*CHAPTER XV*
*Fortifying the Gully*
Stopping a Rush--The Trappers Trapped--Allies--A Manchu Marksman--ASighting Shot--Building a Barrier--Velly Good Fighty Man--Ah-Sam at theFront
Mrs. Pottle grasped her umbrella as Bob sprang up, leapt over theboulders, and hurried to the mouth of the ravine. In the distance, tothe right, he saw a band of mounted men, about sixty in number, easilyrecognizable by their nondescript dress and long lances as theredoubtable bandits of Manchuria. They disappeared in the bend of thevalley. Again they emerged into view, now only a quarter of a mileaway, heading straight for the gully over the trail of the cart. Bobhurried back to his place behind the boulders, and took the rifle handedhim by Ah-Sam, who retained the other.
"You won't kill them if you can help it, will you?" said Ethel, whosecheeks had become a little pale.
"Nonsense, Ethel," interrupted Mrs. Pottle; "don't be sentimental. Idon't wish them any harm, but--"
She did not finish the sentence, for at this moment the horsemen arrivedat the mouth of the gully, and halted, evidently in some hesitation, asthough fearing a trap. Their leaders spoke together for a few moments;then the whole band dismounted, and, leaving their horses in charge ofsome of their number, began to climb up the gorge. Bob felt that it washigh time to check them.
"Call, Ah-Sam," he said, "and tell them that if they move another stepforward I fire."
"Hai yah!" shouted the Chinaman. The little man had a shrill piercingvoice, and his exclamation brought the bandits to a sudden halt twohundred yards beneath. He then gave them in Chinese Bob's message, andas he spoke, they strained their eyes upward as if to pierce thebarricade. There was a short consultation among them, and then one ofthem advanced a step and shouted a reply.
"What does he say?" asked Bob.
"One piecee Chunchu say-lo, 'Come this-side, ha-loy! he no killumChina-boy, two piecee girley; massa fightee man, he catcheeling-ch'ih'."
"What's that?" asked Bob.
Ah-Sam looked puzzled; his vocabulary was evidently for the moment at aloss. Then he said:
"Ling-ch'ih he killum velly velly slow; he cuttee slicee allo litteepiecee: velly long-tim' die-lo galaw!--velly annoying!"
Mrs. Pottle gathered the gist of what Ah-Sam said, and burst forth ingreat indignation.
"The fiends! I will not allow it. They are arrant cowards. Drive themoff. They were frightened of my umbrella. You shall not fall intotheir power through us. Drive them off!"
Bob considered for a moment. If by delivering himself up he could haveensured a safe-conduct for the two ladies he might have taken the risk;but he was not at all sure that his surrender would satisfy the bandits,incensed at the loss of the prisoners, for whom they expected a goodransom, and at the rough treatment dealt out to the three men. On theother hand, by putting a bold face on it he might scare them off,especially in view of the presence of Russians in the neighbourhood.
"Tell them," he said, "that we refuse to surrender. If they moveforward, I fire."
Ah-Sam translated the message. There was another short consultation;then with a shout the bandits rushed up the steep gully straight at thebarricade. Mrs. Pottle still grasped her umbrella and walked to and froin high indignation; Ethel sat with clasped hands, her lips firmlypressed together, her eyes fixed upon Bob.
"Don't fire!" said Bob to Ah-Sam. Resting his own rifle between twoboulders, he took careful aim at the foremost of the attacking party,who presented an easy mark as he came directly towards the barricade.He did not wish to kill the man, being anxious not to drive the brigandsto extremities; yet it was necessary to teach them a lesson. Seizing amoment when the man's pace was checked by an awkward rock, Bob fired.It was a well-aimed shot, at about a hundred yards' range, and tookeffect where he intended, in the lower part of the man's leg. A howl ofpain announced that the shot had told. Mrs. Pottle exclaimed "There!"with a note of satisfaction; her niece gave a little gasp; neither couldsee that the man had fallen like a log.
"One piecee hab catchee hot!" muttered Ah-Sam.
The wounded man howled and howled again, and as the others halted inhesitation, Bob thrust the barrel of his rifle conspicuously through theloophole. Next moment the whole band turned tail, and bolted down theslope, leaving their injured comrade behind them, and not pausing untilthey were out of sight round the corner of the gully.
"Allo lun wailo chop-chop," said Ah-Sam.
