p> -She rushed away to her own room, lighted -candles, and locked herself in. She sat down -by the dressing-table; was that wan face -reflected in the mirror hers? She leaned her -elbows on the former, with her face in her -hands, and sat there sobbing heavily in grief -and rage without ever sighing, though her -heart felt full to bursting. -</p> - -<p> -She pleaded a headache as an excuse for -non-appearance at dinner, and Lord and -Lady Fettercairn exchanged a silent glance -of mutual intelligence and annoyance, not -unmingled, perhaps, with satisfaction. -</p> - -<p> -Finella sat in her room as if turned to -stone; at last she heard the stable clock -strike midnight, and mechanically she -proceeded to undress without summoning her -maid. -</p> - -<p> -A rosebud was in the rich cream-tinted lace -about her pretty neck. <i>He</i> had given it to -her but that morning, as they lingered on the -terrace, and with haggard eyes she looked at -it, kissed it, and put it in her white bosom. -</p> - -<p> -This morning she was with him—her lover, -her affianced husband—her own—and he was -hers—all to each other in the world—and -now! -</p> - -<p> -'He hates me, most probably,' she murmured. -</p> - -<p> -A few days stole away, and she tried to -act a part, for watchful eyes were upon her. -Hammersley was gone! Doubly gone! -How she missed his presence was known -only to herself. He was ever so sweetly -but not obtrusively tender; so quick of wit, -ready in attention and speech, though the -envious Shafto phrased it, 'he would coax -a bird off a tree.' He was so gentlemanly -and gallant—every way such irreproachably -good style, that she loved him with all the -strength of her loving and passionate nature. -The memory of the past—of her lost -happiness—lost more than she might ever know, -through the deliberate villainy of Shafto, rose -ever before her with vivid distinctness; the -evening on which their love was avowed in the -drawing-room—the evening in the Howe of -Craigengowan, when he gave her the two -rings, and many other chance or concerted -meetings, were before her now, and she could -but clasp her hands tightly, while a heavy sob -rose in her throat. -</p> - -<p> -The wedding ring, he had given her to -keep, was often drawn forth fondly, and -slipped on her wedding finger in secret—a -temptation of Fate, as any old Scotchwoman -would have told her. She would have -written a letter of explanation to -Hammersley, but knew not where to address -him; and ere long the announcement in a -public print that he had sailed from Plymouth -with a strong detachment of the 2nd -Warwickshire, for the seat of war in South Africa, -put it out of her power to do so, and she had -but to bear her misery helplessly. -</p> - -<p> -More than ever were they now separated! -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap02"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER II. -<br /><br /> -AN UNWELCOME VISITOR. -</h3> - -<p> -Lady Fettercairn was in the drawing-room -at Craigengowan, and talking with Shafto -seriously and affectionately on the subject of -Finella and the wishes of herself and Lord -Fettercairn; and Shafto was making himself -most agreeable to his 'grandmother,' for he -was still in high glee and elfish good humour -at the mode in which he had 'choked off that -interloper, Hammersley,' when a valet -announced that an elderly woman 'wished to -speak with her ladyship.' -</p> - -<p> -'What is her name?' -</p> - -<p> -'She declined to say.' -</p> - -<p> -'Is she one of our own people?' -</p> - -<p> -'I think not, my lady.' -</p> - -<p> -'But what can she want?' -</p> - -<p> -'She would not say—it was a private -matter, she admitted.' -</p> - -<p> -'Very odd.' -</p> - -<p> -'She is most anxious to see your ladyship.' -</p> - -<p> -'It is some begging petition, of course,' -said Shafto; 'desire her to be off.' -</p> - -<p> -'It may be so, sir.' -</p> - -<p> -'Then show her the door.' -</p> - -<p> -'She seems very respectable, sir,' urged -the valet. -</p> - -<p> -'But poor—the old story.' -</p> - -<p> -'Show her in,' said Lady Fettercairn. -</p> - -<p> -The elderly woman appeared, and curtseyed -deeply twice in a graceful and old-fashioned -manner. Her once black hair was now -seamed with white; but her eyes were dark -and sparkling; her cheeks were yet tinged -with red, and her rows of teeth were firm -and white as ever, for the visitor was -Madelon Galbraith, now in her sixtieth year, -and with the assured confidence of a Highland -woman she announced herself by name. -</p> - -<p> -'I read in the papers,' said she, 'that the -grandson of Lord Fettercairn had shot some -beautiful eaglets at the ruins of Finella's -castle. The grandson, thought I—that maun -be the bairn I nursed, as I nursed his mother -before him, and so I'm come a the way frae -Ross-shire to see him, your leddyship.' -</p> - -<p> -'I have heard of you, Madelon, and that -you were in early life nurse to—to my younger -son's wife,' said Lady Fettercairn, with a -freezing stare and slight inclination of her -haughty head; but she added, 'be seated.' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes—I was nurse to Captain MacIan's -daughter Flora,' said Madelon, her eyes -becoming moist; 'the Captain saved my -husband's life in the Persian war, but was -killed himself next day.' -</p> - -<p> -'What have we to do with this?' said -Shafto, who felt himself growing pale. -</p> - -<p> -'Nothing, of course,' replied Madelon sadly. -</p> - -<p> -'Then what do you want?' -</p> - -<p> -'What I have said. I heard that the son of -Major Melfort—or MacIan as he called -himself in the past time—was here at Craigengowan, -and I made sae bold as to ca' and see -him—the bairn I hae suckled.' -</p> - -<p> -'If you nursed my grandson, as you say,' -said Lady Fettercairn, 'do you not recognise -him? Stand forward, Shafto.' -</p> - -<p> -'Shafto—is this Mr. Shafto!' exclaimed -Madelon. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, my son Lennard's son.' -</p> - -<p> -'Shafto Gyle!' said Madelon bewildered. -</p> - -<p> -'What <i>do</i> you mean?' -</p> - -<p> -'What I say, my leddy.' -</p> - -<p> -'This is Major Melfort's only son.' -</p> - -<p> -'Only nephew! The bairn I nursed—the -son of Lennard Melfort and my darling Flora—was -named after her, Florian, and was like -herself, dark-haired, dark-eyed, and winsome. -Where is he? What is the meaning of this, -Mr. Shafto? I recognise ye now, though -years hae passed since I saw ye.' -</p> - -<p> -'She is mad or drunk!' exclaimed Shafto, -starting up savagely. -</p> - -<p> -'I am neither,' said Madelon, firmly and -defiantly. -</p> - -<p> -'Turn her out of the house!' said Shafto, -with his hand on the bell. -</p> - -<p> -'There is some trick here—where is Florian?' -</p> - -<p> -'How the devil should I know, or be -accountable for him to a creature like you?' -</p> - -<p> -'Ay, ay, Mr. Shafto, as a bairn ye were -aye crafty, shrewd, and evil-natured, and if a -lie could hae chokit ye, ye wad hae been deid -lang syne.' -</p> - -<p> -'This is most unseemly language, Madelon -Galbraith,' said Lady Fettercairn, rising from -her chair, 'and to me it seems that you are -raving.' -</p> - -<p> -'Unseemly here or unseemly there, it is -the truth,' said Madelon, stoutly, and, sooth to -say, Lady Fettercairn's estimation and -knowledge of Shafto's character endorsed the -description given of it by Madelon. -</p> - -<p> -'Florian was dark, and you are, as you -were, fair and fause too; and Florian had -what you have not, and never had, a black -mole-mark on his right arm.' -</p> - -<p> -'Such marks pass away,' said Shafto. -</p> - -<p> -'No, these marks never pass away!' -retorted Madelon; 'there is some devilry at -work here. I say, where is Florian? Ay, -ay,' she continued; 'my bairn, Florian, was -born on a Friday, and a Friday's birth, like a -Friday's marriage, seldom is fortunate; but -this is no my bonnie black-eyed lad, Lady -Fettercairn—so <i>where</i> is he?' -</p> - -<p> -'This is intolerable!' said Lady Fettercairn, -whom that name by old association of -ideas seemed to irritate; and, on a valet -appearing in obedience to a furious ring given -to the bell by Shafto, she added, 'Show this -intruder out of the house, and do so instantly.' -</p> - -<p> -The man was about to put his hand on -Madelon, but the old Highland woman drew -herself up with an air of defiance, and swept -out of the room without another word. -</p> - -<p> -'See her not only out of the house, but off -the grounds,' shouted Shafto, who was almost -beside himself with rage and genuine fear. -'Nay, I'll see to that myself,' he added. -'Such lunatics are dangerous.' -</p> - -<p> -Seeing her hastening down the avenue, he -whistled from the stable court a huge mastiff, -and by voice and action hounded it on her. -The dog bounded about her, barking furiously -and tore her skirts to her infinite terror, till -the lodgekeeper dragged it off and closed -the gates upon her. Then she went upon -her way, her Highland heart bursting with -rage and longing for revenge. -</p> - -<p> -Shafto was glad that Lord Fettercairn was -absent, as he might have questioned Madelon -Galbraith more closely; but to his cost he -was eventually to learn that he had not seen -the last of Florian's nurse. -</p> - -<p> -This visit taken in conjunction with the -mode in which Finella now treated him made -Craigengowan somewhat uncomfortable for -Shafto, so he betook himself to Edinburgh, -and to drown his growing fears plunged into -such a mad career of dissipation and extravagance -that Lord Fettercairn began to regret -that he had ever discovered an heir to his -estates at all. -</p> - -<p> -While there Shafto saw in the newspaper -posters one day the announcement of the terrible -disaster at Isandhlwana, 'with the total -extirpation of the 24th Warwickshire Foot!' -</p> - -<p> -'<i>His</i> regiment, by Jove! I'll have a drink -over this good news,' thought the amiable -Shafto, and certainly a deep 'drink' he did have. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap03"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER III. -<br /><br /> -A BRUSH WITH THE ZULUS. -</h3> - -<p> -When Florian recovered consciousness the -African sun was high in the sky; but he lay -still for a space in his leafy concealment, as -he knew not what time had elapsed since he -had last seen his mounted pursuers, or how -far or how near they might be off. -</p> - -<p> -Dried blood plastered all one side of his -face, and blood was still oozing from the -wound in his temple. Over it he tied his -handkerchief, and with his white helmet off—as -it was a conspicuous object—he clambered -to the edge of the donga and looked about -him. -</p> - -<p> -The vast extent of waste and open veldt -spread around him, but no living object was -visible thereon. His pursuers must have -ridden forward or returned to Elandsbergen -without searching the donga, and thus he -was, for the time at least, free from them. -</p> - -<p> -In the distance he saw the Drakensberg -range, and knew that his way lay westward -in the opposite direction. It is the name given -to a portion of the Ouathlamba Mountains, -which form the boundary between the Free -States, Natal, and the land of the Basutos. -They rise to a height of nine thousand feet, -and their topography is imperfectly known. -</p> - -<p> -Having assured himself that he was -unwatched and unseen, Florian quitted the -donga, and, after an anxious search of an hour -or more, succeeded in striking upon the ruts -or wheel-tracks that must lead, he knew, to -the camp at Rorke's Drift, beside the Buffalo -River, and then he steadily, though weary -and somewhat faint, proceeded upon his -return journey. -</p> - -<p> -How many miles he walked he knew not—there -were no stones to mark them; but -evening was at hand, and he had traversed a -district of <i>ruggens</i>, as it is called there—a -succession of many grassy ridges—before an -exclamation of supreme satisfaction escaped -him, when he saw the white bell-tents of -Colonel Glyn's column, pitched on the grassy -veldt beside the winding stream, and, passing -the advanced sentinels, he lost no time in -reporting himself to Sheldrake, and relieving -himself also of that unlucky gold which had -so nearly cost him his life. -</p> - -<p> -Sheldrake sent instantly for Dr. Gallipott, a -staff-surgeon, who dressed Florian's hurt. In -the bearing of the latter as he related his -late adventures Sheldrake was struck with a -certain grave simplicity or quiet dignity—an -air of ease and perfect self-possession—far -above his present position. -</p> - -<p> -'You are "not what you seem to be," as -novels have it?' said the young officer inquiringly. -</p> - -<p> -'I am a soldier, sir, as my—— (father was -before me, he was about to say, but paused in -confusion and substituted) 'as my fate decided -for me.' -</p> - -<p> -Impressed by his whole story and the -terrible risks and toil he had undergone, -young Sheldrake offered a substantial money -reward to Florian, who coloured painfully at -the proposal, drew back, with just the -slightest air of hauteur, and declined it. -</p> - -<p> -'You are somewhat of an enigma to me,' -said the puzzled officer. -</p> - -<p> -'Is there any news in camp, sir?' -</p> - -<p> -'Only that we enter Zululand to-morrow, -and a draft from home joined us to-day under -Captain Hammersley.' -</p> - -<p> -Florian heard the name of Captain -Hammersley without much concern, save that he -was one of the same corps. He little foresaw -how much their names and interests would be -mingled in the future. -</p> - -<p> -'Here he comes,' said Sheldrake, as the -handsome officer in his fresh uniform came -lounging, cigar in mouth, into the tent, and -Florian, with a salute, withdrew. Ere he did so, -</p> - -<p> -'Tom,' said Sheldrake to his servant, 'tell -the messman to give the sergeant a bottle of -good wine; he'll need it to keep up his -pecker after last night's work and with the -work before us to-morrow.' -</p> - -<p> -Florian thanked the officer and retired; -and he and Bob Edgehill shared the contents -of the bottle, while the latter listened to his -narration. -</p> - -<p> -'You have grown to look very grave, -Hammersley,' said Sheldrake; 'of what are -you thinking so much?' -</p> - -<p> -'Nothing.' -</p> - -<p> -'Nothing?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes; the best way to get through life -is <i>not</i> to think at all,' replied Hammersley -bitterly, for his thoughts were ever and -always of Finella and that fatal evening in -the shrubbery at Craigengowan, where he -saw her lift up her face to Shafto, who kissed -her as though he had been used to do so all -his life. -</p> - -<p> -Colonel Glyn's column consisted of seven -companies of his own regiment, the 24th, -the Natal Mounted Police, a body of -Volunteers, two 7-pounder Royal Artillery guns -under Major Harness, and 1000 natives -under Rupert Lonsdale, late of the 74th -Highlanders. -</p> - -<p> -At half-past three on the morning of the -12th of January, the colonel, with four -companies, some of the Natal Native Contingent, -and the mounted men, left his camp to -reconnoitre the country of Sirayo, which lay to -the eastward of it. With his staff, Lord -Chelmsford accompanied this party, which, -after a few miles' march, reached a great -donga, in a valley through which the Bashee -River flows, and wherein herds of cattle were -collected, and their lowing loaded the calm -morning air, though they were all unseen, -being concealed in the rocky krantzes or -precipitous fissures of the ravine. -</p> - -<p> -A body of Zulus now appeared on the -hills above, and Florian regarded them with -intense interest, while the mounted men -advanced against them, and his company, -with the others, pushed in skirmishing order -up the ravine where the cattle were known -to be. -</p> - -<p> -He could see that these Zulu warriors -were models of muscle and athletic activity, -and nearly black-skinned rather than -copper-coloured. They were dressed in feathers, -with the tails of wild animals round their -bodies, behind and before; their ornaments -were massive rings formed of elephants' -tusks, and their anklets were of brass or -polished copper; they had large oval shields, -rifles, and bundles or sheafs of assegais, their -native deadly weapon, and they bounded -from rock to rock before our skirmishers -with the activity of tree-tigers. -</p> - -<p> -'With the assegai,' says Sir Arthur -Cunynghame, 'the Zulu cuts his food, he -fights and does many useful things, and it -is used as a surgical instrument. Carefully -sharpening it, he uses it to bleed the human -patient, and with it he inoculates his cow's -tail. In the chase it is his spear, a deadly -weapon in his hand, and ready instrument -for skinning his game.' -</p> - -<p> -The orders of the main body of this -reconnoitring force, which had suddenly -become an attacking one, were to ascend -a hill on the left, then to work round to -the right rear of the enemy's position, -and assault and destroy a kraal -belonging to the brother of Sirayo, whose -surrender the Government had demanded -as one of the violators of the British territory. -</p> - -<p> -The moment the companies of the 24th -got into motion a sharp fire was opened -on them by the Zulus, who were crouching -behind bushes and great stones, and on the -Native Contingent which led the attack, -under Commandant Browne. -</p> - -<p> -The latter had their own armament of -assegais and shields, to which the Government -added Martini-Henrys or Enfields, but -their fighting-dress consisted of their own -bare skins. Each company generally was -formed of a separate tribe, under its own -chief, with a nominal allowance of three -British officers; but there were none of -minor rank, to lead sections, or so forth, as -these natives could not comprehend divided -authority. They were pretty well drilled, -and many were skilled marksmen; but now -many fell so fast under the fire of the Zulus -that every effort of their white officers was -requisite to get the others on. -</p> - -<p> -Dying or dead, with the red blood oozing -from their bullet-wounds, rolling about and -shrieking in agony, or lying still and lifeless, -they studded all the rocky ascent, while the -survivors gradually worked their way upward, -planting in their fire wherever a dark -head or limb appeared; and when they came -within a short distance of the enemy's -position, the men of the 24th prepared to carry -it by a rush. -</p> - -<p> -Hammersley's handsome face glowed -under his white helmet, and his dark eyes -sparkled as he formed his company for -attack on the march. -</p> - -<p> -'From the right—four paces extend!' -</p> - -<p> -Then the skirmishers swung away out at -a steady double. -</p> - -<p> -Florian was now for the first time under -fire. He heard the ping of the rifle-bullets -as they whistled past him from the smoke-hidden -position of the Zulus, and he heard -the splash of the lead as they starred the -rocks close by. Then came that tightening -of the chest and increase of the pulse which -the chance of sudden death or a deadly -wound inspire, till after a time that emotion -passed away, and in its place came the -genuine British bull-dog longing to grapple -with the foe. -</p> - -<p> -The Zulus fired briskly and resolutely from -their rocky eyries; and while one party made -a valiant stand at a cattle-kraal, another -nearly made the troops quail and recoil by -hurling down huge boulders, which they -dislodged by powerful levers and sent -thundering and crashing from the summit of the -hill till it was captured by the bayonets of -the 24th; they were put to flight in half an -hour, and by nine in the morning the whole -affair was over, and Florian found he had -come unscathed through his baptism of -fire; but Lieutenant Sheldrake had his -shoulder-arm lacerated by a launched assegai -when leading the left half-company. -</p> - -<p> -Sirayo's kraal, which lay farther up the -Bashee Valley, was burned later in the day -by mounted men under Colonel Baker -Russell. Our losses were only fourteen; -those of the Zulus were great, including the -capture of a thousand cattle and sheep. All -the women and children captured were sent -back to their kraals by order of Lord -Chelmsford, who, on the 17th of January, -rode out to the fatal hill of Isandhlwana, -which he selected as the next halting-place -of the centre column, and which was -eventually to prove well nigh its grave! -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap04"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IV. -<br /><br /> -THE CAMP. -</h3> - -<p> -On the 20th of January the column began -its march for the hill of Isandhlwana, through -a country open and treeless. -</p> - -<p> -'Where and how is Dulcie now?' was -the ever-recurring thought of Florian as he -tramped on in heavy marching order in rear -of Hammersley's company. Oh, to be rich -and free—rich enough, at least, to save her -from that cold world upon which she was -cast, and in which she must now be so lonely -and desolate. -</p> - -<p> -But he was a soldier now, and serving -face to face with death in a distant and savage -land, and, so far as she was concerned, hope -was nearly dead. -</p> - -<p> -'My position seems a strangely involved -one!' thought Florian, when he brooded over -the changed positions of himself and Shafto; -'there is some mystery in it which has not -yet been unravelled. Am I to be kept in this -state of doubt and ignorance all my life—but -that may be a short period as matters -go now. <i>My father!</i> Must I never more call -or consider him I deemed to be so, by that -name again!' -</p> - -<p> -Four companies of the 24th Regiment -were left at Rorke's Drift when Colonel -Glyn's column reached Isandhlwana, which -means the Lion's Hill. Precipitous and -abrupt to the westward, on the eastward it -slopes down to the watercourse, and grassy -spurs and ridges rise from it in every -direction. The waggon track to Rorke's Drift -passes over its western ridge, and groups of -lesser hills, covered with masses of loose -grey stones, rise in succession like waves of -a sea in the direction of the stream called -the Buffalo. -</p> - -<p> -When the column reached the hill and -began to pitch their tents, the young soldiers -of the 'new system' were sorely worn and -weary—'pumped out,' as they phrased it. -'We may laugh at the old stiff stock and -pipeclay school,' says a popular military -writer, 'but it may be no laughing matter -some day to find out that, together with the -stock and pipeclay which could easily be -spared, we have sacrificed the old <i>solidity</i> -which army reformers should have 'grappled -to their souls with hooks of steel,' and -painfully was that want of hardihood and -foresight shown in the tragedy that was acted on -the Hill of Isandhlwana. -</p> - -<p> -A long ridge, green and grassy, ran southward -of the camp, and overlooked an extensive -valley. Facing this ridge, and on the -extreme left of the camp, were pitched the -tents of the Natal Native Contingent. A -space of three hundred yards intervened -between this force and the next two regiments. -</p> - -<p> -The British Infantry occupied the centre, -and a little above their tents were those of -Lord Chelmsford and the head-quarter staff. -The mounted infantry and the artillery were -on the right, lining the verge of the waggon -track—road it could scarcely be called. The -camp was therefore on a species of sloping -plateau, overlooked by the crest of the hill, -which rose in its rear, sheer as a wall of rock. -The waggons of each corps were parked in -its rear. -</p> - -<p> -The camp looked lively and picturesque -on the slope of the great green hill, the white -tents in formal rows, with the red coats -flitting in and out, and the smoke of fires -ascending here and there, as the men -proceeded to cook their rations. -</p> - -<p> -Florian was detailed for out-piquet duty -that night, for the Zulus were reported to be -in force in the vicinity, and no one on that -duty could close an eye or snatch a minute's -repose. The circle of the outposts from the -centre of the camp extended two thousand -five hundred yards by day, lessened to one -thousand four hundred by night, though the -mounted videttes were further forward of -course; but, by a most extraordinary oversight, -no breastworks or other barriers were -formed to protect the camp. -</p> - -<p> -Before coming to the personal adventures -of our friends in this story, we are compelled -for a little space to follow that of the war. -</p> - -<p> -Early on the morning of the following day, -the mounted infantry and police, under Major -Dartnell, proceeded to reconnoitre the -mountainous ground in the direction of a fastness -in the rocks known as Matyano's stronghold, -while the Natal force, under Lonsdale, moved -round the southern base of the Malakota Hill -to examine the great dongas it overlooked. -</p> - -<p> -Dartnell's party halted and bivouacked at -some distance from the camp, to which he -sent a note stating that he had a clear view -over all the hills to the eastward, and the -Zulus were clustering there in such numbers -that he dared not attack them unless -reinforced by three companies of the 24th next -morning. -</p> - -<p> -A force to aid him left the camp accordingly -at daybreak, in light marching order, without -knapsacks, greatcoats, or blankets, with one -day's cooked provisions and seventy rounds -per man; and with it went Lord Chelmsford. -</p> - -<p> -These three detached parties so weakened -the main body in camp that it consisted then -of only thirty mounted infantry for videttes, -eighty mounted volunteers and police, seventy -men of the Royal Artillery, six companies of -the 24th, including Hammersley's, and two of -the Natal Native Contingent. -</p> - -<p> -When these reconnoitring parties were far -distant from Isandhlwana, the Zulus in sight -of them were seen to be falling back, -apparently retiring on what was afterwards -found most fatally to be a skilfully -preconceived plan; and, prior to making a general -attack upon them, Lord Chelmsford and his -staff made a halt for breakfast. -</p> - -<p> -It was at that crisis that a messenger—no -other than Sergeant Florian MacIan—came -from the camp mounted, with tidings that -the enemy were in sight on the left, and that -the handful of mounted men had gone forth -against them. -</p> - -<p> -On this Lord Chelmsford ordered the -Native Contingent to return at once to the -hill of Isandhlwana. -</p> - -<p> -Soon after shots were briskly exchanged -with the enemy in front; a vast number were -'knocked over,' and some taken prisoners. -One of the latter admitted to the staff, when -questioned, that his King Cetewayo expected -a large muster that day—some twenty-five -thousand men at least. -</p> - -<p> -It was noon now, and a suspicion that -something might be wrong in the half-empty -camp occurred to Lord Chelmsford and his -staff, and this suspicion was confirmed, when -the distant but deep hoarse boom of heavy -guns came hurtling through the hot atmosphere. -</p> - -<p> -'Do you hear that?' was the cry on all -hands; 'there is fighting going on at the -camp—we are attacked in the rear!' -</p> - -<p> -Then a horseman came galloping down -from a lofty hill with the startling tidings that -he could see the flashing of the cannon at the -hill of Isandhlwana, and that it was enveloped -on every side by smoke! -</p> - -<p> -To the crest of that hill Lord Chelmsford -and his staff galloped in hot haste and turned -their field-glasses in the direction of the -distant camp, but if there had been smoke it -had drifted away, and all seemed quiet and -still. The rows of white bell-tents shone -brightly in the clear sunshine, and no signs of -conflict were visible. Many men were seen -moving among the tents, but they were -supposed to be British soldiers. -</p> - -<p> -This was at two in the afternoon, and the -suspicion of any fatality—least of all the awful -one that had occurred—was dismissed from -the minds of the staff and Lord Chelmsford, -who did not turn his horse's head towards the -camp till a quarter to three, according to the -narrative of Captain Lucas of the Cape Rifles. -</p> - -<p> -When, with Colonel Glyn's detachment, he -had marched within four miles of it, he came -upon the Native Contingent halted in -confusion, indecision, and something very like -dismay, and their bewilderment infected the -party of the General, towards whom, half an -hour after, a single horseman came up at -full speed. -</p> - -<p> -He was Commandant Lonsdale, the gallant -leader of the Natal Contingent, who had gone -so close to the camp that he had been fired -on by what he thought were our own troops, -but proved to be Zulus in the red tunics of -the slain, the same figures whom the staff -from the distant hill had seen through their -field glasses moving among the snow-white -tents. -</p> - -<p> -Out of one of them he saw a Zulu come -with a blood-dripping assegai in his hand. -He then wheeled round his horse, and, -escaping a shower of rifle-bullets, galloped -on to warn Lord Chelmsford of the terrible -trap into which he was about to fall. The -first words he uttered were, 'My Lord, the -camp is in possession of the enemy!' -</p> - -<p> -Of the troops he had left there that -morning nothing now remained but the dead, -and that was nearly all of them. -</p> - -<p> -The silence of death was there! And now -we must note what had occurred in the -absence of the General, of Colonel Glyn, and -the main body of the second column. