Maiwa's Revenge; Or, The War of the Little HandHaggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
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Maiwa's Revenge; Or, The War of the Little Hand
Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
Africa -- Fiction; Hunting guides -- Fiction; Quatermain, Allan (Fictitious character) -- Fiction; Revenge -- Fiction
“But all of this took time, and meanwhile the soldiers were coming up
fast, screaming and brandishing their big spears. They were now within
about four hundred yards, and several loads, together with all the
tusks, had yet to be got over the rock. I was still standing at the
bottom of the cliff, shouting directions to the men above, but it
occurred to me that it would soon be time to move. Before doing so,
however, I thought that it might be well to try and produce a moral
effect upon the advancing enemy. In my hand I held a Winchester
repeating carbine, but the distance was too great for me to use it with
effect, so I turned to Gobo, who was shivering with terror at my side,
and handing him the carbine, took my express from him.
“The enemy was now about three hundred and fifty yards away, and the
express was only sighted to three hundred. Still I knew that it could
be trusted for the extra fifty yards. Running in front of Wambe’s
soldiers were two men—captains, I suppose—one of them very tall. I put
up the three hundred yard flap, and sitting down with my back against
the rock, I drew a long breath to steady myself, and covered the tall
man, giving him a full sight. Feeling that I was on him, I pulled, and
before the sound of the striking bullet could reach my ears, I saw the
man throw up his arms and pitch forward on to his head. His companion
stopped dead, giving me a fair chance. I rapidly covered him, and fired
the left barrel. He turned round once, and then sank down in a heap.
This caused the enemy to hesitate—they had never seen men killed at
such a distance before, and thought that there was something uncanny
about the performance. Taking advantage of the lull, I gave the express
back to Gobo, and slinging the Winchester repeater over my back I began
to climb the cliff.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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