prester john-第41章

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rcoll　could　deduce　that　his　man　had　gone　down　the　Berg　into　the　forests。

Had　the　Basutos　been　any　good　at　woodcraft　we　should　have　had　better　intelligence。　　But　living　in　a　bare　mountain　country　they　are　apt　to　find　themselves　puzzled　in　a　forest。　　The　best　men　among　the　trackers　were　some　renegades　of　'Mpefu；　who　sent　back　word　by　a　device　known　only　to　Arcoll　that　five　Kaffirs　were　in　the　woods　a　mile　north　of　Main　Drift。　　By　this　time　it　was　after　ten　o'clock；　and　the　moon　was　rising。　　The　five　men　separated　soon　after；　and　the　reports　became　confused。　Then　Laputa；　as　the　biggest　of　the　five；　was　located　on　the　banks　of　the　Great　Letaba　about　two　miles　below　Main　Drift。

The　question　was　as　to　his　crossing。　　Arcoll　had　assumed　that　he　would　swim　the　river　and　try　to　get　over　the　road　between　Main　Drift　and　Wesselsburg。　　But　in　this　assumption　he　underrated　the　shrewdness　of　his　opponent。　　Laputa　knew　perfectly　well　that　we　had　not　enough　men　to　patrol　the　whole　countryside；　but　that　the　river　enabled　us　to　divide　the　land　into　two　sections　and　concentrate　strongly　on　one　or　the　other。　Accordingly　he　left　the　Great　Letaba　unforded　and　resolved　to　make　a　long　circuit　back　to　the　Berg。　　One　of　his　Kaffirs　swam　the　river；　and　when　word　of　this　was　brought　Arcoll　began　to　withdraw　his　posts　farther　down　the　road。　　But　as　the　men　were　changing　'Mpefu's　fellows　got　wind　of　Laputa's　turn　to　the　left；　and　in　great　haste　Arcoll　countermanded　the　move　and　waited　in　deep　perplexity　at　Main　Drift。

The　salvation　of　his　scheme　was　the　farmers　on　the　scarp　of　the　Berg。　　They　lit　fires　and　gave　Laputa　the　notion　of　a　great　army。　　Instead　of　going　up　the　glen　of　Machudi　or　the　Letsitela　he　bore　away　to　the　north　for　the　valley　of　the　Klein　Letaba。　The　pace　at　which　he　moved　must　have　been　amazing。　　He　had　a　great　physique；　hard　as　nails　from　long　travelling；　and　in　his　own　eyes　he　had　an　empire　at　stake。　　When　I　look　at　the　map　and　see　the　journey　which　with　vast　fatigue　I　completed　from　Dupree's　Drift　to　Machudi's；　and　then　look　at　the　huge　spaces　of　country　over　which　Laputa's　legs　took　him　on　that　night；　I　am　lost　in　admiration　of　the　man。

About　midnight　he　must　have　crossed　the　Letsitela。　　Here　he　made　a　grave　blunder。　　If　he　had　tried　the　Berg　by　one　of　the　faces　he　might　have　got　on　to　the　plateau　and　been　at　Inanda's　Kraal　by　the　dawning。　　But　he　over…estimated　the　size　of　the　commandoes；　and　held　on　to　the　north；　where　he　thought　there　would　be　no　defence。　　About　one　o'clock　Arcoll；　tired　of　inaction　and　conscious　that　he　had　misread　Laputa's　tactics；　resolved　on　a　bold　stroke。　　He　sent　half　his　police　to　the　Berg　to　reinforce　the　commandoes；　bidding　them　get　into　touch　with　the　post　at　Blaauwildebeestefontein。

A　little　after　two　o'clock　a　diversion　occurred。　　Henriques　succeeded　in　crossing　the　road　three　miles　east　of　Main　Drift。　He　had　probably　left　the　kraal　early　in　the　night　and　had　tried　to　cross　farther　west；　but　had　been　deterred　by　the　patrols。　East　of　Main　Drift；　where　the　police　were　fewer；　he　succeeded；　but　he　had　not　gone　far　till　he　was　discovered　by　the　Basuto　scouts。　　The　find　was　reported　to　Arcoll；　who　guessed　at　once　who　this　traveller　was。　　He　dared　not　send　out　any　of　his　white　men；　but　he　bade　a　party　of　the　scouts　follow　the　Portugoose's　trail。　　They　shadowed　him　to　Dupree's　Drift；　where　he　crossed　the　Letaba。　　There　he　lay　down　by　the　roadside　to　sleep；　while　they　kept　him　company。　　A　hard　fellow　Henriques　was；　for　he　could　slumber　peacefully　on　the　very　scene　of　his　murder。

