The Project Gutenberg EBook of Forging the Blades, by Bertram Mitford

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Title: Forging the Blades
A Tale of the Zulu Rebellion

Author: Bertram Mitford

Release Date: May 28, 2010 [EBook #32567]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FORGING THE BLADES ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Forging the Blades, by Bertram Mitford.

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FORGING THE BLADES, BY BERTRAM MITFORD.

CHAPTER ONE.

THE TRAGEDY.

The river swirled on through the heat, the sweltering, fever-breathing
heat. The long, deep reach made but scant murmur, save where the boughs
of a luxuriant vegetation dipped on its surface. Above, on either hand,
masses of rolling verdure, tall forest trees, undergrowth in rich
profusion, and, high up against the blue sky, battlemented rock walls.

Two dark objects relieved the shimmering smoothness of the surface of
the reach--two minute dark objects to the ordinary observer, afloat,
motionless. Yet why should these remain motionless instead of floating
down with the fairly strong, though smooth, current? Well, there might
have been, behind each, about twelve feet of ugly, scaly saurian, whose
powerful under-water stroke kept them stationary, while watchful,
against the descending stream.

A grassy glade slopes down to the bank, tailing away inland into a path
something like a "ride" in an English game covert. Great trees, rising
overhead, shade this, in a dimness which shuts out, save in a faint
network, the glare of the molten sun. And it is at present occupied by
two horses and a man.

The horses still have their saddles on, though the girths are loosened.
The animals are grazing, their bridles trailing on the ground. Suddenly
both throw up their heads and snort, then walk quickly away, further up
the forest path. The man, who is standing up, gazing meditatively out
upon the river reach, notices this and turns. Then he advances a step
or two, and halts suddenly. For there is a movement in the grass a few
yards in