"But the poor wounded man!" exclaimed Ethel, starting up. "He must bein terrible pain."
"Nonsense!" said Mrs. Pottle. "He is not killed if he can howl likethat."
Ethel got up and looked through an interstice between the boulders,while Mrs. Pottle proceeded to give Bob her views on the situation.Minute after minute passed; there was no sign of a renewed attack by theChunchuses. Mrs. Pottle brewed more tea and talked on; Ethel movedrestlessly about, starting up whenever a groan was heard from thewounded man, and looking more and more concerned as she saw him morethan once make a futile attempt to reach his friends. They did not cometo his assistance. He tried to crawl down the rocky slope, but eachtime fell back with a groan, and at last lay perfectly still. Bob hadwatched Ethel's movements, and saw, though she said nothing, that shewas becoming uneasy about the wounded Manchu. He would undoubtedlybleed to death if something were not done for him; his friends wereunwilling to face the marksman up the slope. Bob wondered whether heought to run the risk of going down. Between his boulder and the manthere were many rocks which would afford cover for the greater part ofthe way. If he reached the man, the Chunchuses would probably hesitateto fire lest they hit their comrade; and it had become apparent to Bobthat one reason, probably the strongest, why they had not developedtheir attack was that they feared to bring their enemies, the Russians,upon the scene. At last, unable any longer to resist Ethel's mute plea,he rose, bade Ah-Sam cover him with his rifle, and, crossing thebarricade, made his way as quickly as possible down the gully, dodgingfrom rock to rock.
The last dozen yards were open ground, fully exposed to the attack ofthe Chunchuses. He ran across them, and stooped to the wounded man. Atthe foot of the gully several of the Chunchuses now showed themselvesand watched his proceedings. He first tied his handkerchief round theinjured limb, then lifted the man and turned to make his way back. Hetook two steps, then staggered; the man was heavy, and the necessity ofcarrying him in a horizontal position, in order to check the flow ofblood to his wounded leg, made him a cumbrous burden on so steep anascent. Bob was doubting whether he would be able unaided to bring theman into safety, when Ah-Sam appeared. He had marked the difficulty,and, seeing that an attack from below was for the time improbable, hadrun to his master's assistance. Together then they carried theChunchuse up the gully, and carefully lifted him over the barricade, andBob was rewarded by a grateful glance and a murmured word of thanks fromEthel, who at once bent down to assist the man. Mrs. Pottle, for allher outward truculence, had a kind heart. Protesting all the time thatit was ridiculous to waste sympathy on a brigand, she lent her niecewilling aid, and soon the limb was well bandaged, and the man wassupplied with food and tea.
By this time the Chunchuses had congregated about the mouth of thegully, where they stood discussing the situation with some excitement.Bob guessed that the appearance of a Korean capable of fighting, incompany with a Chinaman of courage and assurance, had somewhatastonished them; and though it was impossible for Ah-Sam to hear whatthey were saying, it was not difficult to guess that they were dividedin opinion, some being inclined to renew the attack, others to seek acompromise. It was Bob's policy to wait. Suddenly the colloquy belowwas interrupted; there was a sound of galloping horses, and immediatelythe Chunchuses were scattering, seeking cover behind boulders at themouth of the ravine. Behind them came one or two of the men they hadleft in the road in charge of the horses. For a few moments there waswild confusion, a clamour of mingled shouts, the clash of arms, thestampeding of
horses. A shot rang out, the babel ceased, and a man wasseen hurrying up the gully, holding a piece of torn and dirty rag uponhis musket.
"Tell him to stop," said Bob to Ah-Sam when the Chunchuse had comewithin fifty yards of the barricade.
"What is happening now?" asked Mrs. Pottle, endeavouring to peep over aboulder.
"Please go back, Mrs. Pottle," said Bob earnestly. "I don't know whatmay happen yet. It appears to be a flag of truce."
"I decline to have any parley with the brigands," said Mrs. Pottledecisively; "I firmly decline. They are outlaws, and--"
"Auntie, Mr. Fawcett wishes to speak to the man," interposed Ethelmildly.
