A Dash from Diamond City | Page 9

"You can't bear the
honest truth."
"Yes, we can," cried one of the men; "but we can't bear lies. Do you
think we are fools to believe your cock-and-bull stories about
magazine-rifles and guns that would dwarf all that the British Army
could bring up against the Boers?"

"You can do as you like about believing," said Ingleborough coldly. "I
have only told you what I learned for myself when I was staying in
Pretoria."
"And do you mean to tell us that the Boers have guns like that?"
"I do," said Ingleborough.
"Then where did they get them?"
"From the great French and German makers, From Creusot and
Krupp."
"And how did they get them up to Pretoria?"
"From the Cape and Delagoa Bay."
"What nonsense!" cried another voice. "Their arms and ammunition
would have been stopped at once. What do you say to that?"
"The Boers are slim," said Ingleborough. "Hundreds of tons of war
material have been going up-country for years as ironmongery goods
and machinery. They have a tremendous arsenal there, and they mean
to fight, as you'll see before long."
The hissing and threatening sounds ceased, for there was so much
conviction in the tone adopted by the speaker that his hearers began to
feel uneasy and as if there might be something in the declarations,
while, upon Ingleborough turning to West with: "Come Oliver, let's get
home!" the little crowd of volunteers hedged the pair in, and the man
who had been the most ready to laugh laid a hand upon his arm.
"Hold hard a minute," he cried frankly. "I felt ready to laugh at you and
chaff all your words; but I'm not going to be a dunder-headed fool and
shut my eyes to danger if there really is any. Look here, Ingleborough:
are you an alarmist, or is there really any truth in what you have said?"
"It is all true," replied the young man calmly.

"Well, then, I for one will believe you, my lad; for, now you have
spoken out as you have, I begin to put that and that together and I feel
that the Boers have been playing dark."
"They have been playing dark," said Ingleborough warmly, "and I
should not be surprised to hear any day that they had declared war and
found us anything but prepared."
"They only want to be free," said a voice.
"Free?" cried Ingleborough. "Yes, free to do exactly what they please:
to tax every stranger, or outlander, as they call us, for their own benefit:
to rob and enslave the unfortunate natives, and even murder them if it
suits their hand. Free? Yes, look at their history from the first. Why,
their whole history has been a course of taking land from the original
owners by force."
That very night rumours reached Kimberley which sent a tingle into the
cheeks of every man who had joined in the demonstration against
Ingleborough: though the greatest news of all had not yet arrived, that
the Transvaal Government had thrown down the glove and made the
advance.
CHAPTER FIVE.
AN UGLY CHARGE.
As everyone knows, the declaration of war was not long in coming, and
the news came like a thunderclap to all in Kimberley, where those who
had been in doubt as to the wisdom of the preparations previously made
were the loudest in finding fault because more had not been done.
"But do you think it's true, Ingle?" said West.
"Think what is true?"
"That the Boers have invaded Natal."

"I'm sure it is," was the reply; "and before very long we shall have them
here."
"Why should they come here?" said West.
"Because they have plenty of gold at Johannesburg, and they want to
utilise it for settings to our diamonds, my lad. They're a nice, modest,
amiable people, these Boers, with very shrewd eyes for the main
chance. They'll soon be down here to take possession, so if you feel at
all uncomfortable you had better be off south."
"Is that what you are going to do?" asked West quietly.
"I? Of course not! I shall keep with the volunteers."
"Of course," said West; "and I shall too."
Ingleborough smiled grimly and went on with his work, West
following suit, and they were busy enough till "tiffin-time" that
morning.
Their "tiffin" went on as usual; but out in the town there was a buzz of
excitement which resembled that heard in a beehive when some
mischievous boy has thrust in a switch and given it a good twist round
before running for his life.
So eager and excited did everyone seem that West could hardly tear
himself away from the main street, which was full of talking groups,
everyone seeming to be asking the same question--"What is to be done
first?"--but getting