Fix Bay'nets: The Regiment in the Hills

  CHAPTER SEVEN.

  BOOTS FOR BOOTY.

  "Well, you needn't bite this time, old fellow," cried Roberts, with asigh of relief, as a burst of cheers arose faintly from the front oncemore, to be taken up and run down the column, even the native mule andcamel drivers joining in, till it reached the company which formed therear-guard. "What does this mean?" cried Bracy excitedly. "That we'retoo far back to know what is going on in the front. Those are notenemies, but friends."

  "What! people from the station come to meet us?"

  "That's the right nail, struck well on the head, old chap; and I'm jollyglad of it, for I feel more like feeding than fighting, I can tell you."

  "Roberts, old fellow, this seems too good to be true," cried Bracyjoyfully.

  "But for once in a way it is true. Push on, my lads; there'll besomething better than bullets for a welcome to-night."

  Roberts was right, for upon the last of the weary beasts bearing thebaggage reaching the end of the defile, the young officers foundthemselves face to face with a couple of companies of theirfellow-countrymen, bronzed, toil-worn looking men, many of them bearingthe marks of hardly-healed sword-cuts, and looking overstrained and thinas if from anxiety and overwork, but one and all with their faces lit upby the warmth of the welcome they were ready to give the regiment whichhad come to their help.

  The bandsmen played their best as they led the way across the lovelyamphitheatre into which the gorge had opened out, towards where, high upalong the northern side, and upon the rocky bank, stood the station andtown of Ghittah. The river, which here flowed smooth and deep, seemedas if of ruddy golden metal, as it glistened in the rays of the sundipping down behind the snow-mountains which shut them in. And everynow and then the cheery echoing strains of the band were pretty welldrowned by the cheers and counter-cheers of the relievers and therelieved.

  Bracy felt his breast swell with pleasure at the warmth of the welcome,for the fraternisation was complete, the war-worn veterans seeming as ifthey could not make enough of the raw striplings marching by their sidestowards where the British colours could be seen floating over the grimcastle-like place that had been the home of one of the old hill-chiefstill the district was added to the British dominions. But look whichway he would, the young officer could see no trace of the enemy.

  Birds of a feather flock together naturally, and before half a mile hadbeen covered a tall, thin, boyish-looking officer, with a star of meritin the shape of a series of strips of diachylon upon his brow,gravitated towards the rear-guard and suddenly joined their ranks,holding out and shaking hands with the new-comers.

  "How are you?" he cried. "How are you? I say, don't look at a fellowlike that. I'm an awful scarecrow, I know; but I'm Drummond--TomDrummond of ours."

  "Oh, you look right enough," cried Bracy merrily. "Only a bit of thepolish rubbed off."

  "And a bit chipped," said Roberts, laughing.

  "Eh? Oh, this!" cried their new friend. "Getting better, though, now.Doesn't improve a fellow."

  "Doesn't it?" cried Bracy. "I should be proud of such an order."

  "It's very good of you to say so," said the young subaltern, with hiseyes glistening.

  "How did you get it?" asked Roberts.

  "Oh, in a scrimmage with those treacherous beasts. They'd got me andabout a dozen of the lads in a corner among the rocks, and it was eitherstand still and be cut up or make a dash with the bayonet. There wereabout fifty of 'em."

  "So you made a dash?"

  "Yes, but only six of us got through, and all damaged. One big fellowwas nourishing a sharp tulwar, and he was in the act of cutting down oneof my fellows, and I went at him to try and save the poor lad, but I wastoo late. The great brute cut him down and rushed at me."

  "Well?" said Bracy, for the thin, boyish-looking officer stopped, andlooked red.

  "Oh, I gave point, and got well home. I put all my strength into it,and it brought me so close that instead of having my head split by hisblade I had the hilt on my forehead here. It struck in a nasty place,but being, as my old Latin coach said, awfully thick-skulled, the pommelof the tulwar didn't break through. I say, though--never mind that--have either of you fellows a spare pair of boots? I can swap a lot ofloot with you--fancy swords and guns and a chief's helmet--for them.Look; I've come down to this."

  He laughed and held up one leg, the lower part of which was bound inputtees, while the foot was covered with a bandaged raw-hide sandal.

  "Not smart on parade," said Bracy, laughing, "but good to keep offcorns."