The emissary had stopped at Ah-Sam's bidding, and was now speakingrapidly in answer to the Chinaman's questions. His features wore ananxious look. From Ah-Sam's translation of his speech, Bob learnt thatthe commotion he had recently witnessed was due to the sudden appearanceof a mixed force of Russians and Manchus, who had ridden up in twoparties, one from each side of the valley, and closed in upon theChunchuses at the gully's mouth. Sheltered by the large scatteredrocks, the brigands were able for the moment to keep the Russians atbay; but at any moment their position might be rushed. They knew thatthey could expect no mercy from the Russians, and they were now in aterrible dilemma: on the one side the Cossacks, on the other the armedmen, they did not know how many in number, behind the barricade.Between two fires they would be utterly annihilated. As a counsel ofdesperation the flag-bearer had come to beg the leader of the party morefavourably posted to admit the Chunchuses behind his entrenchments,where they might make common cause against the Russians.
This was a critical moment which Bob had not foreseen. Obviously therewas little time for deliberation. Though no more shots had been fired,he had no doubt that the Russians were only awaiting a favourableopportunity for swooping on the band of Chunchuses, and after they hadbeen disposed of it would not be long before he too, with hiscompanions, must fall into their hands. The ladies might be safe withthem, of course; but he himself durst not appear; they were hunting himfor his life. It was thus impossible for him to remain neutral. Recentevents had in fact made him a natural ally of the Chunchuses. Theymight be brigands, but they were at the same time patriots, fighting ontheir own soil against an alien invader. Their methods were not perhapscommendable from a western stand-point, but the Russians themselves, ashe himself had seen during his wanderings in Korea, were not always tooscrupulous. There was only one consideration that made him hesitate,and that was, would the sudden friendliness of the Chunchuses last afterthe pressing danger was past?
Bob was not long in making up his mind.
"Tell them," he said to Ah-Sam, "that I will help them if they will helpus in return. If they succeed in beating off the Russians, they mustafterwards help us to cross the Yalu and come safely within the Japaneselines. Will they do that?"
"My talkee, massa."
Ah-Sam put the case to the man, who stood impatiently awaiting Bob'sdecision. The answer was voluble, and accompanied by gestures which toBob were very mysterious. Ah-Sam explained that the Chunchuse had atonce accepted the offered terms, and had emphasized his promise byswearing by the graves of his ancestors that he would make his wordsgood.
"Is he to be trusted?" asked Bob.
"Oh yes. He one piecee head man; he talkee velly good; he velly mucheeaflaid joss angly, spoilum allo piecee Chunchuses this-tim', supposey nodo what he hab say do. He allo lightee, massa."
"Very well. Tell him I will see what can be done."
"What are you going to do, Mr. Fawcett?" asked Mrs. Pottle. "I stronglyobject to have any dealings with the brigands, and I declare--"
"Auntie," interposed Ethel gently, "don't you think we had better trustto Mr. Fawcett to do what he thinks best?"
"Well, I wash my hands of the whole business. China boy, fetchee morewater from the streamee; we wantee makee more tea."
Thanking the girl with a glance, Bob sprang over the barricade, and,with a parting order to Ah-Sam to remain with the ladies, set off tojoin his late enemy. At the mouth of the gully he found that theChunchuses had taken up positions behind every available rock. Theywere somewhat tightly packed, and as some of them moved from theirplaces to meet their returning leader, and for a moment left cover, theRussians began to take snap shots at them from the crest of a hillockabout six or seven hundred yards away. One man was hit just as Bobreached the band. There was a reply from several of the Chunchuses; butit was clear that they were hopelessly outranged. Their muskets didindeed carry the distance of the Russian position, but with no accuracy,and as the Russians were careful to present no considerable target, theywere unlikely to suffer any loss.
Peering cautiously round the edge of a boulder, Bob looked across thevalley in the direction pointed out to him. At first he could seenothing; then, on the crest of the hillock, he saw one or two movingobjects which by and by resolved themselves into the caps of men on theother side. He wondered why the Russians, armed as they were with goodweapons, did not advance boldly to the attack; but the explanation soonsuggested itself. The horses of the Chunchuses having been stampeded,escape for the latter was impossible. The Cossacks recognized that theyhad them in a trap, but were disinclined to throw away lives by comingto close quarters in broad daylight with a strongly entrenched enemy.At nightfall, however, the odds would be all in their favour. Theyoutnumbered the Chunchuses by at least two to one; under cover of nightthey could easily rush the position through the wide gaps between theboulders; and in a hand-to-hand fight their superior numbers were boundto tell. Bob had no doubt that they would defer their attack untilnight, and that was a serious danger to be provided against.
