"They will not get far," a Boer standing5 next to Yorke said; "the Rooinek is young, and certainly will not be able to speak our language."
"There can be no doubt about that," Yorke agreed. "He must be a sharp fellow, though, to have escaped, for, from what I heard from one who had seen the prison, it would be next to impossible for anyone to get away, as there were sentries7 night and day, and three lines of barbed-wire fencing outside the palisade."
"He will be caught, sure enough," another said. "No doubt they will shoot him. If I had had the management of things I would have shot them all as soon as they were taken."
"I don't know about that," Yorke replied. "They have not taken many of ours at present, but they may do, and if we shoot prisoners, they would do the same."
"They will never take any prisoners," the man said scornfully; "none of our men would ever surrender. Besides, as we always beat them, they would have no chance of taking prisoners."
"That is so," Yorke agreed; "still, I don't know that I agree with you that we should shoot prisoners. You see, the soldiers have to fight as they are told, and they are not to be blamed because their government makes them fight against us."
Yorke now edged out of the little crowd and joined Peter. He walked about the town for some hours, and at one went back and had dinner. He then went out again, and on leaving the hotel, saw Hans standing a short distance away, but paid no attention to him, as it had been agreed that they should not recognize each other as long as they were in[Pg 246] Johannesburg. Hans, however, rather to his surprise and annoyance8, followed him at a short distance down the street. After proceeding9 a little further, Yorke turned off from the main street and walked some distance towards the outskirts10 of the town. As Hans still followed, Yorke stopped at a quiet spot where no one was in sight.
"What is it, Hans?" he asked when the other came up. "I thought we had agreed that we were not to recognize each other so long as we stayed here."
"I understood that, Master Yorke, but there is something I wanted to tell you."
"Well, what is it, Hans?"
"You know there are a good many rough fellows here, chiefly Irishmen and Germans, who have managed under some excuse or other to avoid having to go to fight."
Yorke nodded.
"Well, as you told me, I went to a small drinking-shop. There were four or five fellows of this sort there. They stopped talking when I went in, and as soon as I sat down one of them came over to me and said in Dutch, 'Do you understand English?' I thought it best to shake my head, and he went back to the others and said in English, 'The fellow talks nothing but Taal, so we needn't disturb ourselves about him.' 'All right,' another said, 'he looks as stupid as most of these Dutchmen do; I suppose he has come in from some country farm. Still, we may as well make ourselves safe,' and he called to the landlord. 'We will go to that room behind,' he said; 'we have got some business that we want to talk over;' and getting up they left the room. The house was built of wood, and I heard their entry into the room behind me almost as plainly as if I had been there, and taking off my hat, and holding it in readiness if I should hear the landlord returning, I placed my ear against the partition, and listened intently. Relying alike upon my ignorance of English, my being half-drunk, and their being in another room, the men did not lower their voices, and I[Pg 247] was able to catch nearly all they said. I don't know why I troubled about it, it was no business of mine; but they were a rough lot, and the fact that they were so anxious that I should not hear them made me want to do so, and I think it is lucky I did. What I heard was this:—
"'Well, Grunstein, go on with what you were saying.'
"'I was telling you about Chambers11, the president of the Parfontein mine. I learned from one of my countrymen who was working there, that the last month before war began they pushed the mine for all it was worth—took men off the levels they were driving, and put every hand on to get the stuff down in the rich places, and kept all the stamps working on their best stuff. One of the men who works in the place where they run the gold into blocks told me that they must have got at least a quarter of a million pounds' worth of gold. It was taken up as usual every night to the president's house, but he declares that it was never sent to the bank, and that he is sure the whole, or at any rate by far the greater part of it, is there still. Chambers himself has not left. I suppose he bribed13 Kruger to let him stop without being interfered14 with. He has his wife and two daughters there, and three servants, two of them Germans and one an Irishman. We have already got at them, it was better to do so, although we could easily settle them. Anyhow, my plan is to get a score of men we can rely upon, and attack the house. It is near the mine, and far enough away from the town to prevent any firing being heard.
