CHAPTER NINETEEN.
GHAZIS AND CUNNING.
As Bracy, closely followed by Gedge, made for the door, the noise andconfusion in the darkness were horrible. There were nearly a score ofsick and wounded in the two rows of beds, some of whom were groaning andappealing for help; but the majority were making brave efforts to get onsome clothes, and one man was shouting for the nurse to go to thearmoury and bring as many rifles and bayonets as she could carry. Butthere was no answer to their appeals, as Bracy, tottering at first, butgrowing stronger as he passed between the two rows of beds, struggledfor the door at the end, and passed through into a little lobby, fromwhich another door led at once into the court, a mere slit of a windowat the side admitting a few faint rays of light.
"Ha!" ejaculated Bracy in a tone of thankfulness. "The door's fast,Gedge, lad, and we must defend it to the last. We can do no goodoutside."
"Who's this?" cried a harsh, sharp voice. "Bracy, my dear boy, youhere?" cried the Doctor almost simultaneously.
"Nurse!--Doctor!" panted the young officer.
"Yes, here we are, my boy, on duty; and bless this woman! she's asplucky as half-a-dozen men."
"Nonsense!" said Mrs Gee harshly. "You don't suppose I was going tostand still and let the wretches massycree my patients--do you, Doctor?"
"No, my dear, I don't think anything of the kind, and certainly I won't.Have you got plenty of cartridges?"
"A dozen packets, and there's four rifles with fixed bayonets behind thedoor."
"I'll have one, my lass. I was afraid I should have to take to mysurgical instruments. But, look here, Bracy, my boy, you can do nogood, so go back to bed and send that scoundrel Gedge here. He's hidingunder one of the beds. He could load for nurse, here, and me, while wefired."
"If you warn't like one o' my sooperior officers," snarled Gedge, "I'dsay something nasty to you, Doctor. Give us one of them rifles, oldlady; I'm better with them and a bay'net than with this popgun. Youtake your pistol, Mr Bracy, sir."
"No, no--yes, yes," said the Doctor hurriedly. "You may want it, myboy. Now, then, go back to your bed. You'll be in the way here."
"In the way of some of these yelling fiends, I hope, Doctor," saidBracy, thrusting the revolver into the waistband of his hurriedlydragged on trousers. "Now, then, where will they try to break in?"
"The first window they can reach, when they fail at this door. You,Gedge, watch that window. No one can get in, but some one is sure totry."
The keen point of a bayonet was held within a few inches of the openingthe next moment, and then the little party, awaiting the attack, stoodlistening to the terrible sounds from without. It was hard work todistinguish one from the other, for the confusion was now dreadful; but,from time to time, Bracy, as he stood quivering there as if a strangethrill of reserved force was running through every vein, nerve, andmuscle, made out something of what was going on, and primarily hegrasped the fact, from the loud clanging, that the great gates had beenclosed and barred against the entrance of those who were rushing forwardto the support of the fanatical Ghazis who had been so successful intheir _ruse_.
Then came other sounds which sent a ray of hope through the confusion;first one or two shots rang out, then there was a ragged volley, and amore or less steady fire was being kept up from the towers and walls.But this was doubtless outward, begun by the sentries, and aided by thetwo companies that rapidly mounted to their side by the orders of theirofficers, who felt that it would be madness to begin firing in the darkupon the Ghazis raging about the court, for fear of hitting theirunarmed friends.
It was some minutes before the Colonel could reach the guard-room, whichwas held by the relief, and he had a couple of narrow escapes from cutsaimed at him; but he reached the place at last, in company with about adozen unarmed men, and in a few minutes there was one nucleus here readywith fixed bayonets to follow his orders. Other men made a rush fortheir quarters from the walls where they had flocked, unarmed, to bespectators of the capture; but to reach them and their rifles andammunition they had to cross the court, which was now one tossing chaosof cutting and slashing fiends in human form, rushing here and there,and stumbling over the frightened sheep, which plunged and leapedwildly, adding greatly to the din by their piteous bleating, many tofall, wounded, dying, and struggling madly, beneath the sword-cutsintended for the garrison. These were flying unarmed seeking forrefuge, and often finding none, but turning in their despair upon theirassailants, many of whom went down, to be trampled under foot by thosewhom they sought to slay.