He was still watching the hillock, wondering how many men were encampedon the farther slope, when he noticed a dark shape rise upon the crest.Its outlines were clearly visible in contrast with the snow-coveredground, and in a moment Bob recognized the form as the head andshoulders of a Manchu. The man had apparently just spread his cloakbefore him, for he bent down face forwards, until only his head wasvisible, a dark motionless patch at the summit of the hill. A minute ortwo passed, then Bob saw a faint puff of smoke just below the crouchingManchu, and immediately afterwards a metallic "splat" was heard on therock close to Bob's elbow. The man had evidently posted himself withthe object of taking pot-shots at any of the Chunchuses who incautiouslyafforded him a target. His rifle was a good one, and that he was a goodmarksman was soon proved, for a second puff of smoke was followed, notby the sound of a bullet striking the rock, but by a howl of pain fromone of the defenders, whose arm, overlapping the edge of the rock behindwhich he stood, had been pierced by the Manchu's shot. Only half aminute later, a third shot was even more accurate; a man's head showedabove a rock, and with a suddenness that startled everyone he fell back,dead.
The movements which had exposed the defenders to the aim of the Manchumarksman were partly due to the impatient rage of the Chunchuses attheir inability to retaliate. Bob saw that a succession of suchincidents would destroy their nerve and demoralize them. He was himselfa good marksman; at eight hundred yards he had more than once scored apossible on the butts at Darnley; and the sight of the dead man by hisside banished his last feeling of compunction at taking an active part.Removing his cloak and cap to reduce his height and bulk as much aspossible, he cautiously made his way to the boulder at which theChunchuses were least huddled. As he ran across a few yards of exposedspace, bullets pattered all around him; a man at the edge of the boulderfor which he was making raised his hand to his cheek, and withdrew itcovered with blood; a splinter of lead or rock had inflicted a slightjagged wound. The man looked at his hand with stolid indifference, andwiped it on his coat. It was evident that there were other marksmen onthe crest of the hill, though only the Manchu was in sight. Thisincident had the curious effect of steadying Bob's nerve, and when hereached the boulder he was able to take a quiet look round.
A few feet to the right there lay an i
solated rock much lower than theone whose shelter he had gained. Throwing himself flat on the ground,he crawled slowly forward, and noticed when he came to the smallerboulder that, still farther to the right, and a little in advance, therewas a yet smaller rock, the lateral interval between the two being sonarrow that he thought it unlikely he could be seen by the Russians ifhe used it as a peep-hole. It turned out as he surmised. He foundthat, while himself invisible, he commanded a view of about one-sixth ofthe space occupied by the Russians. As he looked, he saw that theManchu who had been so troublesome had disappeared; the line of thehill-crest was unbroken. Bob feared that the man had escaped him, butin a moment he caught sight of his head and shoulders again, at a pointsomewhat to the left of his former position. He lowered himself asbefore, and bent forward on his elbow, waiting a favourable opportunityto test his marksmanship. The moment came; some incautious Chunchuse hadno doubt exposed himself, for Bob saw the Manchu lift his rifle in theattitude of taking aim. He was destined never to pull the trigger.From his first movement Bob had covered him; while he was still aiming,the crack of a rifle was heard in the gully, and the Manchu's head fellforward, his rifle forming a dark streak on the snow. So instantaneoushad been the effect of his shot that Bob was for the moment doubtful;but it was impossible to mistake the attitude of the inert form on thehillside. The man was dead.
The fact came home to Bob with a sort of shock. A soldier in the heatof battle has no time to reflect; his duty is to shoot straight and keephis nerve. But this single shot had not been fired in the rush offight; it had scarcely caused his nerves to tingle more than in akeenly-contested musketry competition at home. For the moment he feltguilty as though he had committed a crime, and, rifle in hand, staredspell-bound at the prostrate figure. Then he was startled from hisreverie by the sound of a hail of bullets whistling through the air andpattering on the rocks, and around him the discharge of a dozenantiquated pieces within the space of a few yards filled the air withthe pungent smell of war.