"'Anyhow, we need not bother about that, as Muller has squared the three men-servants. He has promised them an equal share in the plunder15; and it is a good thing that it was arranged so, because we shall be able to carry out the affair, I hope, without a gun being fired. We are to be there at nine o'clock, and they have arranged to seize Chambers and tie him up; or, if he resists, to knock him on the head directly they hear our whistle. Besides, there is no doubt the gold is stored in some secret vault16. We[Pg 248] might have a difficulty in finding it, and even if we do find it, we may have to use powder to blow it open.'
"'Why get twenty?' another asked, 'when we four and Muller would be enough. The fewer the better.
"'No, Driscoll; we had better take a good force. I would rather take forty than twenty. A quarter of a million weighs a tremendous lot, I make it out roughly about two tons and a half. A man could not carry off more than fifty pounds weight—that is, he could not hide more than fifty pounds weight about him—so that it would take a hundred men to carry off that lot.'
"'Well, then, we must get some carts. There is John Blake, he has a cart, and picks up fares in the town, we could rely upon him; and Pat Maloney, he lets his cart out. Between them they could bring in two tons easily enough; and then we could get two others—all boys we could trust. Then, if there were twenty of us, we could take fifty pounds apiece, as you say.'
"'Yes,' the other said doubtfully, 'but there would be a big row over it. It would be guessed that the job had been done to get at gold, and Kruger's people would consider that they had been robbed of their rights, and there would be a big search.'
"'They can only guess,' the Irishman replied; 'you may be sure we shall leave no one in the house to blab about it.'
"They talked for some time and went through a lot of names, and then agreed that they would only take a dozen altogether, as they were not sure that they could trust any of the others they had named. And they were of opinion that each of them could carry a hundredweight, and perhaps even a hundredweight and a half. 'A man can carry a mighty17 lot of gold,' one of them said, 'and it takes up such a little space that it would not make much of a lump.' It was agreed that on leaving the house they should separate, all going different ways, each choosing such hiding-[Pg 249]place as he liked for his gold. Then they would meet at the houses of the two men who were to take the carts, and bury the gold they had carried off in the yards.
"That is about what I have heard, Master Yorke. There were bits that I did not hear, for sometimes they talked so low that I could not catch the words. Then they called the wine-shop keeper to pay for what they had had, and went out in a body. I didn't move for half an hour. I thought that perhaps one of them might be watching me from outside the window, and if I had woke up too soon, they might suspect that I had not been really asleep, in which case I should not have gone far before I got a knife between my shoulders. But luckily the landlord came in, and after speaking to me twice, seized me by the collar and shook me. 'Now,' he said, 'you can't be sleeping here any longer. Wake up! You have a shilling to pay for what you have drunk.'
"I pretended to fumble18 about for some time trying to find the money, and then stumbled out of the room. Then I came along in hopes of finding you or Peter to tell you about it."
"You have done quite right, Hans. We must join in the game. In the first place, we must find out where the place is. It is seven o'clock now, and there is no time to be lost. Peter, you had better go and get your rifle at once; hide it under your clothes if you can, for it will be daylight for another half hour, and it would never do for you to walk through the streets with a rifle on your shoulder. Be as quick as you can and come back here. I will find out where the place is from the German at my hotel. You come back in half an hour, Hans; it will take Peter that time to get his rifle and return."
Then he walked back to his hotel, while the Kaffir went off at a run.
"Where about is the Parfontein mine? I forgot I had[Pg 250] to go there to see how many cattle he will want next week."
"I thought that the mine was shut down," the German said.
"No, not altogether. At any rate, he wants some cattle. I forgot all about it until now. But if it is not too far I will walk over."
"It is about three miles."
"Then I had better take my horse."
"It is Chambers's house that you want, I suppose?"
"Yes."
"Well, you cannot go very far wrong. Go out by the western road, and walk straight on about two miles. You will see a shaft19 and some tips half a mile away to the left. The house stands a quarter of a mile from there. You can hardly mistake it; it is a large house with a big garden round it. Chambers keeps it watered by a pipe from the engine that pumps the mine."