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap05"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER V. -<br /><br /> -THE MASSACRE AT ISANDHLWANA. -</h3> - -<p> -'What the deuce is up?' cried Hammersley -and other officers, as they came rushing out -of their tents when the sound of firing was -heard all along the crest of the hill on the -left of the camp, as had been reported to -Lord Chelmsford; and, soon after, the few -Mounted Infantry under Colonel Durnford -were seen falling back, pursued swiftly by -Zulus, who, like a dark human wave, came -rolling in thousands over the grim crest -of the hill, throwing out dense clouds of -skirmishers, whose close but desultory fire -fringed all their front with smoke. -</p> - -<p> -There was no occasion for drum to be -beaten or bugle blown to summon the -troops; in a moment all rushed to arms, and -the companies were formed and 'told off' in -hot and nervous haste. -</p> - -<p> -The Zulus came on in very regular -masses, eight deep, maintaining a steady fire -till within assegai distance, when they ceased -firing, and launched with aim unerring their -deadly darts. -</p> - -<p> -Our troops responded by a close and -searching fire, under which the black-skinned -savages fell in heaps, but their -places were fearlessly taken by others. -</p> - -<p> -The rocket battery had been captured by -them in their swift advance, and every man -of it perished in a moment with Colonel -Russell. -</p> - -<p> -Driven back by their furious rush and -force, the cavalry gave way, and Captain -Mostyn, with two companies of the noble -24th, was despatched at the double to the -eastern neck of the hill of Isandhlwana, -where the Zulus in vast force were pressing -along to outflank the camp, and on this -wing of theirs he at once opened a disastrous -fire. -</p> - -<p> -Near the Royal Artillery guns the other -two companies of the 24th were extended in -skirmishing order; this was about half-past -twelve p.m., and, as the mighty semicircle—the -horns of the Zulu army—closed on -them, every officer and man felt that they -were fighting for bare existence now, and -only procrastinating the moment of extirpation. -</p> - -<p> -The shock which Hammersley's heart -had received by the supposed deception of -Finella was still too terribly fresh to render -him otherwise than desperate and reckless -of life, and in the coming <i>mêlée</i> he fought -like a tiger. -</p> - -<p> -He longed to forget both it and her—to -put death itself, as he had now put distance, -between himself and the place where that -cruel blow had descended upon him; thus -he exposed himself with a temerity that -astonished Sheldrake, Florian, and others. -</p> - -<p> -D'Aquilar Pope's company of the 24th -was thrown forward in extended order near -the waggon track till his left touched the -files of the right near the Artillery. Facing -the north were the companies of Mostyn, -Cavaye, and Hammersley, with two of the -Native Contingent, all in extended order, and -over them the guns threw shot and shell -eastward. But all the alternative companies -were without supports to feed the fighting -line, unless we refer to some of the Native -Contingent held as a kind of reserve. -</p> - -<p> -The crest of that precipitous mountain -in front of which our luckless troops were -fighting with equal discipline and courage in -the silent hush of desperation, is more than -4,500 feet high; but the camp upon, its -eastern slope had been in no way prepared, -as we have said, for defence by earthworks -or otherwise. -</p> - -<p> -'The tents,' we are told, 'were all -standing, just as they had been left when the -troops under Chelmsford and Glyn marched -out that morning, and their occupants were -chiefly officers' servants, bandsmen, clerks, -and other non-combatants, who, until they -were attacked, were unconscious of danger. -Fifty waggons, which were to have gone -back to the commissariat camp at Rorke's -Drift, about six miles in the rear as the crow -flies, had been drawn up the evening before -in their lines on the neck between the track -and the hill, and were still packed in the -same position. All other waggons were in -rear of the corps to which they were -attached. The oxen having been collected -for safety when the Zulus first came in -sight, many of them were regularly yoked in.' -</p> - -<p> -It was not until after one o'clock that our -handful of gallant fellows on the slope of the -hill fully realised the enormous strength of -the advancing army, now ascertained to -have been <i>fourteen thousand men</i>, under -Dabulamanzi. -</p> - -<p> -By that time the Zulus had fought to -within two hundred yards of the Natal -Contingent, which broke and fled, thus leaving a -gap in the fighting line, and through that -gap the Zulus—loading the air with a -tempest of triumphant yells and shrieks—burst -like a living sea, and in an instant all -became hopeless confusion. -</p> - -<p> -'Form company square,' cried Hammersley, -brandishing his sword; 'fours deep, on the -centre—close.' -</p> - -<p> -But there was no time to close in or form -rallying-squares, and never again would our -poor lads 're-form company.' -</p> - -<p> -Before Mostyn's and Cavaye's companies -could close, or even fix their bayonets, they -were destroyed to a man, shot down, assegaied, -and disembowelled, while the shrieks -and fiend-like yells of the Zulus began to -grow louder as the rattle of the musketry -grew less, and the swift game of death -went on. -</p> - -<p> -Hammersley's company, which had been -on the extreme left, though unable to form -square, succeeded in reaching, but in a -shattered condition, a kind of terrace on the -southern face of the hill, from whence, as -the smoke cleared away, they could see the -Zulus using their short, stabbing assegais -with awful effect upon all they overtook -below. -</p> - -<p> -Under the fire of the cannon, which had -been throwing case-shot, the Zulus fell in -groups rather than singly, and went down by -hundreds; but as fast as their advanced files -melted away, hordes of fresh savages came -pouring up exultingly from the rear to feed -the awful harvest of death; and, as they -closed in, 'Limber up!' was the cry of -Major Smith, the Artillery commanding -officer; but the limber gunners failed to -reach their seats, and, save a sergeant and -eight, all perished under the assegai; and -while in the act of spiking a gun, the Major -was slain amid an awful <i>mêlée</i> and scene of -carnage, where horse and foot, white man -and black savage, were all struggling and -fighting in a dense and maddened mass -around the cannon-wheels. -</p> - -<p> -Notwithstanding the manner in which he -exposed himself, Hammersley, up to this -time, found himself untouched; but his -subaltern, poor Vincent Sheldrake, whose -wounded sword-arm rendered him very -helpless, was bleeding from several stabs -and two bullet-wounds, which it was -impossible to dress, yet he strove to save his -servant Tom, who was lying in his last -agony, and who, in gratitude, strove to -accord him a military salute, and died in the -attempt. -</p> - -<p> -'Poor Vincent! you are covered with -wounds!' said Hammersley. -</p> - -<p> -'Ay; so many that my own mother—God -bless her!—wouldn't know me; so many -that if I was stripped of these bloody rags -you would think I was tattooed. It is no -crutch and toothpick business this!' replied -Sheldrake, with a grim faint smile, as from -weakness he fell forward on his hands and -knees, and Florian stood over him with -bayonet fixed and rifle at the charge. -</p> - -<p> -At that moment an assegai flung by a -Zulu finished the mortal career of Sheldrake. -But Florian shot the former through the -head, and the savage—a sable giant—made -a kind of wild leap in the air and fell back on -a gashed pile of the dead and the dying. It -was Florian's last cartridge, and his rifle-barrel -was hot from continued firing by this time. -</p> - -<p> -All was over now! -</p> - -<p> -Every man who could escape strove to -make his way to the Buffalo River, but that -proved impossible even for mounted men. -Intersected by deep watercourses, -encumbered by enormous boulders of granite, the -ground was of such a nature that the fleet-footed -Zulus, whose bare feet were hard as -horses' hoofs, alone could traverse it, and the -river, itself swift, deep, and unfordable, had -banks almost everywhere jagged by rocks -sharp and steep. -</p> - -<p> -A few reached the stream, among them -Vivian Hammersley, his heart swollen with -rage and grief by the awful result of that -bloody and disastrous day, by the destruction -of his beloved regiment—the old 24th—for -which he could not foresee the other destruction -that 'the Wolseley Ring' would bring -upon it and the entire British Army, and -the loss by cruel deaths of all his -brother-officers—the entire jolly mess-table. In that -time of supreme agony of heart, we believe -he almost forgot his quarrel with Finella -Melfort, but found the track to Helpmakaar -and Rorke's Drift, where a company of the -24th were posted under the gallant young -Bromhead; but most of the fugitives were -entirely ignorant of the district through -which they wildly sought to make their -escape, and thus were easily overtaken and -slain by the Zulus; and so hot was the -pursuit of these poor creatures, that even of -those who strove to gain a point on the -Buffalo, four miles from Isandhlwana, none -but horsemen reached the river, and of these -many were shot or drowned in attempting to -cross it. -</p> - -<p> -Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Pulleine of the -24th, on perceiving all lost, and that the -open camp was completely in the hands of -the savages, called to Lieutenant Melville, -and said, -</p> - -<p> -'As senior lieutenant, you will take the -colours, which must be saved at all risks, -and make the best of your way from here!' -</p> - -<p> -He shook warmly the hand of young -Melville, who, as adjutant, was mounted, and -then exclaimed to the few survivors: -</p> - -<p> -'Men of the old 24th, here we are, and -here we must fight it out!' -</p> - -<p> -Then his gallant 'Warwickshires' threw -themselves in a circle round him, and -perished where they stood. -</p> - -<p> -Melville galloped off with the colours, -escorted by Lieutenant Coghill of the same -corps, and by Florian, who was ordered to -do so, as colour-sergeant, and who, luckily -for himself, had found a strong horse. These -three fugitives were closely pursued, and with -great difficulty kept together till they reached -the Buffalo River, the bank of which was -speedily lined with Zulu pursuers armed with -rifle and assegai. -</p> - -<p> -Melville's horse was shot dead in the -whirling stream, and the green-silk colours, -heavy with gold-embroidered honours, slipped -from his hands. Coghill, a brave young Irish -officer, reached the Natal side untouched and -in perfect safety; but on seeing his Scottish -comrade clinging to a rock while seeking -vainly to recover the lost colours, he went -back to his assistance, and his horse was then -shot, as was also that of Florian, who failed -to get his right foot out of the stirrup, and -was swept away with the dead animal down -the stream. -</p> - -<p> -The Zulus now continued a heavy fire, -particularly on Melville, whose scarlet patrol -jacket rendered him fatally conspicuous -among the greenery by the river-side at that -place. Two great boulders, six feet apart, -lie there, and between them he and Coghill -took their last stand, and fought, sword in -hand, till overwhelmed. 'Here,' says Captain -Parr in his narrative, 'we found them lying -side by side, and buried them on the spot'—truly -brothers in arms, in glory and in death. -</p> - -<p> -When all but drowned, Florian succeeded -in disentangling his foot from the stirrup-iron, -and struck out for the Natal side. A shrill -yell from the other bank announced that he -was not unseen; bullets ploughed the water -into tiny white spouts about him, and many -a long reedy dart was launched at him—but -with prayer in his heart and prayer on his -lips he struggled on, and reached the bank, -where he lay still, worn breathless, incapable -of further exertion, and weakened by his -recent fall in the donga, after escaping from -Elandsbergen; thus believing that all was over -with him, the Zulus ceased firing, and went in -search of congenial carnage elsewhere. And -there, dying to all appearance, in a reedy -swamp by the Buffalo river, the tall grass -around him, bristling with launched assegais, -lay Florian Melfort, the true heir of -Fettercairn, friendless and alone. -</p> - -<p class="t3"> -* * * * * -</p> - -<p> -No Briton survived in camp to see the -complete end of the awful scene that was -acted there! And of that scene no actual -record exists. For a brief period—a very -brief one—a hand to hand fight went on -among, and even in, the tents, and the -company of Captain Reginald Younghusband -of the 24th alone appears to have made any -organized resistance. Making a wild rally -on a plateau below the crest of the hill, they -fought till their last cartridges were expended, -and then died, man by man, on the ground -where they stood. The Zulus surged round -and over them with tiger-like activity, frantic -gestures, remorseless ferocity, and lust of -blood, whirling and flinging their ponderous -knobkeries, or war-clubs, one blow from -which would suffice to brain a bullock. -</p> - -<p> -Even the savage warriors who slew and -mutilated them were filled with admiration at -their courage, while tossing their own dead -again and again on the bayonet-blades to -bear down the hedge of steel. 'Ah, those -red soldiers at Isandhlwana!' said the Zulus -after; 'how few they were, and how they -fought! They fell like stones—each man in -his place.' -</p> - -<p> -There is something pathetic in the -description of the stand made by the <i>last man</i> -(poor Bob Edgehill, of the 24th), as given in -the <i>Natal Times</i>. -</p> - -<p> -Keeping his face to the foe, he struggled -towards the crest of the hill overlooking the -camp, till he reached a small cavern in the -rocks. Therein he crept, and with rifle and -bayonet kept the Zulus at bay, while they, -taking advantage of the cover some rocks -and boulders afforded them, endeavoured by -threes and fours to shoot him. -</p> - -<p> -Bob—that rackety Warwickshire lad—was -very wary. He did not fire hurriedly, -but shot them down in succession, taking a -steady and deliberate aim. At last his only -remaining cartridge was dropped into the -breech-block of his rifle; another Zulu fell, -and then he was slain. This was about five -in the evening, when the shadow of the hill -of Isandhlwana was falling far eastward across -the valley towards the ridge of Isipesi. -</p> - -<p> -'We ransacked the camp,' said a Zulu -prisoner afterwards, 'and took away -everything we could find. We broke up the -ammunition-boxes and took all the cartridges. -We practised a great deal at our kraals with -the rifles and ammunition. Lots of us had -the same sort of rifle that the soldiers used, -having bought them in our own country, but -some who did not know how to use it had to -be shown by those who did.' -</p> - -<p> -Five entire companies of the 1st battalion -of the 24th perished there, with ninety men -of the 2nd battalion; 832 officers and men -mutilated and disembowelled, in most -instances stripped, lay there dead, shot in -every position, amid gashed and gory horses, -mules, and oxen, while 1400 oxen and £60,000 -of commissariat supplies were carried off. -</p> - -<p> -At ten minutes past six in the evening of -that most fatal day Lord Chelmsford was -joined by Colonel Glyn's force. A kind of -column was formed, with the guns in the -centre, with the companies of the 2nd -battalion of the 24th on each flank, and when -the sun had set, and its last light was lingering -redly on the rocky scalp of Isandhlwana, this -force was within two miles of the camp, where -now alone the dead lay. The opaque outline -of the adjacent hills was visible, with the dark -figures of the Zulus pouring in thousands -over them in the direction of Ulundi; and -after shelling the neck of the Isandhlwana -Hill—where it would seem none of the -enemy were, for no response was made—the -shattered force, crestfallen in spirit, heavy in -heart, and after having marched thirty miles, -and been without food for forty-eight hours, -bivouacked among the corpses of their -comrades. -</p> - -<p> -When, five months after, the burial parties -were sent to this awful place, great difficulty -was experienced in finding the bodies, the -tropical grass had grown so high, while -the stench from the slaughtered horses and -oxen was overpowering. Every conceivable -article, with papers, letters, and photographs -of the loved and the distant, were thickly -strewn about. 'A strange and terrible calm -seemed to reign in this solitude of death and -nature. Grass had grown luxuriantly about -the waggons, sprouting from the seed that -had dropped from the loads, falling on soil -fertilised by the blood of the gallant fallen. -The skeletons of some rattled at the touch. -In one place lay a body with a bayonet thrust -to the socket between the jaws, transfixing -the head a foot into the ground. Another -lay under a waggon, covered by a tarpaulin, -as if the wounded man had gone to sleep -while his life-blood ebbed away. In one -spot over fifty bodies were found, including -those of three officers, and close by another -group of about seventy; and, considering that -they had been exposed for five months, they -were in a singular state of preservation.' -</p> - -<p> -Such is the miserable story of Isandhlwana. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap06"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VI. -<br /><br /> -HAS SHE DISCOVERED ANYTHING? -</h3> - -<p> -Finella Melfort knew by the medium of -telegrams and despatches in the public -prints—all read in nervous haste, with her -heart sorely agitated—that Hammersley had -escaped the Isandhlwana slaughter, and was -one of the few who had reached a place of -safety. So did Shafto, but with no emotion -of satisfaction, it may be believed. -</p> - -<p> -When the latter returned to Craigengowan, -Lady Fettercairn had not the least suspicion -of the bitter animosity with which Finella -viewed him, and of course nothing of the -episode in the shrubbery, and thus was -surprised when her granddaughter announced -a sudden intention of visiting Lady -Drumshoddy, as if to avoid Shafto, but delayed -doing so. -</p> - -<p> -At his approach she recoiled from him, not -even touching his proffered hand. All the -girlish friendship she once had for this newly -discovered cousin had passed away now, -crushed out by a contempt for his recent -conduct, so that it was impossible for her to -meet him or greet him upon their former -terms. She feared that her loathing and -hostility might be revealed in every tone and -gesture, and did not wish that Lord or Lady -Fettercairn should discover this. -</p> - -<p> -To avoid his now odious society—odious -because of the unexplainable quarrel he had -achieved between herself and the now absent -Vivian—she would probably have quitted -Craigengowan permanently, and taken up -her residence with her maternal relation at -Drumshoddy Lodge; but she preferred the -more refined society of Lady Fettercairn, and -did not affect that of the widow of the -ex-Advocate and Indian Civilian, who was -vulgarly bent on urging the interests of -Shafto, and would have derided those of -Hammersley in terms undeniably coarse had -she discovered them. And Lady -Drumshoddy, though hard by nature as gun-metal, -was a wonderful woman in one way. She -could back her arguments by the production -of tears at any time. She knew not herself -where they came from, but she could 'pump' -them up whenever she had occasion to taunt -her granddaughter with what she termed -contumacy and perverseness of spirit. -</p> - -<p> -On the day Shafto returned Finella was in -the drawing-room alone. She was posed in -a listless attitude. Her slender hands lay -idly in her lap; her face had grown thin and -grave in expression, to the anxiety and -surprise of her relatives. Her chair was -drawn close to the window, and she was -gazing, with unseeing eyes apparently, on the -wintry landscape, where the lawn and the -leafless trees were powdered with snow, -and a red-breasted robin, with heart full -of hope, was trilling his song on a naked -branch. -</p> - -<p> -It was a cheerless prospect to a cheerless -heart. She had drawn from her portemonnaie -(wherein she always kept it) the bitter little -farewell note of Hammersley, and, after -perusing it once more, returned it slowly to -its place of concealment. -</p> - -<p> -Where was he then? How employed—marching -or fighting, in peril or in safety? -Did he think of her often, and with anger? -Would he ever come back to her, and afford -a chance of explanation and reconciliation? -Ah no! it was more than probable their paths -in life would never cross each other again. -</p> - -<p> -Tears welled in her eyes as she went over -in memory some episodes of the past. She -saw again his eager eyes and handsome face -so near her own, heard his tender and pleading -voice in her ear, and recalled the touch of his -lips and the clasp of his firm white hand. -</p> - -<p> -Another hand touched her shoulder, and she -recoiled with a shudder on seeing Shafto. -</p> - -<p> -'What is this I hear,' said he; 'that you -think of leaving Craigengowan?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes,' she replied, curtly. -</p> - -<p> -'Because I have returned, I presume?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes.' -</p> - -<p> -His countenance darkened as he asked: -</p> - -<p> -'But—why so?' -</p> - -<p> -'Because I loathe that the same roof -should be over you and me. Think of what -your infamous cunning has caused!' -</p> - -<p> -'A separation,' said he, laughing malevolently, -'a quarrel between that fellow and you?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes,' she replied with flashing eyes. -</p> - -<p> -'Can nothing soften this hostility towards -me?' he asked after a pause. -</p> - -<p> -'Nothing. I never wish to see your face -or hear your voice again.' -</p> - -<p> -'Well, if you leave Craigengowan simply -to avoid me I shall certainly tell your -grandmother the reason; and how will you like that?' -</p> - -<p> -'You will?' -</p> - -<p> -'By heaven, I will! That he and you -alike resented my regard for you?' -</p> - -<p> -To say that Shafto loved Finella, with all -her beauty, would be what a writer calls a -'blasphemy on the master-passion;' but he -admired her immensely, longed for her, and -more particularly for her money, as a -protection—a barrier against future and -unseen contingencies. -</p> - -<p> -At his threat Finella grew pale with -anticipated annoyance and mortification; but in -pure dread of Shafto's malevolence, and for -the other reasons given, she did not hasten -her preparations for departure, and ere long -the arrival of a new guest at Craigengowan -decided her on remaining, for this guest was -one for whom she conceived a sudden and -lasting affection, and with whom she found -ties and sympathies in common. -</p> - -<p> -After being out most part of a day riding, -Shafto returned in the evening, and, throwing -his horse's bridle to a groom, was ascending -the staircase to his own room, when, -framed as it were in the archway of a -corridor, he saw, to his utter bewilderment, the -face and figure of Dulcie Carlyon! -</p> - -<p> -His voice failed him, and with parted lips -and dilated eyes she gazed at him in equal -amazement, too, but she was the first to -speak. -</p> - -<p> -'Shafto,' she exclaimed, 'you here—<i>you</i>?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes,' he snapped; 'what is there strange -in that? This is my grandfather's house.' -</p> - -<p> -'Your grandfather's house?' she repeated, -and then the details of the situation came -partly before her. She lifted up her eyes, -wet with tears like dewy violets, for his voice, -if hard and harsh, was associated with her -home and Revelstoke, but she shrank from -him, and her lips grew white on finding -herself so suddenly face to face with one whom -she felt intuitively was a kind of evil genius -in her life! -</p> - -<p> -Dulcie just then seemed a delightful object -to the eye. That pure waxen skin, which -always accompanies red-golden hair, was set -off to the utmost advantage by the dead -black of her deep mourning, and her plump -white arms and slender hands were coquettishly -set off by long black lace gloves, for -Dulcie was dressed for dinner, and her soft -white neck shone like satin in contrast to a -single row of jet beads, her only other -ornament being Florian's locket, on which the -startled eyes of Shafto instantly fell. -</p> - -<p> -Dulcie saw this, and instinctively she placed -her hand—a slim and ringless little white -hand—upon it, as if to protect it, and gather -strength from its touch; but her bosom now -heaved at the sight of Shafto, and fear and -indignation grew there together, for she was -losing her habitual sense of self-control. -</p> - -<p> -'You—here?' he said again inquiringly. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes,' she replied in a broken voice, 'and -I wonder if I am the same girl I was a year -ago, when poor papa was well and living, and -I had dear Florian—to love me!' -</p> - -<p> -'Dulcie <i>here</i>—d—nation!' thought Shafto: -'first old Madelon Galbraith and now Dulcie; -by Jove the plot is thickening—the links may -be closing!' -</p> - -<p> -He had an awful fear and presentiment of -discovery; thus perspiration stood like -bead-drops on his brow; yet the mystery of her -presence was very simple. -</p> - -<p> -Poor Mrs. Prim could stand no longer the -cold treatment and the 'whim-whams,' as she -called them, of Lady Fettercairn; she had -gone away, and it was known at Craigengowan -that a substitute—a more pleasing one, -in the person of a young English girl—was -coming as companion, through the -instrumentality of the Rev. Mr. Pentreath. -</p> - -<p> -Shafto had been absent in Edinburgh when -this arrangement was made. Lady Fettercairn -had thought the matter too petty, too -trivial, to mention in any of her letters to her -'grandson;' Dulcie knew not where Shafto -was, and thus the poor girl had come -unwittingly to Craigengowan, and into the very -jaws of that artful schemer! -</p> - -<p> -Few at the first glance might have recognised -in Dulcie the bright, brilliant little girl -whom Florian loved and Shafto had insulted -by his so-called passion. The character of -her face and perhaps of herself were somewhat -changed since her affectionate father's -death, and Florian's departure to Africa in a -position so humble and hopeless. The bright -hair which used to ripple in a most becoming -and curly fringe over her pretty white -forehead had to be abandoned for braiding, as -Lady Fettercairn did not approve of a -'dependant' dressing her hair in what she -deemed a fast fashion, though sanctioned by -Royalty; and now it was simply shed back -over each shell-like ear without a ripple if -possible, but Dulcie's hair always would ripple -somehow. -</p> - -<p> -'Shafto,' said Dulcie, in a tone of deep -reproach; 'what have you done with Florian? -But I need not ask.' -</p> - -<p> -'By the locket you wear, you must have -seen or heard from him since he and I parted,' -replied Shafto, with the coolest effrontery; -'so what has he done with himself?' -</p> - -<p> -'I should ask that of you.' -</p> - -<p> -'Of me!' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes—why is he not here?' -</p> - -<p> -'Why the deuce should he be <i>here</i>?' was -the rough response. -</p> - -<p> -'He is your cousin, is he not?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes: we are full cousins certainly,' -admitted Shafto with charming frankness. -</p> - -<p> -'Nothing more?' -</p> - -<p> -'What the devil more should we be?' asked -Shafto, coarsely, annoyed by her questions. -</p> - -<p> -'Friends—you were almost brothers -once—in the dear old Major's time.' -</p> - -<p> -'We are not enemies; he chose some way to -fortune, I suppose, when Fate gave me mine.' -</p> - -<p> -'And you know not where he is?' -</p> - -<p> -'No.' -</p> - -<p> -'Nor what he has done with himself?' -</p> - -<p> -'No—no—I tell you no!' exclaimed Shafto, -maddened with annoyance by these persistent -questions and her tearful interest in her lover. -</p> - -<p> -'Poor Florian!' said the girl, sadly and -sweetly, 'he has become a soldier, and is now -in Zululand.' -</p> - -<p> -Shafto certainly started at this intelligence. -</p> - -<p> -'In Zululand,' he chuckled; '<i>he</i> too there! -Well, beggars can't be choosers, so he chose -to take the Queen's shilling.' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, Shafto, how hard-hearted you are!' -exclaimed Dulcie, restraining her tears with -difficulty. -</p> - -<p> -'Am I? So he has left you—gone away—become -a soldier; well, I don't think that -a paying kind of business. Why bother about him?' -</p> - -<p> -'Why—Shafto?' -</p> - -<p> -'It will be strange if you do so long.' -</p> - -<p> -'Wherefore?' -</p> - -<p> -'Because, to my mind, a woman is seldom -faithful, unless it suits her purpose to be so; -and in this instance it won't suit yours.' -</p> - -<p> -Dulcie's eyes sparkled with anger, though -they were eyes that, fringed by the longest -lashes, looked at one usually sweetly, -candidly, with an innocent and fearless expression. -Her bosom heaved, as she said— -</p> - -<p> -'Florian will gain a name for himself, I am -sure; and if he dies——' Her voice broke. -</p> - -<p> -'If not in the field it will be where -England's heroes usually die.' -</p> - -<p> -'Where?' -</p> - -<p> -'In the workhouse,' was the mocking -response of Shafto; and he thought, 'If he -is killed by a Zulu assegai, or any other way, -to prevent exposure or public gossip, the -game will still lie in my hands.' -</p> - -<p> -In the public prints Dulcie had of course -seen details of the episode of Lieutenants -Melville and Coghill, and their attempts to -save that fatal colour, which was afterwards -found in the Buffalo, and decorated with -immortelles by the Queen at Osborne; the -papers also added that the colour-sergeant -who accompanied them was missing, and that -his body had not been found. -</p> - -<p> -<i>Missing!</i> -</p> - -<p> -As no name had yet been given, Dulcie was -yet mercifully ignorant of what that appalling -word contained for her! -</p> - -<p> -'Already you appear to be quite at home -here in Craigengowan,' said Shafto, after an -awkward pause. -</p> - -<p> -'I am at home,' replied Dulcie simply; 'and -hope this may be the happiest I have had -since papa died.' -</p> - -<p> -(But she doubted that, with Shafto as an -inmate.) -</p> - -<p> -'I am glad to hear it; but you don't mean -to treat me—an old friend—as you have done?' -</p> - -<p> -'Friend!' she exclaimed, and laughed a -little bitter laugh, that sounded strange from -lips so fresh, so young and rosy. -</p> - -<p> -'You have not yet accepted my hand.' -</p> - -<p> -'Nor ever shall, Shafto Gyle,' said she -defiantly, and still withholding hers. -</p> - -<p> -'Melfort!' said he menacingly. -</p> - -<p> -'I knew and shall always know you as -Shafto Gyle.' -</p> - -<p> -It was not quite a random speech this, but -it stung the hearer. He crimsoned with fury, -and thought—'She is as vindictive as Finella. -Has she discovered <i>anything about me</i>?' -</p> - -<p> -'Shafto, do you know that the dressing-bell -was rung some time since?' said Lady Fettercairn -with the same asperity, as she appeared -in the corridor. -</p> - -<p> -Both started. How long had she been -there, and what had she overheard? was in the -mind of each. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap07"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VII. -<br /><br /> -FEARS AND SUSPICIONS. -</h3> - -<p> -'Well, Dulcie,' said Shafto, who, full of his -own fears, contrived to confront her alone -before the dinner, which was always a late one -at Craigengowan, 'won't you even smile—now -that we are for a little time apart—for -old acquaintance sake?' -</p> - -<p> -'How can I smile, feeling as I do—and -knowing what I do?' -</p> - -<p> -'<i>What</i> do you know?' he asked huskily, -and changing colour at this new and stinging -remark. -</p> - -<p> -'That poor Florian is facing such perils in -South Africa,' she replied in a low voice. -</p> - -<p> -'Pooh! is that all?' said Shafto, greatly -relieved; 'he'll get on, as well as he can -expect, no doubt.' -</p> - -<p> -'Amid all the wealth that surrounds you, -could you not have done something for -him?' asked the girl, wistfully and reproachfully. -</p> - -<p> -'Poor relations are a deuced bother, and -here they dislike his name somehow.' -</p> - -<p> -As his fears passed away Shafto's aspect -became menacing, and knowing her helplessness -and her dependent position in the house -to which he was the heir, for a moment or two -the girl's spirit failed her. -</p> - -<p> -'Well, what do you mean to say now?' he -asked abruptly. -</p> - -<p> -'About whom?' she asked softly and -wonderingly. -</p> - -<p> -'Me!' -</p> - -<p> -'I shall say nothing, Shafto—nothing to -injure you at least—with reference to old -times.' -</p> - -<p> -'What the devil could you say that would -injure me in the eyes of my own family?' -</p> - -<p> -Dulcie thought of the locket stolen from her -so roughly, of his subsequent villainy therewith, -and of his tampering with her long and -passionate letter to Florian, but remained -judiciously silent, while striving to look at him -with defiant haughtiness. -</p> - -<p> -'I am speaking to you, Dulcie; will you -have the politeness to attend to me?' -</p> - -<p> -'To what end and purpose?' -</p> - -<p> -She eyed him with chilling steadiness now, -though her heart was full of fear; but his -shifty grey eyes quailed under the cold gaze -he challenged, and thought how closely her -bearing and her words resembled those of -Finella. -</p> - -<p> -'You don't like me, Dulcie,' said he with a -bitter smile, 'that is pretty evident.' -</p> - -<p> -'No, I simply hate you!' said she, losing -all control over herself. -</p> - -<p> -'You are charmingly frank, Miss Carlyon, -but hate is a game that two can play at; so -beware, I say, <i>beware!</i> I must hold the -winning cards.' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, how brave and generous you are to -threaten and torture a poor, weak girl whom -you call an old friend, and under your own -roof!' -</p> - -<p> -'And the dear dove of Florian—Florian -the private soldier!' he sneered fiercely. -</p> - -<p> -'How horrible, how cruel!' she wailed, and -covered her eyes with her hands. -</p> - -<p> -'Never mind,' he resumed banteringly, -'you have got back your locket again.' -</p> - -<p> -'I wonder how you dare to refer to it!' she -exclaimed, and for a moment the angry gleam -of her eyes was replaced by a soft, dreamy -smile, as she recalled the time and place when -Florian clasped the locket round her neck, -when the bells of Revelstoke Church were -heard on the same breeze that wafted around -them the perfumes of the sweetbriar and wild -apple blossoms in the old quarry near the sea, -which was their trysting-place. How happy -they were then, and how bright the future -even in its utter vacuity, when seen through -the rosy medium of young love! -</p> - -<p> -Shafto divined her thoughts, for he said -with jealous anger— -</p> - -<p> -'You used the term dare with reference to -your precious locket?