The firing now began to rapidly increase, the flashings of the riflesseeming to cut through the dense mist, now growing thicker with thesmoke, which, instead of rising, hung in a heavy cloud, mingling withthe fog, and making the efforts of the defenders more difficult as itincreased. For some time every one seemed to have lost his head, as, inspite of the efforts of the officers, the panic was on the increase, andthe Ghazis had everything their own way. Colonel Graves, as soon as hehad got his little force together, gave the word for a rush with thebayonet, and led the way, his men following bravely, but thedifficulties they encountered were intense. It was almost impossible toform in line, and when at last this was roughly achieved in thedarkness, and the order to advance was given, it was upon a mass ofstruggling sheep mingled with the yelling fiends; and, to the horror ofthe line of sturdy men, they found that to fire, or advance with thebayonet, would be to the destruction of friend as well as foe.
To add to the horror, the wild and piteous shrieks of women arose nowfrom the portion of the fort containing the officers' quarters; and atthis Roberts, who was firing with his men down into the seething mass offresh assailants swarming at the gates and striving, so far vainly, tomount the walls, gave a sharp order.
"Here, cease firing, my lads," he yelled. "Drummond--Drummond! Where'sMr Drummond?"
"Gone, sir," came from one of the men.
"What! down?" cried Roberts.
"No, sir; he said something about go on firing, and hooked it off alongthe ramp."
An angry groan arose, and Roberts muttered something about his friendbefore shouting again.
"Sergeant," he cried, "take the command of your men, and keep these dogsfrom mounting the gate. I am going to lead my company to the officers'quarters. Ready, my lads? No firing. The bayonet. We must save thosewomen, or die."
A loud, sharp, snapping hurrah rang out, seeming to cut through themist, and then at Roberts's "Forward!" they dashed after him at thedouble, to reach the next descent into the court, which meant rightamong the yelling Ghazis, but at the opposite end to that where ColonelGraves and the Major--who had reached them now with a couple of dozenmen, mostly armed with the Indians' tulwars--had managed to struggleinto line.
Very few minutes elapsed before the shouting of Captain Roberts's men,as they dashed down, two abreast, cutting into the mass below, added tothe wild confusion, and for a time it seemed as if the struggle wouldbecome hopeless, as the brave fellows' strength began to yield toexhaustion, for the power to combine seemed gone, and the _melee_ grewmore a hand-to-hand fight, in which the savage Ghazis had the advantagewith their keen swords, their adversaries wanting room to use theirbayonets after a few fierce and telling thrusts.
"This is useless, Graham," panted the Colonel at last; "these sheephamper every movement. We can do nothing in this horrible darkness. Iam going to give the order for every man to make for the walls, where wemust defend ourselves with the bayonet as the fellows attack us. Wemust wait for morning, and then shoot them down."
"And by then they will have slaughtered every woman and non-combatant inthe fort," growled the Major savagely.
"No; we must each lead a company or two for the quarters. You take asmany as you can collect straight for the ladies' rooms."
"Roberts has gone ten minutes ago, and is fighting his way across."
"Go round by the walls on the other side and get in behind. I am goingto rush for the hospital. Bracy and all
those poor fellows must besaved."
"Too late," said the Major bitterly. "Two of the men here left a scoreof the hounds fighting their way into the ward. Oh, if we only had alight!"
Strange things occur when least expected, and there are times when, asif by a miracle, the asked-for gift is bestowed.
"God bless you, Graves!" whispered the Major; "if we don't meet again,I'll do all that man can do."
"I know it, Graham. You'll save the women, I'm sure. Ah! what's that?"
"Fire--fire!" shouted a voice, and a yell of triumph rose from theGhazis, to be echoed by the seething mob of fanatics outside the gates,who burst forth with their war-cry of "Allah! Allah--uh!"
"We're done, Graves," said the Major in an awestricken, whisper. "It'sthe fodder-store, and it will attack our quarters soon. It's all ofwood."
"If it does we shall see how to die fighting," said the Colonelhoarsely, as a wreath of flame and sparks rolled out of a two-storybuilding at the far end of the court, lighting up the whole place andrevealing all the horrors of the scene.