  "Yes," said the subaltern; "but I'm blest if they keep out chilblains.Oh, crumpets, how my feet do itch of a night by the fire."

  "Well, I should say my boots are about your size. Roberts's wouldn'tlit. He has such big, ugly feet."

  "Come, I like that, Bracy. Hang it all! my trotters look liliputianbeside his."

  "Now," said Bracy mockingly; "but wait till you can see Drummond's feet.Look here," he added, turning to the subaltern; "you have a pair ofRoberts's too; they'll do for goloshes."

  "I don't care how old they are, so long as they are boots."

  "All right, old fellow; we'll set you up with anything we've got," saidBracy.

  "Bless you, my children!" cried the young officer. "Bless you! Nevermind the dramatic business. Oh, I say, we are all glad you've come."

  "You've been in a tight corner, then?"

  "Tight? We've lost a third of our number, and were beginning to thinkthe Government was going to let us be quite wiped off the slate. Here,I feel like a schoolboy again, and want to cheer."

  "All right; cheer, then," cried Bracy, smiling, and clapping the speakeron the shoulder as if he had known him for years.

  "No; hoarse as a crow now, and I want my breath to talk. I say, we havebeen sharp set. We began to feel like the talking parrot who wasplucked by the monkey, ready to say, `Oh, we have been having such atime!' Those Dwats are beggars to fight."

  "We've found that out--that is, when they can take you at adisadvantage," said Roberts.

  "Ah, that's their idea of manoeuvring," said Drummond. "They can tight,though. We must have killed hundreds, but they come on all the same.There were thousands of them all about the hills here yesterday."

  "But where are they now?" asked Bracy.

  "They melted away like snow last night and this morning, just when wewere expecting an assault on the old fort yonder, which we thought wouldbe final."

  "Final?"

  "Yes; we were getting dead beat. That's what makes us all so fond ofyou."

  "I see," said Bracy, who noticed a hysterical vibration in the youth'svoice.

  "That was the first inkling we got of your coming."

  "What! Didn't you hear from our messengers?" said Roberts.

  "Didn't they get through?" cried Bracy.

  "Get through? No. They wouldn't let any messengers get through. Nevermind. You've all come, and if we don't have a jollification to-night myname's something else."

  "Then you're all right for provisions?"

  "Oh yes, for some time to come. Ammunition was his weak point. We'veblazed away till the men's barrels have been hot."

  "It seems as if the men of your regiment are beggars to fight too," saidBracy dryly, "judging by the appearance of some of you."

  "Fight? Obliged to," said the subaltern, laughing. "Talk aboutpractising the art of war; we ought to pass any examination. But,joking apart, it has been an awful time for the poor women andchildren."

  "Ah!" cried Bracy. "You have women and children yonder?"

  "Yes, any number, bless 'em! The ladies and the men's wives have workedlike slaves--hospital work, you know. As to our doctor, he'll be madwith joy to meet yours to share the work with him. Ah! there they go."

  For just then a burst of cheering came from the grim walls of the oldfort, which were lined by its occupants; and mingled with theenthusiastic cries came the strains of music.

  "You have your band, then?" s
aid Roberts.

  "Bits of it," said the subaltern dryly. "The brass instruments arebattered horribly; and as for the wood, they are all cracked andbandaged like wounded men; while the drums are nearly all as tubby astom-toms, through the men having mended them with badly-curedgoat-skins. I say, though, talk about goat-skins, I ought to have addedsheep."

  "Why?" said Bracy.

  "Are you fellows fond of shooting?"

  "Yes," said Bracy eagerly. "Is it good up here?"

  "Grand, when there's a chance of the shooting being all on your side."

  "The beggars try to stalk you, then, sometimes?" said Roberts.

  "Sometimes? Nearly always."

  "But what have you got here--tiger?"

  "Never saw one. Plenty of bear."

  "All! that will do."

  "Chamois-like deer, goats, and splendid mountain sheep. Pheasants too.Ah! I can give you some glorious pheasant shooting. Here they come.Oh, I say, what a pity for the old man to march our poor ragged Jacksout to see you! They'll look--"

  "Glorious," cried Bracy. "I should be proud of being one of yourregiment. By George; what shrimps our lads seem beside them!"

