CHAPTER XLI.THE SLAUGHTER.
The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians. The men looked again and could hardly believe their eyes. No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
Onrai and his friends, who had been riding in the rear, hurried forward when the column stopped, to see what was the matter. It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds. The Onians looked at the King and his white companions, as if wondering if they had been led to this point by a lie, to fight these black animals, for none of them realized that these black, shiny-skinned and nudebeings were human. But why should the King lie to them? They were perfectly willing to come here on any mission for the King, and it was not necessary to get them here by a ruse.
Again that superstitious fear of the whites took possession of them, and their faces began to assume that startled look as if afraid that some unknown calamity was about to overtake them. They kept their eyes on the whites as they advanced and consulted with the King. Why were they talking in such low tones? Why did they not address the men and explain this new mystery? Not a word had passed between the Onians, but the same fear seemed to take possession of them at the same time, and they looked from one to the other and knew that the same thoughts had come to all.
Mr. Bruce looked over the men and noticed that hunted look in their faces, and he knew that immediate action must be taken or they would be lost; that these men, crazed for the moment by a superstitious fear, might turn on them first and, getting them out of the way, turn and flee from the strange enemy.
“Onrai,” said Mr. Bruce, as he rode up hastily beside the King, “Quick, don’t lose a moment, but order the pack animals to the rear. The men are becoming demoralized and need immediate action or all is lost. The old suspicion in regard to us has again taken possession of them and they may turn on us at any moment. It matters little about us, but the negroes must be driven back. Give your orders.”
Onrai turned to the men and he too, saw that dread look on their faces.
“Men,” said he, almost beside himself with fear of theconsequences if he should lose control of them; “men, yonder horde of black demons are here to take your country, to take your lives, but worse, to take your wives, mothers, brothers and sisters. They are here to destroy our land, to devastate our fields of grain and fruit, to steal and kill our animals, to destroy our beautiful city and the many villas throughout our land. They know no law, they have no religion, they care nothing for the lives of others. They will kill us or drive us from our own land, into a distant world where we will starve and die. Will you not fight for country, home, loved ones and for the right? These demons have come through the crevice which we were this day to commence closing, and they must be driven back. If we do not drive them back, killing as many as is in our power in doing so, then will they force us to travel that path which leads from our old Land of On, and which, when once followed, can never be retraced. Come, Onians, quickly; shall it be those black beasts who shall leave On, or ourselves?”
The men looked at each other in astonishment. They could not realize at first that such a state of affairs could possibly exist, as there being the remotest possibility of their being driven from this land, which was theirs by right of inheritage and possession. The truth began to dawn on them, though, as Onrai continued speaking, and when he had finished, a low rumbling sound was heard, like the first faint sound of the approaching earthquake, but like this it grew in volume, until it broke in a mighty shout, and the men were Onrai’s, to do with as he wished. Only let them drive from the beautiful land of On the hated beasts which faced them, waiting the end of the parley.
Onrai understood that shout, although he had never heard it before as a shout of consent, he had heard it frequently as one of approbation, when he or others of the land would perform some particularly hard feat in athletics, or show great heroism in the hunt. It simply meant that they were pleased with what he said, and they were anxious to get at the fray.
“I will give you orders at first,” said Onrai, “but you must obey those of my companions when they give them. They have had invaders in their land and have learned to repulse them, and drive them back. Do as they command you and we will be victorious. Are you ready?”
Again that shout.
“Then get the pack animals to the rear quickly.”
Without a word the elephants were driven to the rear, and the men awaited further orders.
“Mr. Bruce,” said Mr. Graham, “we think you are better capable of handling these men and we will act as your subordinates.”
“I accept the commission,” replied Mr. Bruce, “not because I feel myself superior to yourself or Harry, but because some one must act at once. We will divide our men into three battalions and march in line of battle. Harry, you will take the right. Mr. Graham, you will take the left and I will take the centre. If the negroes, as I expect them to do, charge straight for the centre, you will each close in on their flanks; but if you see the centre giving way, rush for that point at once for we must hold the position. Now we will divide our men.”
They divided the men into three battalions and formed them into the line of battle, explaining to them,in the meantime, that they must hold fast together, and not allow the negroes to break their line. The men went about the different manœuvres like old soldiers, when they once saw through them.
The line now drew up and Mr. Graham, Mr. Bruce and Harry, each in front of his battalion, mounted on elephants, with Onrai riding next to Mr. Bruce in the centre, they marched slowly toward the negroes. Every man had his cross-bow in position and arrows ready for use. The formidable hatchet and daggers were in the belts handy, and where they could be gotten at the most easily. The negroes’ faces had lost the grin, and the yells had ceased for the moment as they saw the array of giants advancing. They had never before, in all their many wars, stood before such a formidable body of men, and their courage was failing them. But they had a chief, a wild, barbarous fellow, who knew not what fear was, and seeing that cowardly look stealing over the faces of his men, he jumped before them and racing up and down in front of the line, halloed and yelled, pounding his spear on the shield, and in this way worked the men into such a state of bravery, which was only equaled by his own.