Hans was, as arranged, waiting a short distance away; it had been settled that he had better get a straw-hat instead of the one he was wearing, and walk on alone for a bit.
"Go straight along the road to the west, Hans. I shall overtake you before you reach the turning to the mine; and if I don't, wait where the road turns off to the left, two miles and a half away. The mine lies half a mile to the left. Of course, as you go along you will get your rifle and bandolier. You had better load them before you start. I don't think any of those fellows would know you again, for that hat quite changes your appearance. But I think it would be as well for you to go into the first store that is open, and buy a light-coloured coat. You would be quite safe from detection then. But if you should be attacked before I join you, you will, of course, shoot. Do you understand?"
"Quite."
Yorke went up to his room, slung20 his rifle and bandolier[Pg 251] over his shoulder, and then went down and put the saddle on his horse. He would rather have walked, but he knew that no Boer would have dreamt of making a journey of three miles on foot, and to do so would have strongly excited suspicion in the mind of the German, that he was not what he said. He did not bring the horse out until Peter came up.
"Take the road to the west, Peter; you can't walk fast with that gun down your leg. I shall join you as soon as you are out of the town—you are not likely to meet anyone after that—and I will carry your rifle as well as mine. It would be more natural for me to have two guns than for you to have one—I might have left the second one in the town to be repaired the last time I was here, and be now taking it home."
Yorke waited ten minutes, and then took the horse out and mounted. It was now a quarter to eight, and there was no time to be lost. He overtook Peter half a mile outside the town, and the Kaffir at once handed him his rifle.
They went at a brisk trot, but did not overtake Hans on the road. They found him, however, sitting at the point where the other road turned off.
"Have you seen any of your friends, Hans?"
"No. At least, I did see two of them in the town, but they were talking together and did not notice me."
"Now I shall go up to the door and knock. Directly it is opened, I shall point my rifle at the man's head, and tell him he is a dead man if he utters a word. Then you will run in and bind22 him. I have brought the horses' picket23 ropes with me. You will take charge of him, Peter, while I go in with Hans. I don't want to alarm the family till I have got the other two fellows tied up. We will find out the way to the kitchen. There is no fear of their making any resistance when they see a couple of guns pointed24 at[Pg 252] them. You will take charge of them, Hans, while I go in and explain matters to Mr. Chambers."
It was quite dark when they arrived at the house. Yorke dismounted at the gate, and told Peter to take the horse round to the other side of the house and fasten it up at some quiet spot, and then to rejoin him. On his return Hans and Peter took up their places one on each side of the door, and Yorke went up the steps and knocked. It was some little time before he was answered. He thought it likely that the men would be consulting together as to whether they would let the visitor in or not. At last the door opened.
"Mr. Chambers is not in," the man said. "Whatever your business, you must come to-morrow."
"My business will not wait," Yorke said, and raised the gun which he held in his hand.
The man started back.
"You are before your time," he said. "Nine o'clock is the hour."
"This is your hour and minute, for if you make the slightest sound I will put a bullet through your brain. Neither speak nor move."
The man stood paralysed, altogether unable to understand the situation.
"Come in," Yorke said to his followers25. "Tie this man up, and if he opens his lips put a knife into him."
In a minute the fellow was laid on the ground, and securely tied hand and foot.
"Don't take your eye off him, Peter. Put your knife into him if he moves. Now then, Hans."
Yorke moved along the hall to a door standing open leading to the kitchen. There was a passage with an open door at the other end.
"Who is the visitor, Mike?" a man's voice asked as he came along, Hans treading lightly behind him. "Of course you sent him away?"
[Pg 253]
"Not exactly," Yorke replied, as he and Hans walked into the kitchen with their rifles ready for action.
A girl gave a slight scream of alarm, while the men leapt to their feet, and then stood immovable as the rifles were pointed at their heads.
"You are my prisoners," Yorke said sternly to them, "and if either of you moves, he is a dead man. Hans, take the fellow on the right; put your rifle by my side."
"Turn round," he said to the man, "and put your hands behind you."
The fellow did as he was told, and after both were securely tied up, Yorke said:
"Now, take your rifle again, Hans, and shoot either of them if they try to unloose their ropes.