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes; the locket of which you, Shafto -Gyle, deprived me with coarse violence, -like—like——' -</p> - -<p> -'Well, what?' -</p> - -<p> -'The garotters who are whipped in prison!' -</p> - -<p> -His face grew very dark; then he said— -</p> - -<p> -'We may as well have a truce to this sort -of thing. A quarrel between you and me, -Dulcie Carlyon, would only do me no harm, -but you very much. The grandmater wouldn't -keep you in the house an hour.' -</p> - -<p> -'How chivalrous, how gentlemanly, you are!' -</p> - -<p> -'Hush!' said he, with alarm, for at that -instant the dinner-bell was clanging, and -Finella with others came into the drawing-room, -Lady Fettercairn luckily the last, -though Shafto had warily withdrawn abruptly -from Dulcie's vicinity at the first sound of it. -Her first dinner in the stately dining-room -of Craigengowan, with its lofty arched recess, -where stood the massive sideboard arrayed -with ancient plate, its hangings and full-length -pictures, was a new experience—a kind -of dream to Dulcie. The lively hum of many -well-bred voices in easy conversation; the -great epergne with its pyramid of fruit, -flowers, ferns, and feathery grasses; the -servants in livery, who were gliding -noiselessly about, and seemed to be perpetually -presenting silver dishes at her left elbow; old -Mr. Grapeston, the solemn butler, presiding -over the entire arrangements—all seemed part -of a dream, from which she would waken to -find herself in her old room at home, and see -the waves rolling round the bleak promontory -of Revelstoke Church and in the estuary of -the Yealm; and, sooth to say, though used to -all this luxury now, and though far from -imaginative, Shafto had not been without -some fears at first that he too might waken -from a dream, to find himself once more -perched on a tall stool in Lawyer Carlyon's -gloomy office, and hard at work over an -ink-spotted desk, the memory of which he loathed -with a disgust indescribable. -</p> - -<p> -Seeing that Dulcie looked sad and -abstracted, Finella, who kindly offered a seat -beside her, said softly and sweetly: -</p> - -<p> -'I hope you won't feel strange among us; -but I see you are full of thought. Did you -leave many dear friends behind you—at home, -I mean?' -</p> - -<p> -'Many; oh yes—all the village, in fact,' -said Dulcie, recalling the sad day of her -departure; 'but, perhaps, I was selfish enough -to regret one most—my pet.' -</p> - -<p> -'What was it?' -</p> - -<p> -'A dear little canary—only a bird.' -</p> - -<p> -'And why didn't you bring it?' -</p> - -<p> -'People said that a great lady like Lady -Fettercairn would not permit one like me -to have pets, and so—and so I gave him -to our curate, dear old Mr. Pentreath. Oh, -how the bird sang as I was leaving him!' -</p> - -<p> -'Poor Miss Carlyon?' said Finella, touched -by the girl's sweet and childlike simplicity. -</p> - -<p> -For a moment—but a moment only—Dulcie -was struck by the painful contrast -between her own fate and position in life, -and those of the brilliant Finella Melfort, -and with it came a keen sense of -inequality and injustice; but Finella, -fortunately for herself, was an heiress of money, -and not—as Lord Fettercairn often reminded -her—an unlucky landed proprietor, in these -days of starving crofters, failing tenants, Irish -assassinations, and agricultural collapses, with -defiant notices of impossibility to pay rent, -and clamours for reduction thereof. She was -heiress to nothing of that sort, but solid gold -shaken from the Rupee Tree. -</p> - -<p> -When the ladies withdrew to the drawing-room, -Dulcie gladly accompanied them, -instead of retiring (as perhaps Lady -Fettercairn expected) to her own apartment; we -say gladly, as she was as much afraid of the -society of Shafto as he was of hers—and she -had a great dread she scarcely knew of what. -</p> - -<p> -How, if this cold, stately, and aristocratic -lady, to whom she now owed her bread, and -whose paid dependant she was, should -discover that Shafto, the recovered 'grandson,' -had ever made love to her once upon a time -in her Devonshire home? -</p> - -<p> -Dulcie, as it was her first experience of -Craigengowan, did not sink into her position -there, by withdrawing first, and, more than -all, silently. She effusively shook hands -with everyone in a kindly country fashion, -but withdrew her slender fingers from -Shafto's eager clasp with a haughty -movement that Lady Fettercairn detected, and -with some surprise and some anger, too; but -to which she did not give immediate vent. -</p> - -<p> -'Her hair is unpleasantly red,' said she to -Finella after a time. -</p> - -<p> -'Nay, grandmamma,' replied the latter; -'I should call it golden—and what a lovely -skin she has!' -</p> - -<p> -'Red I say her hair is; and she looks ill.' -</p> - -<p> -'Well, even if it is, she couldn't help her -hair, unless she dyed it; besides, she is in -mourning for her father, poor thing, and has -had a long, long journey. No one looks -well after that—and she travelled third-class -she told me, poor girl.' -</p> - -<p> -'How shocking! Don't speak of it.' -</p> - -<p> -Dulcie had indeed done so. Her exchequer -was a limited one; and farewell gifts to -some of her dear old people had reduced it to -a minimum. -</p> - -<p> -'She seems rather a Devonshire hoyden,' -said Lady Fettercairn, slowly fanning -herself; 'but I hope she will be able to make -herself useful to me.' -</p> - -<p> -'Grandmamma, I quite adore her!' -exclaimed the impulsive Finella; 'we shall be -capital friends, I am sure.' -</p> - -<p> -'But you must never forget who she is.' -</p> - -<p> -'An orphan—or a lawyer's daughter, do you mean?' -</p> - -<p> -'What then?' -</p> - -<p> -'My paid companion,' said Lady Fettercairn -icily; but Finella was not to be -repressed, and exclaimed: -</p> - -<p> -'I am sure that she is, by nature, a very -jolly girl.' -</p> - -<p> -'Don't use such a phrase, Finella; it is -positive slang.' -</p> - -<p> -'It expresses a great deal anyway, grand-mamma,' -said Finella, who was somewhat of -an enthusiast; and added, 'There is something -very pathetic at times in her dark blue -eyes—something that seems almost to look -beyond this world.' -</p> - -<p> -'What an absurd idea!' -</p> - -<p> -'She has evidently undergone great sorrow, poor thing.' -</p> - -<p> -'All these folks who go out as companions -and governesses, and so forth, have undergone -all that sort of thing, if you believe -them; but they must forget their sorrows, be -lively, and make themselves useful. What -else are they paid for?' -</p> - -<p> -Lady Fettercairn had been quite aware at -one time that Shafto had been in the -employment of a Mr. Carlyon in Devonshire, and -Dulcie wondered that no questions were -asked her on the subject; but doubtless the -distasteful idea had passed from the -aristocratic mind of the matron, and Shafto (save -to Dulcie in private) had no desire to revive -Devonshire memories, so <i>he</i> never referred -to it either. -</p> - -<p> -Dulcie, her grief partially over and her -fear of Shafto nearly so, revelled at first in -the freedom and beauty of her surroundings. -Craigengowan House (or Castle, as it was -sometimes called, from its turrets and whilom -moat) was situated, she saw, among some of -the most beautiful mountain scenery of the -Mearns; and, as she had spent all her life -(save when at school) in Devonshire, the -lovely and fertile surface of which can only -be described as being billowy to a Scottish -eye, she took in the sense of a complete -change with wonder, and regarded the vast -shadowy mountains with a little awe. -</p> - -<p> -In the first few weeks after her arrival at -Craigengowan she had plenty of occupation, -but of a kind that only pleased her to a -certain extent. -</p> - -<p> -She had Lady Fettercairn's correspondence -to attend to; her numerous invitations to -issue and respond to; her lap-dog to wash -with scented soaps—but Dulcie always doted -dearly on pets; and she had to play and -sing to order, and comprehensively to make -herself 'useful;' yet she had the delight of -Finella's companionship, friendship, and—she -was certain—regard. But she was -imaginative and excitable; and when night -came, and she found herself alone in one -of the panelled rooms near the old -Scoto-French turrets, with their vanes creaking -overhead, and she had to listen to the -boisterous Scottish gales that swept through the -bleak and leafless woods and howled about -the old house, as a warning that winter had -not yet departed, poor little English Dulcie -felt eerie, and sobbed on her pillow for the -dead and the absent; for the days that would -return no more; for her parents lying at -Revelstoke, and Florian—who was she knew -not where! -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap08"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VIII. -<br /><br /> -BY THE BUFFALO RIVER. -</h3> - -<p> -The morning of a new day was well in when -Florian, lying among the tall, wavy reeds -and feathery grass by the river-bank, awoke -from a sleep that had been deep and heavy, -induced by long exhaustion, toil, and -over-tension of the nerves. Ere he started up, -and as he was drifting back to consciousness, -his thoughts had been, not of the awful -slaughter from which he had escaped, but, -strange to say, of Dulcie Carlyon, the object -of his constant and most painful solicitude. -</p> - -<p> -His returning thoughts had been of the -past and her. In fancy he saw her again, -with her laughing dark blue eyes and her -winning smile; he felt the pressure of her -little hand, and heard the tones of her voice, -so soft and winning, and saw her, not as he -saw her last, in deep mourning, but in her -favourite blue serge trimmed with white, and -a smart sailor's hat girt with a blue yachting -ribbon above her ruddy golden hair; then -there came an ominous flapping of heavy -wings, and he started up to find two -enormous Kaffir vultures wheeling overhead -in circles round him! -</p> - -<p> -On every side reigned profound silence, -broken only by the lap-lapping of the Buffalo -as it washed against rocks and boulders on -its downward passage to the Indian Ocean. -A few miles distant rose the rocky crest of -fatal Isandhlwana, reddened to the colour of -blood by the rising sun, and standing up -clearly defined in outline against a sky of the -deepest blue; and a shudder came over him -as he looked at it, and thought of all that had -happened, and of those who were lying -unburied there. -</p> - -<p> -His sodden uniform was almost dried now -by the heat of the sun, but he felt stiff and -sore in every joint, and on rising from the -earth he knew not which way to turn. He -knew that two companies of the first battalion -of his regiment were at Helpmakaar, with -the regimental colour, and that one of the -second battalion was posted at Rorke's Drift, -under Lieutenant Bromhead, but of where -these places lay he had not the least idea. -He was defenceless too, for though he had -his sword-bayonet he had lost his rifle when -his horse was shot in the stream. -</p> - -<p> -He passed a hand across his brow as if to -clear away his painful and anxious thoughts, -and was making up his mind to follow the -course of the river upward as being the most -likely mode of reaching Rorke's Drift when -a yell pierced his ears, and he found himself -surrounded by some twenty black-skinned -Zulus, with gleaming eyes and glistening -teeth, all adorned with cow-tails, feathers, -and armlets, and armed in their usual -fashion—Zulus who had been resting close by him -among the long reeds, weary, as it proved; -after their night's conflict at Rorke's Drift -and their repulse at that place. -</p> - -<p> -Florian's blood ran cold! -</p> - -<p> -Already he seemed to feel their keen -assegais piercing his body and quivering in -his flesh. However, to his astonishment, -these savages, acting under the orders of their -leader, did nothing worse then than strip him -of his belts and tunic, and, strange enough, -examined him to see if he was wounded -anywhere. -</p> - -<p> -He then understood their leader to say—for -he had picked up a few words of their not -unmusical language—that they would give -him as a present to Cetewayo. -</p> - -<p> -Their leader proved to be one of the sons -of Sirayo—one of the original causes of the -war, and has been described as a model Zulu -warrior, lithe, muscular, and without an ounce -of superfluous flesh on his handsome limbs; -one who could launch an assegai with -unerring aim, and spring like a tiger to close -quarters with knife or knobkerie—the same -warrior who lay long a prisoner in the gaol -of Pietermaritzburg after the war was over. -</p> - -<p> -They dragged Florian across the river at -a kind of ford, and partly took him back the -way he had come from Isandhlwana, and -awful were the sights he saw upon it—the -dead bodies of comrades, all frightfully -gashed and mutilated, with here and there -a wounded horse, which, after partially -recovering from its first agony, was cropping, -or had cropped, the grass around in a limited -circle, which showed the weakness caused by -loss of blood; and Florian, with a prayerful -heart, marvelled that his savage captors -spared <i>him</i>, as they assegaied these helpless -animals in pure wantonness and lust of -cruelty. -</p> - -<p> -All day they travelled Florian knew not in -what direction, and when they found him -sinking with exertion they gave him a kind -of cake made of mealies to eat, and a draught -of <i>utywala</i> from a gourd. This is Kaffir -beer, or some beverage which is like thin -gruel, but on which the army of Cetewayo -contrived to get intoxicated on the night -before the battle of Ulundi. -</p> - -<p> -Early next day he was taken to a military -kraal, situated in a solitary and pastoral plain, -surrounded by grassy hills, where he was -given to understand he would be brought -before the king. -</p> - -<p> -Like all other military kraals, it consisted -of some hundred beehive-shaped huts, -surrounded by a strong wooden palisade, nine -feet high and two feet thick. He was thrust -into a hut, and for a time left to his own -reflections. -</p> - -<p> -The edifice was of wicker-work made of -wattles, light and straight, bent over at -regular distances till they met at the apex, on -the principle of a Gothic groined arch. The -walls were plastered, the roof neatly thatched; -the floor was hard and smooth. Across it -ran a ledge, which served as a cupboard, -where all the clay utensils were placed, -and among these were squat-shaped jars -capable of holding twenty gallons of Kaffir -beer. -</p> - -<p> -Ox-hide shields and bundles of assegais -were hung on the walls, which were thin -enough to suggest the idea of breaking -through them to escape; but that idea no -sooner occurred to the unfortunate prisoner -than he abandoned it. He remembered the -massive palisade, and knew that within and -without were the Zulu warriors in thousands, -for the kraal was the quarters of an Impi or -entire column. -</p> - -<p> -After a time he was brought before -Cetewayo, who was seated in a kind of chair -at the door of a larger hut than the rest, -with a number of indunas (or colonels) about -him, all naked save at the loins, wearing -fillets or circlets on their shaven heads, and -armed with rifles; and now, sooth to say, as -he eyed this savage potentate wistfully and -with dread anxiety, Florian Melfort thought -not unnaturally that he was face to face with -a death that might be sudden or one of -acute and protracted torture. -</p> - -<p> -There is no need for describing the -appearance of the sable monarch, with -whose face and burly figure the London -photographers have made all so familiar; but -on this occasion though he was nude, all save a -royal mantle over his shoulders—a mantle -said to have borne 'a suspicious resemblance -to an old tablecloth with fringed edges'—he -wore his other 'royal' ensignia, which -these artists perhaps never saw—a kind of -conical helmet or head-dress, with a sort of -floating puggaree behind, and garnished by -three feathers, not like the modern badge of -the Prince of Wales—but like three old -regimental hackles, one on the top and one -on each side. -</p> - -<p> -Near him Florian saw a white man, clad -like a Boer, whom he supposed to be another -unfortunate prisoner like himself, but who -proved to be that strange character known -as 'Cetewayo's Dutchman,' who was there to -act as interpreter. -</p> - -<p> -This personage, whose name was Cornelius -Viljoen, had been a Natal trader, and acted -as a kind of secretary to the Zulu King -throughout the war; but latterly he was -treated with suspicion, and remained as a -prisoner in his hands, and now he was -ordered to ask Florian a series of questions. -</p> - -<p> -'Can you unspike the two pieces of cannon -captured by the warriors of Dabulamanza at -Isandhlwana?' -</p> - -<p> -These were seven-pounder Royal Artillery guns. -</p> - -<p> -'I cannot,' replied Florian. -</p> - -<p> -'Why?' -</p> - -<p> -'Because I am not a gunner—neither -am I a mechanic,' he replied, unwilling to -perform this task for the service of the -enemy. -</p> - -<p> -'The king desires me to tell you that if -you can do this, and teach his young men -the way to handle these guns, he will give -you a hundred head of oxen, a kraal by the -Pongola River, where your people will never -find you, and you will ever after be a great -man among the Zulus.' -</p> - -<p> -Again Florian protested his inability, -assuring them that he knew nothing of -artillery. -</p> - -<p> -When questioned as to the strength of the -three columns that entered Zululand, the -king and all his indunas seemed incredulous -as to their extreme weakness when compared -to the vast forces they were to encounter, -and when told that there were hundreds of -thousands of red soldiers who could come -from beyond the sea, they laughed aloud -with unbelief, and Cetewayo said the more -that came the more there would be to kill, -and that when he had driven the last of the -British and the last of the Boers into the salt -sea together, he would divide all their lands -among his warriors. -</p> - -<p> -Cetewayo waved his hand, as much as to -say the interview was over, and said -something in a menacing tone to Cornelius -Viljoen. -</p> - -<p> -'You had better consider the king's wish,' -said the latter to Florian; 'he tells me that if -you do not obey him in the matter of the -guns, you will be cut in small pieces with an -assegai, joint by joint, beginning with the -toes and finger-tips, so that you may be long, -long of dying, and pray for death.' -</p> - -<p> -For three successive days he was visited -by the Dutchman, who repeated the king's -request and threat, and, in pity perhaps for -his youth, the speaker besought him to -comply; but Florian was resolute. -</p> - -<p> -Each day at noon the latter was escorted -by two tall and powerful Zulus, one armed -with a musket loaded, and the other with a -double-barbed assegai, into the adjacent -mealie fields, where, to sustain life, he was -permitted with his hands unbound to make a -plentiful repast on this hermit-like diet; and -it was while thus engaged he began to see -and consider that this was his only chance of -escape, if he could do so, by preventing the -explosion of the musket borne by one of his -guards from rousing all the warriors in and -about the kraal. -</p> - -<p> -Florian was quite aware now of the reason -<i>why</i> Methlagazulu (for so the son of Sirayo -was named) had so singularly spared his life, -when captured beside the Buffalo River, and -he knew now that if he failed to obey the -request of Cetewayo in the matter of -unspiking the two seven-pounders, or wore out -the patience of that sable potentate, he would -be put to a cruel death; and he shrewdly -suspected, from all he knew of the Zulu -character, that even were he weak enough, or -traitor enough, to do what he was requested, -he would be put to death no doubt all the -same, despite the promised kraal and herd of -cattle beyond the Pongola River. -</p> - -<p> -He had seen too much of ruthless slaughter -of late not to be able to nerve himself—to -screw his courage up to the performance of -a desperate deed to secure his own deliverance -and safety. -</p> - -<p> -His two escorts were quite off their guard, -while he affected to be feeding himself with -the green mealies, and no more dreamt that -he would attack them empty-handed or -unarmed than take a flight into the air. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly snatching the assegai from the -Zulu, who, unsuspecting him, held it loosely, -he plunged it with all his strength—a -strength that was doubled by the desperation -of the moment—into the heart of the other, -who was armed with the rifle—a Martini-Henry -taken at Isandhlwana—and leaving it -quivering in his broad, brawny, and naked -breast, he seized the firearm as the dying -man fell, and wrenched away his cartridge-belt. -</p> - -<p> -The whole thing was done quick as -thought, and the other Zulu, finding himself -disarmed, fled yelling towards the kraal, -about a mile distant, while Florian, his heart -beating wildly, his head in a whirl, rushed -with all his speed towards a wood—his first -impulse—for shelter and concealment. -</p> - -<p> -In the lives of most people there are -some episodes they care not to recall or to -remember, but this, though a desperate one, -was not one of these to Florian. -</p> - -<p> -He had the start of a mile in case of -pursuit, which was certain; but he knew that -a mile was but little advantage when his -pursuers were fleet and hard-footed Zulus. -</p> - -<p> -Whatever the reason, the pursuit of him -was not so immediate as he anticipated; but he -had barely gained the shelter of the thicket, -which, with a great undergrowth or jungle, -was chiefly composed of yellow wood and -assegai trees, when, on giving a backward -glance, he saw the black-skinned Zulus -issuing in hundreds from the gates in the -palisading, and spreading all over the -intervening veldt. -</p> - -<p> -Would he, or could he, escape so many? -</p> - -<p> -A few shots that were fired at him by -some of the leading pursuers showed that he -was not unseen; but, as the Zulus knew not -how to sight their rifles or judge of distance, -their bullets either flew high in the air or -entered the ground some sixty yards or so -from their feet; and Florian, knowing that -they would be sure to enter the wood at the -point where he disappeared in it, turned off -at an angle, and creeping for some distance -among the underwood to conceal, if possible, -his trail, which they would be sure to follow, -he reached a tree, the foliage of which was -dense. He slung his rifle over his back, and -climbed up for concealment, and then for the -first time he became aware that his hands, -limbs, and even his face, were lacerated, torn, -and bleeding from the leaves and thorns of -the sharp, spiky plants among which he -had been creeping.[*] -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -[*] The escape of Florian from the kraal is an incident -similar, in some instances, to that of Private Grandier, -of Weatherly's Horse, after the affair at Inhlobane. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -He had scarcely attained a perch where -he hoped to remain unseen till nightfall, or -the Zulus withdrew, and where he sat, -scarcely daring to breathe, when the wood -resounded with their yells. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap09"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IX. -<br /><br /> -ON THE KARROO. -</h3> - -<p> -Heedless of the spikes and brambles of the -star-shaped carrion-flower and other Euphorbia, -prickly cacti, and so forth, as if their -bare legs were clothed in mail, the Zulus -rushed hither and thither about the wood in -their fierce and active search, and, as they -never doubted they would find the fugitive, -they became somewhat perplexed when he -was nowhere to be seen; and after -traversing it again and again, they dispersed in -pursuit over the open country, and then -Florian began to breathe more freely. -</p> - -<p> -He had lost his white helmet in the -Buffalo, and been since deprived of his -scarlet tunic; thus, fortunately for himself, -his attire consisted chiefly of a pair of -tattered regimental trousers and a blue flannel -shirt, and these favoured his concealment -among the dense foliage of the tree. -</p> - -<p> -Night came on, but he dared not yet -quit the wood, lest the searchers might be -about; and he dared not sleep lest he -might fall to the ground, break a limb, -perhaps, and lie there to perish miserably. -</p> - -<p> -When all was perfectly still, and the -bright stars were shining out, he thought of -quitting his place of concealment; but a -strange sound that he heard, as of some -heavy body being dragged through the -underwood, and another that seemed like -mastication or chewing, made him pause in -alarm and great irresolution. -</p> - -<p> -Florian thought that night would never -pass; its hours seemed interminable. At -last dawn began to redden the east, and he -knew that his every hope must lie in the -opposite direction; and, stiff and sore, he -dropped a fresh cartridge into the breech-block -of his recently acquired rifle, and then -slid to the ground and looked cautiously -about him. -</p> - -<p> -Then the mysterious sounds he had heard -in the night were fearfully accounted for, and -his heart seemed to stand still when, not -twenty paces from him, he saw a lion of -considerable size, and he knew that more than -one horse of the Kind's Dragoon Guards. -had been devoured by such animals in that -country. -</p> - -<p> -Florian had never seen one before, even -in a menagerie; and, expecting immediate -death, he regarded it with a species of -horrible fascination, while his right hand -trembled on the lock of his rifle, for as a -serpent fascinates a bird, so did the glare -of that lion's eye paralyze Florian for a time. -</p> - -<p> -The African lion is much larger than the -Asiatic, and is more powerful, its limbs being -a complete congeries of sinews. This terrible -animal manifested no signs of hostility, -but regarded Florian lazily, as he lay among -the bushes near a half-devoured quagga, on -which his hunger had been satiated. His -jaws, half open, showed his terrific fangs. -Florian knew that if he fired he might only -wound, not slay the animal, and, with -considerable presence of mind he passed quickly -and silently out of the wood into the open, -at that supreme crisis forgetting even all -about the Zulus, but giving many a backward -nervous glance. -</p> - -<p> -It has been remarked in the Cape Colony -that a change has come over the habits of -the lion on the borders of civilization. In the -interior, where he roams free and unmolested, -his loud roar is heard at nightfall and in the -early dawn reverberating among the hills; -but where guns are in use and traders' -waggon-wheels are heard—perhaps the -distant shriek of a railway engine—he seems -to have learned the lesson that his own -safety, and even his chances of food, lie in -silence. -</p> - -<p> -Over a grassy country, tufted here and -there by mimosa-trees and prickly Euphorbia -bushes, Florian, without other food than the -green mealies of which he had had a repast -on the previous day, marched manfully on -westward, in the hope of somewhere striking -on the Buffalo River, and getting on the -border of Natal, for there alone would he be -in safety. But he had barely proceeded -four miles or so, when he came suddenly -upon three Zulus driving some cattle along a -grassy hollow, and a united shout escaped -them as they perceived him. Two were -armed with rifles, and one carried a sheaf of -assegais. -</p> - -<p> -The two former began to handle their -rifles, which were muzzle-loaders; but, quick -as lightning, Florian dropped on his right -knee, planting on the left his left elbow, and -sighting his rifle at seven hundred yards, in -good Hythe fashion, knocked over the first, -and then the second ere he could reload; for -both had fired at him, but as they were no -doubt ignorant of the use of the back-sight, -their shot had gone he knew not where. -</p> - -<p> -One was killed outright; the other was -rolling about in agony, beating the earth -with his hands, and tearing up tufts of grass -in his futile efforts to stand upright. -</p> - -<p> -The third, with the assegais, instead of -possessing himself of the fallen men's arms -and ammunition to continue the combat, -terrified perhaps to see both shot down so -rapidly, and at such a great distance, fled -with the speed of a hare in the direction of -that hornets' nest, the military kraal. -</p> - -<p> -To permit him to escape and reach that -place in safety would only, Florian knew, too -probably destroy his chances of reaching the -frontier, so he took from his knee a quiet -pot-shot at the savage, who fell prone on his -face, and with a quickened pace Florian -continued his progress westward. -</p> - -<p> -Compunction he had none. He only -thought of his own desperate and lonely -condition, of those who had perished at -Isandhlwana, of poor Bob Edgehill and his -song— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'Merrily, lads, so ho!'<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -the chorus of which he had led when the -'trooper' came steaming out of Plymouth -harbour. -</p> - -<p> -He had now to traverse miles of a genuine -South African <i>karroo</i>, a dreary, listless, and -uniform plain, broken here and there by -straggling <i>kopjies</i>, or small hills of schistus or -slate, the colour of which was a dull -ferruginous brown. No trace of animal nature -was there—not even the Kaffir vulture; and -the withered remains of the fig-marigold and -other succulent plants scattered over the -solitary waste crackled under his feet as he -trod wearily on. -</p> - -<p> -Night was closing again, when, weary and -footsore, he began to feel a necessity for rest -and sleep, and on reaching a little donga, -through which flowed a stream where some -indigo and cotton bushes were growing wild, -he was thankful to find among them some -melons and beans. Of these he ate sparingly; -then, laying his loaded rifle beside him, he -crept into a place where the shrubs grew -thickest, and fell into a deep and dreamless -sleep. -</p> - -<p> -Laden with moisture, the mild air of -the African night seemed to kiss his now -hollow cheeks and lull his senses into soft -repose. -</p> - -<p> -Next day betimes he set out again, unseen -by any human eye, and after traversing the -karroo (far across which his shadow was -thrown before him by the rising sun) for a -few more miles, a cry of joy escaped him -when he came suddenly upon a bend of the -Buffalo River and knew that the opposite -bank was British territory. -</p> - -<p> -Slinging his rifle, he boldly swam across, -and had not proceeded three miles when he -struck upon a kind of beaten path that ran -north and south; but, as a writer says, 'the -worst by-way leading to a Cornish mine, the -steepest ascent in the Cumberland hills which -draught horses would never be faced at, is a -right-royal Queen's highway compared with a -Natal road.' -</p> - -<p> -Great was his new joy when, after a -time spent in some indecision, he saw a -strange-looking vehicle approaching at a -slow pace, though drawn by six Cape -horses. This proved to be Her Majesty's -post-cart proceeding from Greytown to -Dundee, <i>viâ</i> Helpmakaar, the very point -for which the escaped prisoner was making -his way. -</p> - -<p> -It overtook him after a time, and he got a -seat in it among four or five men like Boers, -who, however, proved to be Englishmen. -It was a wretched conveyance, without -springs, and covered with strips of old -canvas, patched in fifty places, and fastened -down by nails. No luggage is allowed for -passengers in these post-carts, which carry -the mail-bags alone. -</p> - -<p> -A naked Kaffir running on foot, armed -with a whip, cut away indefatigably at the -two leaders; another on the box plied a -long jambok or team-whip of raw ox-thong, -urging the animals on the while in his own -guttural language, and only used English -when compelled to have recourse to abuse, -and after ten miles' progress along a road—if -it could be called so—encumbered by -boulders in some places, deep with mud in -others, Florian found himself in the village of -Helpmakaar, and among the tents of the few -survivors of the two battalions of the 24th -Regiment. -</p> - -<p> -Then he heard for the first time of the -valiant defence of Rorke's Drift by Bromhead -and Chard, with only one hundred and -thirty men of all ranks against four thousand -Zulus, all flushed with the slaughter at -Isandhlwana. -</p> - -<p> -He was told how the gallant few in that -sequestered post beside the Buffalo River—merely -a loop-holed store-house, a parapet of -biscuit-boxes, and a thatched hospital, -wherein thirty-five sick men lay—fought with -steady valour for hours throughout that -terrible night, resisting every attempt made -by the wild thousands to storm it, and -without other light than the red flashes of the -musketry that streaked the gloom; how the -hospital roof took fire, and how six noble -privates defended like heroes the doorway -with their bayonets (till most of the sick were -brought forth), each winning the Victoria -Cross; how no less than six times the -Zulus, over piles of their own dead, got -inside the wretched barricades, and six times -were hurled back by our soldiers with the -queen of weapons, which none can wield like -them—the bayonet. -</p> - -<p> -'Thank God that some of the dear old -24th are left, after all!' was the exclamation -of Florian, when among their tents he heard -this heroic story, and related his own -desperate adventures to a circle of bronzed and -eager listeners. -</p> - -<p> -For the first time after several days he -saw his face in a mirror, and was startled by -the wild and haggard aspect of it and the -glare in his dark eyes. -</p> - -<p> -'Surely,' thought he, 'I am not the same -fellow of the dear old days at Revelstoke—not -the lad whom Dulcie remembers—this -stern, wild-eyed man, who looks actually old -for his years;' but he had gone through and -faced much, hourly, of danger, suffering, and -probable death. Could he be the same lad -whom she loved and still loves, and with -whom she fished and boated on the Erme -and Yealm, and gathered berries in the -Plymstock woods and the old quarries by the -sea? -</p> - -<p> -How often of late had he lived a <i>lifetime</i> -in a <i>minute</i>! -</p> - -<p> -There were sweet and sad past memories, -future hopes, strange doubts, retrospections, -and present sufferings all condensed again -and again into that brief space, with strange -recollections of his youth—his dead parents, -the old home, the cottage near Revelstoke, -Dulcie, Shafto, and old nurse Madelon—a -host of confused thoughts, and ever and -always 'the strong vitality of youth rebelling -against possible death'—for death is always -close in war. -</p> - -<p> -But it was not death that Florian feared, -but—like the duellists in 'The Tramp -Abroad'—<i>mutilation</i>. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap10"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER X. -<br /><br /> -FLORIAN JOINS THE MOUNTED INFANTRY. -</h3> - -<p> -Vincent Hammersley, we have said, achieved, -with a few others, his escape to the Natal -side of the Buffalo River, and reached the -village of Helpmakaar, situated about five -miles therefrom, where two companies of the -first battalion of his unfortunate regiment -were posted, under the command of a -field-officer, and where for a few days he found -himself in comparative comfort, though he -and his brother-officers had a crushing sense -of sorrow and mortification for what had -befallen their corps at Isandhlwana; for -regiments were not then what they have become -now, mere scratch battalions, without much -cohesion in peace or war, but were happy, -movable homes—one family, indeed—full of -<i>cameraderie</i>, grand traditions, and old <i>esprit -de corps</i>; and often at Helpmakaar was the -surmise, which is ever in the minds of our -soldiers at the scene of war, put in words, -'What will they think of this at home? -What are folks in Britain saying about -this?' -</p> - -<p> -Hearing of Florian's arrival, kindly he -sent for him to congratulate him on his -escape, and the interview took place in what -was termed the 'mess-tent' (an old tarpaulin -stretched on poles), where, seeing his worn -and wasted aspect, he insisted on his taking -some refreshment before relating what he -and several officers were anxious to hear—details -of the gallant but fatal episode of -Melville and Coghill, when they perished on -the left bank of the Buffalo. They then -heard his subsequent adventures and the story -of his narrow escape. -</p> - -<p> -'I should like to have seen you potting -those three fellows on the open karroo,' said -an officer. -</p> - -<p> -'It was a mercy to me that they knew not -how to sight their rifles, sir, or I should not -have been here to-clay probably,' replied -Florian modestly. -</p> - -<p> -'By Jove!' said Hammersley, 'I can't -think enough of your act in the mealie-field, -polishing off the Zulu who had the rifle with -the assegai of his companion, and so becoming -master of the situation. There were -courage and decision in the act—two valuable -impulses, for indecision and weakness -of character are at the bottom of half the -failures of life. You can't go about thus, in -your shirt-sleeves,' added Hammersley. 'I -have an old guard-tunic in my baggage; it -will be good enough to fight in, and is at your -service.' -</p> - -<p> -'Thanks, sir,' replied Florian, colouring; -'but how can I appear in an officer's tunic?' -</p> - -<p> -'One may wear anything here,' said Hammersley, -laughing. 'By Jove! you are sure -to be an officer some day soon; but meantime -you may rip off the badges.' -</p> - -<p> -Florian was glad of the gift, as all the stores -of every description had been captured at -Isandhlwana. -</p> - -<p> -Hammersley had seriously begun the -apparently hopeless task of rooting Finella's -image out of his heart. -</p> - -<p> -'Flirts and coquettes,' he would think, 'I -have met by dozens in society; but I could -little have thought that the childlike, -apparently straightforward and impulsive Finella -would form such a deuced combination of -both characters! And, not content by -bestowing an engagement ring, I actually gave -her—ass that I was!—a wedding one. Yet -I am not sure that I would not do all the -same folly over again. "Unstable as water—thou -shalt not excel." So we have it in -Genesis.' -</p> - -<p> -A hundred times he asked of himself, how -could she lure him into loving her and then -deceive him so, and for such a cub as -Shafto?—the bright, childlike, outspoken -girl. The act seemed to belie her honest, -fearless, and beautiful eyes—for honest, -fearless, and sweet they were indeed. Oh! it -was all like a bad dream, that sudden -episode in the garden at Craigengowan. -How much of that game had been going on -before and since? This thought, when it -occurred to him, seemed to turn his heart to -stone or steel. -</p> - -<p> -Hammersley was now, by his own request, -appointed to the Mounted Infantry. His -casual remark about the tunic had fired the -sparks of ambition in Florian's heart; thus -he might run great risks, face more peril, and -thus win more honour. -</p> - -<p> -He volunteered to join the same force, and -was placed in Hammersley's troop, which -was to form a part of the column to relieve -Colonel Pearson's force, then isolated and -blockaded by the Zulus at a place called -Etschowe, where he had skilfully turned -an old Norwegian mission-station into a fort. -</p> - -<p> -Nearly on the summit of the Tyoe Mountains, -more than two thousand feet in height, -it stood amid a district of wonderful sylvan -beauty. An open and hilly country lay on -the south, bounded by the vast ranges of the -Umkukusi Mountains; on the north the -Umtalazi River rolled in blue and silver -tints through the green and grassy karroo. -On the westward lay the Hintza forest of -dark primeval wood, and far away, nearly -forty miles to the eastward, could be seen -Port Durnford or the shore of the Indian -Ocean. -</p> - -<p> -But there the Colonel, whose force consisted -chiefly of a battalion of his own regiment, -the 3rd Buffs, six companies of the -Lanarkshire, a naval brigade, some cavalry -and artillery, found himself undergoing all -the inconvenience of a blockade, with -provisions and stores decreasing fast and of -twelve messengers, whom he had sent to -Lord Chelmsford asking instructions and -succour, eleven had been slain on the way, -so there was nothing for it but to fight to the -last, and defend the fort till help came, or -share the fate of those who fell at Isandhlwana. -</p> - -<p> -Fort Tenedos (so called from her Majesty's -ship of that name) was thirty miles distant -from Etschowe, and formed the base from -which Lord Chelmsford went to succour the -latter place at the head of nearly 7,000 men -of all arms. -</p> - -<p> -Hammersley's little troop was with the -vanguard of the leading division, which was -composed of a strong naval brigade, with two -Gatlings, or 'barrel-organs,' as the sailors -called them, 900 Argyleshire Highlanders, -580 of the Lanarkshire and Buffs, 350 -Mounted Infantry, and a local contingent; -and another column, similarly constituted, -under Colonel Pemberton of the 60th Rifles. -'I am glad to have you on this duty -with me,' said Hammersley, as the Mounted -Infantry rode off in the dark hours of the -morning, 'to feel the way,' <i>en route</i> to the -Tugela River. -</p> - -<p> -'I thank you, sir,' replied Florian; 'and -am proud to be still under your orders. I -only wish that Mr. Sheldrake were with us -too.' -</p> - -<p> -'Poor Sheldrake is lying yet unburied with -all the rest!' -</p> - -<p> -'With what solicitude,' thought Hammersley, -smiling in the dark, 'he used to caress -his almost invisible moustache! This -Mounted Infantry service is rather desperate -work,' he said aloud. 'Why did you -volunteer for it?' -</p> - -<p> -'To win honour and rank, if I can. But -you, sir?' -</p> - -<p> -'To forget—if possible—to forget!' was -the somewhat enigmatical reply of -Hammersley. Then, after a long pause, he said -somewhat irrelevantly, 'My instinct told -me from the first that you are a gentleman, -though a sergeant in my company.' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, I am a gentleman,' replied Florian; -'I have passed through a school of adversity -to you unknown, Captain Hammersley. -</p> - -<p> -'Sorry to hear it—poor fellow.' -</p> - -<p> -'And yet, sir, if I may venture to make -the remark, from some things I have heard -you say, you seem to be at warfare with the -world.' -</p> - -<p> -'In one sense, at least, I am embittered -against it,' said Hammersley, and urged, he -knew not by what emotion, unless that -impulse which inspires men at times to make -strange confidences, he added, 'I have -learned the truth of what an author says, -"That a woman can smile in a man's face -and breathe vows of fidelity in his ear, each -one of which is black as her own heart." -This is the reason I volunteered for this -rough work. Have you learned that too?' -</p> - -<p> -'No, sir, thank Heaven!' -</p> - -<p> -'As yet you are lucky; some day you may -be undeceived.' -</p> - -<p> -The noise made by the convoy, two miles -and a half long, descending towards the river, -could now be heard in the rear. It consisted -of 113 waggons, each drawn by twelve oxen; -fifty strongly wheeled Scottish carts; and -about fifty mules all laden. -</p> - -<p> -Every man carried in his spare and expansion -pouches 200 rounds of ball-cartridge. -</p> - -<p> -As the sun rose, the appearance of the -long column, with the convoy, descending -towards the river, and leaving the forests -behind, was impressive and imposing. -Brightness, colour, sound, and action, all -were there. -</p> - -<p> -Like a river of shining steel, the keen -bayonets seemed to flash and ripple in the -sunshine; the red coats and white helmets -came out in strong relief against the -background of green; the pipes of the -Highlanders, and the drums and fifes of the other -corps, loaded the calm moist morning air -with sounds, in which others blended—the -neighing of chargers, the lowing of the -team-oxen, the rumble and clatter of many wheels, -the yells and other unearthly cries of the -Kaffir drivers. -</p> - -<p> -Rain had fallen heavily of late; and the -Tugela, at the point at which the column -crossed, was six hundred yards in breadth. -The mounted infantry were first over, and -rode in extended order—scouting—each man -with his loaded rifle planted by the butt on -his right thigh. Florian was mounted on a -horse which he named Tattoo—as it was a -grey having many dark spots and curious -stripes—a nag he soon learned to love as a -great pet indeed. The country around was -open; thus with the sharp activity of the -scouting force on one hand and the partial -absence of wood or scrub on the other, the -Zulus had few or no opportunities for -surprise or ambush, and the relieving column -had achieved half the distance to be traversed -before any great difficulties occurred. -</p> - -<p> -Each night, on halting, an entrenched -camp or laager was formed, with a shelter -built twenty yards distant outside, and the -strictest silence was enjoined after the last -bugles had sounded. On the march the -column was joined by the 57th 'Regiment,' -the 'Old Die Hards' of Peninsular fame, -whom they received with hearty cheers. -</p> - -<p> -Some Zulus in their simple war array were -visible on the 1st of April; and during the -night many red signal-fires were seen to flash -up on the hills to the north, thus indicating the -gathering of a great force, and these -continued to blaze, though the rain fell heavily, -wetting every man in the laager to the skin, -as the column was without tents. -</p> - -<p> -It was a night of anxiety, gloom, and -suffering. In fitful gleams, between masses -of black and flying cloud, the weird, white -moon shone out at times; but no sound -reached the alert advanced sentinels, save -the melancholy howl of the jackal or the -hoarse croak of the Kaffir vulture expectant -of its coming feast. -</p> - -<p> -The trumpets sounded at dawn on the -2nd of April. The mounted infantry sprang -into their saddles and galloped forth to -reconnoitre, while the troops unpiled and stood -to their arms, though no one knew where the -wily and stealthy Zulus were. Captain Percy -Barrow, of the 19th Hussars, had reconnoitred -on the previous day eight miles to -the north-east, as far as Wamoquendo, and -could see nothing of them, and on the -morning Hammersley with his troop had ridden -as far in a westerly direction with the same -success, and yet ere the day closed the -desperate battle of Ginghilovo was fought. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap11"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XI. -<br /><br /> -DULCIE'S NEW FRIEND. -</h3> - -<p> -And how fared it with Dulcie at Craigengowan? -</p> - -<p> -The season was the early days of April; -but in the Mearns they are usually more like -last days of March, when the Bervie, the -Finella River, and their tributaries were -hurrying towards the sea in haste, as if they had -no time to dally with the pebbles and boulders -that impeded them; when the early-yeaned -lambs begin to gambol and play, and the -cloud and sunshine seem to chase each other -over the tender grass; and when violets, as -Shakspeare has it, 'sweeter than the lids of -Juno's eyes,' give their fragrance to the -passing breeze. -</p> - -<p> -As yet Dulcie knew nothing of what had -exactly befallen Florian, like many others -who had deep and thrilling interest in the -lists of the sergeants, rank and file. -</p> - -<p> -Like Finella, Shafto knew that Hammersley's -name had not appeared in the list -of casualties, and he remembered -him—jealousy apart—with a bitter hatred; for -latterly the former, even before the affair of -the cards, had been very cold, and many a -time, notwithstanding Shafto's position in the -house, used to honour him with only a calm -and supercilious stare. Now it has been -said truly that there are few things more -irritating to one's vanity than to be calmly -ignored. 'Argument, disagreement, even -insolence, are each in their way easier to bear -than that species of lofty indifference intended -to convey a sensation of inferiority and of -belonging to a lower class of beings -altogether. It gives the feeling of there being -something <i>wrong</i> about you without your -exactly knowing <i>what</i>.' -</p> - -<p> -But Shafto felt the falsehood of his position -whenever he was with supposed equals -and failed to assume perfect confidence or -proper dignity. -</p> - -<p> -Though comfortable enough in her new -surroundings, Dulcie was somewhat changed -from the winsome and impulsive Dulcie whom -we first described in the sailor's hat and blue -serge suit at Revelstoke. Though her keener -grief had subsided, anxiety about Florian, -who had not another creature in the world to -love him but herself, and a natural doubt -about her own future had stolen the roundness -from her cheeks, and the roseleaf tints -too, while her skin in its delicate whiteness -had become waxen in aspect, and the coils of -her red golden hair seemed almost too heavy -for her shapely head and slender neck. But -she was far from idle. She had 'my lady's' -lap-dog, a snarling little brute whose teeth -filled her with terror, to feed and comb daily; -she had much 'lovely china' to dust; a -wardrobe to attend to, and rich laces to darn; -she had notes innumerable to write; and be -always smiling and lively as well as useful -when her heart was full of dull pain and -despondency concerning the unfortunate Florian, -which at night especially put her in a species -of fever, and made her turn and toss restlessly -on her pillow, and start from sleep with a -little cry of terror as she flung out her arms -as if to ward off the frightful thoughts of -what might be happening, or had happened -already, so far, far away. And all this was -the harder to bear because she was then without -a friend or confidant with whom she could -share the burden of her secret sorrow. -</p> - -<p> -She had been some time at Cravengowan -before she discovered in its place of honour -the portrait of young Lennard Melfort, which -had been so long relegated to a lumber-attic, -and its resemblance to 'Major MacIan,' even -in his elder years, startled and amazed her; -moreover, it was still more wonderful that -it so closely resembled Florian, whom all at -Revelstoke were astounded to hear was only -the Major's nephew, and not his son, while -Shafto, she saw, bore no likeness to the picture -at all. -</p> - -<p> -She was never weary of looking at it, and -asking questions of Finella about Lennard, -which that young lady was unable to answer, -as that which had happened to him occurred -long before she was born. -</p> - -<p> -As for Shafto, he never dared to look at -this work of art. Though the portrait of -a young man, and his last memory of the -Major was that of a prematurely old one, the -likeness between the two was marvellous; -and its deep, thoughtful eyes seemed to -follow, to haunt, and to menace him. He -loathed it; and though one of the best efforts -of Sir Daniel Macnee, the President of the -Royal Scottish Academy, he would fain, if he -could, have found some plan for its destruction. -He avoided, however, as much as possible, -the apartment in which it hung. -</p> - -<p> -To his annoyance, one morning, he found -Dulcie radiant with joy, and an ugly word -hovered on his lips when he discovered the -cause thereof. -</p> - -<p> -She had been reading about the march of -the relieving column towards Etschowe under -Lord Chelmsford, and saw Florian's name -mentioned in connection with a brilliant -scouting exploit of the Mounted Infantry -under Captain Hammersley; and a great -happiness thrilled her heart, for now she -knew that, up to the date given, he was alive -and well, and she thought of writing to him, -but would he ever get the letter?—she knew -nothing of the camp postal arrangements, and -feared it might be futile to do so. Moreover, -she had an irrepressible dread of Lady -Fettercairn, whose bearing to her was as cold -as that of Finella was kind and warm. -</p> - -<p> -'Don't you ever wear flowers in your hair, -Miss Carlyon?' said the latter, as she -regarded with honest admiration the glories of -Dulcie's ruddy hair shot with gold. -</p> - -<p> -'No.' -</p> - -<p> -'Why?' -</p> - -<p> -'So few tints go well with my hair: people -call it red,' said Dulcie. -</p> - -<p> -'People who are your enemies.' -</p> - -<p> -'I never had an enemy,' said Dulcie simply. -</p> - -<p> -'That I can well believe. Then it must -be those who are envious of your loveliness,' -added Finella frankly. -</p> - -<p> -'A pink or crimson rose would never do -in my hair, Miss Melfort.' -</p> - -<p> -'But a white one would,' said Finella, -selecting a creamy white rose from a -conservatory vase, and pinning it in Dulcie's -hair, giving it a kindly pat as she did so. -'Look, grandmamma; doesn't she look -lovely now?' -</p> - -<p> -And the frank and impulsive girl would -have kissed poor Dulcie but for a cold and -somewhat discouraging stare she encountered -in the eyes of Lady Fettercairn. -</p> - -<p> -'Somehow, Miss Carlyon,' she whispered -after a time, 'I don't get on well with -grandmamma. It is my fault, of course: I -suppose I am a little wretch!' -</p> - -<p> -The friendship of these—though one was -a wealthy heiress and the other but a poor -companion—grew rapidly apace; both were -too warm hearted, too affectionate and -impulsive by habit, for it to be otherwise, and it -enabled them to pass hours together—though -young girls, like older ones, dearly love a -little gossip of their own kind—without any -sense of embarrassment or weariness; for -ere long it came to pass that they shared their -mutual confidence; and, as we shall show, -Finella came to speak of Vivian Hammersley -to Dulcie, and the latter to her of Florian. -But there was something in Dulcie's sweet -soft face that made people older than Finella -confide to her their troubles and difficulties, -for she was quick to sympathise with and to -understand all kinds of grief and sorrow. -</p> - -<p> -One evening as they walked together on -the terrace, and tossed biscuit to a pair of -stately long-necked swans, the white plumage -of which gleamed like snow in the setting -sun as they swam gently to and fro in an -ornamental pond (a portion of the old moat) -that lay in front of the house, Dulcie said, -with tears of gratitude glittering in her blue -eyes— -</p> - -<p> -'You have done me a world of good by -your great kindness of heart to me, -Finella—oh, I beg your pardon—Miss Melfort I -mean—the name escaped me,' exclaimed -Dulcie, covered with confusion. -</p> - -<p> -'Call me always Finella,' said the other -emphatically. -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, I dare not do so before Lady Fettercairn.' -</p> - -<p> -'Then do so at other times, Dulcie. You -talk of doing you good—I do not believe -anyone could have the heart to do you -harm.' -</p> - -<p> -'Why?' -</p> - -<p> -'You seem so good—so pure, so simple. -Oh, I do love you, Dulcie!' she exclaimed, -with true girlish effusiveness. -</p> - -<p> -'I thank you very much; and yet we -think you Scotch folks are cold and stiff.' -</p> - -<p> -'<i>We</i>—who?' -</p> - -<p> -'The English, I mean.' -</p> - -<p> -'They must be like the Arab who had -never seen the world, and thought it must be -all his father's tent,' said Finella laughing; -'the insular, untravelled English, I mean.' -</p> - -<p> -'Such kindness is delightful to a lonely -creature like me. I have fortunately only -myself to work for, however.' -</p> - -<p> -'And no one else to think of?' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh—yes—yes,' said the girl sadly and -passionately; 'but he is far, far away, and -every day seems to make the void in my -heart deeper, the ache keener, the silence -more hard to bear.' -</p> - -<p> -'Our emotions seem somehow the same,' -said Finella, after a pause. Then thinking -that she had perhaps admitted too much, or -laid a secret uselessly bare, Dulcie blushed, -and thought to change the subject by saying -reflectively, 'How many great and pleasant -things one might do if one had the chance -of doing so; but such chances never come in -my way, for every change with me has been -for the worse.' -</p> - -<p> -'Not, I hope, in coming to Craigengowan?' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh no; they are painful matters I refer -to. First, I lost my dear papa, and was -thereby cast on the world penniless. Since -then I have lost one who loved me quite as -well as papa did.' -</p> - -<p> -'Another?' said Finella inquiringly. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes; but let me not speak of that,' -replied Dulcie hastily, and colouring deeply -again; so Finella, like a lady, thought to -drop the subject, but somehow, with the -instinctive curiosity of her sex, unconsciously -revived it again, after a time. -</p> - -<p> -Dulcie, however, perhaps forgetting her -present position, and remembering chiefly -her old acquaintance with Shafto, was mystified. -She thought 'the cousins' were free to -marry, so why don't they? If engaged, they -act strangely to each other—Finella to him -especially—thus she said:— -</p> - -<p> -'Is there anything between Mr. Shafto and -you, Finella?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes,' replied the latter, growing pale with -anger. -</p> - -<p> -'What is it?' -</p> - -<p> -'Hatred on my part!' -</p> - -<p> -'And on his?' -</p> - -<p> -'Pretended love and—and—avarice. He -knows I am rich.' -</p> - -<p> -'But why hatred?' asked Dulcie, without -surprise. -</p> - -<p> -'That is my secret, Dulcie.' -</p> - -<p> -'I beg your pardon, I have no right to -question you. Surely you are one of those -people who always get what they wish for.' -</p> - -<p> -'Why?—for riches do not always give -happiness.' -</p> - -<p> -'I mean because you are so good and sweet.' -</p> - -<p> -But Finella shook her pretty head sadly as -she thought of Vivian Hammersley, and -replied: -</p> - -<p> -'Young says in his "Night Thoughts:" -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - '"Wishing of all employment is the worst!"<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -and Young was right, perhaps.' -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap12"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XII. -<br /><br /> -GIRLS' CONFIDENCES. -</h3> - -<p> -It was a sweet and mild spring morning, and -Finella and Dulcie, each with a shawl over -her pretty head, were again promenading -on the terrace before the mansion. Lady -Fettercairn was not yet down, and the -breakfast-bell had not yet been rung. The trees -were already making a show of greenery, -with half-developed foliage; the oak was -putting out its red buds; the laburnums were -clothed in green and gold, and the voice of -the cuckoo could be heard in the woods of -Craigengowan. -</p> - -<p> -'The cuckoo—listen!' said Dulcie, pausing -in her walk. -</p> - -<p> -'His note is, I believe, a call to love,' said -Finella softly. -</p> - -<p> -'The male only uses it; and see, yonder -he sits on a bare bough.' -</p> - -<p> -'You can wish: one can do so when they -hear the cuckoo.' -</p> - -<p> -'And wish, as I often do, in vain,' said -Dulcie, with a tone of sadness unconsciously. -</p> - -<p> -'For what?' -</p> - -<p> -'To hear from one who is far—far away -from me; the only friend I have in the -world.' -</p> - -<p> -'He of whom you spoke some time ago—a -brother.' -</p> - -<p> -'I have no brother, nor a relation on this -side of the grave, Miss Melfort.' -</p> - -<p> -'Call me Finella,' said the latter, again -struck by Dulcie's desolate tone. 'Who is -it—a lover?' she added, becoming, of course, -deeply interested. -</p> - -<p> -'A lover—yes,' replied Dulcie, with a fond -smile. 'The dearest and sweetest fellow in -the world!' -</p> - -<p> -'Yet he left you because your papa died -and you became penniless?' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh!—no, no; do not say that. Do not -think so hardly of Florian!' -</p> - -<p> -'Florian!—what a funny, delightful name; -just like one in a novel!' exclaimed Finella. -'So he is called Florian?' -</p> - -<p> -'He, too, was poor. He could not marry -me, and probably never can do so.' -</p> - -<p> -'How sad!' said Finella, with genuine -sympathy, though from her own experience -she could not quite understand poverty. -</p> - -<p> -'Florian—my poor Florian!' said Dulcie, -quite borne away by this new sympathy, as -she covered her face with her white and -tremulous hands, and tried to force back her -tears, while Finella kissed, caressed, and tried -most sweetly to console her. -</p> - -<p> -'See!' said Dulcie, after a pause, opening -her silver locket. -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, what a handsome young fellow!' -exclaimed Finella. 'Are you engaged?' -</p> - -<p> -'Hopelessly so.' -</p> - -<p> -'Hopelessly?' -</p> - -<p> -'I have said we are too poor to marry.' -</p> - -<p> -'I don't understand this,' said Finella, -greatly perplexed: 'won't he become rich in -time?' -</p> - -<p> -'Never: he is a soldier, fighting in Africa.' -</p> - -<p> -'A soldier!' said Finella, becoming more -deeply interested; 'not an officer?' -</p> - -<p> -'His father or uncle was,' replied Dulcie -confusedly. 'Poverty drove him into the ranks.' -</p> - -<p> -'Of what regiment?' -</p> - -<p> -'The 24th Warwickshire.' -</p> - -<p> -Finella changed colour, and her breath -seemed to be taken from her, when she -heard the name of Hammersley's corps; and -thus, after a time, a great gush of confidence -took possession of both girls. -</p> - -<p> -'I am rich,' said Finella; 'I will buy him -back to you—I will, I will. Do not weep, -dearest Dulcie. The memory of a past that -has been happy is always sweet; is it not?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, even if the present be sad.' -</p> - -<p> -'I do believe, Dulcie, that tears agree -with you.' -</p> - -<p> -'Why?' -</p> - -<p> -'Because they make those blue eyes of -yours positively lovely.' -</p> - -<p> -Dulcie for a moment felt pleasure. Florian -had said the same thing once before, and she -only half believed him; but to have it -endorsed by such a girl as Finella made it -valuable indeed to her. -</p> - -<p> -'And Florian—I am quite <i>au fait</i> with his -name,' said Finella; 'he is a gentleman?' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, yes—yes!' exclaimed Dulcie impetuously. -</p> - -<p> -'Poor fellow! Then am I to understand -that there is a kind of undefined engagement -between you?' -</p> - -<p> -'Something of that kind,' answered Dulcie, -simply. 'We knew we might have to wait -for each other for years, if, indeed, we ever -meet again. We never spoke of marriage -quite. How could we, hopeless and poor as -we were?' -</p> - -<p> -'But you spoke of love, surely?' said -Finella, softly and archly. -</p> - -<p> -'Of love for each other—oh, yes; many, -many times.' -</p> - -<p> -'Well, Dulcie, I shall purchase Florian's -discharge, as I have said. This kind of -thing can't go on,' said Finella decidedly, -unaware that neither officer nor soldier can -quit the service when face to face with an -enemy or at the actual seat of war. -</p> - -<p> -Finella was in the act of closing Dulcie's -silver locket, when a voice said: -</p> - -<p> -'Please to let me look at this, Miss -Carlyon. I have remarked your invariable -ornament.' -</p> - -<p> -The speaker was Lady Fettercairn, who -had approached them unnoticed. -</p> - -<p> -Blushing deeply, Dulcie, with tremulous -little fingers, re-opened the locket, expectant, -perhaps, of reprehension; but Lady Fettercairn -became strangely agitated. -</p> - -<p> -'Lennard!' she exclaimed. 'This is my -son Lennard as he looked when I saw him last.' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, no, madam, that cannot be,' said Dulcie. -</p> - -<p> -'Where got you it?' -</p> - -<p> -'At home in Devonshire, where the photograph -was taken about a year ago.' -</p> - -<p> -'Ah—true,' said Lady Fettercairn: 'when -Lennard was that age—the age of this young -man—the art was scarcely known. And -who is he?' -</p> - -<p> -Dulcie hesitated. -</p> - -<p> -'I have no right to ask,' said Lady -Fettercairn, hauteur blending with the certainly -deep interest with which she regarded the -contents of the still open locket. -</p> - -<p> -'One who loved me,' said Dulcie, with a -kind of sob. -</p> - -<p> -'And whom you love?' said the lady, stiffly. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, madam.' -</p> - -<p> -'It is the image of Lennard!' continued -Lady Fettercairn musingly; 'but there sounds -the breakfast-bell,' she added, and turned -abruptly away. -</p> - -<p> -What were the precise antecedents of -this girl, Miss Carlyon, who had been -recommended to her by her friend, the vicar, in -London? thought Lady Fettercairn, as her -cold, passive, and aristocratic frame of mind -resumed its sway. Yet, though she remained -silent on the subject, and disdained to inquire -further about it, that miniature interested -her deeply, and frequently at table and -elsewhere Dulcie caught her eyes resting on the -locket. -</p> - -<p> -It filled her with a distinct and haunting -memory of one seen long ago, and not in -dreams, for Lady Fettercairn was not of an -imaginative turn of mind. -</p> - -<p> -It may seem strange that amid all this -Dulcie never thought of mentioning that -Florian was the cousin of Shafto; but she -knew how distasteful to Lady Fettercairn -was anyone connected with the family of -Lennard's dead wife, Flora MacIan. -</p> - -<p> -When Shafto heard of all this, as he did -somehow, the qualms of alarm he experienced -on seeing first Madelon Galbraith and then -Dulcie at Craigengowan were renewed; and -he resolved, if he could, to get possession -of that locket, and deface or destroy the -dangerous likeness it contained. -</p> - -<p> -But Dulcie had an intuitive perception or -suspicion of this; and finding that his evil -gaze rested upon it repeatedly, after a time -she ceased to wear it, but locked it away in a -secure place, from whence she could draw -it when she chose for her own private delectation. -</p> - -<p> -When Finella, in mutual confidence, told -Dulcie of the manner in which Shafto had -brought about a separation between herself -and Vivian Hammersley, the girl expressed -her indignation, but no surprise. She knew -all he was capable of doing, and related the -two ugly episodes of the locket. -</p> - -<p> -'Heavens!' exclaimed Finella; 'if Lord -Fettercairn knew of this business he would -surely expel him from Craigengowan.' -</p> - -<p> -'No, no; the person expelled would to a -certainty be poor me—an expulsion that -Lady Fettercairn would endorse to the full -on learning that Shafto had sought to make -love to me. Then I should again be more -than ever homeless; so let us be silent, dear -Finella.' -</p> - -<p> -'Do you ever ride, Dulcie?' asked the latter. -</p> - -<p> -'How can I ride now? In papa's time I -had a beautiful little Welsh cob, on which I -used to scamper about the shady lanes and -breezy moors in Devonshire. I can see still -in fancy his dear little head, high withers, -and short joints.' -</p> - -<p> -'You shall ride with me,' said Finella, in -her pretty, imperative way. 