After some minutes the din ceased. For an hour afterwards the firingwas merely spasmodic. Bob was confirmed in his conclusion that theRussians were only putting in time until nightfall. Knowing that itwould be impossible to hold the wide gaps at the mouth of the gullyagainst a rush of superior forces, he saw that sooner or later theChunchuses would have to take refuge higher up; but he was anxious todefer this movement, and cast about for some means of at leastinflicting a temporary check upon the enemy. The Chunchuses themselveswere making no preparations for the changed conditions that must arise,and being ignorant of their language, Bob was unable to consult withthem. He therefore called Ah-Sam to his side, and through him asked theleader of the brigands what he proposed to do. The man replied thatwhen night came he meant to retreat up the gorge behind the barricade;his men were too few to hold their present position; they would beoverwhelmed at the first assault. Bob pointed out that it was badpolicy to retire within their inmost defences except as a last resource.Cooped up in the narrow space, above, they would be in desperate straitsif the enemy found a means of climbing the hills and taking them in therear. The man at once answered that the hills were unscaleable. Nobodyhad ever been known to ascend them from this side. He was ready to makea stand at the mouth of the gully if it were possible, but thehonourable stranger himself saw that it was out of the question.
Bob considered for a few moments. Dusk was creeping on, and if anythingwas to be done it must be done quickly.
"Tell him," he said at length to Ah-Sam, "that if he and his men will dowhat I ask them, we can make this position very strong. It will nottake longer than about half an hour."
The Chunchuse at once agreed, and Bob proceeded to explain his plan. Assoon as it was dark enough he proposed to send out ten of the best-armedand most skilful marksmen in skirmishing order to a distance of ahundred yards beyond the mouth of the gully, with orders to give instantwarning of the enemy's approach. Twenty of the rest were to act as areserve behind the boulders. There were some thirty men left; these heproposed to divide into squads of five, and they were to roll or dragtowards the entrance of the ravine the loose boulders that lay scatteredalong the banks of the stream above. The reserve meanwhile would loadthe muskets of the whole body, and hold these in readiness for instantuse at various points, to which the workers would hasten, each to hisappointed spot, at the first alarm.
The suggestion was immediately approved by the leader, and received witheagerness by his men when it was explained to them. Since Bob hadappeared on the scene, and especially since he had shot the Manchu onthe hill, the brigands had regarded him with a good deal of respect.When the country had become sufficiently dark for their movements toescape the notice of the Russians, the plan was immediately put intooperation. Bob himself superintended the work of the thirty. Under hisdirections they rolled and dragged the rocks downward, blocking up thegaps at the foot of the ravine. The task was arduous and unequal. Bobadded a man to a squad at one point where the stone to be moved wasunusually heavy, taking one from a neighbouring squad that happened tobe less taxed. During the first quarter of an hour the work went on ata great rate. There was a good supply of manageable boulders near athand, and the men were encouraged when they saw a continuous breastworkbeginning to fill the gaps which had appeared to them indefensible. Butas the nearest stones became used up, the task grew in difficulty, forhigher up the ravine the boulders were larger and required much greaterexertions to move them. It was becoming colder as the darknessincreased, but the ground was as yet not sufficiently hardened to beslippery, and the huge masses of rock often sank into holes and wereobstructed by irregularities in the ground, so that the half-hour hadlong been exceeded before the breastwork was finished. The task,however, was completed at last. The new barrier was rough and uneven,but promised to be quite adequate to its purpose.
There was still no sign of the enemy. No doubt they were waiting untilthey might suppose the defenders lulled to security; perhaps they werehaving a meal in preparation for their attack. As the idea struck Bob,he asked whether the Chunchuses had any provisions with them, and wasalarmed to find that they were almost foodless, their supplies havingbeen on their horses' backs. They carried in their wallets no more thanone day's food. This was unfortunate; it might prove a calamity. Thecoming struggle was likely to be severe, and the brigands, however muchinured to hardship they might be, could not fight well if they werehungry. Bob advised the men to husband their little stock as much aspossible; he feared that nothing could be spared from what Ah-Sam hadbrought in the cart, and already foresaw the ultimate destiny of thelittle Chinaman's team.
Recalling seven of the scouts outside, leaving three still to keep avigilant look-out for signs of the advancing enemy, he leant on thebreastwork, and peered out into the darkness, wondering whether anythinghad been left undone. As he looked at the few yards of snow-coveredground still visible before him, an idea suddenly flashed across hismind. Calling up Ah-Sam, he sent him to bring his four spades from thecart. Removing a small boulder at one extremity of the barricade, heborrowed a spear, went outside to a distance of ten paces, and with thespear drew a line across the mouth of the gully parallel with thebarrier. Four feet beyond this line he drew another parallel with it,then returned within the defences. In a few minutes Ah-Sam came backwith the spades, and Bob was astonished to see that he was accompaniedby Ethel.
