Sand and Diamonds By Victor Rousseau Page 5

  room was whirling round him. Nevertheless

  equipment. He had it saddled and bridled in a

  he succeeded in standing without support.

  few moments. Then he filled his water-flasks,

  “I’m going after him. Which way did

  found and reloaded his revolver and picked up

  he go?”

  the rifle lying on the floor with which

  “Into the desert. There is a water-hole

  Duplessis had shot the last of his assailants.

  twenty miles away, but it is a hard ride—too

  “I’ll get her!” he told the old man.

  hard for you. Once there he can circle back to

  Mounting, he took up the trail indicated by the

  the road that runs south thirty miles east of

  horse’s hoofs in the heavy sand.

  Boskop. If you untie these ropes, we can go

  There was only one route Van Reenen

  together.”

  could have taken. It ran straight between the

  The sergeant tugged at the ropes, two ranges of low, flanking hills toward the which had become knotted fast by the old

  water-hole of which Duplessis had spoken,

  man’s struggles. He worked furiously. Each

  and of which Luke had heard, though it had

  moment was carrying Emmy farther away never been patrolled. This was the most from him. In five minutes he succeeded in

  hideous part of the Ngami. Not a scrap of

  loosening the main strand. After that it was

  vegetation grew amid these parched and

  not a difficult matter to free Duplessis from

  shifting sands.

  the remainder of the cot.

  From the water-hole there ran an old

  “We shall go. There are horses—” Bushman trail toward civilization. This was Duplessis began, but suddenly toppled the trail by which Van Reenen hoped to return backward in a dead faint. The loss of blood

  with the diamonds.

  had overcome him.

  And

  Emmy?

  A glance into the old man’s pallid face

  The thought made Luke quicken his

  showed Luke that Duplessis was in no horse’s gait despite the heat which, at eight in condition to take up the pursuit. He must

  the morning, had already become

  follow alone. He must key up all his strength

  insupportable. He rode toward the neck of the

  and enterprise to that last accomplishment.

  hills, feeling more comfortable than he had

  He lifted Duplessis up and staggered

  expected in spite of the dull ache in his head.

  with him into the smaller room where he laid

  He was forced to drink repeatedly from the

  him upon the mattress from the cot. The old

  water-bottle, for all his resolution not to use

  man opened his eyes and fixed them on the precious supply until it became essential.

  Luke’s face with intense anxiety.

  The heat seemed to suck every drop of

  “You’ll

  get

  her?”

  moisture out of his body.

  Action Stories

  18

  Long before noon the desert had past his head, the distant crack of the become a shimmering waste alive with discharge a moment later. Again—again! Van mirages. Here on the horizon was a lake of

  Reenen was shooting wildly through the

  sparkling water, there a great mountain where

  mirage. How far away was he?

  was nothing but the flat. The sand, stirred by a

  Even as the horse made his last spurt

  hot wind, rose up and filled his nostrils.

  Van Reenen appeared, looming immense

  Luke felt himself a part of this mirage.

  through the wavering air, with Emmy on the

  It all seemed like a dream to him, that ride, or

  horse beside him, her hands bound to her

  a play which he was witnessing, Only the

  sides.

  realization of the prize at stake kept him upon

  Next moment the two horses crashed

  his course.

  together. Both went down. Luke felt the sting

  At last, when he had surmounted the

  of the powder as Van Reenen’s bullet brushed

  low rise of land at the neck, where the lines of

  his cheek. He fired into the Dutchman’s

  kopjes came together, he came back to reality.

  savage face, that grinned with bared teeth into

  There, far in the distance, were two little black his own. He saw the blue hole that suddenly

  specks, outlined against the vast face of the

  appeared between the mouth and nostrils. Van

  desert.

  Reenen’s body crumpled.

  Emmy and Van Reenen!

  After that Luke was only dimly aware

  He urged his tired horse on. He had

  of Emmy beside him, calling to him, shaking

  drunk one of his canteens, but now, seeing

  him. Several times he tried to rise, but the

  that the beast was faltering for lack of water,

  raging thirst and fever that had hold of him

  he unscrewed the top of the other, and, after

  were stronger than his limbs.

  moistening his own lips, poured the whole

  Hours must have passed under that

  contents down the horse’s throat.

  inferno of burning blue sky, with the inferno

  How far the water-hole was he could

  of molten copper blazing down. Then it was

  not know, but from that moment he lived only

  night. Emmy lay very quiet beside him. She

  in the two figures an immeasurable distance

  still breathed faintly, but her lips were swollen ahead of him.

  out of all recognition, as he knew his own

  There was no possibility of taking must be.

  cover in the flat of the desert, smooth as a

  Hours of half-consciousness mixed

  billiard table save where the winds ruffled it,

  with coma, then the terror of the dawn, now

  that now unveiled itself before him. They flooding the east with gold.

  must have seen him.

  The sun was coming up. His last day,

  Again he urged on his horse, but the

  and Emmy’s. Even if he had known the secret

  distance between himself and the fugitives

  of the water-hole, he could hot have risen to

  seemed hardly to decrease, and he had a his feet. And that secret was hidden in the nightmare feeling of standing still.

  pulseless brain of that bloated thing not far

  It was not until of a sudden, a shifting

  away.

  of the wind cleared away the haze and the

  Shouts rang in Luke’s ears. He closed

  mirage that he realized he had been steadily

  his eyes, not to credit that hallucination. But

  gaining on them. They were perhaps a little

  they were strangely persistent.

  over half-a-mile distant.

  Out of the depths of coma Luke came

  Luke spurred his horse recklessly, to himself as water was poured down his driving it to the utmost.

  throat, to find himself looking into the face of

  A puff of smoke, the whistle of a bullet

  Lieutenant Connell.

  Sand and Diamonds

  19

  “It’s all right, old man. Keep still. Yes,

  force him to assign it.”

  she’s recovering, and we’ve brought spare

  Weak as he was Luke gaped at the bag

  horses. We’ll st
art back tonight. Jantje’s of stones, brilliant even in their uncut state, putting up the tent. He came back and notified

  that Connell displayed.

  the post just as I was opening a wire saying

  But he forgot them as his eyes met

  you’d gone to Kimberley. Here’s the clue. The

  Emmy’s.

  pipe was on Duplessis’ land, and they tried to