(Copyright.) ERIC DACRES:

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 11 September 1914, Page 7

(Copyright.) ERIC DACRES:

By William Murray Graydon, Author of 'Under the White Terror,* 'In the Name of the Czar,' Etc., Etc.

A Romantic Story of Adventure during the Matabele War. ■ f

PART 10. "Yes, this is rather a snug shelter," he .replied. "For the present, it will not be necessary to go deeper into the mine." "And are those terrible savages gone ?" "T. hope so, darling. It is pretty certain, at all events, that they won't venture down here to search for us. They know that I am armed." __)^/' "But they will wait for us to *' rorae out." "Yes," Eric admitted ; "and while they are waiting, help may arrive from Murdoch's, if the firing was heard there." "And what if it was not heard?" Doris questioned. "Then it means that we must remain here for a time," replied Eric; "but I don't anticipate a siege of more than" He broke oft' abruptly, and both heard sounds that made their blood run cold—a din of savage voices and the patter of naked feet. What this meant was unmistakable. The Kaffirs had entered the mine. With a word of comfort Eric quickly released Doris, and groped through the darkness to the main shaft. He returned a few seconds later, and, picking the girl up, he made his way noiselessly with her to the recess behind the heap of stones. There they crouched as low *s possible side by side. "Are they coming ?" Doris asked. "Yes—six or seven of the ruffians, with lighted candles," Eric whispered. "But don't fear; they will likely pass our hiding-place. And even if we are discovered, a couple of shots will drive them off. Hush ! Not a word now, or we shall betray ourselves." They waited in anxious silence for several moments, listening to the clatter of voices, and watching the wavering streaks of yellow light grow larger on the floor of the main incline. Then the foe suddenly appeared—six stalwart Matabele warriors, and with them a couple of new recruits — native "hoys," whose half-ci viiised dress -.bowed that they had been working for the owners of the ve-A. These two latter carried the candles that threw light on the scene. Eric and Doris crouched lower, scarcely daring to breathe as they peeped through the crevices of the rocks. They feared that the worst had come—that discovery was certain. The Kaffirs had baited on the further side of the main shaft, and were glancing with evident suspicion towards the vertical cutting. Would they investigate or pass on ? The question was quickly answered. With one accord the wretches glided to the mouth of the side Bhaft, and the glare of the candles flashing within showed the betraying foot prints of the fugitives on the soft clay. Wild shouts echoed through the vaults of the mine, and above the din rang the voice of one of the native "boys." "Yonder are the white people," he cried, in fairly-good English. "Kill them ! Kill them !" A scream from Doris was followed by the report of a revolver.; Eric had risen partly up and fired. The native "boy" clawed at the air, and dropped dead across tho mouth of the cutting, snuffing the candle out in the fall. Crack ! The second shot hit a big Matabele between the eyes, bringing him down like a log. There was no chance to fire again. With yells of fear and/ rage, the surviving Kaffirs turned and bolted up the main shaft, for better security blowing out the other candle as they ran. One, less cowardly than the rest, lingered an instant to hurl two assegais into the side passage. The din of voices and glide of feet gradually faded away, until all was BtiU again. For several minutes the fugitives sat without speaking in the little hollow behind the rocks, Eric with his arm round the trembling form of the girl. In < < spite of the darkness, they fancied :4mt they could see the bodies of the two Kaffirs sprawled in ghastly attitudes across the mouth of the cutting. "Well, I'm glad that's over," Eric said,, finally. "It's ended as I thought it would, and the ruffians have been taught a lesson. But you are trembling, darling." "It is because I am happy—because you have saved me again," Doris whispered. "Oh, I hope they won't return." "They won't, never fear," Eric assured her. "The cowards know better than to venture down the shaft a second time." But even as he spoke a sudden noise belied his words. There were voices up above, and then footsteps mingled with them. "They are coming back, Eric." The girl's voice was shrill with alarm. "Oh, what can it mean ?" she added. "By Jove, it's more than I can fathom," he replied, hoarsely. " I confess I don't understand it. There are only six of the scoundrels, and they surely can't dream