"Do not be afraid," he went on to the girl; "we are friends of your master. Which room is he in?"
"The drawing-room, sir."
"Then show me into another room, and go in and tell him that an English gentleman wishes to speak to him."
The girl obeyed the order tremblingly. She thought that Yorke would treat her master as he had treated the two men, but she dared not disobey. The room was in darkness, and Yorke handed her a matchbox, saying:
"Go and light the lamp or candles, whichever you have. I shall stand at the door while you deliver the message. Come out directly you have given it. I do not wish to alarm the ladies."
The terrified girl struck three or four matches before she could obtain a light. Then she went to a door opposite.
"An English gentleman wants to speak to you, sir."
"Show him into the dining-room."
Thinking it was one of the other Englishmen who had, like himself, stayed at the mines, Mr. Chambers came out. He started with a sudden exclamation26 as his eyes fell upon Peter, standing with a rifle in his hand by the side of his servant.
[Pg 254]
"If you will step inside, Mr. Chambers, I will explain matters," Yorke said, stepping forward. "There is no occasion for the slightest uneasiness, and I have taken the steps you see not to alarm the ladies of your family."
Mr. Chambers was still further surprised at this address by a stranger, who, in spite of his attire27 as a Dutch farmer, was evidently English.
"Who are you, sir?" he asked, "and what is the meaning of this extraordinary conduct?"
"My name is Harberton. I am a lieutenant28 in the 9th Lancers, and was, when I was captured by the Boers, acting29 as one of General Pole-Carew's aides-de-camp. You have, no doubt, heard to-day of my escape last night from one of the prisons at Pretoria. I think that is sufficient introduction."
"Quite," Mr. Chambers said, holding out his hand and shaking that of Yorke; "I congratulate you on your escape. And now, will you explain to me why you have thus fallen upon my servant?"
He walked into the dining-room and shut the door.
"Before you answer my question, Mr. Harberton, I must ask if you are in need of refreshments30?"
"Not at all, sir. I will now give you an account of this business."
And he related how Hans had overheard the plot to capture the treasure with the aid of Mr. Chambers's own servants, and how they were at that moment already gathering31 round the house.
"Fools!" Mr. Chambers said. "They would have, no doubt, taken my life, and murdered my wife and daughters, but the gold they would never have got. I will explain that afterwards. You have indeed rendered me an inestimable service, and I thank you with all my heart, in my own name and in that of my family. So you have all these rascals32 of mine tied up safely?"
prisoners
"YOU ARE MY PRISONERS," YORKE SAID STERNLY.
"I think so, sir; but it would be as well to see to them a[Pg 255] little more closely, for I shall want my two men when these fellows arrive. In the first place, can they enter at any other point than at the front door?"
"No, I have iron shutters33 to all the windows. They are not closed at the present moment, for on such a hot evening one wants air. However, that will be the first step. I will turn this light out, and then we can shut the windows and close the shutters without being noticed outside. I will then go round with you to the other rooms and shut them up too, and bolt and bar the back door, which is lined with iron. In the drawing-room, I will ask one of the girls to shut the windows and draw down the blinds—even if the scoundrels are watching, that will seem a natural act—I will then shut the shutters there, and tell the ladies that there is a little trouble ahead, but that they need not fear or be in the slightest way uneasy, as I have plenty of assistance, and can easily dispose of some ruffians who have an idea of breaking in; I had better request them to go upstairs until the matter is over."
In a quarter of an hour all the preparations were made. The three servants had been more carefully bound, and were beyond any possibility of loosing their ropes unless by very prolonged exertions34. They had just finished all the preparations when a whistle was heard outside.
"That was the signal for us to be seized," Mr. Chambers said grimly. "I suppose they will give their accomplices35 five minutes to carry that out. How had we better post ourselves, Mr. Harberton?"
"I should say two in each doorway36. We shall all have our rifles ready, and I would let them get well into the hall; then we can step out when I say 'Now!' and let drive at them. Our three Mausers will give us fifteen shots, and you have one with your rifle and five with your revolver. As they will be taken wholly by surprise, it is hardly likely that they will be able to fire a single shot, and we ought to be able to account for almost all of them. I think we had[Pg 256] better turn out the lights in the drawing-room and lower the lamp in the hall, so that they will have an indistinct view of me as I open the door."
