"no, indeed!" mr. talbot said; "you have done enough for to-night. i will start at once for pickford, and my men will go off to the settlers round. we shall have at least twenty or five-and-twenty here by nine o'clock to-morrow. i will leave one of my men here, and my wife will look after you, and make you comfortable. it is past two o'clock now. i shall be at pickford by six, and by ten or eleven lieutenant jordan and his twelve men will arrive. i have plenty of horses in the yard, and while the police are having breakfast we can change the saddles. we won't hurry on the way to your place, as we shall want the horses to be pretty fresh, so as to take up the pursuit of the blacks. an hour one way or another will make no difference to your people, as the blacks will hardly attack in daylight. of course they may make a final attempt to take the place to-night, for your escape will tell them that they have no time to lose. i should not be surprised if they make off the first thing in the morning. however, we will follow them up, and are certain to overtake them if they try, as no doubt they will, to carry off some of the cattle and sheep. jordan will be delighted at the chance of giving them a lesson that will keep them quiet for some time to come. i won't stop now to ask you how you got out; you can tell us about that as we ride back with you."
[pg 194]
mrs. talbot had now come down, and in a few minutes effie was in bed, having the satisfaction, before she retired, of hearing five mounted men ride off at full gallop, and of knowing that her horse had been well cared for. she was up at eight and assisting mrs. talbot to prepare breakfast for the expected arrivals. it was not long before the first comers rode in, all eager to rescue the party at the springs, and to inflict a heavy blow upon the natives. each, on the arrival of mr. talbot's messengers, had sent off men in other directions, and by nine o'clock thirty had arrived. all carried rifles and pistols, and each brought a led horse with him, as mr. talbot had told the men to suggest that they should do so, for they would not be able to obtain remounts at the springs, and as they might have to follow up the blacks for a considerable distance it was well that each should have two horses.
as effie felt shy about appearing in boy's clothes, mrs. talbot lent her a blouse and skirt. great was the admiration expressed when she told how she had undertaken on her own account to fetch assistance, and how she had successfully carried out the attempt. mr. talbot, with the party of police, came in at eleven o'clock, by which time a dozen more settlers, who lived at a greater distance than the earlier comers, had also arrived; after a halt for half an hour to give the police a chance of a meal,[pg 195] the whole party started. the horses of the police had a good feed, and each trooper was furnished with another mount from mr. talbot's yard. these their officer decided had better be led until they reached the springs, and they would then be able to start in pursuit on comparatively fresh animals. effie, of course, rode with them. although she felt certain that all was well, she was in a fever of excitement to get home. she knew her parents would be very anxious about her. her absence would have been discovered directly she started, as the outburst of the yells would have caused all to catch up their rifles and run to the windows. if, as mr. talbot had thought likely, the natives, on finding that she had got off safely, had made an attack upon the house, the defenders would feel assured that she had got safely away, and in any case the absence of any yells of exultation would be almost proof that she had succeeded. it was just four o'clock when they reached the springs. no signs of the blacks had been met with, and as the party rode down the slope towards the house, mr. roberts, his wife, and the men ran out to receive them.
"you have frightened us horribly, effie," her father said, after the first greetings, "but we felt sure that you must have got away. we could not tell that you would not be overtaken, though we[pg 196] had every hope that you were safe. thompson, who was on watch on that side, declared that he heard one of the horses gallop off just before the row began, and before that he had heard what he was sure was your whistle some distance away, but he could not tell that the horse had got safely through, or that he had not been so severely injured as to be unable to carry you far. thank god that it has all turned out well! you ought not to have made the attempt without consulting us, and you may be very sure that we should not have allowed you to try if you had."
"that was just why i did not do so, father," the girl said. "no one could have done it but i, because neither of the horses would have answered to the whistle. besides, being so much smaller and lighter, i had a better chance of getting through."
"you must not scold her, roberts," mr. talbot, who had been standing close by, said. "she has done a splendid action, and you and her mother ought to be proud of her. she will be regarded as a heroine by the whole district."
while they were speaking, the police-officer had been questioning the men, and learnt that a few minutes after the girl left there had been a fierce attack on the house, which had been repulsed with the loss of some fifteen of the assailants, and that, when day broke, the natives had been seen making [pg 197]off in the distance with fifty or sixty cattle, and a flock of two or three hundred sheep. no time was lost. bags of flour and parcels of tea and sugar were made up. no meat was taken, as the natives were sure to spear any animals that could not keep up with the main flock. the saddles were all shifted to the horses that were being led, and half an hour after their arrival the party were in their saddles again, mr. roberts riding his own horse and his men three that the blacks had been unable to catch, but which had remained close to the station, and which were now easily driven in. it was not thought necessary to leave any guard at the farm, and when it was proposed, mrs. roberts laughed at the idea.
"the blacks have all gone," she said, "but if there are a few still lurking about, effie and i can easily defend the house. we will take care not to stir out till you return."
three days later the party returned. they had overtaken the blacks on the evening of the day after starting, had killed at least half of them, including their white leader, and had recovered all the animals. so sharp was the lesson that the roberts family were never afterwards troubled by a hostile visit from the natives.