of rushing us. 1 wonder if the; have some new scheme of devilry." "What could it be ?" Doris asked "Nothing—nothing," Eric whis pered. "i was talking foolishly dear." He hurriedly re-loaded th two chambers of his revolver. "W< are safe," he went on. " I C 'ai easily beat off another attack if i comes. Keep low and trust tc me." The conversation ceased, and Eric as he watched and listened, coulc feel, the girl trembling on his arm He W as puzzled and disturbed bj the curious advance of the Kaffirs They were creeping slowly and cau tiously down the main shaft, am talking in strat+gely low tones They had at least one light, for f glimmer of it was visible on th< walls and floor of the incline. "What can they intend to do ?': Doris questioned. "Perhaps make a quick rush,' Eric answered, evasively and untruthfully. He was thoroughly alarmed b\ these strange tactics, and felt that some terrible thing was impending. With his pistol gripped tightly, hi listened and looked. Suddenly the stealthy patter oi feet ceased, and the voices sank a little lower. The yellow rays oi light were stationary, and their brightness showed that the Kaffirs had halted very close to the mouth of the vertical cutting. A few seconds oi suspence, and then a hissing noise was heard. Loud and shrill rang the voice of the native "boy " : "Blow the white people up ! Blow them to death !" "Gracious Heaven!" gasped Eric, as the awful truth flashed upon him ; "the fiends must have brought dynamite cartridges from the huts!" With a mad hope of averting the peril, he rose partly to his feet, and just at that instant a small yellow cylinder was thing into t-he cutting. It fell in the middle of the floor and lay there with its short fuse spitting sparks of flame. Doris shrieked with terror, but her voice was drowned by the exultant yells of the Kaffirs out in the main shaft. A glance satisfied Eric that the fuse was alread3- burned to the end—and it would be worse than useless to attempt to extinguish it. Like a flash he threw himself upon Doris, crushing her to the bottom jof the recess, and madly striving |to shield her body with his own. "God help us !" he cried in his | agony. "We are lost ! Oh, my dear one, my darling" Then the cartridge burst with a terrific explosion, and the hollowed cavern seemed turned into a mass of blinding, dazzling flame. The ! earth rocked, the walls and roof j shed slabs and chunks of stone, and j far off in the distant depths of the mine the muttering echoes rolled ! like, waves of thunder. But by that time Eric heard and felt nothing. i CHAPTER XXXIII. A STRANGE AWAKENING. A long, narrow room, with the sunlight streaming on its bare walls ; a line of rude cots, some occupied and Some empty ; and several men and women moving about with quiet steps—such was the scene on which Eric Dacres opened his eyes. His first emotion was one of intense bewilderment, mingled with a dim memory of countless torturing dreams. Where was he, and what had happened ? Beside the bed on which he lay was a small stand containing medicine bottles. He realised that he was as weak as a babe, that his hands were shrunken almost to transparency, and that bandages were on his head and left arm. . Then he suddenly saw Phil Courtney looking at him from the foot of the bed, and the sight of his old friend cleared the stupor from his mind. At once a clear and harrowing memory of the past flashed upon him—of Humphrey Churton and his companions, Lawson's store, the finding of Doris, and the terrible events at the Rocky Hill LlwW He tried to sit up, but he could not even move a hand. "Where am I ?" he asked in a faint voice. "Where is Doris ?" Phil smiled and shook his head. He summoned an elderly man who carried a small case of black leather, and the two conversed briefly in whispers. Then the surgeonsuch the stranger clearly was—nodded approvingly and poured some medicine into a glass. "Take this," he said to Eric. "You will get along all right now —you have slept soundly for a great many hours, and the crisis is passed. I predict a rapid' recovery." The draught was poured down Eric's throat, and immediately he felt a little stronger. " You had better go to sleep again," the Surgeon added. "Talking will be bad for you." "But there are lots of things I want to know," Eric remonstrated, weakly. "I must talk. Where am I, Phil ?" I "In the hospital at Buluwayo, old chap." i " And Doris ? Quick—for Ilea- ! yen's sake !" j "Doris Churton is safe and well,"1 Phil answered. j "Are you certain of that ? You j are not deceiving me ?" | "I am telling you the truth, Eric." ' "Is she in Buluwayo now ?" j "No, she is not." "Thank God, my darling is safe !" E>ic whispered. "I tried to shield her when the dynamite exploded. How long have I beeen ill '?" "About three weeks. This is the 22nd of April." " Three weeks !" gasped Eric. "And how did I get here ?"