  "Your lads look perfection," cried the subaltern enthusiastically."Don't you run them down. If you'd been looking despairingly for helpfor a whole month you'd feel as I do. Here, I must trot back to mychiefs. Just fancy; my captain and lieutenant are both down, _non com_,and I'm in command of my company. Isn't it disgusting for the poorfellows? But they behave very well. So glad to have met you, dearboys. Ta-ta for the present. We've got a splendid feed ready for youall, and we shall meet then.--Don't forget about the boots, old chap.You shall have these to present to the British Museum. Label 'em`Officer's Foot-gear. End of Nineteenth Century. Rare.'"

  The subaltern trotted off, and with the regiment going half-mad andcheering wildly in response to the cries of welcome which greeted them,the boyish ranks marched on, solid and stiff, for a time, their riflessloped regularly, and step kept in a way which made even Sergeant Geesmile with satisfaction. But directly after, as caps and helmets,mingled with women's handkerchiefs, began to wave from the walls, thestrong discipline of the corps was quite forgotten, helmets came out oftheir proper places and were mounted on the ends of rifles, to becarried steadily at the slope, to be held up on high at arm's-length,and even danced up and down, in the wild joy felt by the whole body,from the Colonel down to the meanest bugle-boy, that they had arrived intime to succour the brave and devoted men, marched out of the darkgateway and formed up in two lines for their friends to pass in betweenthem. Hardly a dark face, lined, stern, and careworn, was withoutsomething to show in the shape of injury; while nearer the gate therewas a body of about two-score badly wounded and bandaged men who hadhobbled or been carried out, ready to add their faint share of cheeringto that of their comrades.

  As Roberts and Bracy led their company towards the gate, and the youngofficers caught sight of the ladies standing in a group ready to greetthem with outstretched hands, one of them--never mind which--perhaps itwas Bracy--felt half-suffocated, while the thin, careworn faces, many ofthem wet with the coursing tears, looked dim and distorted as if seenthrough bad spectacles on a wet day; and when, after having his handshaken a score of times and listening to fervent greetings andblessings, he got through the gateway to the great inner court, wherethe baggage and pack-mules, camels, and the rest were packed together incompany with the native servants, the said one--as aforesaid, never mindwhich--said to himself:

  "Thank goodness that's over! If it had lasted much longer I should havemade a fool of myself. I never felt anything like it in my life."

  "Bracy, old chap," said Roberts just then, "we mustn't forget about thatfellow's boots. I've a pair, too, as soon as I can get at my traps. Isay, I know you've got a mother, but have you any sisters?"

  "Yes; two."

  "I've three. Now, can you explain to me why it was that as soon as Iwas marching by those poor women yonder I could think of nothing but mypeople at home?"

  "For the same reason that I did," replied Bracy rather huskily. "Humannature; but thank Heaven, old man, that they're not here."

  "Oh, I don't know," said Roberts thoughtfully. "It would be very niceto see them, and I know my dear old mother would have been very proud tosee us march in. My word, this has been a day!"

  "Yes, and here we are. Shall we ever get away?"

  "Of course we shall. But, hullo! what does that mean?"

  Bracy turned at the same moment, for rather faintly, but in a pleasanttenor voice, there came out of a long box-like ambulance gharry, borneon two mules in long shafts at either end:

  "When Johnny comes marching home again--Hurrah!"

  And from another voice a repetition of the cheer:

  "Hurrah! Hurrah! When Johnny comes marching home again, Hurrah!Hurrah!"

  "Ah, Mr Bracy, sir, just having a bit of a sing-song together."

  "Why, Gedge, my lad, how are you--how are you getting on?"

  "I don't look in, sir, and I'll tell yer. Doctor says it's all right,but my blessed head keeps on swelling still. I don't believe I shallever get my 'elmet on agen. My mate here, though, is getting onswimming."

  "That's right. You'll lie up in hospital for a hit and soon be well."

  "Orspital, sir? Yes; but it's longing to be back in barracks, tents, orthe ranks as worries me. But never say die, sir. We've got here.--Howdo, Captain? Thank ye for asking. Yes, sir; getting on, sir. We'vegot here with on'y us two knocked over. Now then, sir, what next?"

  "Yes, Gedge," said the young officer thoughtfully; "what next?"

  "I'll tell you," said Roberts cheerily; "find our traps and thatfellow's hoots."