This was done. Two minutes later there was a light tapping on the door outside. Yorke stepped forward, and opened it a short distance.
"Is it you?" he asked.
"Of course it is. Is it all right?"
"Yes, everything is ready for you," and he quickly stepped back until level with the others.
The door was thrown open, and a number of men poured in.
"Turn up the light!" one said, with an oath. "What have you turned it down for? There, shut that door behind you; one of the women may have got a revolver, and we don't want the sound heard. Now, where are—"
"Here," Yorke replied.
He turned up the light, the other three instantly stepped out, and four rifles were fired almost simultaneously37. Shrieks38, oaths of fury, and heavy falls were heard as Yorke and his companions emptied the magazines of their rifles into the group, and the cracks of Mr. Chambers's revolver joined in the din6. Not a shot was fired in return. When the last cartridge39 had been fired, most of the assailants lay dead in the hall; the men who had last entered, panic-stricken at the sudden outburst of fire, had tried to open the door they had just closed, but the backward rush of the others prevented them from doing so, and it was not until ten had fallen that the other two were able to open the door and fly. Hastily recharging the magazines, Yorke and his two followers ran out, but a moment later they heard the sounds of galloping40 horses and cracking whips, and knew that pursuit would be futile41. However, as they had the names of the owners of the carts, this mattered little, and they returned to the house. Mr. Chambers had at once gone upstairs to assure the ladies that the affair was over, and that none of those in the house had been hurt.
[Pg 257]
Examining the bodies, they found that most of them had two bullet-wounds and some three, the Mauser bullets having at that short range passed through two or even more bodies. Several were hit in the head, but most of them in the chest.
"That is just as well," Yorke said, when he had ascertained42 that none of them were breathing. "It will save all further trouble."
At this moment there was a sound of steps outside, and a loud, continuous knocking at the door. Mr. Chambers threw open the window upstairs.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"We have just run down from the mine, sir; we heard the sound of firing here."
"Thank you, lads; it is all over now, but you may be of use," and he ran down and opened the door.
Six men were there all armed with guns.
"You see there has been a hard fight here, lads," he said, as an exclamation of surprise broke from the men at the scene in the hall. "Fortunately I had been warned just in time, and with the aid of this gentleman and his friends have, as you see, killed ten of them; only two got away. Now, I do not want any talk about it. Lend a hand, will you, to get the bodies outside; then I want a hole dug deep enough to hold them. Put it a hundred yards away from the house. It will be a heavy job, but I will put that right with you on Saturday."
"Shall we get the other five men up from below, sir?"
"No; I don't want the matter talked about, and the fewer that know of it the less chance there is of its getting about. I trust that you will all keep a silent tongue about the affair."
"You can trust us for that, sir. None of you are hurt, I hope?"
"Not in the slightest. There was not a shot fired on their side, we took them completely by surprise."
[Pg 258]
"I should say, sir, the best place to bury them would be to make a hole in the foot of one of the pit-heaps, then we can shovel43 the loose stuff down from above. It would be a much shorter job than digging a hole, and there is no chance of their ever being disturbed there."
"A very good plan, Simmonds. It will be an unpleasant job, anyhow. Wait a minute."
On going to the dining-room he returned with two bottles of whisky. Hans and Peter assisted in carrying the bodies outside, and then offered to bring pails of water and remove the blood-stains in the hall, and after that to assist in carrying the bodies away.
By this time the servant had come down and relighted the lamps in the drawing-room, and Yorke and Mr. Chambers went in there.
"I wonder, sir," Yorke said, "that you were not afraid to keep so large a sum in your house."