At this point Phil turned to the surgeon, and the latter, after whispering a lew words, withdrew to another part of the room. Then Phil brought a stool and seated himi self along-side of the cot. |"I have permission to talk to you for a little while," he said, " but it can be only for a few minutes, and I must make the story as brief as possible. You have been awfully ill, and though you are all right now any excitement may bring on a relapse. You can't ask many questions, and as soon as T have , explained matters you must go to sleep. Will you agree to this ?" "Yes," assented Eric. "Go on." " You remember," began Phil, •"how the Kaffirs separated us that ! night on the way to Lawson's, when three of our party were killed? The four of us—Haygarth, Churton, ! the scout, and myself—got clear of j the enemy and made a detour be- i hind the kopje. "We had given you and Mynhart up for dead, hut by-; and-by we ran across the Boer, who explained how he had parted I from you. So we rode on, and as ! luck would have it we ran across a ' lot of Kaffirs, who compelled us to make a larger detour. It was long past midnight when we finally reached Lawson's store' and saw what had happened there. We decided to push on to Murdoch's, hoping that Boris and some others might have ' escaped in that direction. By this time we believed you had been kill: ;on the roacl to Lawson's. "Well, there is not much more to ; tell. You can guess the rest. Early! in the morning we heard distant ■shots, and a fast gallop brought us to the mining camp. We arrived just as the Kaffirs were sneakingout of the shaft, and we shot all but one of the scoundrels. Then we took candles, searched the mine, and found you and Doris half-buried '■ under a lot of rubbish. The dynamite smoke told us what had occurred." "1 don't see how we escaped," said Eric. "It was due to the fact that dynamite when exploded on the ground loses most of its force," Phil replied. "However, the damage was bad enough, so far as you were concerned. Your arm was broken, your head smashed up, and you were bruised all over. Of course, you were unconscious, and there didn't seem to be much chance for recovery" "And Doris ? Was she hurt ?*' "Not a bruise, thanks to you," said Phil. "But she was badlystunned and shocked, and was just getting over the effects when we left her." "What do you mean ?" "I'm coming to it ; keep cool," Phil went on. "We took you both to Murdoch's, where we found a party of ten men, and two survivors from Lawson's. A little later a. patrol of half a dozen settlers turned up. They reported that a strong laager had been formed at Fisher's store —about twenty miles to the south and not far east of Churton's home—and that they had been sent out to look for scattered fugitives. As Murdoch's wasn't any too strong a place, we all concluded to strike for Fisher's. We got as far as the main road, taking you and Doris with us in a waggon,and then imagine our surprise to meet a coach going from Salisbury to Buluwayo !• It had a strong escort, and the brave fellows were determined to get through. Phil paused a moment. "You were still unconscious and iv a bad way, old chap," he resumed, "and we knew that the medical attendance to be had in Buluwayo was all that could save you ; so you were put into the coach, and I joined the mounted escort. I'll tell you the story ' lof that ride some day—how we '. fought our way safely through. At present it's enough for you to know that we got you to Buluwayo, and \ found that your injuries had brought on an attack of brain fever. But you are out of danger now. ', Your wounds are nearly healed and the broken arm has knitted" "But Doris ?" Eric interrupted. "Where is she ?" "Safe at Fisher's store," replied } Phil. "The rest of our party push- , ed on to that point with the gar- , rison at Murdoch's. We had word • from them a couple of days ago. < They have beaten the enemy off ] twice, and declare they can hold j out ; and Doris has entirely re- 2 covered." "God bless you, old fellow !" Eric L said, feebly. " I'll never forget , what you have done for me. My , mind is easier now" "That's right ; don't worry," Phil t broke in. "You'll be on your feet r in two or three weeks, and by then a patrol '/ill be starting down country to relieve Fisher's store." r "And how are things goiag now?" A "Well, there's a laager in Bulu- f wayo market-place, and a couple of 1 Matabele impis are in the vicinity r. of the town, but we don't fear an r attack. As for the rest, why it's \ bud enough. The Kaffirs have the j t upper hand far and wide, except for t a few stores and forts that they ' can't take. But troops are on their n way up country, anil the final reck- t oning with these, black devils won't L be long delayed." I a "1 hope I'll be able to take a hand ;f< in it," said Eric. "Are you sure / Doris is safe ?" li, I Positively certain, old chap," | d Phil replied. "Oh, that reminds ' d me ! She sent her love to you by ! the messenger. Now. don't get ex- a cited, for you can't stand it. Go ' n quietly to sleep, and I'll come and a talk to you again this evening." 1< There was no alternative, for just t then the surgeon arrived to back up v Phil's orders. A light screen was c