Then again facing the army, which was moving silently toward them, he gave a few words of command, and with a yell and a rush, they came tearing toward the Onians.
“Halt!” thundered Mr. Bruce. “Stand fast and do not let them force your line.”
And the black demons came, never stopping until within range, when Mr. Bruce, giving command, a volley of arrows poured into the negroes and nearly the entire front line of these fell. This checked the negroesbut rallying in a moment they again charged, and before the Onians could raise their bows, the negroes had raised their spears and hurled them at their enemy. The volley made most frightful havoc with the front rank, and the Onians fell back for a moment, for the first time in their lives seeing a body of their men killed in this way. They looked at the dead and wounded, not knowing what to think of this fearful slaughter, and again the strange fear began to creep over them.
“On, men, do not stop!” commanded Onrai, seeing them falter, “or they will kill you all. Don’t you see they have killed your comrades? Avenge them!”
And the men, looking up, and seeing the black demons on them, and fearing the same fate which had met their companions, made a rush, and with the daggers uplifted, on they went at the blacks, meeting them with a crash as they came forward, and hurling them back by their superior weight. Then began a most fearful slaughter. The Onians, remembering the death of their companions, became as Bruce had said they would, regular fighting machines. Even he and his subordinates were swept on by the irresistible ranks from the rear as they pushed their companions forward. Perfect order was kept, however, and those in the front ranks wielded the dagger with fearful force and alacrity. The negroes, overpowered, and almost crazed with fear at the slaughter going on among their people, forgot all about fighting or even defending themselves.
The one great desire to escape these fearful daggers took complete possession of them; they turned on their countrymen who were crowding them forward,and using their hatchets, fists or feet, they walked, ran, rolled or crowded over these, trying to get out of reach of those muscular arms which were now as bloody as the knives they wielded, but stained with the blood of the negroes. At last they broke into a run and started for the crevice, which was a good four or five miles distant. The Onians needed no orders now, but rushed wildly after the fleeing negroes. The negroes being light of limb, however, and probably used to such rough fields as this, gained on the Onians and were some distance ahead, when, looking ahead of them they saw another band marching toward them. This proved to be a reinforcement, and the chief of the routed band, after haranguing his tribe for a moment, prevailed on them to turn, and with the reinforcement again give the giants battle.
The flying Onians were again brought to a halt by Mr. Bruce, and formed in regular line of battle. The remaining negroes also formed in line of battle and advanced, as nearly as could be judged, almost in equal numbers to the Onians. Their chief was again running up and down in front of the line crying, and soon had the men worked up into another fiendish frenzy. Mr. Bruce halted his men, determined to wait for the negroes. The negroes came tearing forward until within a few feet of the Onians, when the latter again raised their cross-bows and sent a volley of arrows into the front ranks of the negroes. But the negroes were expecting them now, and turned the arrows aside with their shields, scarcely a dozen having fallen. They did not stop, but kept up the mad rush until within twenty-five feet of the Onians, when they stopped suddenly and their right arms shooting outquickly the fearful, sharp, spear-pointed hatchets, flew toward the Onians, and striking the unprotected bodies of the giants, passed clear through them. Then, with a sudden jerk of the wrist, the hatchet was wrenched from the gaping wound, and pulled back to the negro by the leather string which was attached to the handle of the hatchet. Then again would the deadly weapon be hurled, and again buried in the breast of a fresh victim; and again and again, the whole fearful thing being done so quickly that the weapon could scarcely be seen flying through the air. The slaughter was worse than had been that of the negroes by the knives of the Onians. The horribly lacerated bodies were being piled up high on the ground, but the brave Onians still stood perfectly helpless in front of those merciless hatchets.
Mr. Bruce was nonplussed for a moment. This style of warfare was so new to him and so horrible, he could but look and wonder at the horrible ingenuity of the weapons.
“Send a volley of arrows into them,” cried the King, who seemed to come to his senses first.
The men mechanically raised their bows, but before they could spring them, the deadly hatchets struck them full in the chests or bodies, and torn and bleeding, with a hole clean through them, in which an arm could have been shoved, they fell headlong over the bodies of their companions, who had met the same miserable fate. The situation was becoming desperate. Men who had shown such bravery, and who could on equal terms annihilate the army before them, were beginning to quail before that fearful onslaught, and were unconsciously probably, fallingback. Still that fearful, never-ceasing charge of flying hatchets. Slowly the men fell back, but the movement was becoming quicker each moment. In a few minutes more they would be in a run, and all would be lost.