"I do not generally do so. As the gold is melted down, it is brought here for safety, and once a week it is sent to the bank, so that the amount seldom exceeds two thousand ounces. But this time it has been altogether different. When I saw that Kruger was bent44 upon war, I put all hands on to get the richest stuff in our reserves. The consequence was that the weekly output was five times as large as usual. I sent the ordinary amount to the bank, keeping the other by me, and intended to send it all down at once by rail in boxes with false marks on them, or if I could not do that, to keep it here till the war was over. Kruger's sudden ultimatum45 took me, as well as everyone else, by surprise. I was certain then that I could not get it down, and that if I sent it to the bank, Kruger and his people would lay hands upon it, as, in fact, they did with what I had sent in.
"It was only a few of the officials in the smelting-room who had any idea of the output, and even these could hardly have told what amount I sent into the bank. It is clear, however, that one of them must have carelessly mentioned[Pg 259] it, and that these fellows who made this attack must have discovered, perhaps from my servants who used to help to load the van, or from one of the guards who had accompanied it to unload it at the bank, that as the amount sent in was about the same as usual, there must remain a very large sum indeed hidden. I had really very little fear of the house being broken into, but in order to prevent any suspicion of there being money here, I discharged the men who always kept watch round the house at night at the same time that I paid off all the other hands, except the engineers who kept the pumping-engine at work to keep down the water in the mines. Then I relied upon the fact that burglars getting into the house would have difficulty in finding the safe, and still more difficulty in opening it.
"I had no doubt as to the honesty of my servants, who alone knew its position; but they did not know the manner in which it was protected. It is situated46 under my study, which is at the back of this room. The safe is an extremely strong one, of alternate sheets of steel and iron, and was made specially47 for me. It opens at the top, and you get at it by taking up the carpet in the study and lifting a trap-door. The vault in which the safe stands is two feet each way wider than the safe, and as this stands in the centre, there is a foot of vacant space on each side of it. Round the upper part of the safe there is a sliding apparatus48 by which a stout49 steel case, like a bottomless box, can be drawn up to the level of the trap-door. This, however, is only done when the safe is to be opened.
"In the next place, I have a communication from what I may call the strong-room both with the pipe which brings water for the garden and with a large cistern50 upstairs. Thus, the strong-room is kept filled with water, and the safe is therefore surrounded above as well as on its four sides with water. When I want to open the safe, I go into the study by myself, lift the heavy trap-door, which is cased with an inch of steel, but is easily moved by means of a counter-[Pg 260]poise, and then, with the aid of a lever in a secret closet, push up this box until it is level with the floor. I may say that the safe is three inches wider each way than the trap-door. The door of the safe itself being one inch narrower each way than the trap-door, opens through it.
"Having got this box, which is perfectly51 water-tight, into its place, I work another handle in a secret cupboard and pump out the water in the frame above the safe, and then open the door of the safe, and it is now ready for the men to come in and store the gold away. When they have left I close the door of the safe, lower the frame to its place, and the safe is at once covered with a foot of water. Thus, you see, burglars would have a succession of difficulties. They would, in the first place, be obliged to cut through the steel of the trap-door, then they would find, to their surprise, water immediately underneath52 them, and until this was removed it would be impossible for them to blow in the door of the safe. They would naturally try to bucket it out, but as it would come in again as fast as they did so, they would gain nothing by it. They might try to blow in the safe with waterproof53 cartridges54, but I doubt whether they would succeed.
"The lid is of immense strength. If they did succeed in bursting it there is another equally strong a foot lower, and this also would have to be destroyed. Even then the holes made would not be sufficient to let them through, and the only way they could possibly get the gold out would be to try and fish out the boxes with a hook at the end of a pole—again an almost impossible task, as the boxes are square, very heavy, and packed tightly together, so that there would be nothing to get hold of. I may say that I got the idea from reading, in the time of the Commune of Paris, how the bank was able to protect the specie in its vaults55 by filling them with water from the mains. I worked out the details myself, and I think I improved on the original, though that was good enough—for it baffled all the efforts of[Pg 261] the mechanics and engineers of the Commune to get at the money."
"That is a splendid plan certainly, sir," Yorke said.