drawn round Eric's cot, and he was left to himself. I Weak though he was, he lay awake for a long time, thinking of all that had happened in the past. He .' accepted without question Phil's assurance that Doris was safe, and he tried to recall the wards she hat: spoken when she promised to be i his wife. He longed for the day when he would be able to mount a horse and carry a rifle. He pictured himself riding with the relief ; column to Fisher's store. j "Fergus Haygarth is with my darlj ing now," he reflected, remembering j the girl's strange warning in the hut that eventful morning, "and if he annoys her with his unwelcome attentions I'll have a reckoning with him. Poor devil, I'm sorry for him !He is a noble-hearted fel- | low, and Doris must be prejudiced j against him. I don't believe he has I the slightest ill-feeling towards me, | and if he had I could overlook it! ; I can understand what it means to love such a woman in vain." ! Gradually Eric's thoughts became I vague, weakness and drowsiness stole upon him, and at last he fell into a sound slumber. CHAPETR XXIV. THE VANISHING IMPI. Nearly six weeks after Eric's ; strange awakening in the Buluwayo hospital, on a clear and sultry morning early in June, a. patrol of twenty Englishmen were breaking : camp in the bush a couple of miles j south of the Salisbury road so often j referred to in this narrative. BreakI fast had already been eaten, and a little later the column was mounted and in motion towards the southeast. It was a picturesque and impressive sight—the sun shining on the sturdy, mettlesome horses ;on the ■strong-limbed men encased in flannels and high boots and bristling with arms and .cartridge-belts ; on the bronzed faces that were stamped with a common gravity and sternness born of experience in a bloody and merciless war. For these were the famous Gordon's scouts, the heroes of Buluwayo and the terror of the Kaffirs, and at their head i rode Captain Sandy Gordon himself. It was the third day out from Buluwayo, and on the two preceding days there had been pretty steady fighting, attended by a loss of five men. Now the little troop seemed to have got clear of the enemy, and it was expected that the object of the march—the relief of Fisher's store—would be accomplished before another sunset. Close behind the commander rode Dan .Shurlock, Phil Courtney, and Eric Dacres. The latter looked ruddy and bronzed, and except that he was slightly thinner than before, there was no trace of what he had gone through. The events of the past few< weeks may be briefly described. While Eric was rapidly convalescing stirring things happened. Fortunately, the laager of Buluwayo, which sheltered numerous women and children, was not attacked. But the Matabele were in force about the town, and patrols of brave men repeatedly rode out to engage the foe or to relieve small parties of settlers beleaguered at more distant points. What deeds of valour and heroism were done on these occasions are already recorded in history. It was a trying time for Eric, unable as he was to take any part ; but he had the satisfaction of knowing that Doris was safe, for word was twice received that all waa well at Fisher's store. Under these circumstances, and on account of the distance, no relief force was sent. And it was more than ever impossible to spare a patrol for that purpose, when towards the", close of May Eric found himself fit for active service ;so he joined Gordon's scouts—to which Phil was already attached—and distinguished himself in several sharp fights that took place in the neighbourhood of Buluwayo. Then several things happened to alter the situation. During the last ! week in May arrived Colonel Plu- j mer's column, which he had raised j down country for the relief of the settlers in Matabeleland, and on the 31st of the month the force from Salisbury came in, led by Mr. Cecil Rhodes. A couple of days later Dan Shurlock, the American scout, rode into Buluwayo exhausted and powder-grimed. He had made the perilous journey in sixty hours, but with the loss of two brave men i who had started out with him. I The situation at Fisher's store, | the scout reported, was as follows: i The Kaffirs had been beaten off in j two desperate attacks, and now the ' garrison were running short of am- I munition and supplies. They had I women and children with them, and j for that reason dared not risk the | Long march to Buluwayo. It was i necessary that they should either be j relieved or that cartridges and provisions should be sent to them; in the latter event they would be able i to hold out indefinitely. j • Shurlock was heartily glad to : neet Phil and Eric again, and to :he latter he brought a letter from 1 Joris. It consisted of many pages, ! md what they contained made Eric eel the happiest man in South 1 \frica for the moment, though his 1 oy was soon dimmed by the sha- ~} low of danger that overhung the 1 listant little garrison. ; ! To rtjnin th;> girl was now his only j urn, and happily his patience was I lot long tried. The military leaders it Buluwayo decided to relieve f Wisher's store at once, and within ( .wenty-four hours Gordon's scouts 1 vere on the way. The force was p •onsidered ample, since the scout ,re- J