Dawn　found　Laputa　at　the　head　of　the　Klein　Letaba　glen；　not　far　from　'Mpefu's　kraal。　　He　got　food　at　a　hut；　and　set　off　at　once　up　the　wooded　hill　above　it；　which　is　a　promontory　of　the　plateau。　　By　this　time　he　must　have　been　weary；　or　he　would　not　have　blundered　as　he　did　right　into　a　post　of　the　farmers。　　He　was　within　an　ace　of　capture；　and　to　save　himself　was　forced　back　from　the　scarp。　　He　seems；　to　judge　from　reports；　to　have　gone　a　little　way　south　in　the　thicker　timber；　and　then　to　have　turned　north　again　in　the　direction　of　Blaauwildebeestefontein。　　After　that　his　movements　are　obscure。　　He　was　seen　on　the　Klein　Labongo；　but　the　sight　of　the　post　at　Blaauwildebeestefontein　must　have　convinced　him　that　a　korhaan　could　not　escape　that　way。　　The　next　we　heard　of　him　was　that　he　had　joined　Henriques。　After　daybreak　Arcoll；　having　got　his　reports　from　the　plateau；　and　knowing　roughly　the　direction　in　which　Laputa　was　shaping；　decided　to　advance　his　lines。　　The　farmers；　reinforced　by　three　more　commandoes　from　the　Pietersdorp　district；　still　held　the　plateau；　but　the　police　were　now　on　the　line　of　the　Great　Letaba。　　It　was　Arcoll's　plan　to　hold　that　river　and　the　long　neck　of　land　between　it　and　the　Labongo。　　His　force　was　hourly　increasing；　and　his　mounted　men　would　be　able　to　prevent　any　escape　on　the　flank　to　the　east　of　Wesselsburg。

So　it　happened　that　while　Laputa　was　being　driven　east　from　the　Berg；　Henriques　was　travelling　north；　and　their　lines　intersected。　　I　should　like　to　have　seen　the　meeting。　　It　must　have　told　Laputa　what　had　always　been　in　the　Portugoose's　heart。　　Henriques；　I　fancy；　was　making　for　the　cave　in　the　Rooirand。　　Laputa；　so　far　as　I　can　guess　at　his　mind；　had　a　plan　for　getting　over　the　Portuguese　border；　fetching　a　wide　circuit；　and　joining　his　men　at　any　of　the　concentrations　between　there　and　Amsterdam。

The　two　were　seen　at　midday　going　down　the　road　which　leads　from　Blaauwildebeestefontein　to　the　Lebombo。　　Then　they　struck　Arcoll's　new　front；　which　stretched　from　the　Letaba　to　the　Labongo。　　This　drove　them　north　again；　and　forced　them　to　swim　the　latter　stream。　　From　there　to　the　eastern　extremity　of　the　Rooirand；　which　is　the　Portuguese　frontier；　the　country　is　open　and　rolling；　with　a　thin　light　scrub　in　the　hollows。　　It　was　bad　cover　for　the　fugitives；　as　they　found　to　their　cost。　　For　Arcoll　had　purposely　turned　his　police　into　a　flying　column。　　They　no　longer　held　a　line；　they　scoured　a　country。　　Only　Laputa's　incomparable　veld…craft　and　great　bodily　strength　prevented　the　two　from　being　caught　in　half　an　hour。　　They　doubled　back；　swam　the　Labongo　again；　and　got　into　the　thick　bush　on　the　north　side　of　the　Blaauwildebeestefontein　road。　　The　Basuto　scouts　were　magnificent　in　the　open；　but　in　the　cover　they　were　again　at　fault。　　Laputa　and　Henriques　fairly　baffled　them；　so　that　the　pursuit　turned　to　the　west　in　the　belief　that　the　fugitives　had　made　for　Majinje's　kraal。　　In　reality　they　had　recrossed　the　Labongo　and　were　making　for　Umvelos'。


All　this　I　heard　afterwards；　but　in　the　meantime　I　lay　in　Arcoll's　tent　in　deep　unconsciousness。　　While　my　enemies　were　being　chased　like　partridges；　I　was　reaping　the　fruits　of　four　days'　toil　and　terror。　　The　hunters　had　become　the　hunted；　the　wheel　had　come　full　circle；　and　the　woes　of　David　Crawfurd　were　being　abundantly　avenged。

I　slept　till　midday　of　the　next　day。　　When　I　awoke　the　hot　noontide　sun　had　made　the　tent　like　an　oven。　　I　felt　better；　but　very　stiff　and　sore；　and　I　had　a　most　ungovernable　thirst。　There　was　a　pail　of　water　with　a　tin　pannikin　beside　the　tent　pole；　and　out　of　this　I　drank　repeated　draughts。　　Then　I　lay　down　again；　for　I　was　still　very　weary。

But　my　second　sleep　was　not　like　my　first。　　It　was　haunted　by　wild　nightmares。　　No　sooner　had　I　closed　my　eyes　than　I　began　to　live　and　move　in　a　fantastic　world。　　The　whole　bush　of　the　plains　lay　before　me；　and　I　watched　it　as　if　from　some　view…point　in　the　clouds。　　It　was　midday；　and　the　sandy　patches　shimmered　under　a　haze　of　heat。　　I　saw　odd　little　movements　in　the　bush　…　a　buck's　head　raised；　a　paauw　stalking　solemnly　in　the　long　grass；　a　big　crocodile　rolling　off　a　mudbank　in　the　river。　　And　then　I　saw　quite　clearly　Laputa's　figure　going　east。

In　my　sleep　I　did　not　think　about　Arcoll's　manoeuvres。　　My　mind　was　wholly　set　upon　Laputa。　　He　was　walking　wearily；　yet　at　a　good　pace；　and　his　head　was　always　turning；　like　a　wild　creature　snuffing　the　wind。　　There　was　something　with　him；　a　shapeless　shadow；　which　I　could　not　see　clearly。　　His　neck　was　bare；　but　I　knew　well　that　the　collar　was　in　his　pouch。

He　stopped；　turned　west；　and　I　lost　him。　　The　bush　world　for