Mr. Bruce was growing desperate, as he saw this grand army being demoralized by one which was so inferior in every respect. Riding down the line with the huge elephant, which was pierced by the hatchets as he passed before them, he called to the men to take courage and rally once more. Onrai, too, rode before them, and by every word he knew, tried to imbue them with new courage. But he understood how these poor men, who had been kept in ignorance their whole lives, of the existence of other races, and the art of fighting, could not understand why this awful slaughter should be, or who these demons could be who were mowing them down by hundreds. The horrible dread was taking possession of them again, and Onrai and his companions saw this.
“Men of On,” said Onrai, in despair, “these devils will not only kill you and your companions, but they will kill your wives, sisters and brothers; they will throw down your houses, they will destroy the land. Brave men of On, who turn not from the lion, tiger or elephant, do not let these black beasts show themselves the greater. Turn on them, cut them, chop them, beat them, hammer their foul bodies into the earth, slash them until not a piece large enough is left to feed a jackal. On to them.”
Mr. Bruce had given Harry and Mr. Graham orders to close in with their battalions, as soon as Onrai could again encourage the men to advance, and showno mercy; to ride into the black ranks with the elephants, and crush them beneath their feet. Accordingly, when Onrai had ceased speaking, and had turned and had himself led the way into the black ranks, the men went with a rush, notwithstanding that hundreds of them dropped in the advance. Harry and Mr. Graham closed in on their flanks, and were slowly surrounding the now emboldened blacks.
Still they plied the frightful weapons, and scores of the Onians were dropping. It was a fearful advance, but the men were sticking to it bravely; but there were great chances against their ever overcoming this hellish tribe, with their fiendish weapons. The Onians were again losing ground, they could not withstand that awful massacre.
But what is this coming up in the rear? The earth trembles as with another earthquake, but there is no rumbling with it now. The men looked back. Ah, yes, it is Sedai mounted on Gip, and with a hundred immense elephants back of him, all being hurried on by their riders. Quickly the elephants come forward, their swinging gait turning their bodies from side to side, the earth trembling with each fall of their huge feet. Straight for the blacks they made the ranks of the Onians breaking away to allow them to pass. The blacks look and see the awful enemy coming straight for them, on which their murderous hatchets could have no effect. They hurled once more the hatchets at the Onians, and pulling these back, dropped them at their sides, and tried by flight to escape the crushing feet of the elephants. But the elephants rushed into their midst, not only killing with their fearful feet but using their trunks and tusks as well, slaying andcrushing as they went. Now the Onians made a charge, and clutching their daggers in one hand and the hatchets in the other, done as Onrai had told them to do, and hacked and chopped, and cut and beat and pounded the enemy, their faces and arms being covered with the blood, but still showing no mercy; they were for the time merciless brutes. They had fallen on to the flanks of the negroes, and such was their fearful onslaught, and so fast were these hacked and mutilated bodies piled up, that it looked as if the awful carnage would not cease, until every black carcass was heaped up in one fearful mass of reeking and quivering flesh.
But a low, rumbling sound is heard, which grows louder and louder, and comes nearer and nearer. It is another earthquake. The Onians stop for a moment in their awful massacre, and in this one moment the remainder of the black horde turn and make for the crevice. The earth was shaking fearfully though and the men could hardly keep their feet. On they staggered, until the Onians, finally realizing that the blacks were escaping them, made a rush after them. But the earth still trembled and it was suddenly growing dark. What was wrong with the volcano? A huge mass of stones and smoke came forth in a rush in a greater volume than it had at any time before, and great showers of rock and ashes were pouring from its hellish mouth. On the negroes ran, and on the Onians sped after them. The negroes had now reached the crevice, and were fighting for a foothold on the ledge. Some of them were successful, but most of them were forced over the side, falling into the yawning abyss below. The Onians were about todash after them, when a fearful, deafening report was heard, and looking up to the volcano, they saw a mighty mass of molten lava thrown far into the heavens, and then dropping back into the crater, overflow the wall of this, and fall in a great stream into the crevice. Our friends, spellbound, watched the sight, while the immense flow of lava rolled over the sides of the mountain, and into the crevice, filling up that great hole. It was running in a monstrous flow, easily five hundred feet wide, and twenty feet deep, as near as our friends could calculate. It came pouring through the crevice, well up toward the party, and they started back, in alarm; but it gained on them, and to make it worse, a terrible shower of hot ashes and water was pouring down on them. They were blinded and gasping for breath, turned toward the villa. They were being burned and scalded, their feet becoming blistered; they could not see, they could not breathe.