"Yes, but though it would have saved the gold, it would not have saved our lives; and had I thought that the amount there is in the safe was known to anyone now in Johannesburg, I think I should have shut up the house and moved to the one I have in the town, contenting myself with keeping a couple of watchmen in this house, and seeing that all was right every day when I came to see that the men at the pumping-engine were doing their duty. That is what I shall most likely do now. Not that I think there is any probability of a renewal56 of the attempt; the lesson has been altogether too severe."
"What do you mean to do, sir, with your three rascals?"
"I shall go to-morrow to the head of the police and tell him that they had tried to rob the house, and ask him to send down half a dozen men to take them by the next train to Komati Poort. I could do nothing with them here, for your man Hans is the only witness against them, and he could not, of course, appear. Fortunately they do not know that, and I shall tell them that if I were to hand them over to the police and charge them with this crime they would certainly be hanged. However, I am willing to allow for the temptation they had, and shall only charge them with dishonesty, and have them then sent out of the Transvaal. As no doubt at present they expect nothing short of hanging, they will be glad enough to be let off so lightly."
"They certainly ought to be," Yorke said warmly, "for they are a great deal worse than the others. Whatever discharged men and the ruffians of the town might have done, your servants, who I have no doubt were well treated by you, ought to have been faithful."
"I quite agree with you, Mr. Harberton; but you see that it is of the greatest importance to me not to have the matter talked about. If there were an enquiry, it would of course[Pg 262] come out that there is a large sum of money in the house, and you may be quite sure that Kruger would commandeer it. As it is, a bribe12 of a couple of hundred-pounds to the head of the police will ensure these fellows being sent out of the country without an opportunity being given them of saying a word to anyone. And you may be sure that I shall impress upon them that if they ever set foot in the Transvaal again I will have them arrested at once on this charge. In that way I have every hope that the affair will be kept altogether dark. You don't know, of course, whether the two men who brought the carts were included in the twelve?"
"I do not, sir, but I should think it very likely; they did not want to have to divide the spoil into more portions than necessary. I should think it most probable that they left their carts outside and came in with the others. Whether they were among those who were killed or not, of course I cannot say."
"Yes, I should think they would be sure to come in with the others," Mr. Chambers said; "and in that case there are only two men who know anything about this matter, and you may be sure that they will keep their mouths closed. Well, we have talked more than enough of my affairs. Now about yourself. If you and your two followers like to stay here, I think you might certainly do so with safety. I need not say how heartily57 welcome you would be."
"Thank you, sir. But though I will gladly stay till morning, I must then be off. I am anxious to get back as quickly as possible to rejoin Lord Methuen's force. I have now been nearly a month away. Then, too, I must put in an appearance at the hotel where I have been staying, for I was obliged to enquire58 the way to your house. The landlord will be expecting me back to-night, and I shall have to make some excuse for my absence. And if I do not appear in the morning, he might suspect that something was wrong, and give information, with a description of my appearance, to the authorities."
[Pg 263]
"That I could arrange," Mr. Chambers said. "I could look in there myself in the morning, and say that as it was so late and the night dark I had asked you to stay at my house till morning, and that you had gone off without returning to the town. Ah, there are my wife and daughters!"
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1
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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enlistment
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| n.应征入伍，获得，取得 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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enjoined
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| v.命令( enjoin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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sentries
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| 哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 ) | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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12
bribe
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| n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通 | |
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bribed
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| v.贿赂( bribe的过去式和过去分词 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂 | |
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14
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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15
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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16
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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18
fumble
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| vi.笨拙地用手摸、弄、接等，摸索 | |
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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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21
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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22
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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23
picket
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| n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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refreshments
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| n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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accomplices
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| 从犯，帮凶，同谋( accomplice的名词复数 ) | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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38
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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39
cartridge
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| n.弹壳，弹药筒；(装磁带等的)盒子 | |
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40
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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41
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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42
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
shovel
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| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
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44
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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ultimatum
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| n.最后通牒 | |
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46
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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50
cistern
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| n.贮水池 | |
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51
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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52
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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53
waterproof
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| n.防水材料；adj.防水的；v.使...能防水 | |
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54
cartridges
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| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
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55
vaults
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| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
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56
renewal
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| adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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enquire
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| v.打听，询问；调查，查问 | |
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