CHAPTER FIVE.
BOYS IN ACTION.
"Look at those boys," said Bracy the next morning on meeting his brotherofficers at their attractive-looking mess breakfast, spread by thenative servants beneath a magnificent cedar. "Yes, they look cheery andlarky enough, in spite of yesterday's experience."
"As full of fun as if this were a holiday," said another.
"Ah," said Roberts, "no one would think that we were surrounded by theenemy."
"Are we?" asked Bracy.
"Are we?--Just, hark at him.--Where have you been?"
"Having a glorious bath in that torrent. The water was as clear ascrystal."
"And cold as ice," said the Major, with a shudder. "I tried it in mygutta-percha wash-basin."
"Oh yes, it was cold," said Bracy; "but it was like a shower-bathsquared and cubed. It came down on my head in tubfuls, sent an electricthrill through one's muscles, and a good rub sent every trace ofstiffness out of my legs. Feel as if I could walk any distance to-day."
"Well, be patient, old man," said Roberts, laughing. "I dare say you'llhave a chance."
"But what's that you were saying about the enemy?"
"Why, every hill's covered with them, and they evidently mean toattack."
"Oh, very well," said Bracy, beginning upon his breakfast; "then Isuppose we must fight."
There was a laugh behind him, a hand was laid upon his shoulder, and theyoung man looked up sharply, to see that the Colonel had come upsilently over the thick carpet of cedar needles.
"Good-morning, sir."
"Good-morning--all," said the Colonel quietly. "All well?"
A chorus of assent ran round the group, and the Colonel continued:
"That's the spirit to take it in, Bracy. Of course we must fight; andthe sooner the scoundrels give us the chance the better--eh, Graham?"
"Yes; we've come to give them a lesson, and they'll get it. We ought toreach the station by evening. The poor fellows there must be anxiouslylooking out for us."
"Yes; I've sent three different messengers to say that we shall be thereby night, and I hope one out of the three will get there with the news."
"Then you mean to go on at once?"
"Of course. Did you think I meant to stay here?"
"I only thought it possible that, as this was a strong place, and wehave plenty of provisions and good water, you might hold on and let themattack us."
"Oh no," replied the Colonel, taking his seat on the ground with therest. "If we do that the enemy will take it for granted that we fearhim. It must be forward, and plenty of dash."
"Yes; but while our lads are raw they would be more steady behind such abreastwork, or zareba, as we could soon make round us."
"I thought the boys were steady enough yesterday," said the Colonelquietly; "and we shall be far better off in the open than drawn out in aline on that narrow shelf."
"Oh, then we shall have a better road to-day?"
"Yes," said the Colonel, going on calmly enough with his meal. "As faras I can gather from our guides, who all agree as to the character ofthe road, we have wide, open valleys, with forest till within a coupleof miles of Ghittah; then the mountains close in again, and we have anarrow shelf to traverse high above the bottom of a gorge."
"With plenty of places for stone-throwers?" said the Major.
"Plenty," replied the Colonel; "so you know what you have to expect,gentlemen. But I hope and believe that unless they are too closelybeleaguered the little garrison at the station will make a sally to meetus, and help to clear the way."
"What a jolly old humbug Graham is!" whispered Roberts. "It's all tobelittle our lads. He knew that as well as the Colonel."
"I suppose so," replied Bracy. "Ah, here's the Doctor."
For that gentleman came bustling up, smiling and nodding to all in turn.
"Morning, Doctor," said the Colonel. "What do you think of yourpatients this morning?"
"My patients? Seen them?"
"Yes," said the Colonel quietly. "Bracy and I had a look at them assoon as it was light."
"Getting on splendidly," said the Doctor, rubbing his hands. "Narrowescape for that boy whose cheek is scratched; an inch or two more to theleft, and--"
"Ah! Bah! The old story, Doctor," said the Major contemptuously.
"Yes, sir," replied the Doctor tartly, as he fixed his eyes on theportly, middle-aged officer on the opposite side of the cloth. "Youdidn't take those pills, then?"
"How do you know?"
"By the way you talk," said the Doctor, chuckling, and screwing up oneeye and glancing round at the rest.
"No, sir, I did not take the rubbish," said the Major angrily, as he sawevery one smiling. "Was it likely that I should take them at a timelike this?"
"No, I suppose not," said the Doctor coolly; "but I should. But, as Iwas going to say, Colonel, it's wonderful what a deal the human skullcan bear. Now, for instance, that boy Gedge: a great stone comes downmany hundred feet, increasing in velocity with the earth's attraction,strikes him on the head, and down he goes, insensible, with his skullcrushed in, you would expect; but no: it is the old story of thestrength of the arch and the difficulty in cracking an egg-shell fromoutside, though the beak of a tiny chicken can do it from within."
"Then there's no fracture?" said Bracy eagerly.
"Not so much as a faint crack, sir. Fellow was too thick-headed."
The Colonel sprang to his feet the next minute, for one of the officersappeared to announce the appearance of three several bodies of mendescending from the distant heights.
"How near?" asked the Colonel.
"The nearest about a mile and a half, sir."
"Another live minutes for you to finish your breakfast, gentlemen, andthen we march."