"I have brought you some tea," she said; "it will refresh you. Auntieis very anxious to know what you are doing. I could hardly persuade hernot to come and see."
"It is very good of you. Please go back, Miss--" He paused. Mrs.Pottle had omitted to mention her niece's surname. He saw a faint smilein Ethel's face.
"Auntie never stands much on ceremony," she said, "and she has taken youquite for granted. My father's name is Charteris."
"Do, please, go back. The Russians may be upon us at any moment, andyou will be in danger. Tell Mrs. Pottle that we are doing our best.Ah-Sam, go back with Miss Char
teris, and remain with the ladies."
"My no likee go that-side," protested Ah-Sam. "My velly good fightyman; my no tinkee--"
"Come, Ah-Sam!" said Ethel.
Ah-Sam looked from one to the other, then without another word, but witha very downcast countenance, he walked behind the girl up the hill.
Bob had no difficulty in making the Chunchuse leader understand by signsthat he required the services of four spademen. These were at onceforthcoming--four strapping fellows, who soon showed by the way theyhandled their implements that before they became brigands they werehusbandmen. He set them to dig a trench between the parallel lines hehad drawn, placing one man at each end, and the other two back to backin the centre, with orders to work towards their comrades at the fastestrate of which they were capable. After five minutes he relieved them byanother squad, and while these were working it struck him that if theRussians attacked suddenly, and the diggers tried to scramble over thebarrier, they would come directly in the line of fire and either losetheir lives or cause the loss of precious time to the firing party. Hetherefore removed a small rock at each end, and when he sent out thenext relieving squad he gave them express orders to make for thebarrier, each man for the gap nearest him, if the alarm were given. Themen worked so energetically that in a short time a trench four feetbroad and two deep stretched across the entrance to the gully. The menwere then withdrawn. They joined their comrades in disposing of thescanty rations at command. All being now in readiness to meet an attack,the scouts also were recalled, and Bob, feeling that he had done allthat he could, sat down to rest and await the event.
The time dragged slowly on. The whole band maintained almost absolutesilence; no sound was to be heard save the rush of the stream. Waitingin the dark, all his senses on the alert, Bob wondered whether the enemyhad drawn off. It was unlike them so to do; the Russians wereimplacable where Manchurian brigands not on their side were concerned.The existence of these armed bands within their lines was at all times aserious menace. The whole population, save for parties of hireddesperadoes, was hostile to the Russian cause. If in the comingconflict with the hosts of Japan the Russians were beaten, the newswould rapidly spread through the country, and each isolated band ofChunchuses would become the nucleus to which thousands would flock,harassing the retreating army, and threatening a catastrophe like thatwhich befell Napoleon's grand army in its retreat from Moscow. It wastherefore most unlikely that the little force of which Bob now foundhimself the virtual commander would be left unmolested. The Russiancaptain had much to gain with his superiors by extirpating the band.
Bob was turning things over in his mind, when suddenly Ah-Sam made hisreappearance. This was somewhat surprising. The average Chinaman hasno stomach for a fight; he will die at his post if need be, but as arule he shows no dissatisfaction at being ordered to the rear. Bob hadexpected that Ah-Sam would be more than glad to have the opportunity ofremaining in safety with the ladies.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "I ordered you to remainabove."
"My savvy, massa. My velly muchee aflaid largo piecee woman. She saymy come back chop-chop bottom-side; massa want gib orders allo pieceeChunchuses; no can do supposey China-boy no this-side helpum talkee.Littee piecee missy say all-same; my no can stay topside no longer,galaw!"
Bob already knew Mrs. Pottle well enough not to be surprised at hertaking a different view from his own. The fact that Ethel Charteris hadacquiesced in her aunt's command to Ah-Sam to return showed that she wasin no fear; and reassured on this score, Bob reflected that certainlyAh-Sam would be very useful, even indispensable, to him.
"Very well," he said, "keep close at hand, and we'll see what sort of afighting man you are when the time comes."
Bob turned his back on the gully, and once more looked earnestly intothe darkness. He therefore did not see the look of gleeful satisfactionon the quaint face of his henchman, nor hear the chuckle he uttered ashe sat down to wait beside his master.