c ported that no impis in the district to be traversed, but merely scattere ed bands of various size. Morel over, the recent fighting was bes lieved to have partly broken the - spirit of the Matabele. c And now to return to the troop, 1 which we will accompany on its third 2 day's march. Eric, naturally enough, / was swayed alternately by feelings t of confidence and doubt as he listened to the cheering conversation f of his companions or wondered what ' was taking place at Fisher's store. - He plied the scout with questions, r and occasionally he devoured hurJ ried extracts from Doris's letter, f which lay in a convenient pocket. J : As for the rest of the men, while ;' the recent loss of some of their number had dampened their spirits - they felt no concern for the safety I of the party they were hastening to 5 relieve. If the garrison at Fisher's , had held out for weeks and twice | repulsed the Kaffirs, it was extreme- ); ly unlikely that disaster could hava \ come upon them during the past ! few days. i j This view was shared by all, from I ■ Captain Sandy Gordon down. Nevertheless, the horses were kept at a smart pace, and Dan Shurlock, on whom devolved the guidance of the troop, chose a course that was as near to a bee-line, as possible. The morning slipped by without encountering the enemy, • but at .intervals harrowing evidence was seen of the the excesses com- , mitted shortly after the breaking out of the Matabele—the ashes of farmhouses and huts, dead horses and mules, and the mouldering corpses of men, women, and children. These things stirred the troopers deeply, moving some to tears, and many a pitiless oath of vengeance was sworn. No halt was made at noon, and about -one o'clock the scout declared that Fisher's store was but five or six miles distant. A little later, as the troop emerged from a belt of kopjes into comparatively low bush, the commander suddenly uttered a sharp exclamation and pulled up his horse. The rest of the men did the same, huddling in close formation, and all eyes followed Captain Gordon's outstretched arm, which pointed to the south-west. Quite an interesting sight was to be seen, and one that fired the blood, of the gallant troopers. Between two and three miles off lay a long, low hill, sparsely timbered, and up the face of this was creeping a black, serpentine line of Kaffirs. They numbered hundreds, and in the clear morning air against the green vegetation and the whitish-grey rocks they were plainly visible. ' The tail end of the line was near the base of the hill, and the head was moving over the crest ; how many were already on the further side could not be conjectured. "By jingo, it's a whole Matabele impi !" exclaimed the scout. "Look at them swarming like flies !" "A short gallop would bring us on to the rear of the devils," said an elderly trooper whose brother had been butchered a month before. "It's a rare good chance. What do you think, captain ?" "No, no, Jenkins ; it won't do," the commander replied. "The Kaffirs are too strong, and besides we have other work cut out for us. It will be all the better if our presence is not discovered ; so we'll wait here a bit where the bush hides us." "It's a big impi," said Phil, and seems to mean business. Where can it be bound to in that direction ?" "Perhaps to attack Thorn-tree Fort, which lies about fifteen miles off yonder to the south-west," Shurlock answered. "It's a strong place among the jopjes, and has a stiffish garrison of settlers." "Yes, that may be the destination of the rascals,", assented Captain Gordon, "but they won't take the place. The plucky fellows who are holding- it sent word to Buluwayo some time ago that they needed no assistance or relief. By the way, Shurlock," he added, "was there any communication between the fort and Fisher's store ?" "None, sir," the scout replied. "We knew the fort was there, but we knew also that the country in between was full of Kaffirs ; otherwise we would have abandoned the store and marched to the stronger place." At this point Eric turned anxiously to the commander. "Could it be possible, sir," he asked, "that this impi has come from Fisher's '?" "Quite the contrary," was Captain ] Gordon's reassuring reply. " Don't be alarmed, Dacres. The store is • off to the south-east, and it is clear that the crossed from north to south just where we had halted. Look !'* ( He pointed to a convincing proof of his assertion—to a couple of dusty; \ patches just ahead which were covered with numerous and recent footprints. "Yes, I see," guttered Eric, greatly relieved. " c By this time the end of the rapid-ly-moving impi was trailing over c the hill-crest, and a few moments later the Matabele had vanished. I r Then the troopers rode on through ' t the bush, cheered by the knowledge c that they would .soon arrive at Fisher's store, and yet regretting d that they had not been able to kill : . a few of their detested foes. (To be Continued.) t An offer of £24,000 has been refused for a carpet in the* possession d of Johan Kernowsky, a Prague an- c tiquarian, who claims that he can a prove it to have been used by the p Prophet Mahomet when at prayer, o