The bugles were sounding directly after, and in less time than theirleader had given out, the officers were with their companies, the nativeservants had replaced the camp equipage, and at the end of the quarterof an hour the march was resumed in the most orderly way, thebaggage-train being strongly guarded, and the men well rested, flushed,and eager for the coming fray.
It was like a glorious late spring morning in England, and the widevalley the regiment was traversing presented a lovely series oflandscapes, backed up in front and to right and left with mightysnow-capped mountains, whose peaks looked dazzling in the early morningsun. But though every breast breathed in the crisp air with a strangesense of exhilaration, no one had eyes for anything but the two bodiesof white-robed men approaching them from right and left, the third beinghidden by the forest patch where the troops had bivouacked, and forwhich the enemy had made as soon as it was evacuated, evidently to covertheir movements prior to a rush upon the rear.
The Colonel, upon seeing this, made a slight alteration in his plans,halting Captain Roberts's company with orders to close in and follow therear of the column, thus bringing the impedimenta and servants more intothe centre, the movement being performed without the slightest check tothe advance, though the appearance of the bodies several hundred strong,to right and left, was very suggestive of an immediate attack.
This was delivered, evidently by an agreed-upon signal; for suddenly atremendous burst of yelling arose, and the two unorganised crowds camerushing down upon the column, which halted, faced outward, and the nextmoment, while the enemy on either hand was about a couple of hundredyards off, there was a rolling volley nearly all along the line, and thewhite smoke began to rise, showing the two bodies of the enemyscattering and every man running for his life back towards the hills,but leaving the flowery grass dotted with patches of white, othersdropping fast as they grew more distant and the wounds received began totake effect.
There was a little disorder in the centre among the servants, and mulesand camels were restive as the shouting hill-men came rushing on, withtheir swords flashing in the sunshine, and the rattle of the musketrythreatened to produce a panic; but the native servants behaved well, andwere quieting their animals
, when there was another suggestion of panic,as Captain Roberts suddenly exclaimed:
"Here they come, Bracy!"
For the sergeants and men thrown out in the rear a couple of hundredyards suddenly turned and fired and came running in to take theirplaces, as the two rear companies were halted, swung out right and leftin line, fixed bayonets, with the peculiar ringing, tinkling sound ofmetal against metal, and waited the coming of the third body of theenemy, as strong as the two which had attacked in front.
They came out from the shelter of the cedar forest with a rush, yellingfuriously, each man waving his long jezail in his left hand, while along curved tulwar, keen as a razor, flashed in his right--big,stalwart, long-bearded, dark-eyed men, with gleaming teeth and a fiercelook of determination to slay painted in every feature.
It was enough to cow the stoutest-hearted, for in numbers they wereenough to envelop and wipe out of existence the handful ofslight-looking lads ranged shoulder to shoulder across their way.
But not a boy amongst them flinched; he only drew his breath hard as iftrying to inflate his chest to the utmost with courage, and then at theword every other lad fired low, sending a hail of bullets to meet therushing force when it was about a couple of hundred yards distant.
The men were staggered for the moment, but for the moment only, and theydashed on again, leaping over or darting aside to avoid those of theircompanions who staggered and fell. Then, as they reduced the distanceby about one-half, the yelling grew fiercer, and the enemy came runningand leaping on with increased speed.
"Fire!"
Some fifty rifles delivered their deadly contents with a roar as if onlyone had been discharged.
The effect was magical.
The yelling ceased, and as the cloud of soft grey smoke arose it was toshow the crowded-together enemy halted in front, while those behind werepushing and struggling to get within reach to strike at the hedge ofglittering bayonets, from which a third volley flashed out.
That was enough. As the smoke rose and the lads stood in double linenow, ready to receive the charge upon their glittering points, the enemywas seen to be in full flight.
"Stand fast!" roared Roberts.
"Back, back!" shouted Bracy; and, sword in hand, the officers rushedalong in front of their men, literally driving some of the most eagerback, to re-form the line; for the sight of the flying enemy was toomuch for some of the younger, least-trained lads, who were in the veryact of dashing forward with levelled bayonet in pursuit.
"Well done; very well done, my lads!" cried a familiar voice as theColonel galloped back to them. "Steady, there; steady!" he shouted ashe rode right along the little line and reined up his horse, to sitgazing after the flying enemy, frowning the while as he saw how manywhite cotton robes dotted the soil before the uninjured disappearedagain in the cedar grove, from which they had delivered their attack.
"Capital, gentlemen!" he said a minute or so later; "but I did not likethat unsteadiness. You must keep your men well in hand."
The next minute the orders were given, and the column resumed its march,for it was no time to think of prisoners or attending to the enemy'swounded. In fact, before the regiment was half a mile away theirfriends were back from the hills seeing to their dead and wounded, andgathering up their arms, greatly to the annoyance of the rear-guardlads, who one and all were troubled with longings for some of the keentulwars to take back to England as trophies of their fight.
But the stern order "Forward!" rang in the lads' ears, and theexpectation of being attacked at any time by one or other of the bodiesof the enemy hovering on the hill-slopes on either side, or of a freshdash being made upon the rear in the hope of cutting off the baggage,kept every one on the alert.