'I have three -pads of my own.' -</p> - -<p> -'But I have no habit.' -</p> - -<p> -'Then you shall wear one of mine. I -have several. A blue or green one will be -most becoming to you; and though you are -as plump as a little English partridge, I have -one that will be sure to fit you.' -</p> - -<p> -'Thanks. Oh, how kind you are.' -</p> - -<p> -'Now, let us go to the stables. I go -there once every day to feed "Fern," as you -shall see.' -</p> - -<p> -Sandy Macrupper, the head-groom, always -thought the stables never looked so bright -as during the time of Finella's visit. He -had known her from her childhood, and -taught her to ride her first Shetland pony. -He was a hard-featured and sour-visaged -old man, with that peculiarity of grooms, a -very small head and puckered face. He was -clad in an orthodox, long-bodied waistcoat, -in one of the pockets of which a currycomb -was stuck, and wore short corded breeches. -He was always closely shaven, and wore a -scrupulously white neckcloth, carefully tied. -His grey eyes were bright and keen; his -short legs had that peculiar curve that -indicates a horsy individual. And when the -ladies appeared, he came forth from the -harness-room with smiling alacrity, a piece -of chamois-leather in one hand and a snaffle-bit -in the other. -</p> - -<p> -'Good-morning, miss,' said he, touching -his billycock. -</p> - -<p> -'Good-morning, Sandy. I want Fern and -Flirt for a spin about the country to-day -after luncheon;' and the sound of Finella's -voice was the signal for many impatient -neighs of welcome and much rattling of -stall-collars and wooden balls. -</p> - -<p> -Fern, the favourite pad of Finella—a -beautiful roan, with a deal of Arab blood in -it—gave a loud whinny of delight and -recognition, and thrust forward his soft -tan-coloured muzzle in search of the carrot which -she daily brought to regale him with; but -Flirt preferred apples and sugar. Then, -regardless of what stablemen might be looking -on, she put her arms round Flirt's neck, -and rubbed her peach-like cheek against his -velvety nose. -</p> - -<p> -On hearing of the projected ride, at -luncheon, Lady Fettercairn's face grew -cloudy, and she took an opportunity of -saying: -</p> - -<p> -'Finella, you are putting that girl, Miss -Carlyon, quite out of her place, and I won't -stand it.' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, grandmamma!' exclaimed Finella, -deprecatingly, 'this is only a little -kindness to one who has seen better times; -and she had a horse of her own in Devonshire.' -</p> - -<p> -'Ah! no doubt she told you so.' -</p> - -<p> -The horses were duly brought round in -time: Fern with his silky mane carefully -and prettily plaited by the nimble little -fingers of Finella—a process which old Sandy -Macrupper always watched with delight and -approval. And Dulcie, mounted on Flirt, a -spotted grey, looked every inch a lady of -the best style, in an apple-green habit of -Finella's, with her golden hair beautifully -coiled under a smart top-hat, put well -forward over her forehead. She was perfect, -to her little tan-coloured gauntlet gloves, and -was—Lady Fettercairn, who glanced from the -window, was compelled to admit silently—'very -good form indeed.' -</p> - -<p> -Escorted by Shafto and a groom, they -set forth; and, save for the unwelcome -presence of the former, to Dulcie it was a -day of delight, which she thought she never -should forget. -</p> - -<p> -Dulcie, we have said, had been wont to -scamper about the Devonshire lanes, where -the clustered apples grew thick overhead, on -her Welsh cob, and now on horseback she -felt at home in her own sphere again; her -colour mounted, her blue eyes sparkled, and -the girl looked beautiful indeed. -</p> - -<p> -She almost felt supremely happy; and -Finella laughed as she watched her enjoying -the sensations of power and management, -and the independence given by horse-exercise—the -life, the stir, the action, and joyous -excitement of a thorough good 'spin' along -a breezy country road. -</p> - -<p> -Shafto, however, was in a sullen temper, -and vowed secretly that never again would -he act their cavalier, because the girls either -ignored him by talking to each other, or only -replied to any remarks he ventured to make -and these were seldom of an amusing or -original nature. Indeed, he felt painfully -and savagely how hateful his presence was -to both. -</p> - -<p> -Despite Lady Fettercairn, other rides -followed, for Finella was difficult to control, -and in her impulsive and coaxing ways -proved generally irrepressible. Thus she -took Dulcie all over the country: to the -ruined castle of Fettercairn, to Den Finella, -and to the great cascade—a perpendicular -rock, more than seventy feet high, over -which the Finella River pours on its way -from Garvock, where it rises, to the sea at -Johnshaven. -</p> - -<p> -Returning slowly from one of these rides, -with their pads at a walking pace, with the -groom a long way in their rear, Dulcie, -breaking a long silence, during which both -seemed to be lost in thought, said: -</p> - -<p> -'Troubles are doubly hard to bear when -we have to keep them to ourselves; thus I -feel happier, at least easier in mind, now -that I have told you all about poor Florian.' -</p> - -<p> -'And I, that I have told you about Captain -Hammersley,' replied Finella; 'though of -course I shall never see him again.' -</p> - -<p> -'Never—why so?' -</p> - -<p> -'After what he saw, and what he no doubt -thinks, how can I expect to do so? My -greatest affliction is that I must seem so -black in his eyes. Yet it is impossible for -me not to feel the deepest and most tender -interest in him—to watch with aching heart -the news from the seat of war, and all the -movements of his regiment—the movements -in which he must have a share.' -</p> - -<p> -'Things cannot, nay, must not, go on -thus between you. The false position should -be cleared up, explained away. What is to -be done?' -</p> - -<p> -'Grin and bear it, as the saying is, Dulcie. -Nothing can avail us now—nothing,' said -Finella, with a break in her voice.' -</p> - -<p> -'Finella, let me help you and him.' -</p> - -<p> -'How?' -</p> - -<p> -'I shall write about it to Florian. I mean -to write him now, at all events.' -</p> - -<p> -Despite all she had been told about the -antecedents of the latter, Finella blushed -scarlet at the vision of what Hammersley—the -proud and haughty Vivian Hammersley—would -think of his love-affairs being put -into the hands of one of his own soldiers; -but Dulcie, thinking only of who Florian -was, did not see it in this light, or that it -would seem like a plain attempt to lure an -angry lover back again. -</p> - -<p> -'Unless you wish me to die of shame,' said -Finella, after a bitter pause—'shame and -utter mortification—you will do no such -thing, Dulcie Carlyon!' -</p> - -<p> -The latter looked at the speaker, and saw -that her dark eyes were flashing dangerously -as she added: -</p> - -<p> -'He left me in a gust of rage and suspicion -of his own free will; and of his own free will -must he return.' -</p> - -<p> -'Will he ever do so, if the cause for that -just rage and suspicion, born of his very love -for you, is not explained away?' -</p> - -<p> -'No, certainly. He is proud, and so am I; -but I will never love anyone else, and mean -in time to come to invest in the sleekest of -tom-cats and die an old maid,' she added, -with a little sob in her throat. -</p> - -<p> -'And meanwhile you are in misery?' -</p> - -<p> -'As you see, Dulcie; but I will rather die -than fling myself at any man's head, especially -at his, through the medium of a letter of yours; -but I thank you for the kind thought, dear -Dulcie.' -</p> - -<p> -So the latter said no more on the subject, -yet made up her mind as to what she -would do. -</p> - -<p> -The circumstance that both their lovers, so -dissimilar in rank and private means, were -serving in the same regiment, facing the -same dangers, and enduring the same -hardships, formed a kind of sympathetic tie -between these two girls, who could share their -confidences with each other alone, though -their positions in life, by present rank and -their probable future, were so far apart. -</p> - -<p> -They never thought of how young they -were, or that, if both their lovers were slain -or never seen by them again through the -contingencies of life, others would come to -them and speak of love, perhaps successfully. -Such ideas never occurred, however. Both -were too romantic to be practical; and -both—the rich one and the poor one—only -thought of the desolate and forlorn years -that stretched like a long and gloomy vista -before them, with nothing to look forward -to, and no one to care for, unless they -became Sisters of Charity; and Finella, with -all her thousands, sometimes spoke bitterly -of doing so. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap13"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XIII. -<br /><br /> -THE EVENING OF GINGHILOVO. -</h3> - -<p> -Much about the time that the conversation -we have just recorded was taking place -between the two fair equestriennes, the -subject thereof, then with the troops in the -laager of Ginghilovo, was very full of the -same matter they had in hand—himself and -his supposed wrongs. -</p> - -<p> -'She never could have really cared for -me, or she never could have acted as she -did, unless she wished with the contingencies -of war to have two strings to her bow,' -thought Hammersley, as he lay on the grass -a little apart from all, and sucked his -briar-root viciously. 'Perhaps she thought it was -her money I wanted—not herself. Ah, how -could she look into her glass and think so!' -</p> - -<p> -Ever before him he had that horrid -episode in the shrubbery, and saw in -memory the girl he loved so passionately in -the arms of another, who was giving her -apparently the kisses men only give to one -woman in the world—a sight that seemed to -scorch his eyes and heart. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes,' he would mutter, 'one may be -mistaken in some things, but there are some -things there is no mistaking, and that affair -was one of them.' -</p> - -<p> -Perhaps at <i>that</i> very instant of time -Finella was posed, as he had seen her last, -with 'Cousin' Shafto, and the thought made -him hate her! He felt himself growing -colder and harder, though his heart ached -sorely, for the 'soul-hunger of love' was in it. -</p> - -<p> -'Well, well,' he would mutter, as he tugged -his dark moustache; 'what are called hearts -have surely gone to the wall in this Victorian -age.' -</p> - -<p> -His bitter memories would have soon -passed away, could he have seen, as if in a -magic mirror, at that moment Finella, in her -riding-habit, on her knees in the solitude of -her own room, before a large photo of a -handsome young fellow in the uniform of the -24th (his helmet under his right arm, his left -hand on the hilt of his sword), gazing at it, -yet scarcely seeing it, so full were her soft -eyes of hot salt tears, while her sweet little -face looked white, woe-begone, and most -miserable. But now the bugles sounding on -the various flanks of the laager, when about -six in the evening a general hum of voices -pervaded it, and the order 'Stand to your -arms!' announced that the enemy was in -sight of the trenches. -</p> - -<p> -In front of the old kraal of Ginghilovo, -behind an earthen breastwork and abattis of -felled trees, were the 60th Rifles, in their -tunics of dark green, and sailors of the <i>Shah</i> -with their Gatling guns, which they playfully -called 'bull-dogs and barrel-organs.' -</p> - -<p> -They were flanked by some of the 57th -and two seven-pounders; the Argyleshire -Highlanders, then in green tartan trews, -held the rear face; and the defences were -prolonged by the Lanarkshire, the 3rd Buffs, -and some more of the Naval Brigade with a -rocket battery. -</p> - -<p> -Every heart in the laager beat high, and -every face flushed with intense satisfaction, -as two sombre columns of Zulus appeared, -spreading like a human flood over the -ground, after crossing the reedy Inyezane -stream, deploying in a loose formation, which -enabled them to find cover behind scattered -boulders and patches of bush. -</p> - -<p> -Now, when on the eve of an action, -Hammersley, like every other officer, felt -that new and hitherto unknown dread and -doubt of the result which has more than once -come upon our troops of all ranks, born of -the new and abominable system which in so -many ways has achieved the destruction of -the grand old British army—'the army which -would go anywhere, and do anything'—by -the abolition of the regimental system, and -with it the power of cohesion; but the worst, -the so-called 'territorial system,' had not yet -come. -</p> - -<p> -Encouraged by the countenance and -praises of Hammersley, Florian left nothing -undone to win himself a name, and had -already become distinguished for his daring, -discretion, and acuteness of observation -among all the Mounted Infantry when -scouting or reconnoitring, and his further -promotion seemed now to be only a matter -of time. -</p> - -<p> -Both courted danger, apparently with -impunity, as the brave and dashing often do: -Florian with a view to the future; -Hammersley to forget. Soldiers will make fun, -even when under fire, so some of his -comrades quizzed Florian in his old laced tunic, -and dubbed him 'the Captain;' but Vivian -Hammersley thought, how like a gentleman -and officer he looked in the half-worn garment -he had given him. -</p> - -<p> -Through the long, wavy, and reed-like -grass two columns of Zulus crept swiftly on -in close rather than extended order, and -furiously assailed the north face of the -square held by the Highlanders, flanked as -usual by extended horns, and all yelling like -fiends broken loose, while brandishing their -great shields and glittering assegais, till -smitten with death and destruction under -the close-rolling Highland musketry. -</p> - -<p> -They were commanded by a noble savage, -named Somapo, with Dabulamanzi and the -eldest son of Sirayo as seconds. -</p> - -<p> -Almost unseen by the darkness of their -uniforms, the Rifles lay down flat behind -their shelter-trenches; the barrels of their -weapons rested firmly on the earthen bank, -enabling them to take steady and deadly aim, -while dropping in quick succession the -cartridges into the breech-blocks without even -moving the left arm or the right shoulder, -against which the butt-plate of the rifle -rested, and their terrible fire knocked over in -writhing heaps the Zulus, who, in all their -savage fury and bravery, came rushing on -ten thousand strong and more. -</p> - -<p> -'Their white and coloured shields,' wrote -one who was present, 'their crests of leopard-skin -and feathers, and wild ox-tails dangling -from their necks, gave them a terrible -unearthly appearance. Every ten or fifteen -yards, and a shot would be fired, and then, -with an unearthly yell, they would again -rush on with a sort of measured dance, while -a humming and buzzing sound in time to -their movement was kept up.' -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile the laager was literally zoned -with fire and enveloped with smoke; yet -within it no sound was heard save the -rattling roar of the musketry, the clatter of -the breech-blocks, and triumphant bagpipes -of the Highlanders, with an occasional groan -or exclamation of agony as a bullet found its -billet. -</p> - -<p> -In the fury of their advance and struggles -to get onward over their own dead and -dying, the Zulus from the rear would break -through the fighting line, jostling and -dashing each other aside, and rush yelling on, -until they too bit the dust. -</p> - -<p> -The booming of the Gatling guns and the -dread hiss of the blazing rockets were heard -ever and anon amid the medley of other -sounds, and for half an hour the showers of -lead and iron tore through and through the -naked masses, where the places of the fallen -were instantly taken by others. -</p> - -<p> -By half-past six the shrill yells of the -Zulus died away; but in mute despair and -fury they still struggled in hope to storm the -laager, when, if once within its defences, the -fate of all would be sealed. -</p> - -<p> -Four times like a living sea they flung -themselves against it, and four times by -sheets of lead and iron they were hurled -back from the reddened bayonet's point, -while some remained in the open, firing from -behind the bloody piles of their own dead, -which lay in awful lines or swathes of black -bodies with white shields, a hundred yards -apart, in rear of each other. -</p> - -<p> -At last the survivors gave way, and all fled -in confusion. -</p> - -<p> -'Forward, the Mounted Infantry!' cried Lord Chelmsford. -</p> - -<p> -And these, under Captain Barrow and -Hammersley, sprang with alacrity to their -saddles, slinging their rifles as they filed out -of the laager. -</p> - -<p> -'Front form squadron!' was now the -order, and the sections of fours swept round -into line. -</p> - -<p> -'Come on, my lads!' cried Hammersley, -as he unsheathed his sword and dug the -spurs into his horse; 'forward—trot, gallop! -By Jove! an hour of this work -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - '"Is worth an age without a name!"'<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -And away went the Mounted Infantry -over the terrible swathes at a swinging -pace. -</p> - -<p> -Like most of the few officers of that -peculiar and extemporised force, Vivian -Hammersley had been accustomed to cross -country and ride to hounds, and to deem -that the greatest outdoor pleasure in life. -</p> - -<p> -Tattoo, Florian's horse, fortunately for -him in the work he had to do that evening, -proved to be a tried Cape shooting-horse, -accustomed to halt the moment his rein is -dropped, and to stand like a rock when his -rider fires. An experienced shooting-horse -requires no sign from his master when -required to stand, and on hearing a sound -or stir in the bush is alert as a dog scenting -danger or game. -</p> - -<p> -Florian loved the animal like a friend, -and often shared his beer with him, as -Homer tells us the Greek warriors of old -shared their wine with their battle-chargers; -we suppose it is only human nature that we -must love something that is in propinquity -with us. -</p> - -<p> -The Mounted Infantry overtook the -fugitive Zulus, and fell furiously, sword in -hand, upon their left flank, but not without -receiving a scattered fire that emptied a few -saddles. -</p> - -<p> -The routed fled with a speed peculiarly -their own; but Captain Barrow and his -improvised troopers were in close pursuit, and -from the laager their sword-blades could be -seen flashing in the evening sunshine, as the -cuts were dealt downward on right and left, -and the foe was overtaken, pierced, and -ridden over and through. -</p> - -<p> -In this work the force necessarily became -somewhat broken, and Hammersley, who, -in the ardour of the pursuit, and being -splendidly mounted, had outstripped all the -Mounted Infantry and gone perilously -far in advance, had his horse shot under -him. -</p> - -<p> -'Captain Hammersley—Hammersley! He -will be cut to pieces!' cried several of the -soldiers, who saw him and his horse go down -in a cloud of dust, and in another moment -he was seen astride the fallen animal -contending against serious odds with his sword -and revolver. And now ensued one -of those episodes which were of frequent -occurrence in the service of our Mounted -Infantry. -</p> - -<p> -Florian saw the sore strait in which -Hammersley was placed, and had, quick as -thought, but one desire—to save him or die -by his side. At that part of the field a -watercourse—a tributary of the Inyezene -River—separated him from Hammersley, -but putting the pace upon Tattoo, he rode -gallantly to face it. Rider and horse seemed -to possess apparently but one mind—one -impulse. Tattoo cocked his slender ears, -gave a glance at the water, sparkling in the -setting sun, and, springing from his powerful -and muscular hind-legs, cleared the stream -from bank to bank—a distance not less than -fifteen feet. -</p> - -<p> -'Well done, old man!' exclaimed Florian; -'you <i>are</i> game!' -</p> - -<p> -'Hurra!' burst from several of the troop, -some of whom failed to achieve the leap. -So Florian rode forward alone, and in less -time than we have taken to record it, was by -the side of Hammersley, who was bleeding -from a wound in the left arm from an -assegai launched at him by one of three -powerful savages with whom he was -contending, and in whom Florian recognised -Methagazulu, the son of the famous Sirayo. -</p> - -<p> -The last shot in Hammersley's revolver -disposed of one; Florian shot a second, 'and -drove his bayonet through the side of -Sirayo's son, whom others were now returning -to succour, and, lifting Hammersley on -his own horse, conducted him rearward to a -place of safety, covering the rear with his -rifle, pouring in a quick fire with an -excellent aim till a dozen of his comrades -came up and received them both with a -cheer. -</p> - -<p> -Though wounded, Methagazulu did not die -then, for, as we have elsewhere said, the close -of the war found him a prisoner in the gaol of -Pietermaritzburg. -</p> - -<p> -But for the succour so promptly accorded -by Florian, another moment would have -seen that savage, after wounding -Hammersley by one assegai, give him the <i>coup de -grace</i> with another; as it is a superstition -with the Zulus that if they do not rip their -enemies open, disembowelling them, as their -bodies swell and burst when dead, so will -those of the slayers in life; and so firm is -their belief in that, that after the victory had -been won at Rorke's Drift many of the -Zulus were seen to pause, even under a -heavy fire, to rip up a few of our dead who -lay outside the entrenchment; and cases -have been known in which warriors who -have been unable to perform this barbarous -ceremony have committed suicide to escape -what they deemed their inevitable doom. -</p> - -<p> -Florian tied his handkerchief round -Hammersley's arm, above the wound, to stay the -blood, till he left him safely with the -ambulance waggons and in care of Staff-Surgeon -Gallipot; and though faint with the -bleeding, for the wound was long and deep—a -regular gash—Hammersley wrung the hand -of his saver, and said: -</p> - -<p> -'My gallant young fellow, you will have -good reason if I live—as I doubt not I will—to -recall this evening's work with satisfaction.' -</p> - -<p> -'I shall ever remember, sir, with pride -that I saved your life—the life of the only -friend I have now in our decimated regiment -since I lost poor Bob Edgehill.' -</p> - -<p> -'It is not that I mean,' said Hammersley -faintly, 'but, if spared, I shall see to your -future, and all that sort of thing, you understand.' -</p> - -<p> -'I thank you, sir, and hope——' -</p> - -<p> -'Hope nothing,' said Hammersley, closing -his eyes, as memory brought a gush of -bitterness to his heart. -</p> - -<p> -'Why, sir?' -</p> - -<p> -'Because when one is prepared for the -worst, disappointment can never come.' -</p> - -<p> -Florian knew not what to make of this -sudden change of mood in his officer, and so -remained discreetly silent. -</p> - -<p> -'Have you any water in your bottle?' -asked Hammersley. -</p> - -<p> -'A little, sir.' -</p> - -<p> -'Then give me a drop, for God's sake—mine -is empty.' -</p> - -<p> -Florian took the water-bottle from his -waist-belt and drew out the plug; the -sufferer drank thirstily, and on being placed -in a sitting position, with a blanket about -him, strove to obtain a little sleep, being -weary and faint with the events of the past -day. -</p> - -<p> -'Whoever he is, that lad has good blood -in his veins, and he has no fear of lavishing -it,' was his last thought as he watched the -receding figure of Florian leading away his -favourite Tattoo by the bridle. -</p> - -<p> -Our total casualties at Ginghilovo were -only sixty-one; those of the Zulus above -twelve hundred. The story of the encounter -might have been different had another column -of ten thousand men, which had been -despatched from Ulundi by Cetewayo the day -after the march of Somapo, effected a -junction with the latter. -</p> - -<p> -Etschowe, the point to be relieved, was -now fifteen miles distant; but Colonel -Pearson in his isolated fort must have heard of -the victory, for Florian, when out with a few -files on scouting duty, could see the signals -of congratulation flashed therefrom. -</p> - -<p> -After the fierce excitement of the past day, -he felt—he knew not why—depressed and -almost sorrowful; but perhaps the solitudes -among which he rode impressed him when -night came on. -</p> - -<p> -Lighted up by hundreds and thousands of -stars, the clear sky spread like a vast shining -canopy overhead, and then the great round -moon shed down a flood of silver sheen on -the grassy downs where the black bodies of -the naked dead, with fallen jaws and glistening -teeth and eyes, lay thick as leaves in autumn, -and Tattoo picked his steps gingerly among -them. -</p> - -<p> -And in such a solemn and silent time, -more keenly than ever, came to Florian's -mind the ever-recurring thoughts of Dulcie -Carlyon and of what she was doing; where -was she and with whom—in safety or in peril? -</p> - -<p> -Next morning Florian—as he was detailed -for duty to the front with the Mounted -Infantry, paid a farewell visit to Captain -Hammersley, whom he found reposing -among some straw in a kind of tilt cart, and -rather feverish from the effects of his wound, -and who had been desired to remain behind -in the laager for a little time, though he -could with difficulty be prevailed upon to -do so. -</p> - -<p> -Preceding the march of the column, the -Mounted Infantry under Barrow filed forth -at an easy pace in search of the enemy. -</p> - -<p> -It was scarcely a new experience to -Florian now, or to any man with the army in -Zululand, that of putting a savage to death. -Every rifle slew them by scores, when a -hundred rounds of ammunition per man were -poured into the naked hordes in less than an -hour's time. -</p> - -<p> -Lord Chelmsford left some of the Kentish -Buffs, the Lanarkshire, and the Naval -Brigade to garrison the laager at Ginghilovo, -and marched for Etschowe with the 57th, the -60th Rifles, and Argyleshire Highlanders, -escorting a long train of Scottish carts, -laden with food and stores, preceded by the -Mounted Infantry scouting far in advance. -</p> - -<p> -The whole column wore the white helmet, -but the dark green of the Rifles and the -green tartan trews of the Highlanders varied -the colour of the scarlet mass that marched -up the right bank of the Inyezene river, with -drums beating and bayonets flashing in the -April sunshine. -</p> - -<p> -Along the whole line of march were seen -shields, rifles, assegais, furs, and feathers -strewed about in thousands, cast away by the -fugitives who had fled from Ginghilovo, and -here and there the Kaffir vultures, hovering -in mid air above a donga, or swooping down -into it with a fierce croak, indicated where -some dead men were lying. -</p> - -<p> -Briskly the troops pushed on to rescue -Colonel Pearson and his isolated garrison, -which, during a blockade that had now -extended to ten weeks, had been in daily -expectation of experiencing the fate of those -who perished at Isandhlwana; and surmounting -all the natural difficulties of a -rugged country, intersected by watercourses -which recent rains had swollen, by sunset the -mounted men under Barrow were close to -the fort, and heard the hearty British cheers -of a hungry garrison mingling with a merry -chorus which they were singing. -</p> - -<p> -Under Colonel Pemberton, the Rifles -pushed on ahead with Lord Chelmsford, just -as an officer on a grey charger came dashing -round the base of the hill surmounted by the fort. -</p> - -<p> -'Here is Pearson, gentlemen,' cried the -Commander-in-Chief. -</p> - -<p> -'How are you, my friend?' -</p> - -<p> -'Old fellow—how are you?' and grasping -each other's hand, they rode on towards the -fort, where the General was received with an -enthusiasm which grew higher when the -Argyleshire Highlanders marched in with all -their kilted pipers playing 'The Campbells -are coming.' -</p> - -<p> -The fort was destroyed and abandoned, -and on the 4th of April the united columns -began to fall back on Ginghilovo, the -Mounted Infantry as usual in front, but clad -in the uniform of that service—a Norfolk -jacket and long untanned boots, all patched -and worn now. -</p> - -<p> -It was justly conceived that the laager -would not be reached without fighting, as a -body of Zulus, led in person by Dabulamanzi -and the son of Sirayo, was expected to bar -the way, and consequently serious loss of life -was expected; but so far as Florian was -concerned, he felt that he could face any -danger now with comparative indifference, -and his daily pleasure consisted in carefully -grooming and feeding Tattoo; and Florian, -as he rode on, was thinking with some -perplexity of the farewell words of Captain -Hammersley. -</p> - -<p> -'Good-bye, sergeant—we have all our -troubles, I suppose, whatever they are, and I -should not care much if mine were ended -here at Ginghilovo.' -</p> - -<p> -'I should think that you cannot have -much to trouble you, sir,' was Florian's -laughing response as he left him. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap14"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XIV. -<br /><br /> -NEWS FROM THE SEAT OF WAR. -</h3> - -<p> -It was a soft and breezy April morning. -The young leaves had scarcely burst their -husk-like sheaths in the alternate showers -and sunshine; the lambs were bleating in -the meadows, the birds sang on bush and -tree, the white clouds were floating in the -azure sky, and the ivy rustled on the old -walls of turreted Craigengowan, when there -came some tidings that found a sharp echo in -the hearts of Dulcie and Finella. -</p> - -<p> -Arm-in-arm, as girls will often do, they -were idling and talking of themselves and -their own affairs in all the luxury of being -together alone, near a stately old gateway of -massive iron bars, hung on solid pillars, -surmounted by time-worn wyverns, and all -around it, without and within, grew tall -nettles, mighty hemlock, and other weeds; -while the avenue to which it once opened had -disappeared, and years upon years ago been -blended with the lawn, for none had trod it -for 146 years, since the last loyal Laird of -Craigengowan had ridden forth to fight for -King James VIII., saying that it was not to -be unclosed again till his return; and he -returned no more, so it remains closed unto -this day. -</p> - -<p> -And it has been more than once averred by -the peasantry that on the 13th of November, -the anniversary of the battle in which he fell, -when the night wind is making an uproar -in the wintry woods of Craigengowan, the -low branches crashing against each other, a -weird moon shines between rifts in the black -flying clouds, and the funeral-wreaths of the -departed harvest flutter on the leafless hedges, -a spectred horseman, in the costume of Queen -Anne's time, his triangular hat bound with -feathers, a square-skirted coat and gilded -gambadoes—a pale, shimmering figure, -through which the stars sparkle—can be seen -outside the old iron gate, gazing with wistful -and hollow eyes through the rusty bars, as if -seeking for the vanished avenue down which -he had ridden with his cuirassed troop to -fight for King James VIII.; for sooth to -say, old Craigengowan is as full of ghostly -legends as haunted Glamis itself. -</p> - -<p> -Finella had just told this tale to Dulcie -when a valet rode past the gate and entered -the lawn by another with the post-bag for -the house. From this Finella took out a -newspaper—one of the many it contained—and -with eager eyes the two girls scanned -its columns for the last news from Zululand, -and simultaneously a shrill exclamation, which -made the man turn in his saddle as he rode -on, escaped them both. -</p> - -<p> -The paper contained a brief telegraphic -notice of the conflict at the laager of -Ginghilovo, and with it the following paragraph: -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'Captain Vivian Hammersley, of the -unfortunate 24th Regiment, led a squadron -of Barrow's Mountain Infantry; and having, -with the most brilliant gallantry, pressed the -flying foe much too far, had his horse shot -under him, and was in danger of being -instantly assegaied by several infuriated -savages, who were driven off and shot down -in quick succession by Sergeant Florian -MacIan, who mounted the wounded officer -on his own horse and brought him safely -into the lines, for which noble act of -humanity and valour he is, we believe, -recommended for promotion by Captain -Barrow, of the 19th Hussars, commanding -the Mounted Infantry, and by Lord -Chelmsford. The fatal day of Isandhlwana has -made many commissions vacant in the -unfortunate 24th Foot; and we have no doubt -that one of them will be conferred upon this -gallant young sergeant.' -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'Oh, Dulcie, let me kiss you—I can't kiss -your Florian just now!' exclaimed the -impulsive Finella, embracing her companion, -whose eyes, like her own, were brimming -with tears of joy and sympathy. -</p> - -<p> -Hammersley had received a wound of -which no details were given; and that -circumstance, by its vaguity, filled the heart -of Finella with the keenest anxiety. Oh, if -he should die believing what he did of her, -when she had been and was still so true and -loyal to him! -</p> - -<p> -The intelligence rather stunned her; and -for some minutes she remained paralyzed -with dismay. She was powerless, with all -her wealth, to succour in any way her -suffering lover, and no resolution could shape -itself in her mind. He might be dying, or -already dead, for the fight had taken place -some days ago—dying amid suffering and -misery, while she remained idly, lazily, and -in comfort amid the luxuries of Craigengowan. -Even Dulcie failed to console her; -and declining to appear at the breakfast-table, -she took refuge in her own room, -with the usual feminine plea of a headache. -</p> - -<p> -'Florian, poor dear Florian! so good, so -brave, so fearless!' said Dulcie to herself -aloud; 'how glad I am he has achieved this, -for <i>her</i> sake!' -</p> - -<p> -How sweet and soft grew her voice as she -uttered the name of the lost, the absent one, -while an hysterical lump was rising in her -throat, and Shafto, who had seen the paper -and knew the source of this emotion, looked -grimly in her face, with twitching lips and -knitted brows. -</p> - -<p> -'I have no chance,' thought he, 'with these -two girls—either Dulcie the poor or Finella -the rich. Yet why should I not contrive to -bend <i>both</i> to my purpose?' was his evil -afterthought. 'Well,' said he aloud; 'you have -seen the news, of course?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, Shafto,' replied Dulcie in a low -voice, while her tears fell fast. -</p> - -<p> -'So—he is not killed yet!' -</p> - -<p> -She regarded him with bitter reproach. -</p> - -<p> -'Don't cry, Dulcie!' said Shafto, with a -little emotion of shame, 'or you will make -me feel like a brute now.' -</p> - -<p> -'I always thought you must have felt like -one long ago,' retorted the girl, as she swept -disdainfully past him. -</p> - -<p> -As Lord and Lady Fettercairn had no -desire to bring the name of Captain -Hammersley on the <i>tapis</i>, no reference whatever -to the affair of Ginghilovo, or even to the -Zulu War, was made in the presence of -Finella. -</p> - -<p> -Even if the latter had not been engaged, as -she still could not help deeming herself, to -Hammersley, and had she not a decided, -repugnance to Shafto, her pride and her whole -soul must have revolted against a <i>mariage de -convenance</i>. She had formed, girl-like, her -own conceptions of an ideal man, and beyond -all whom she met, in London or elsewhere, -Vivian Hammersley was her 'Prince Charming;' -and in a day or two her mind was -partially set at rest when she read a description -of his wound, a flesh one, inflicted by an -assegai, and which was then healing fast, -but, as she knew, only to enable him to face -fresh perils. -</p> - -<p> -To be bartered away to anyone after being -grotesquely wooed did not suit her -independent views, and ere long her grandparents -began to think with annoyance that they -had better let her alone; but Lady Fettercairn -was impatient and irrepressible. -</p> - -<p> -Not so Shafto. -</p> - -<p> -He had a low opinion of the sex, picked -up perhaps in the bar-parlour of the inn at -Revelstoke, if not inherent in his own nature. -He had read somewhere that 'women love a -judicious mixture of hardihood and flattery—the -whole secret lies in that;' also, that if -their hearts are soft their heads are softer in -proportion. -</p> - -<p> -Lady Fettercairn was somewhat perplexed -when watching the young folks at Craigengowan. -</p> - -<p> -She shrewdly suspected, of course, that -Finella's coldness to Shafto was due to the -influence of their late guest Hammersley, -though she never could have guessed at the -existence of the wedding-ring and diamond -keeper he had entrusted to her care; but she -failed to understand the terms on which her -'grandson' was with her companion, Miss -Carlyon, and, though there was nothing -tangible or reprehensible, there was an -undefined something in their bearing she did -not like. -</p> - -<p> -Sometimes when talking of Devonshire, -of Revelstoke, of the old town of Newton -Ferrars, the dell that led to Noss, of the -Yealm, the Erme, and the sea-beat Mewstone -as safe and neutral topics, the girl -seemed affable enough to him, for memories -of her English home softened her heart; but -when other topics were broached she was -constrained to him and icy cold. -</p> - -<p> -Was this acting? -</p> - -<p> -To further the interests of Shafto by -keeping him and Finella isolated and as much -together as possible, Lady Fettercairn did -not go to London and thus seek society. -Fashionable folks—unless Parliamentary—do -not return to town till Easter; but Lord -Fettercairn, though a Representative Peer, -cared very little about English and still less -about Scottish affairs, or indeed any interests -but his own; so, instead of leaving Craigengowan, -they had invited a few guests there—men -who had come for rod-fishing in the -Bervie, the Carron and the Finella, with -some ladies to entertain them, thus affording -the girl means of avoiding Shafto whenever -she chose. -</p> - -<p> -The stately terrace before the house often -looked gay from the number of guests -promenading in the afternoon, or sitting in -snug corners in wicker chairs covered with -soft rugs—the ladies drinking tea, the bright -colours of their dresses coming out well -against the grey walls of the picturesque old -mansion. -</p> - -<p> -Among other visitors were the vinegar-visaged -Lady Drumshoddy, and Messrs. Kippilaw, -senior and junior, the latter a -dapper little tomtit of a Writer to the -Signet, intensely delighted and flattered to -be among such 'swell' company, believing -it was the result of his natural brilliance and -attractions, and not of respect for his worthy -old father, Kenneth Kippilaw. -</p> - -<p> -The latter—a <i>rara avis</i>, scarce as the dodo -and his kindred—was intensely national—a -lover of his country and of everything -Scottish; an enthusiast at Burns' festivals, -and singularly patriotic to be what is locally -termed a 'Parliament House bred man.' Thus -the anti-nationality or utter indifference -of Lord Fettercairn was a frequent -bone of contention between them; and so -bitterly did they sometimes argue about -Scotland and her neglected interests, that it is a -marvel the Peer did not seek out a more -obsequious agent. -</p> - -<p> -'Like his uncle, the late Master of Melfort, -Mr. Shafto must go into Parliament,' said -old Mr. Kippilaw; 'but I hope he will make -a better use of his time.' -</p> - -<p> -'What do you mean?' asked Lord Fettercairn coldly. -</p> - -<p> -'By attending to Scottish affairs, and -getting us equal grants with England and -Ireland for public purposes.' -</p> - -<p> -'Stuff—the old story, my dear sir. Who -cares about Scotland or her interests?' -</p> - -<p> -'Ay, who indeed!' exclaimed old Kippilaw, -growing warm. -</p> - -<p> -'She is content to be a mere province now.' -</p> - -<p> -'The more shame for her—a province that -contributes all her millions to the Imperial -Exchequer and gets nothing in return.' -</p> - -<p> -'A sure sign she doesn't want anything,' -replied the peer, with one of his silent -laughs. 'I wish you would not worry me -with this patriotic "rot," Kippilaw—excuse -the vulgarity of the phrase; but so long as I -can get my rents out of Craigengowan and -Finella, I don't care a jot if all the rest, -Scotland with all its rights and wrongs, history, -poetry and music, was ten leagues under the -sea!' -</p> - -<p> -So thus, for two reasons, political and -personal, the 'Fettercairns' just then did not -go to 'town.' -</p> - -<p> -On the terrace this very afternoon Lady -Fettercairn was watching Finella and Dulcie, -linked arm in arm conversing apart from all, -and her smooth brow clouded; for she -knew well that the fact of Hammersley -owing his life to Florian MacIan would -make—as it did—a new tie between the two -girls. -</p> - -<p> -'You see, Shafto,' said she, 'how more -than ever does Finella put that girl out of -her place. Though most useful as she is to -me, always pleasant and irreproachably -lady-like, I think I must get rid of her.' -</p> - -<p> -'Not yet—not yet, grandmother,' said -Shafto, who did not just <i>then</i> wish this climax; -'do give her another chance.' -</p> - -<p> -'To please you, I will, my dear boy; but I -fear I am rash.' -</p> - -<p> -'I wish Finella were not so beastly rich!' -he exclaimed. -</p> - -<p> -'Do not use such shocking terms, Shafto! -But why?' -</p> - -<p> -'It makes me look like a fortune-hunter, -being after her.' -</p> - -<p> -'"After her"? Another -vulgarism—impossible—you—you—the -heir of Fettercairn!' -</p> - -<p> -'Well, it gives one no credit for disinterested -affection,' said this plausible young -gentleman. -</p> - -<p> -We have said that Lady Fettercairn was -irrepressible in seeking to control Finella. -</p> - -<p> -'How quiet and abstracted you seem! -Why don't you entertain our friends?' said -she, as the girl drew near her in an angle of -the terrace, where they were alone. -</p> - -<p> -'I am thinking, grandmamma,' said Finella -wearily. -</p> - -<p> -'You seem to be for ever thinking, child; -and I wonder what it can all be about.' -</p> - -<p> -'I don't believe, grandmamma, it would -interest you,' said Finella, a little defiantly. -</p> - -<p> -'There you are wrong, Finella; what -interests you, must of necessity interest me,' -said Lady Fettercairn, haughtily yet languidly, -as she fanned herself. -</p> - -<p> -'Not always.' -</p> - -<p> -'Is it something new, then? I suspect -your thoughts,' she continued with some -asperity. 'Finella, listen to me again. You -and Shafto are the only two left of the -Melfort family; we wish the two branches -united, for their future good—the good of the -name and the title; and if Shafto goes into -Parliament, I do not see why he should not -perhaps become Viscount or Earl of Fettercairn.' -</p> - -<p> -'The old story! I have no ambition, -grandmamma,' shrugging her shoulders, 'and -certainly none to be the wife of Shafto, even -were he made a duke. So please to let me -alone,' she added desperately, 'or I may tell -you that of—of—Shafto you may not like to hear.' -</p> - -<p> -And in sooth now, Lady Fettercairn, like -her lord, had heard so much evil of Shafto -lately that she abruptly dropped the subject -for the time. -</p> - -<p> -And now Shafto began once more to -persecute poor Dulcie—a persecution which -might have a perilous effect upon her future. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap15"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XV. -<br /><br /> -PERSECUTION. -</h3> - -<p> -Shafto felt, with no small satisfaction, that -he could, to a certain extent, control the -actions of both these girls. Finella could -not reveal the secret of her quarrel with him -without admitting the terms on which she -had been with Hammersley; and Dulcie, he -thought, dared not resent his conduct, lest—through -his influence with Lady Fettercairn—she -might be cast into the world, without -even a certificate that would enable her to -procure another situation of any kind. Thus, -to a certain extent, he revelled in security so -far as both were concerned. -</p> - -<p> -And deeming now that all must be at an -end between Finella and Hammersley, he -thought to pique the former perhaps by -attentions to Dulcie—attentions by which he -might ultimately gain some little favours for -himself. -</p> - -<p> -In both instances vain thoughts! -</p> - -<p> -He was aware that he had an ample field -of old and mutual interest or associations to -go back upon with Dulcie; thus he thought -if he could entangle her into an apparent -flirtation for the purpose of mortifying -Finella, and catching her heart on the -rebound, sore as it must be with the seeming -indifference of Hammersley, he would gain -his end; and this mutual intimacy eventually -annoyed and surprised Lady Fettercairn, and -was likely to prove fatal to the interests and -position of Dulcie, whom he felt he must -either win for himself in some fashion, and, if -not, in revenge have her expelled from Craigengowan. -</p> - -<p> -One day the girl was alone. She was -feeding the swans in the artificial lakelet that -lay below the terrace. It was a serene and -sunny forenoon; the water was smooth as -crystal, and reflected the old house with all -its turrets, crow-stepped gables, and -dormer-gablets line for line. It mirrored also the -swans swimming double, bird and shadow, -like beautiful drifting boats, and the great -white water-lilies that seemed to sleep rather -than float on its surface. -</p> - -<p> -It was indeed a drowsy, golden afternoon, -and Dulcie Carlyon, an artist at heart, was -fully impressed by the loveliness of her -surroundings, when Shafto stood before her. -</p> - -<p> -Shafto!—she quite shivered. -</p> - -<p> -'Oh!' she exclaimed, as if a toad had -crossed her path. -</p> - -<p> -'A penny for your thoughts, Dulcie.' said -that personage smilingly, seeing that she had -been pondering so deeply that his approach -had been unnoticed by her. -</p> - -<p> -'They might startle you more than you -think,' replied Dulcie, with undisguised annoyance. -</p> - -<p> -'Indeed; are you weaving out a romance?' -</p> - -<p> -'Perhaps.' -</p> - -<p> -'With yourself for the heroine, or Finella; -and that fellow Florian for the hero? Then -there must be the requisite villain.' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, he is ready to hand,' said she daringly, -with a flash in her blue eyes. -</p> - -<p> -Shafto's brow grew black as midnight, -and what coarse thing he might have said -we know not, but policy made him ignore her -reply. -</p> - -<p> -'Please not to remain speaking to me,' said -she, glancing nervously at the windows of the -house; 'your doing so may displease the -friends of Finella.' -</p> - -<p> -'It is of her I wish to speak. Listen, -Dulcie. I have not the influence over her I -had hoped to have before you came among -us. If that interloper Hammersley had not -absorbed her interest, no doubt, as matters -once looked, she might have pleased her -relations and bound herself to me, provided -she had never found out that I had loved a -dear one, far away in Devonshire, and -had but a half-concealed fancy for herself.' -</p> - -<p> -Dulcie listened to this special pleading in -contemptuous silence. -</p> - -<p> -'I don't want to marry her now, any more -than she wants to marry me,' he resumed -unblushingly; 'but I may tell you it is -rather hard to be ordered to play the lover -to a girl who will scarcely throw me a civil word.' -</p> - -<p> -'After the cruel trick you played her, is it -to be expected?' -</p> - -<p> -'So—you are in her confidence, then?' -</p> - -<p> -But Dulcie only thought, 'What paradox -is this? He dared again to make love to -herself, after all that had passed with -reference to Florian, and yet to be jealous of -Finella's profound disdain of him.' -</p> - -<p> -'Won't you try and love me a little, -Dulcie?' said he, attempting his most -persuasive tone. -</p> - -<p> -'What do you mean, Shafto?' demanded -the girl in great anger and perplexity; 'even -if I would take you, which I would rather -die than do, with all your wealth and -prospective title, you could not marry me and -Finella too!' -</p> - -<p> -'Who speaks of marriage?' growled -Shafto, under his breath, while a malicious -smile glittered in his cold eyes, as he added -aloud, 'You know which I wish to marry.' -</p> - -<p> -'Then it cannot be me, nor shall it be -Finella either, for the matter of that.' -</p> - -<p> -'Does she act under your influence?' -</p> - -<p> -'Do not think of it—she is under a more -potent influence than I possess,' replied -Dulcie, who, bewildered by his manner and -remarks, was turning away, when he again -confronted her, and the girl glanced uneasily -at the windows, where, although she knew it -not, the eyes of those she dreaded most were -observing them both. -</p> - -<p> -To marry Dulcie, even if she would have -him, certainly did not suit 'the book' of -Shafto; but, as he admired her attractive -person, and hated Florian with unreasoning -rancour, as some men do who have wronged -others, he would gladly have lured her into a -<i>liaison</i> with himself. He knew, however, -her pride and purity too well, but he was not -without the hope of blunting them, and -eventually bending her to his will, under the -threat or pressure of getting her expelled -from Craigengowan, and thrown penniless, -friendless, and with, perhaps, a tainted name, -upon a cold, bitter, and censorious world. -</p> - -<p> -'I know you better than to believe that -you love me any more than I do you,' said -Dulcie, with ill-concealed scorn; 'love is -not in your nature, even for the brilliant -Finella. You love her money—not herself.' -</p> - -<p> -Dissembling his rage, he said in a suppliant tone: -</p> - -<p> -'Why are you so cold and repellant to me, Dulcie?' -</p> - -<p> -'I do not know that I am markedly so.' -</p> - -<p> -'But I do: beyond the affair of the locket, -born of my very regard for you, what is my -offence?' -</p> - -<p> -'What you are doing now, following me -about—forcing your society on me, and -tormenting as you do. I shall be compromised -with Lady Fettercairn if you do not -take care.' -</p> - -<p> -'I think you treat me with cruel coldness, -considering the love I have borne you so -long. Why should not we be even the -friends we once were at Revelstoke, and like -each other always?' -</p> - -<p> -'After all you have done to Florian!' -</p> - -<p> -'What <i>have</i> I done to Florian?' he demanded, -changing colour under the influence -of his own secret thoughts. -</p> - -<p> -'Cast him forth into the world penniless.' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, is that all?' said he, greatly relieved. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, that is all, so far as I know as yet.' -</p> - -<p> -Again his brow darkened at this chance -shot; but, still dissembling, he said: -</p> - -<p> -'My dear little Dulcie, what is the use of -all this foolish regard for Florian and -revengeful mood at me? We shall never see -him again.' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, Shafto, how can you talk thus coldly -of Florian, with whom you went to school -and college together, played together as boys, -and read together as men—were deemed -almost brothers rather than cousins! Shame -on you!' and she stamped her little foot on -the ground as she spoke. -</p> - -<p> -'How pretty you look when angry! You -do not care for me just now, perhaps; but in -time you will, Dulcie.' -</p> - -<p> -'Never, Shafto.' -</p> - -<p> -'Surely you don't mean to carry on this -game ever and always?' -</p> - -<p> -'Ever and always, while I am a dependant here.' -</p> - -<p> -'But I will take you away from here, and -you need be a dependant no longer,' said he, -while his countenance brightened and his -manner warmed, as he utterly mistook her -meaning. 'My allowance is most handsome, -thanks to Lord—Lord—to my grandfather, -and he can't last for ever. The old fellow is -sixty-eight if he is a day. Forget all past -unpleasantness; think only of the future, and -all I can make it for you. I will give you -any length of time if you will only give me -your love.' -</p> - -<p> -'Never, I tell you. Oh, this is intolerable!' -exclaimed the girl passionately, finding that -he still barred her way. -</p> - -<p> -'Beware, Dulcie,' said he, as his shifty -eyes flashed. 'The world and success in it -are for him who knows how to wait; meantime, -let us be friends. Friendship is said to -be more enduring than love.' -</p> - -<p> -'Well—we shall never be even friends -again, Shafto.' -</p> - -<p> -'Why?' -</p> - -<p> -'Well do you know <i>why</i>. And let me -remind you that all sin brings its own -punishment in this world.' -</p> - -<p> -'If found out,' he interrupted. -</p> - -<p> -'And in the next, whether found out here -or not.' -</p> - -<p> -'Why the deuce do you preach thus to -me?' he asked savagely, his fears again -awakened, so true is it that -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'Many a shaft at random sent<br /> - Finds mark the archer never meant.'<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'And what do you take me for that you -treat me thus, and talk to me in this -manner?' -</p> - -<p> -'What do I take you for? By your treatment -of me I take you to be an insolent, -cruel, and heartless fellow, who can be worse -at times.' -</p> - -<p> -'Take care! the pedestal you stand on -may give way. It lies with me to smash it, -and some fine day you may be sorry for the -way in which you have dared to treat me, -Shafto——' -</p> - -<p> -'Gyle,' interrupted Dulcie almost spitefully. -</p> - -<p> -'Melfort, d—n you!' he retorted coarsely, -and losing all command over himself. -</p> - -<p> -Tears now sprang to her eyes, and then, -as he half feared to carry the matter so far -with her, he apologized. -</p> - -<p> -'Let me pass, sir,' said she. -</p> - -<p> -'Won't you give me one little kiss first, -Dulcie?' -</p> - -<p> -She made no reply, but fixed her lovely -dark blue eyes upon him with an expression -of such loathing and contempt that even he -was stung to the heart by it. -</p> - -<p> -'Let me pass, sir!' she exclaimed again. -</p> - -<p> -He stood aside to let her do so, and she -swept by, holding her golden head haughtily -erect; but Dulcie feared him now more than -ever, and certainly she had roused revenge -in his heart, with certain vague emotions of -alarm. -</p> - -<p> -Of all the thousands of homes in Scotland -and England how miserable and unlucky was -the chance that cast her under the same roof -with the evil-minded Shafto! thought the girl -in the solitude of her own room. But then, -otherwise, she would never have known and -shared the sweet and flattering friendship of -Finella Melfort; and, as she never knew what -wicked game Shafto might play, he would -perhaps succeed in depriving her even of that -solace as the end of his persecution. -</p> - -<p> -The whole tenor of the conversation or -interview forced upon her by Shafto impressed -her with a keen and deep sense of humiliation -that made her weep bitterly; how much more -keen would the sense of that have been had -she known what in the purity of her nature -she never suspected, that, amid all his -grotesque love-making, marriage was no way -comprehended in his scheme! -</p> - -<p> -Much as she disliked Shafto, an emotion of -delicacy, with a timid doubt of the future with -regard to Captain Hammersley, and what -was behind that future with regard to 'the -cousins,' as she of course deemed them to -be, induced Dulcie to remain silent with -Finella on the subject of his persistent and -secret attentions to herself, though she would -have deplored to see Finella the wife of Shafto. -</p> - -<p> -The interview we have described had not -passed without observers, we have said. -</p> - -<p> -'Fettercairn, look how Miss Carlyon and -Shafto are flirting near the Swan's Pool!' -said the Lady of that Ilk, drawing her -husband's attention to the pair from a -window of the drawing-room. -</p> - -<p> -'What makes you think they are doing -so?' he asked, but nevertheless with knitted brows. -</p> - -<p> -'Cannot you see it?' -</p> - -<p> -'No; it is so long since I did anything in -that way myself that really I—aw——' -</p> - -<p> -'See with what <i>empressement</i> he bends -down to address her, and she keeps her head -down, too, though she seems to crest it up at times.' -</p> - -<p> -'But she edges away from him palpably, -as if she disliked what he is saying, and, by -Jove, she looks indignant, too!' -</p> - -<p> -'That may be all acting, in suspicion that -she is observed, or it may be to lure him on; -one never knows what may be passing in a -girl's mind—if she thinks herself attractive -especially.' -</p> - -<p> -'Well—to me they seem quarrelling,' said -Lord Fettercairn. -</p> - -<p> -'Quarrelling—and with my companion! -How could Shafto condescend to do so?' -</p> - -<p> -'That is more than I can tell you—he is -rather a riddle to me; but the girl is decidedly -more than pretty, and very good style, too.' -</p> - -<p> -'And hence the more dangerous. I must -speak with Shafto on this subject seriously, or——' -</p> - -<p> -'What then?' -</p> - -<p> -'Get rid of her.' -</p> - -<p> -'If we fail in marrying Shafto to Finella, -who can say whom he may marry, as his -instincts seem somewhat low, and after we -are gone there may be a whole clan of low -and sordid prodigals here in Craigengowan.' -</p> - -<p> -'And Radicals!' suggested Lady Fettercairn. -</p> - -<p> -'Desecrating the spots rendered almost -sacred by association with a great and famous -past,' said Lord Fettercairn loftily. -</p> - -<p> -What this great and famous 'past' was, he -could scarcely have told. It was not -connected with his own mushroom line, whatever -it might have been with the former lords of -Craigengowan, whose guests had at times -been Kings of Scotland and Princes of -France and Spain. -</p> - -<p> -'Finella is young, and does not know her -own heart,' he resumed; 'besides, I believe -it is enough generally to recommend a girl to -marry a certain man, for her to set her face -against him unreasoningly. But I think—and -hope—that our Finella is different from -the common run of girls.' -</p> - -<p> -'Not in contriving, perhaps, to fall in love -with the wrong man.' -</p> - -<p> -'You mean that young fellow Hammersley?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes; I must own to having most grave -suspicions,' replied Lady Fettercairn. -</p> - -<p> -'She is a Melfort, and as such has no -notion of being coerced.' -</p> - -<p> -Lady Fettercairn thought of Lennard and -Flora MacIan and remained silent, remembering -that <i>he</i> too, the disowned and the outcast, -was a genuine Melfort in the same sense. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap16"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XVI. -<br /><br /> -A THREAT. -</h3> - -<p> -To Finella, so pure in mind and proud in -spirit, it was fast becoming utterly intolerable -to find herself in the false and degraded -position the craft of Shafto had placed her -in with regard to so honourable a man as -Vivian Hammersley; and the more she -brooded over it, the deeper became her -loathing of the daring trickster—a sentiment -which she was, by the force of circumstances, -compelled to veil and conceal from her -guardians: hence, the more bitter her thoughts, -the more passionate her longing for an -explanation, and more definite her wishes. -</p> - -<p> -Hammersley, though still a fact, seemed -somehow to have passed out of her life, and -thus she often said in a kind of wailing way -to Dulcie: -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, that he had never come here, or that -I had never known or met him, in London -or anywhere else! Then I should not have -felt what it is to love and to lose him!' -</p> - -<p> -'Pardon me, darling, but take courage,' -replied Dulcie, caressing her. 'I have -written to Florian at last, and his reply will -tell us all about Captain Hammersley, and -how he is looking, and so forth; though -Florian, in a position so subordinate, cannot -be in his confidence, of course.' -</p> - -<p> -She did not add that she had in her letter -told the whole story of the false position in -which Finella had been placed, lest the -latter's pride might revolt at such -interference in her affairs, however well and -kindly meant; and lest the letter—if it proved -disappointing, by her lover remaining jealous, -suspicious, obdurate, or contemptuous, if -Florian ventured to speak on the subject, -which she scarcely hoped—should prove a -useless humiliation to Finella, who longed -eagerly as herself for the reply. -</p> - -<p> -But Dulcie prayed in her simple heart -that good might come of it before the evil -which she so nervously dreaded fell upon -herself; for Shafto had made such humble -apologies for his conduct to her on the day -he interrupted her when feeding the swans, -that, though she gave him her hand in token, -not of forgiveness but of truce, she feared -he was concocting fresh mischief; for soon -after, encouraged thereby, he began his -old persecution, but carefully and in secret -again. -</p> - -<p> -Finding that his chances with Finella were -now apparently <i>nil</i>, even though all seemed -at an end between her and Vivian Hammersley, -Shafto, by force of old habit, perhaps, -turned his attention to Dulcie, who, -in her humble and dependent capacity, had -a difficult card to play, while feeling -exasperated and degraded by the passion he -expressed for her on every available -opportunity. Not that he would, she suspected, -have married a poor girl like her, as one -with money, no matter who, was the wisest -match for him, lest the discovery of who he -was came to pass, though that he deemed -impossible now. -</p> - -<p> -Shafto had learned and imitated much -among the new and aristocratic folks in -whose circle he found himself cast; and thus -it was that he dared to make secret love, and -to torment the helpless Dulcie with words -that spoke of— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'Riches and love and pleasure,<br /> - And all but the name of wife.'<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Had he done that, she would have treated -him quite as coldly and scornfully; but she -could do no more than she did. Yet he was -fast making her life at Craigengowan a -torture, and she feared him almost more than -his so-called grandmother, who was only a -proud and selfish patrician, while he—ah, she -knew too well what he was capable of; but -Dulcie had something more to learn yet. -</p> - -<p> -One day, after having imbibed more wine, -or <i>eau-de-vie</i>, than was good for him in -Mr. Grapeston's pantry, as he sometimes did, he -addressed the girl in a way there was no -misunderstanding. She trembled and grew pale. -</p> - -<p> -'Well, one thing I promise you if you -try to please me,' said he—'to <i>please</i> me, -do you understand?—while you remain -under this roof, which I hope, darling, will -not be long now—I shall trouble you no -more.' -</p> - -<p> -'To please you, Shafto!' stammered the -girl; 'what <i>do</i> you mean?' -</p> - -<p> -'I'll tell you that by-and-by, my pretty -Dulcie, when the time comes.' -</p> - -<p> -She drew back with a pallid face and a -hauteur that would have become Lady -Fettercairn herself, while he in turn made -her a low mock bow, and stalked tipsily off -with what he thought a dignity of bearing, -leaving her sick with terror of a future of -insult and apprehension. -</p> - -<p> -Somehow she felt at his mercy, and began -to contemplate flight, but to where? -</p> - -<p> -Watching closely, Lady Fettercairn observed -the extreme caution and coldness of -Dulcie's bearing to Shafto; but, not believing -in it, or that a person in her dependent state -could resist advances of any kind from one in -his lofty position, supposed she had only to -wait long enough and observe with care to -find out if aught was wrong. -</p> - -<p> -'But why wait?' said Lady Drumshoddy; -'why not dismiss the creature at once?' she -added with asperity. -</p> - -<p> -'How comes it that you are so intimate -with this girl Carlyon?' said Lady -Fettercairn one day. -</p> - -<p> -'Your companion?' said Shafto. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes.' -</p> - -<p> -'How often have I told you that we are -old friends—knew each other in Devonshire -since we were a foot high.' -</p> - -<p> -'But this intimacy now is—to say the -least of it, Shafto—undignified.' -</p> - -<p> -'I am sorry you think so.' -</p> - -<p> -'Besides, she has a lover, I believe, whose -likeness she wears in a locket; and though -she may be content to throw him over for -rank and wealth with you, surely you would -not care to receive a second-hand affection.' -</p> - -<p> -'How your tongue goes on, grandmother!' -said Shafto, greatly irritated; 'you are like -Finella's pad Fern when it gets the bit -between its teeth.' -</p> - -<p> -'Thank you! But this lover or cousin, -or whatever he is, of whom Miss Carlyon -actually once spoke to me—who is he, and -where is he?' -</p> - -<p> -'How the deuce should I know!' exclaimed -Shafto, growing pale; 'gone to the dogs, I -suppose, as I always thought he would.' -</p> - -<p> -'It was of him that madwoman spoke?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, Madelon Galbraith. He was named -Florian after his <i>aunt</i>.' -</p> - -<p> -'Miss MacIan.' -</p> - -<p> -That was enough for Lady Fettercairn, -who, dropping that subject, returned with -true feminine persistence to the other. -</p> - -<p> -'I don't like this sort of thing, I repeat, -Shafto.' -</p> - -<p> -'What sort of thing?' -</p> - -<p> -'This secret flirting with my companion, -Miss Carlyon.' -</p> - -<p> -'I don't flirt with her; and, by Jove, he'd -be a pretty clever fellow who could do so.' -</p> - -<p> -'Why?' -</p> - -<p> -'She is so devilish stand-off, grandmother.' -</p> - -<p> -'I am truly glad to hear it.' -</p> - -<p> -'But can't I talk with her? We are old -acquaintances, and have naturally much to -say to each other.' -</p> - -<p> -'Too much, I fear. You may talk, as you -say, but not hover about her.' -</p> - -<p> -'Anything more?' asked Shafto rudely. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, I wish you to settle down——' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh! and marry Finella?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, that you know well, dear Shafto,' -said the lady coaxingly. -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, by Jove! that is easier said than -done. You don't know all the outs and ins -of Finella; and one can't walk the course, so -far as I can see.' -</p> - -<p> -Shafto withdrew, but not before he saw -the lace-edged handkerchief come into use, to -hide the tears she did not shed at the brusque -manner of her 'grandson,' who had failed to -convince her, for she said to herself bitterly: -</p> - -<p> -'There is a curse upon Craigengowan! -Our youngest son threw himself and his life -away upon a beggarly governess; and now -our only grandson seems likely to play the -same game with my upstart companion! I -<i>do</i> like the girl, but, however, I must get rid -of her.' -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap17"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XVII. -<br /><br /> -WITH THE SECOND DIVISION. -</h3> - -<p> -Meanwhile the events of the war were -treading thick on each other in Zululand. A -fresh disaster had ensued at the Intombe -river, where a detachment of the 80th -Regiment was cut to pieces, and again old -soldiers spoke with sorrow and disgust of -the blunders and incapacity of those at -head-quarters, who by their newfangled -systems had reduced our once grand army -to chaos. -</p> - -<p> -Such alarms and surprises, like too many -of the disasters and disgraces which befell -our arms in these latter wars, were entirely -due to the new formation of our battalions. -'That the destruction of the regimental -system by Lord Cardwell has been the -original cause of all our reverses, surprises, -and humiliation, there can be little hesitation -in saying,' to quote Major Ashe. 'The men -at Isandhlwana were not well handled, it must -be admitted, but it has since leaked out that -many of them would not rally round their -officers, but attempted safety in flight. -Dozens of the men, sergeants, and other -non-commissioned officers, have since -disclosed that they did not know the names of -their company officers, or those of their right -or left hand men.' -</p> - -<p> -Hence, by the newfangled system, there -could be neither confidence nor cohesion. -Elsewhere he tells us that the once-splendid -91st Highlanders, 'the envy of all recruiting -sergeants, could only muster 200 men when -ordered to Zululand,' but was made up by -volunteers from other regiments—men all -strangers to each other and to their officers, -and whose facings were all the colours of the -rainbow. Then, after the Intombe, followed -the storming of the Inhlobane Mountain, -where fell the gallant Colonel Weatherley, -and the no less gallant old frontier farmer -Pict Nys, who was last seen fighting to his -final gasp against a horde of Zulus, across -the dead body of his favourite horse, an -empty revolver in his left hand, a -blood-dripping sabre in his right, and more than -one assegai, launched from a distance, -quivering in his body. -</p> - -<p> -The cry went to Britain now for more -troops; and fresh reinforcements came, while -the army in Zululand was reconstituted by -Lord Chelmsford at Durban. -</p> - -<p> -There, amid a brilliant staff in their new -uniforms fresh from home, was one central -figure, the ill-starred Prince Imperial of -France, who had landed two days after the -battle of Kambula, and had been appointed -an extra aide-de-camp to the general commanding. -</p> - -<p> -The army was now formed into two -divisions: one under Major-General Crealock, -C.B., and another under Major-General -Newdigate, while a flying column under Sir -Evelyn Wood was to act independently. -Hammersley's squadron of Mounted Infantry -was attached to the Second Division, with -the movements of which our story has -necessarily alone to do. -</p> - -<p> -The 16th of April saw it marching northward -of Natal, and on the 4th of May Lord -Chelmsford, who had joined it after church -parade—for the day was Sunday—suggested -that a reconnaissance should be made towards -the Valley of the Umvolosi River to select -ground for an entrenched camp, and for this -purpose Hammersley's squadron and Buller's -Horse were ordered to the front. -</p> - -<p> -The local troopers under that brilliant -officer were now clad in a uniform manner—in -brown cord breeches, mimosa-coloured -jackets, long gaiters laced to the knee, and -broad cavalier hats, with long scarlet or blue -puggarees. The open collars of their flannel -shirts displayed their bronzed necks; and -picturesque-looking fellows they were, all -armed with sabres and rifles of various -patterns, slung across the back by a broad -leather sling. Their horses were rough but -serviceable, and active as mountain deer. -</p> - -<p> -After riding some miles over grassy -plateaux and rugged hilly ground, tufted with -cabbage-tree wood, on a bright and pleasant -morning, the local Horse were signalled to -retire, as it was discovered that a great body -of Zulus were watching their movements. -</p> - -<p> -Unaware of this, Hammersley, with his -Mounted Infantry, rode on for three miles, -till they reached a great plateau near a place -called Zungen Nek, where the pathway, if -such it could be styled, was bordered by -mimosa thorns, and where two bullets -mysteriously fired—no one could tell from where, -for no enemy was to be seen—whistled -through the little squadron harmlessly, though -both were as close to Florian as they could -pass without hitting him, and one made -Tattoo toss his head and lay his quivering -little ears angrily back on his neck. -</p> - -<p> -At this time some officers who had cantered -to the front from where the division was -halted, saw the dark figures of many of the -enemy creeping along in the jungle, and -watching them so intently that they were all -unaware of their retreat being cut off by -twenty of the Mounted Infantry under a -sergeant—Florian. -</p> - -<p> -'Forward, and at them!' cried the latter, -as his men slung their rifles and galloped in -loose formation, sabre in hand, to attack the -savages, but suddenly found themselves on -the edge of some precipitous cliffs, some -three hundred feet in height, which compelled -them for a moment or two to rein up till a -narrow track was found, down which they -descended in single file in a scrambling -way, the hoofs of the rear horses throwing -sand, gravel, and stones over those in front. -</p> - -<p> -When the sounds made by the descent -ceased, and the soldiers gained a turfy -plateau, nothing could be seen of the foe, -and all was silence—a silence that could be -felt, like the darkness that rested on the land -of Egypt. Then there burst forth a united -yell that seemed to rend the welkin, and a -vast horde of black-skinned Zulus, led by -Methagazulu (the son of Sirayo), who had -recovered from the wound he received at -Ginghilovo, came rushing on, brandishing -their assegais and rifles. -</p> - -<p> -This ambuscade was more than Florian -anticipated, and believing that all was lost, -and that he and his party would be utterly -cut off to a man, he gave the order to retire -on the spur, and they splashed, girdle deep, -through a ford of the Umvolosi, on which, as -if by the guidance of Heaven, they chanced -to hit. -</p> - -<p> -With yells of baffled rage the savages -followed them so closely that Florian and -another trooper named Tom Tyrrell, who -covered the rear, had to face about and fire -by turns, till the open ground on the other -side was reached. -</p> - -<p> -'A close shave that business,' said Tom -breathlessly. 'I thought that in three -minutes' time every man Jack of us would -have been assegaied.' -</p> - -<p> -Galloping out of range, Florian's party -now rejoined that of Hammersley, who -congratulated them on their escape, and they all -rode together back to head-quarters. But -these movements had alarmed the whole -valley of the White Umvolosi. -</p> - -<p> -On every hand, in quick succession, signal -fires, formed of vast heaps of dried grass, -blazed on the hill-tops; vast columns of -black smoke shot upwards to the bright blue -sky, and were repeated from summit to -summit, showing that the whole country was -actively alive with armed warriors, who in -many places could be seen driving and -goading their herds of cattle into rocky -kloofs and all kinds of places inaccessible to -horse and foot alike. -</p> - -<p> -From the summit of the Zungen Nek a -full view of the beautiful valley through -which the Umvolosi rolls could be obtained, -and near a place there, called Conference -Hill, were seen, like a field of snow, the white -tents of the Second Division shining in the -bright, sunny light. -</p> - -<p> -Twenty-three days it remained encamped -there, and during that time a vast amount of -useful information regarding the topography -of the country in which the coming campaign -would be, was furnished by the reports and -sketches made by Colonel Buller, the Prince -Imperial, by Hammersley, and even by -Florian, who was a very clever draughtsman, -and on many occasions was complimented -by the staff in such terms as made his young -heart swell in his breast. -</p> - -<p> -But the sketches of none surpassed those -of the handsome and unfortunate Prince, -whose passion for information was boundless, -and the questions he was wont to ask of all -were searching in the extreme. -</p> - -<p> -One day, when out on a reconnaisance, -the Mounted Infantry were suddenly fired -upon from a kraal, and in the conflict that -ensued many were killed and wounded, -especially of the enemy, who were completely -routed. -</p> - -<p> -The great and unfathomable mystery of -death was close indeed to Florian on that -day, and around him lay hundreds who had -discovered it within an hour or less. He -had narrowly escaped it by skilfully dodging -a ponderous knobkerie flung at his head as -the last dying effort of a warrior whose black -and naked breast had been pierced by a -bullet from Tom Tyrrell's rifle, and from -which the crimson blood was welling as if -from a squirt; and so close was the weapon -to doing Florian a mortal mischief that it -took the gilt spike close off the top of his -helmet. -</p> - -<p> -And now, on the very evening before the -division broke up its camp and marched, -occurred an event which proved to Florian, -and to his favourite captain too, the chief one -of the campaign. -</p> - -<p> -How little those who live at home at ease -can know of the delight it gives an exile to -have tidings, by letter or otherwise, from -those who are dear to them in the old country -when far, far away from it! No matter how -short the sentences, how few the facts, or -how clumsy the expressions, they all seem to -show that we are not forgotten by the old -fireside; for even amid the keen and fierce -excitement of war the soldier has often time -for much thought of friends and home, -especially in the lonely watches of the -night, and a pang goes to his heart with -the fear that, as he is absent, he may be -forgotten. -</p> - -<p> -Florian had often envied the delight with -which his comrades, Tom Tyrrell or poor -Bob Edgehill, who perished at Isandhlwana, -and others received letters from distant -friends and relatives; but month after month -had passed, and none ever came to him, nor -did he expect any. -</p> - -<p> -In all the world there was no one to -think of him save Dulcie Carlyon. How he -longed to write to her, but knew not where -she was. -</p> - -<p> -At last there came an evening—he never -forgot it—when the sergeant who acted as -regimental postman brought him a letter—a -letter addressed to himself, and in the -handwriting of Dulcie! -</p> - -<p> -His fingers trembled as he carefully but -hastily cut open the envelope. It was dated -from Craigengowan, a place of which he -scarcely knew the name, but thought he had -heard it mentioned by Mr. Kenneth Kippilaw -on the eventful day when he and Shafto -visited that gentleman at his office. -</p> - -<p> -After many prettily expressed protestations -of regard for himself—every word of which -stirred his heart deeply—of joy that he was -winning distinction, and of fear for the awful -risks he ran in war, she informed him that the -situation obtained for her had been that of -companion to Lady Fettercairn, 'and who do you -think I found installed here as master of the -whole situation, as heir to the title and a truly -magnificent property—Shafto! Perhaps I -am wrong to tell you, lest it may worry you, -but he has resumed his persecution of me. -He often taunts me about you, and fills me -with terror lest he may do me a mischief -with Lady Fettercairn, as he has already -contrived to do with his cousin, Miss Finella (a -dear darling girl) and Captain Hammersley, -the officer whose life you so bravely saved at -Ginghilovo, and who, I now learn, is in your -regiment. It was an infamous trick, but it -succeeded in separating them and nearly -breaking Finella's heart.' -</p> - -<p> -The letter then proceeded to detail how -Finella, to her extreme dismay and -discomfiture, had dropped Hammersley's -pencilled note; how Shafto had found it, and -intercepted her in the shrubbery on her way -to the place of rendezvous, and would only -restore it on receiving, as a bribe, a cousinly -kiss, which she was compelled to accord, when -he rudely seized her and snatched several -before she could repulse him; how Hammersley -had passed at that fatal moment, and -misconceived the whole situation, since when, -language could not express the loathing -Finella had of Shafto. That was the whole -affair. -</p> - -<p> -'You know Shafto and all of which he is -capable,' continued Dulcie; 'so poor Finella -is heartbroken in contemplating the horrid -view her lover must take of her, but is without -the means of explaining it away, nor will her -great pride permit her to do so.' -</p> - -<p> -Dulcie under the same roof with Shafto, -and apparently the bosom friend of -Hammersley's love! Florian had now a clue to -some of the bitter remarks that, in moments -of unintentional confidence, his superior had -uttered from time to time. -</p> - -<p> -That Shafto and Dulcie were in such close -proximity to each other—meeting daily and -hourly—filled Florian's mind with no small -anxiety. He had no doubt of Dulcie's faith, -trust, and purity; but neither had he any -doubt of Shafto's subtle character and the -mischief of which he was capable, and which -he might work the helpless and unfortunate -girl if he pursued, as she admitted he did, the -odious and unwelcome love-making he had -begun at Revelstoke. -</p> - -<p> -As he read and re-read her letter in that -hot, burning, and far-away land, how vividly -every expression of her perfect face, every -inflection of her soft and sympathetic voice, -came back to memory, till his heart swelled -and his eyes grew dim. How self-possessed -she was, with all her gentleness; how -self-reliant, with all her timidity. -</p> - -<p> -'Should I show this letter to Hammersley?' -thought Florian. 'The communication in it -must concern him very closely—very dearly, -and my darling, impulsive little Dulcie has -evidently written it with a purpose.' -</p> - -<p> -Then Florian remembered that though -suave and condescendingly kind to him, -especially since the episode at Ginghilovo, -Hammersley was naturally a man of a proud -and haughty spirit, and might resent one in -Florian's junior position interfering in the -most tender secrets of his life. -</p> - -<p> -Florian was keenly desirous of fulfilling -what was evidently the wish of Dulcie—of -befriending her friend, and perhaps, by -achieving a reconciliation, conferring an -unexampled favour upon his officer; yet he -shrank from the delicate task, while giving -it long and anxious thought. -</p> - -<p> -He tossed up a florin. -</p> - -<p> -'If it is a head, I'll do it. Head it is!' he -exclaimed, and went straight to the tent of -Hammersley, whom he found lounging on -his camp-bed, with a cigar in his mouth and -his patrol-jacket open. -</p> - -<p> -'What is up?' he demanded abruptly, as -if disturbed in a reverie. -</p> - -<p> -'Only, sir, that I have just had a letter,' -began Florian, colouring deeply, and pausing. -</p> - -<p> -'From home?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, sir.' -</p> - -<p> -'I hope it contains pleasant news.' -</p> - -<p> -'It is from one who is very dear to me.' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, the old story—a girl, no doubt?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, sir.' -</p> - -<p> -'The more fool you: the faith of the sex -is writ in water, as the poet has it.' -</p> - -<p> -'I hope not, in my case and in some others, -Captain Hammersley; but if you will pardon -me I cannot help stating that in my letter -there is something that concerns yourself -and your happiness very nearly indeed.' -</p> - -<p> -Hammersley stared at this information. -</p> - -<p> -'Concerns me?' he asked. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, and Miss Finella Melfort: permit -me to mention her name.' -</p> - -<p> -The red blood suffused Hammersley's -bronzed face from temples to chin, and he -sprang to his feet. -</p> - -<p> -'What the devil <i>do</i> you mean, MacIan?' -he exclaimed sharply; his supreme astonishment, -however, exceeding any indignation to -hear that name on a stranger's lips. 'I -know well that you are not what you seem -by your present position in life; but how came -you to know the name of that young lady?' -</p> - -<p> -'She is mentioned in this letter, sir—the -letter of the only being in all the world who -cares for me,' replied Florian, with a palpable -break in his voice. -</p> - -<p> -'Mentioned in what fashion?' asked -Hammersley curtly and with knitted brows. -</p> - -<p> -'Please to read this paragraph for yourself, sir.' -</p> - -<p> -'Thanks.' -</p> - -<p> -Hammersley took the letter, and saw that -it was written in a most lady-like hand. -</p> - -<p> -'Dulcie?' said he, just glancing at the -signature; 'is she your sister?' -</p> - -<p> -'I have no sister. I think I have told -you that I am alone in the world.' -</p> - -<p> -'I have a delicacy in reading a young -lady's letter,' said Hammersley, whose hand -shook on perceiving by the next glance that -it was dated from 'Craigengowan.' -</p> - -<p> -Florian indicated the long paragraph with -a finger; and as Hammersley read it his -face became again deeply suffused. -</p> - -<p> -'Permit me again, my good fellow,' said -he as he read it twice, as if to impress its -contents on his mind; and then, returning -the letter with unsteady hand to Florian, he -seated himself on the edge of the camp-bed -and passed a hand across his forehead. -</p> - -<p> -'Thank you for showing me this! You -can understand what I felt and thought on -seeing the episode this young lady explains -so kindly in her letter—God bless the girl! -It seems all too good to be true.' -</p> - -<p> -'You do not know the vile trickery of -which this fellow Shafto is capable,' said Florian. -</p> - -<p> -'I do,' replied Hammersley, remembering -the affair of the cards. 'Finella!' said he, as -if to himself, 'how her memory haunts me! -By Jove, she is a witch, a sorceress!—like -that other Finella after whom she told me -she is named, and who lived—I don't know -when—in the year of the Flood, I think. -I thank you from my soul, MacIan, for the -sight of this letter, and it will be a further -incitement to me to further your interests in -every way within my power. Heaven knows -how gladly I would betake me to my pen; -but this is no time for letter-writing. By -daybreak we shall be in our saddles, and on -the spur to the front.' -</p> - -<p> -Florian saluted his officer and withdrew, -leaving him to the full tide of his new -thoughts. -</p> - -<p> -So she was true to him after all! The -whole affair, so black apparently, seemed to -be so simply and truthfully explained away -by Dulcie's letter that he could not doubt the -terrible misconception under which he had -laboured, nor did he wish to do so. The -tables were completely turned. -</p> - -<p> -It was he—himself—who had cruelly -wronged, doubted, upbraided, and quitted -Finella, and now from him must the reparation -come. His mind was full of the repentant, -glowing, and gushing letter he would -write her, renewing his protestations of love -and faith, and imploring her to forgive him; -but when could that letter be written and -sent to the rear?—for the division advanced -by dawn on the morrow, and there would -scarcely be a halt, he supposed, till it reached -Ulundi. -</p> - -<p> -And how could a letter reach her from the -Cape at Craigengowan unknown to Lady -Fettercairn?—who, he knew but too well, was -bitterly opposed to his love for Finella, and -for many cogent reasons the adherent of -Shafto. -</p> - -<p> -How would it all end with them both now? -</p> - -<p> -In a runaway marriage too probably, unless -he got knocked on the head in Zululand, a -process he rather shrank from now, as life -seemed to be invested with new attributes, -greater hopes, and greater value. -</p> - -<p> -Finella's <i>mignonne</i> face came before him; -the small, straight nose, with thin, arched -nostrils; the proud yet soft hazel eyes, with -thin, long lashes; the firm coral lips; the -abundant hair of richest brown; and with all -these came, too, the memory of her favourite -perfume, the faint odour of jasmine that clung -to her draperies and laces. -</p> - -<p> -In a similar mood to some extent, but -without the sense of having aught to explain -or a reparation to make, Florian lay in -another tent at some little distance, -contemplating the contents of a pretty white -leather toy, lined with pale blue satin—a case -containing a photo—altogether an unsuitable -thing for the pocket of a soldier's tunic, or -to place in his haversack, it may be among -cooked rations, shoe-brushes, and a sponge -for pipeclay; but it contained a poor reflection, -though delicately tinted, of Dulcie's own -sweet face. -</p> - -<p> -He continued by turns to re-read her letter -and contemplate her photo till the daylight -faded and the moon, golden not silver -coloured, shone amid a sky wherein dark -blue seemed to blend with apple green at -the horizon, lighting up all the lonely -landscape, and making the blue gum trees and -euphorbiæ stand out in opaque <i>silhouette</i>, -while the—to him—new constellations of -that southern hemisphere seemed to play -hide-and-seek, as they sparkled in and out -in the cloudless dome of heaven. -</p> - -<p> -As there he lay, full of his own thoughts -and tender memories, he was all unaware of -two evil spirits that hovered near, and were -actually watching him. Both were evil-visaged -personages, and though clad in the -ordinary costume of Cape Colonists belonged -to the Natal Volunteer Force. -</p> - -<p> -One had two hideous bullet wounds but -lately healed—one on each cheek—and his -jaws were almost destitute of teeth, as -Florian's pistol had left them; for this -personage was no other than Josh Jarrett, the -ex-landlord of the so-called hotel at -Elandsbergen; and the other was Dick of the -Droogveldt—one of the two ruffians that had -pursued Florian on horseback till his fall into -the bushy donga concealed him from them. -</p> - -<p> -On the destruction of the town of Elandsbergen -by the Zulus these two worthies, for -the sake of the ample pay given to the -Colonial troops, and being incapable of -obtaining any other means of livelihood, had -joined the Volunteer Horse, and while serving -in that capacity had discovered and recognised -Florian. -</p> - -<p> -'He's a boss now in the Mounted Infantry; -but I'll be cursed if I don't put a -lead plug into him on the first opportunity—kill -him as I would a puff-adder!' said Josh -Jarrett fiercely, as he mumbled the last words -into the mouth of a metal flask filled with -that villainous compound known as Cape -Smoke, while they grinned, but without fun, -and winked to each other portentously. -</p> - -<p> -'Hopportunities we'll 'ave in plenty, with -the work as goes on here,' responded Dick -of the Droogveldt (which means a dry -district), 'and that cursed fellow shall never -quit Zululand alive, all the more so that they -say he is to be made an officer soon.' -</p> - -<p> -For Dick, like Josh, was one of 'Cardwell's -recruits,' as they are named, and had -been a deserter from a line regiment. So -their appearance in camp probably accounted -for the two mysterious shots that Florian had -so recently escaped.[*] -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -[*] For many interesting details of the Zulu War, I am -indebted to the narrative of Major Ashe; but more -particularly to the Private Journal of the Chief of the -Staff. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap18"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XVIII. -<br /><br /> -ON THE BANKS OF THE ITYOTYOSI. -</h3> - -<p> -It was bitterly cold in camp that night—one -of the <i>noctes ambrosianæ</i> in Zululand, as -Hammersley said laughingly; and on the morning -of the 1st June, when the thin ice stood in -the buckets inside the tents, the latter were -struck, and the Second Division began its -march from the Blood River towards the -Itelezi Hill. -</p> - -<p> -'My darling little Finella—may God love -you and bless you!' was the morning prayer -of Hammersley as he sprung on his horse, -and the squadron of Mounted Infantry went -cantering forward; prior to which, Florian, -after fraternally sharing a ration biscuit with -Tattoo—while the animal whinnied and -rubbed his velvet nose against his cheek, as -if thanking him therefor—kissed him quite -as tenderly as Finella ever did Fern; for -a genuine trooper has a true affection for his -horse. -</p> - -<p> -As the squadron rode on in advance of the -column, Hammersley beckoned Florian to -his side, and, as they trotted on together, he -asked him many a kindly question about -Dulcie Carlyon, of his past life and future -hopes and wishes, betraying a genuine -interest which touched Florian keenly. -</p> - -<p> -In due time the Itelezi Hill, a long mass, -the brown sides of which were scored by -rocky ravines and woody kloofs, the -lurking-places of many Zulus, who acted as spies -along the border, was reached; and now, on -the bank of the Ityotyosi River, at a short -distance from the Natal frontier, a halt -was made, and another temporary camp -formed on ground selected by the Prince -Imperial of France, who had previously -examined it. -</p> - -<p> -In advance of the whole force on the same -morning, the Prince had ridden on with -instructions to examine the nature of the -ground through which the march would lie; -and with an emotion of deep interest, for -which he could not account, Florian saw him -ride off at full speed, accompanied by -Lieutenant Carey, of the 98th Regiment, the -Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General, -with six of Captain Bettington's European -Horse; and pushing on over the open -and pastoral country, the Prince and his -party soon disappeared in the vicinity -of the Itelezi Hill, which he reached about -ten a.m. -</p> - -<p> -On the same day Sir Evelyn Wood—with -orders to keep one day's march in front of -the Second Division—was reconnoitring in -advance of his flying column, when the halt -was made by the Ityotyosi River, where -despatches from the rear overtook the staff, -and a few minutes after, the General sent -his orderly for Florian, whom he found -carefully grooming and rubbing down -Tattoo. -</p> - -<p> -Though ignorant of having committed any -<i>faux pas</i>, Florian's first idea was that he had -fallen into a scrape, and with some -trepidation of spirit and manner found himself -before the General, who, wearing a braided -patrol-jacket and a white helmet girt by a -puggaree, was examining the country through -a field-glass. -</p> - -<p> -'Sergeant,' said he, holding forth his hand, -'I have to congratulate you.' -</p> - -<p> -'On what, sir?' asked Florian. -</p> - -<p> -'Your appointment to a second-lieutenancy -in your regiment, as the reward of your -disinterested bravery at Ginghilovo, and general -conduct on all occasions. It is duly notified -in the <i>Gazette</i>, and here is the letter of the -Adjutant-General.' -</p> - -<p> -Florian's breath was quite taken away by -this intelligence. For a few moments he -could scarcely realise the truth of what the -general, with great kindness and interest of -manner, had said to him. He felt like one -in a dream, from which he might awaken to -disappointment; and the white tents of the -camp, the Ityotyosi that flowed beside them, -the woods and distant hills, seemed to be -careering round him, and it was only when -after a little time he felt the firm grasp of -Hammersley's hand, and heard the warm and -hearty congratulations from him and other -officers, that he felt himself now indeed to be -one of them. -</p> - -<p> -The first to accord him a 'a salute as -Second Lieutenant' (a rank since then -abolished) was Tom Tyrrell. -</p> - -<p> -'Let me shake your hand for the last time, -sir, as your comrade,' said he. -</p> - -<p> -'Not for the last time, I hope, Tom,' -replied Florian, whose thoughts were flashing -home to Dulcie, and all she would feel and -think and say. -</p> - -<p> -An officer—he was already an officer! As -his father—or he whom he had so long -deemed his father—was before him. His -foot was firmly planted on the ladder now, -and with the thought of Dulcie's joy his -own redoubled. -</p> - -<p> -'Come to the mess tent,' said Hammersley. -'We must wet the commission and drink the -health of the Queen after tiffin.' -</p> - -<p> -For the first time on that auspicious -afternoon Florian found himself among his equals, -and the kindness with which they welcomed -him to their circle made his affectionate and -appreciative heart swell. Hammersley was -President of the Mess Committee, and was a -wonderful strategist in the matter of -'providing grub,' as he said. -</p> - -<p> -A few rough boards that went with the -baggage formed the table, and at 'tiffin' that -day the <i>menu</i> comprised vegetable soup, a -sirloin of beef, an <i>entrée</i> or two, for a wonder, -with plenty of brandy-pawnee and 'square-face;' -and what the repast lacked in delicacy -and splendour was amply made up by the -general jollity and good humour that -pervaded the board, though, for all they knew, -another hour might find them face to face -with the enemy. -</p> - -<p> -Would either Hammersley or Florian be -spared to write to the girl he loved? -</p> - -<p> -In the case of Florian it seemed somewhat -impossible, especially now, when he had—all -unknown to himself—two secret and -unscrupulous enemies on his trail, and intent on -his destruction. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile a terrible tragedy, that was to -form a part of the world's history, was being -acted not very far off from where that jocund -circle sat round the board presided over by -Hammersley. -</p> - -<p> -Sir Evelyn Wood, we have said, was -reconnoitring in advance of his column, which -was then on the march from Munhla Hill -towards the Ityotyosi River. Scattered in -extended order among the growing undulations -and watercourses, the Horse of Redvers -Buller were scouting. -</p> - -<p> -Rain had fallen during the night, but the -sky of the afternoon was clear, bright, and -without a cloud, from the far horizon to the -zenith. -</p> - -<p> -Following, but at a distance, the line taken -by the Prince Imperial and his six -reconnoitring troopers, General Wood, after -issuing from a dense coppice of thorn trees, -interspersed with graceful date palms and -enormous feathery bamboo canes, came -suddenly on a deep and smooth tributary of the -Ityotyosi, and after contriving to ford it at a -place where its banks were fringed by -beautiful acacias and drooping palms with -fan-shaped leaves, to his astonishment some -mounted men appeared in his front, and all -apparently fugitives. -</p> - -<p> -With twelve of his troopers the fearless -Buller, who had seen them also, now came -galloping up and rode on with Sir Evelyn, -and in rounding the base of a tall cliff they -came suddenly upon Lieutenant Carey, of -the 98th Foot, and four troopers of Bettington's -Corps, all riding at a furious pace, their -horses flecked with white foam, and with -sides bloody by the goring spurs. -</p> - -<p> -They reined up pale and breathlessly, and -in another minute or two their terrible secret was told. -</p> - -<p> -'Where is the Prince Imperial?' cried Sir -Evelyn, as he rushed his horse over some -fallen trees in his haste to meet the fugitives. -</p> - -<p> -But Carey, who seemed as dead beat as -his horse, was at first apparently incapable of -replying. -</p> - -<p> -'Speak, sir!' cried the General impetuously. -'What has happened?' -</p> - -<p> -Still Carey seemed incapable of speech. -</p> - -<p> -'Sir,' said one of the troopers, 'the Prince, -I fear, is killed.' -</p> - -<p> -The speaker was Private Le Toque, a Frenchman. -</p> - -<p> -'Is that the case? Tell me instantly, sir!' -resumed the General, with growing excitement. -</p> - -<p> -'I fear it is so,' faltered Carey, in a low voice. -</p> - -<p> -'Then <i>what are you doing here, sir?</i>' -</p> - -<p> -A veil must be drawn over the rest of the -interview, which was of a most painful -character, wrote Major Ashe in his -narrative of the occurrence. -</p> - -<p> -A soldier—Tom Tyrrell, encouraged by -the knowledge that his late comrade Florian -was there—came rushing into the mess-tent, -where Florian, with those who were now his -brother-officers, was seated in happiness and -jollity, bearing the terrible tidings, which -spread through the camp like wildfire, and all -who had horses mounted and rode forth to -discover if they were true, and all spoke -sternly and reprehensively of the luckless -Lieutenant Carey, who eventually was tried -by a court-martial, and died two years after -in India, some said of a broken heart. -</p> - -<p> -As Florian was one of the searchers for the -slain Prince, the story of this latter's tragic -death does not lie apart from ours. -</p> - -<p> -It would seem, briefly, then, that the -charger ridden by the Prince, when he left -Lord Chelmsford's camp, and which in the -end chiefly led to his death, was a clumsy and -awkward animal, given to rearing and shying. -After crossing the Ityotyosi, then swollen by -the recent rains, the Prince and his party rode -on through a district covered with grass-like -rush, kreupelboom, and dwarf acacias. -</p> - -<p> -The Prince, who from the time of his -landing had always sought out any Frenchmen -who might be among the local levies, -and frequently gave them sovereigns, was -riding with Le Toque by his side; and the -latter, in the gaiety of his heart, and -exhilarated by the beauty of the morning, sang -more than one French song as they rode -onward, such as— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - '<i>Eh gai, gai, gai, mon officier!</i>'<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -And as they began to ascend a still nameless -hill with a flat top, the Prince sang loudly -'Les deux Grenadiers,' an old Bonapartist -ditty—Le Toque joining in the chorus of -Beranger's chanson:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'Vieux grenadiers suivons un vieux soldat,<br /> - Suivon un vieux soldat!<br /> - Suivon un vieux soldat!<br /> - Suivon un vieux soldat!'<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -On the summit of the koppie the party -slackened their girths, while the Prince made -a sketch of the landscape. 'We may here -digress to say,' adds the <i>Cape Argus</i>, 'that -the Prince's talent with pen and pencil, -combined with his remarkable proficiency in -military surveying (which so distinguished the -first Napoleon), made his contributions to our -knowledge of the country to be traversed of -great value.' -</p> - -<p> -Amid the heat and splendour of an African -noon they now rode on to a deserted kraal, -consisting of five beehive-shaped huts, near -a dry donga, or old watercourse, where they -unsaddled and knee-haltered their horses to -graze, while the Prince and his companions -chatted and smoked, all unaware that some -forty armed Zulus were actually stalking them -like deer, crawling stealthily and softly on -their hands and knees through the long -Tambookie grass and mealies, drawing their -rifles and assegais after them. -</p> - -<p> -About four o'clock Corporal Grub, of Bettington's -Horse, got a glimpse of a Zulu, and -warned the Prince of the circumstance. -</p> - -<p> -'Saddle up at once!' said the latter; -'prepare to mount!' -</p> - -<p> -The brief orders had scarcely left his lips -when a volley from forty rifles crashed through -the long Tambookie grass and waving reeds, -which bent as if before a breeze, and then -the ferocious lurkers rushed with flashing and -glistening teeth, bloodshot, rolling eyes, and -loud yells, upon the solitary party of eight men. -</p> - -<p> -Terrified by the sudden tumult, all the -horses swerved wildly round; a trooper -named Rogers was shot dead with his left -foot in the stirrup, and those who actually got -into their saddles found it impossible to -control their horses, so terrific were the yells, -mingled with ragged shots, and they bore -their riders across the open karoo and -towards the deep and dangerous donga. -</p> - -<p> -Prince Napoleon's horse, a difficult one to -mount at all times, and sixteen hands high, -resisted every attempt at remounting in its -then state of terror; thus one by one the party -rode or were borne away, while the unhappy -Prince endeavoured to vault into his saddle. -</p> - -<p> -'<i>Mon Prince, dépêchez-vous, si'l vous plait!</i>' -cried his countryman trooper, Le Toque, as -he rushed past, lying across but not in his -saddle, and then the heir of France found -himself alone—alone and face to face with -more than forty merciless and pitiless savages! -</p> - -<p> -Who can tell what may have flashed -through the brave lad's mind in that moment -of fierce excitement and supreme mental -agony—what thoughts of France and -Imperial glory—the glorious past, the dim -future, and, more than all, no doubt, of the -lonely mother, who was so soon to weep for -him at Chiselhurst—to weep the tears that no -condolence could quench! -</p> - -<p> -When last seen by Le Toque, as the latter -gave a backward and despairing glance, he -was grasping a stirrup-leather in vain attempts -to mount the maddened animal, which trod -upon him, and broke away when the strap -parted; and then, for a moment, the young -Napoleon covered his face with his -hands—deserted, abandoned to an awful death, which -no Christian eye was then to see. -</p> - -<p> -All the obloquy of this tragedy was now -heaped upon Lieutenant Carey, a native of -the south of England. It was dark night -when he got to head-quarters, and at that -time nothing could be done to ascertain the -fate of the deserted one. -</p> - -<p> -Scarcely a man slept in our camp by the -Ityotyosi River, and after 'lights out' had been -sounded by the bugles, the soldiers could talk -of nothing else but the poor Prince Imperial. -</p> - -<p> -'The news of his death,' wrote an officer -who was in the camp, 'fell like a thunderbolt -on all! At first it was regarded as one of -those reports that so often went round. Bit -by bit, however, it assumed a form. Even -then people were incredulous, only half -believing the dreadful tale. The two -questions first asked were—What will they say -at home? and, secondly, the poor Empress? -All was wildest excitement, and brave men -absolutely broke down under the blow. To -them it looked a black and bitter disgrace. -The chivalrous young Prince, repaying the -hospitality shown him by England with his -sword—entrusted to us by his widowed -mother—to have been killed in a mere paltry -reconnaissance! to have fallen without all his -escort having been killed first! to lie there -dead and alone! Many there were who -would have given up life to have been lying -with him, so that our British honour might -have been kept sacred.' -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap19"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XIX. -<br /><br /> -FINDING THE BODY. -</h3> - -<p> -'Fall in, the Mounted Infantry!' cried the -voice of Hammersley, when with earliest -dawn strong parties were detailed from the -camps of the Second Division and Sir Evelyn -Wood to scout the scene of the tragedy; and -as his squadron rode forth in the grey light -with rifle-butt resting on the thigh, just as -the dawn began to redden the summit of the -Itelezi Hill, Florian remembered that this -mournful search was his first duty as an -officer; but the calamity clouded the joy of -his promotion, and would be always associated -with it. -</p> - -<p> -He felt himself again the equal of Dulcie -Carlyon; but, still, to what end? He could -not go home to her, nor could she come there -to him, a combatant in Zululand; besides, -he knew well enough that an officer's pay, -unless when on service, is not sufficient for -himself without the encumbrance of a wife; -and with this enforced practical view of the -situation he could only sigh as he rode on -and thought of poor Dulcie. -</p> - -<p> -As some of the Volunteer Horse went to -the front, Florian became conscious that two, -wearing huge, battered hats, who rode -together, were regarding him furtively, and -with a curiously hostile and scowling expression; -and his heart gave a kind of leap when -he recognised in these, two of the ruffians -whose odious features were indelibly -impressed upon his memory by the adventures -of that horrible night in the so-called hotel at -Elandsbergen—Josh Jarrett and Dick of the -Droogveldt, with his short, thickset figure, -small, dull eyes, and heavy, bull-dog visage. -</p> - -<p> -That they would work him some mischief, -if possible, in their new capacity he never -doubted; and possibly enough it was their -design to do so, secretly and securely, amid the -often confused scouting and scampering to and -fro of the Mounted Infantry among bush and -cover of every kind. But, as they were then -going to the front, he thought it unwise to -move in the matter at the time; besides, -they might be knocked on the head, and all -on the ground were thinking only of the -Prince Imperial. -</p> - -<p> -A deep silence hovered over the ranks of -the various searching parties that rode round -by the base of the flat-topped Itelezi Hill. -The swallow-tailed banneroles of the 17th -Lancers, who looked handsome and gay in -their white helmets and blue tunics faced and -lapelled with white, fluttered out on the -morning wind; but the iron hoofs of their horses -fell without a sound on the soft and elastic -turf of the green veldt. Occasionally a low -murmur would be heard as the searchers -drew nearer the fatal kraal, and the lance -was slung and the carbine grasped instinctively -when at times the black Kaffir vultures, -hinting of a dreadful repast, rose from among -the tall, feathery Tambookie grass, and, -croaking angrily, winged their way aloft as if -enraged and interrupted. -</p> - -<p> -Driving out roughly by lance point and -rifle bullet about a hundred Zulus from some -holes and scrub, several of the Lancers under -Lieutenant Frith, their adjutant, and the -Mounted Infantry under Hammersley, next -drew near the fatal donga, which some -officers crossed on foot. Among those who -were in advance of all the rest was Lieutenant -Dundonald Cochrane, of the Cornish -Light Infantry. -</p> - -<p> -'Look!' cried Hammersley to Florian, as -Cochrane was seen to pause and with reverence -take off his helmet. Then a hum went -along the ranks of the searchers, who all -knew what he had found. -</p> - -<p> -And there, on the sloping bank of the -donga in the evening sunshine, with his head -pillowed on some sweet wild-flowers, nude as -he came into the world, save that a reliquary -and locket with his father's miniature were -round his neck—supposed to be potent -fetishes—lay the poor young Prince, the -guest of Britain, the hope of Imperial France, -and the only son of his mother, dead, and -gashed by sixteen assegai wounds, among -them the usual cruel Zulu <i>coup de grace</i>—the -gash in the stomach. -</p> - -<p> -It was found that, though an accomplished -swordsman, he had failed to use his sword—the -sword of his father the Emperor—which -had dropped from the scabbard in his attempts -to mount; but that, seizing an assegai which -had been hurled at him, he had defended -himself till he sank under repeated wounds; -and a tuft of human hair clenched in his left -hand attested the valour and the desperation -of his resistance. -</p> - -<p> -His faithful little Scottish terrier was found -dead by his side. -</p> - -<p> -All around him the ground was trampled, -torn, and stained by gouts of blood. -</p> - -<p> -A bier was now formed by crossed lances -of the 17th Lancers, covered by cut rushes -and a cavalry cloak. Reverently and almost -with womanly tenderness did our soldiers -raise the body, and on this bier, so befitting -to one of his name, Prince Napoleon was -borne by loving hands by the rough and -rugged track that led towards the hill of -Itelezi; while all around the place where -they had found him were flowers of gold and -crimson tint, where in the gouts and pools of -blood bright-winged moths and butterflies -were battening. -</p> - -<p> -That the Prince was duly prepared to -meet any fate that might befall him the -remarkable prayer composed by him fully -attests. It was found in his repositories, -and was published in the papers of the time. -</p> - -<p> -The entire Second Division was under -arms to receive his remains when brought -into the camp beside the river. The body -was borne through the lines on a -gun-carriage, wrapped in linen and shrouded by a -Union Jack; the funeral service was -performed by the Catholic chaplain to the -forces, and Lord Chelmsford acted as chief -mourner. Though tolerably accustomed to -bloodshed now, a profound impression of -gloom pervaded the faces of the troops. -</p> - -<p> -By mule-cart the body was sent to -Pietermaritzburg, and in passing through -Ladysmith there occurred a scene that was touching -from its simplicity. This is a small village -in the Division of Riversdale or Kannaland, -where the body remained for the night at -the entrance thereof, in the bleak open veldt, -under a guard of honour; but from the -school-house there came forth, and lined the -roadway, a procession of little black children, -who, to the accompaniment of an old cracked -harmonium, sang a hymn, as the soldiers of -the 58th Regiment took the body away, and -sweetly and softly the voices of the little -ones rose and fell on the chilly air of the -morning. -</p> - -<p> -'This,' says Captain Thomasson, of the -Irregular Horse, in his narrative, 'was but -one mark of the feeling that all in the colony, -whatever their age, colour, position, or sex, -had at the sudden and terrible close of that -bright young life. And it may safely be -affirmed that not one disassociated in his -mind from the thought of the dead son, the -recollection of the blow awaiting the widowed -mother.' -</p> - -<p> -The next striking scene was at Durban, -the only port in Natal Colony, where the -troops handed over the remains to the -blue-jackets of H.M.S. <i>Shah</i> for conveyance to -England. -</p> - -<p> -Here the poor old majordomo of the -Prince was left behind. He was so inconsolable -for the loss of his master, that it was -feared he would lose his reason, and more -than once he said, with simple truth and -bitterness: -</p> - -<p> -'My master would not have abandoned -one of them!' -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap20"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XX. -<br /><br /> -THE SKIRMISH AT EUZANGONYAN. -</h3> - -<p> -The transmission rearwards of the Prince's -remains causing a day's delay in the advance -of the division, Florian gladly availed himself -of it to write to Dulcie a letter full of love -and all the enthusiastic outpouring of his -heart to one who was so far away; to express -his astonishment on learning that she was an -inmate of the same house with Shafto, their -<i>bête noir</i>, of whom she was to beware, he -added impressively. -</p> - -<p> -He told of his military success—of all that -might be in store for them yet; for Florian -had, if small means at present, the vast -riches of youth and hope to draw upon, -especially in his brighter moments, and—if -spared—his future promotion from the rank -of second-lieutenant was now but a thing -of time. -</p> - -<p> -There had not been much brightness in -his life latterly; but it was impossible for him -not to admit that the dawn of a happier day -had come, and that he had made substantial -progress in his profession. -</p> - -<p> -He told her—among many other things—of -Vivian Hammersley's friendship and -favour for himself, even when in the rank -and file, and of his pride and gratitude -therefor; of the change her letter to himself -had made in Hammersley's views of Miss -Melfort, for whom he sent an enclosure from -the Captain, lest watchful eyes—perchance -those of Shafto—might examine too closely -the contents of the Craigengowan post-bag; -and from old experience they knew what the -man was capable of—not respecting even 'the -property of H.M. Postmaster-General.' -</p> - -<p> -For, now that Florian was an officer, his -friend Hammersley, though proud as Lucifer -and at times haughty to a degree, was, under -the circumstances, not loth to avail himself of -Dulcie's assistance in this matter, so necessary -to his own happiness; so the two missives in -one were despatched, and with an emotion -of thankfulness that was deep and genuine, -Florian dropped it into the regimental post-bag -at the orderly-room tent, for conveyance -with the mail to Durban. -</p> - -<p> -The Second Division began its forward -march on the 3rd of January, and encamped -half a mile distant from the kraal near which -the Prince Imperial had perished, while Sir -Evelyn Wood's column, advancing by the -left, proceeded along the further side of the -Ityotyosi. Already the bad rations to which -they were reduced—eight pounds of inferior -oats and no hay—were telling severely on -the horses of the 17th Lancers and Mounted -Infantry. -</p> - -<p> -On the 4th, when encamped on the bank -of the Nondweni River, a cavalry patrol, -under Redvers Duller, Hammersley, and -others, had a narrow escape from being cut -off by two thousand five hundred Zulus, of -whom, on the following day, the entire cavalry -column went forth in search. -</p> - -<p> -When the whole mounted force was getting -under arms, Hammersley threw away the -end of a cigar before falling in, and said to -Florian— -</p> - -<p> -'Look here, old fellow, I have been thinking -about you. I am not a millionnaire, you -know, but I have enough and to spare. You -have not, I presume—pardon me for saying -so; but now that you are an officer, and -must want many things, my cheque-book is -at your disposal, if you wish to draw on old -Chink the Paymaster.' -</p> - -<p> -'A thousand thanks to you, Captain -Hammersley,' replied Florian, his heart -swelling and his colour deepening with -gratitude; 'but I have no need to trespass -on your kindness—I want nothing here; -we are all pretty much alike in Zululand—officer -and private, general and drum-boy.' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, by Jove! but in the time to come?' -</p> - -<p> -'Thanks again, I say, dear Hammersley, -but I am inclined to let to-morrow take care -of to-morrow, especially while campaigning -in Zululand.' -</p> - -<p> -'Tiresome work I find that, with all my -zeal for the service,' observed Hammersley, -as the entire cavalry force moved off about -four in the morning, when the sky and -landscape were alike dark. 'We have much -bodily endurance, and run enormous risks -which the people at home don't understand -or fully appreciate, because our antagonists -are naked savages, though second to no men -in the world for reckless valour; thus honour -may be accorded to us but scantily and -grudgingly, because they <i>are</i> savages and not -civilised enemies, or, as some one says of -the days of the Great Duke, when so many -thousand men in red coats and blue breeches -met and beat so many thousand men in blue -coats and red breeches.' -</p> - -<p> -General Marshall, with the King's Dragoon -Guards and 17th Lancers, had reconnoitred -the country in advance as far as the Upoko -River, and there effected a junction with -Buller's command on the same ground where -the latter had escaped the ambuscade -referred to. -</p> - -<p> -On a green plain below it a great mass of -Zulus, sombre and dark, spotted with the -grey of their oval shields, was seen hovering, -the flash of an assegai-head sparkling out at -times when the sun arose, and near them, -enveloped in smoke and all sheeted with -flame at once, were some kraals that had -been set on fire by the Irregular Horse; so -the scene, if beautiful, was also a stirring one. -</p> - -<p> -Above the vast mountain opposite, where -the Upoko (a tributary of the great White -Umvulosi, which flows towards the sea) was -rolling in golden sheen between banks -clothed with date palms, Kaffir plums, -flowering acacias, and thornwood, the -uprisen sun was shining in all his glory. The -mountain was torn by ravines and studded -with mimosa groups. On the left of the -troops rose the vast Inhlatzatye, or mountain -of greenstone, turned to crimson in the -morning sun, its base clothed with lovely -pasture, and twenty miles in its rear was -known to be Ulundi, the great military kraal -of Cetewayo, the chief object of the advance. -</p> - -<p> -In the immediate foreground was the force -of cavalry, with all their white helmets and -sword blades shining in the sun, the dark -blue of the Lancers, and the sombre uniforms -of the Irregular Horse, relieved and varied -by the bright scarlet of the King's Dragoon -Guards and the mimosa-coloured tunics of -the Mounted Infantry. -</p> - -<p> -The sharp blare of the trumpets sounded -'the advance.' -</p> - -<p> -'Buller's Horse to the left!' cried the -officer of that name, digging spurs into his -charger; 'Whalley's to the right! Frontier -Light Horse and Hammersley's Mounted -Infantry the centre!' -</p> - -<p> -Uncovering to the flanks, the formation was -made at a canter, and the forward movement -began. During the morning Florian had -more than once (till his men required his -attention) an unpleasant sense of the presence -of two secret enemies on the ground, which -made him look frequently to where the -oddly costumed volunteer troopers were -advancing, and before that day's fighting was -quite over he had bitter cause to know that -both <i>were</i> in the field. -</p> - -<p> -The 1st King's Dragoon Guards had been -quartered in the same barracks with the -regiment to which these two deserters -belonged, and, feeling themselves now in -hourly expectation of recognition by some of -them, the camp of the Second Division had -become perilous for the two desperadoes, and -on that day they had resolved to 'levant,' -but not before effecting their villainous -purpose, if possible. -</p> - -<p> -They knew well that by the rules of the -service, at foreign stations, when there is -no doubt as to the identity of a deserter, -he is sent at once to his own corps to be -dealt with there; moreover, they know that -the fact of their serving with the Volunteer -Horse constituted another crime—that of -fraudulent enlistment; and neither had any -desire to be tied to the wheel of a field-piece -and flogged as an example to others, for that -punishment had not been quite abandoned yet. -</p> - -<p> -While Colonel Buller's force was advancing, -the Zulus had moved off by companies in -singularly regular formation, and taken post -in the rocky ravines at the base of the -Euzangonyan Hill, which was covered with -thick scrub and high feathery reeds, that -swayed to and fro in the wind like a mighty -cornfield. -</p> - -<p> -After crossing the river, the Irregulars -and Mounted Infantry at full speed advanced -to within three hundred yards of the foe, and -leaped from their saddles, with rifles unslung. -The horses were then led forward out of fire, -or nearly so, by every third file, told off for -that purpose. -</p> - -<p> -Kneeling and creeping forward by turns, -the fighting line opened a steady fire upon -the partly concealed Zulus, whose dark -figures were half seen, half hidden amid the -smoke that eddied along the slopes of the -hill, and this continued till the watchful -Buller, who was surveying the position -through a field-glass from the summit of a -knoll, discovered from a flank movement that -the Zulus had a large force in reserve, and, -in a wily manner, were luring his troops on -to destruction. -</p> - -<p> -He ordered his bugle to sound the 'retire' -and the whole to recross the river, but not -before several men were killed or wounded, -with fifteen horses placed <i>hors de combat</i>; -then the Queen's cavalry were ordered to -advance to the attack with lance and sword. -</p> - -<p> -In his saddle, Florian watched them -advance in imposing order, led by that <i>preux -chevalier</i>, Drury Lowe, the hero of Zurapore, -where the pursuit and the destruction of -Tantia Topee were achieved in the Indian -war. When Buller's scouting horse, skilled -marksmen even from the saddle, and mounted -on cattle nimble as antelopes, had partly -failed, he could scarcely hope to achieve -much with his heavy Lancers and still -heavier Dragoon Guardsmen; but sending -a troop of the latter to guard against any -chance of the Zulus creeping down the bed -of the river, he led three troops of Lancers -close to the margin, where the marigold figs -grew in profusion, and the yellow Kaffir -melons, large as 40-pound shot, were floating -in the current; and splashing through, he -deployed them on some open ground beyond, -full of that fiery confidence that there -is nothing in war which the genuine dragoon -cannot achieve. -</p> - -<p> -'By Jove!' exclaimed Hammersley, 'but -it is sad to see these splendid Lancers going -in for this kind of work. It is hopeless for -them to charge such a position, and attempt, -at the lance's point, to ferret these savages -out of their holes and dongas.' -</p> - -<p> -From the Euzangonyan Hill the Zulus -were now firing heavily, but as their rifles -were all wrongly sighted—if sighted at all—their -bullets went high into the air. Between -these and Lowe spread a mealie-field, which -he believed to be full of other Zulus, and -resolved to let all who might be lurking there -feel what the point of a lance is, he rode -straight at it. -</p> - -<p> -'Trot—gallop—charge!' sounded the -trumpets; and with their horses' manes and -the banneroles of their levelled lances -streaming backward on the wind, the 17th rushed -on, sweeping through the tall, brown stalks -of the dead mealies, but found no Zulus -there. -</p> - -<p> -When clear of the mealies, Lowe ordered -some of the Lancers to dismount and open -fire with their carbines on those Zulus who -were lurking on the hill-slope among some -thorn-trees, and there many were shot down, -and their half-devoured and festering remains -were found by our soldiers in the subsequent -August. -</p> - -<p> -After punishing them severely, the cavalry -were recalled, but not before there were some -casualties among the Lancers, whose adjutant, -Lieutenant Frith—a favourite officer—was -shot through the heart, and brought to -camp dead across the saddle of his charger. -</p> - -<p> -From fastnesses that were quite inaccessible -to horsemen, the Zulus, covered by an -undergrowth of prickly thorns and plants with -enormous brown spiky leaves, continued to -fire heavily, wreathing all the hill-side in -white smoke, streaked with jets of fire; while -another portion of them, yelling and running -with the swiftness of hares, lined the bed of -the river and opened a sputtering fusilade in -flank, rendering the whole position of our -cavalry most perilous. -</p> - -<p> -'Retire by alternate squadrons!' was now -the order for the cavalry, and beautifully and -steadily was the movement executed. -</p> - -<p> -'Fours about—trot,' came the order in -succession from the leaders of the even and -odd squadrons. -</p> - -<p> -A front was thus kept to the Zulus, but -the hope to lure them from their fastnesses -by a movement they had never seen before, -and to have a chance of attacking them in -the open, proved vain; and upon broken and -steep ground, on which it would have been -impossible for any cavalry force to assail -them, they were seen swarming in vast black -hordes round the flanks of the Euzangonyan -Hill, and still maintaining a sputtering but -distant though defiant fire, while the cavalry -and other mounted men fell back towards -their respective columns; and now it was -that the calamitous outrage we have hinted -at occurred. -</p> - -<p> -When the cavalry began to fall back by -alternate squadrons, it was remarked that -two men of the Irregular Horse lingered at -a considerable distance in the rear, still firing -occasionally, as if they had not heard the -sound of the trumpet to 'retire.' -</p> - -<p> -'Those rash fools will get knocked on the -head if they don't come back,' said -Hammersley to Florian, as they were riding -leisurely now at a little distance in rear of -their men. 'They are nearly six hundred -yards off. Well, we have not got even a -scratch to-day,' he added, laughing, as he -manipulated and proceeded to light a cigar; -'and now to get back to camp and have a -deep drink of bitter beer. By Jove, I am -thirsty as a bag of sand.' -</p> - -<p> -'And I too,' said Florian. -</p> - -<p> -Again the 'retire' was sounded, now by -two trumpeters together, but without avail -apparently. -</p> - -<p> -At that moment two rifle-shots came upon -the speakers, delivered by the very men in -question, and then they were seen to gallop -at full speed, not after the retreating column, -but at an angle towards the north-west, on -perceiving that their shots had taken fatal -effect; for Hammersley, struck by one, fell -from his saddle on his face, and rolled over -apparently in mortal agony, while Florian -felt Tattoo give a kind of writhing bound -under him and nearly topple over on his -forehead till recovered by the use of spur -and bridle-bit. Florian at once dismounted, -for the horse was seriously wounded; but he -could only give a despairing glance at his -friend, if he meant to act decisively and -avenge him. -</p> - -<p> -'These scoundrels are deserters doubly—I -know; follow me, men, we have not a -moment to lose!' cried Florian, in a voice -husky with rage, grief, and excitement, as he -leaped upon poor Hammersley's horse; and -with a section of four men, one of whom was -Tom Tyrrell, he spurred after them at full -speed, without waiting for orders given or -permission accorded. -</p> - -<p> -If he was to act at all, there was no time -for either. -</p> - -<p> -He never doubted for a moment that they -were Josh Jarrett and Dick of the Droogveldt, -who were boldly attempting to escape -in the face of the column after failing to -shoot himself, and who had now fully -thousand yards start of him and his -pursuing party. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> -END OF VOL. 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