XXIX

DANGER COMES FAST

Burradella turned back to the ominously silent camp, anxious indeed for news, hoping he had done the right thing, while wishing that the enemy voices Weetah and Tuki had overheard might prove to belong only to scouts of a raiding party. He could guard the women and children against raiders, but a war party would be a different thing altogether. He must swiftly get in touch with these enemies and harass them if possible until the Red Chief could collect the warriors together. He drew a deep breath of anxiety—his twenty-four young guards were now almost as scattered as the tribal warriors. He glanced towards Black Hill, from which several hours ago a smoke column had told him the Red Chief had answered his signal. He breathed more easily, remembering how swiftly the chief could act when need demanded.

He strode towards the six young warrior guards remaining to him here, and the twenty boys standing silently by them, boys of from twelve to fifteen years of age. Invaluable in an emergency as runners, slippery as eels in scouting, too. And now, nearly jumping out of their skins to do something. Grasping their small but vicious spears, little boomerangs, nullas, wommeras, and shields, every pair of eyes imploring the warrior Burradella to order hint to do something against the enemy. Burradella smiled. It was good to see the tribal boys keen like this, boys he had helped to train himself.

“Warriors of the Bora, and warriors to be,” said Burradella, “we shall hold a council of war. We do not know if it is war yet, for our news is only that an enemy has been heard close to camp—but that enemy is of the Cassilis! If it should prove to be war, then we are prepared, for we have sent the women and children to safety. Our job now is to learn all we can about the enemy, to puzzle him and hold him away from the women and children and give time for the Red Chief to gather the warriors to our help. We shall wait here for Weetah; she should be here now with news. If not, we wait for Giluram. If their news means war, then we prepare an ambush up on Porcupine Ridge. For in the morning the enemy will track the women and children up to the edge of the big hoop-vine scrub where they have entered it on their way to the Secret Camp. We shall spread out and fight from the shelter of the scrub edge. As you know one man fighting from the scrub is worth six fighting out in the open. And, for a time, our enemies will not guess how few we are. But we must act swiftly. You boys will be ready to run like the wind to the lookout posts, and to the women hiding in the Secret Camp, and to wherever my young warriors may be, and take their places so that what warriors I have can gather around me. The elder boys among you will take their places with us and fight. And now—rest until we hear news.”