CHAPTER XX
THE LAST RAID
'Ephraim, have you made your will, me lad?' asked Grinson, sitting inthe hut with Meek in the early hours of the morning.
'Never did I think of such a thing, Mr. Grinson,' replied Meek. ''Tisonly lords and skippers as make wills.'
'That 's where you 're wrong, me lad. Specially now. For why? 'Cos'tis the dooty of every man to make his will afore going into action.'
'S'pose he ain't got nothing to leave, and no widders nor orphans topurvide for?'
'It don't make no difference. Besides, every man's got something. LordAdmiral Nelson, as you 've heard of, had a glass eye, and 'tis said heleft it to his footman, as he once caught nicking, to remind him thatthere 's always an Eye beholding of the evil and the good, besides hisheart to the country.'
'Well, I never!'
'Not but what there 's a mighty big risk in making your will. There wasonce a chap I knowed as made his will and died next day--fell off aladder, he did, and his mates said he might 'a been alive to this dayonly for the will. Likewise a skipper I once sailed with left his craftto be sold and divided among the crew; uncommon skipper he was; and shewent down next voyage, and not insured. Ah! 'tis a solemn thought,making your will.'
'What put making wills and such into your head just now, Mr. Grinson?'
'Well, it's like this. The gentlemen expects what you may call a battleroyal afore the day 's out, and you 've got to look at it sensible. Wecome all right out o' that scrap yesterday, but 'twas only Trousers anda few more, and we took 'em by surprise, d' ye see? Things will bedifferent if all them Germans come up together; the odds ain't even,Ephraim.'
'True. I can bear ye out in that, Mr. Grinson. I don't hold withfighting--not with guns.'
'No more do I, 'cos I never shot a gun in my life. But this 'eretruncheon of old ugly mug's is as good as a gun, if it gets a chance;which I mean to say firing off guns ain't fighting at all, to my way ofthinking. Darbies or sticks--that 's all right; the best man wins; butwith guns--why, any little mean feller as would give you best if youlooked at him may do you in from a distance, hiding behind a haystack,p'r'aps, or up a tree. No, Ephraim, that ain't fighting, not by a longchalk.'
'And have you made your own will, Mr. Grinson?'
'No, I ain't, and I 'm sorry for you, me lad, for I meant to leave youmy old parrot as sits on his perch in Mother Perkins's parlour. Youremember Mother Perkins, what said she 'd be glad to mind the bird, 'coshis language was so beautiful and reminded her of me?'
'Ah! I wish I could speak like you, Mr. Grinson, but there--I nevercould do it, not if I tried ever so. But you don't think you 're goingto be killed?'
'Well, you see, I 'm twice as broad as you, and so the chances isagainst me, with guns. It's only fair, after all, 'cos in a real fight Icould take on two, p'r'aps more; I should say more, with this 'eretruncheon. I ain't got no presentiments, Ephraim; but what is to be is,and in case they knock a hole in me I do hereby declare and pronounce asmy old parrot is to belong to you and no one else, and so you 'll tellMother Perkins.'
'I don't like to think of it, Mr. Grinson, but if so be as you 'rekilled and I ain't, I 'll look after that bird as if 'twas you, andthink of you whenever it speaks.'
'Only if it speaks decent, Ephraim. I won't deny it picked up a fewunholy words afore I bought it, and they come out sometimes; you can'thelp it.'
The seamen, though they had recently returned from sentry-go, werewakeful, and talked on till morning, exchanging reminiscences of theiryears of comradeship. At sunrise they joined Trentham and Hoole, andwere allotted posts within the walls, if the Germans should attack.Scouts had already been sent out into the forest, to keep watch in thedirection from which the enemy was likely to come.
During the night the position had been thoroughly discussed betweenTrentham and Hoole. The latter, though reluctant to leave his friend tobear the brunt of any fighting that might take place, at last agreedthat probably the best service that he could render was to hasten thearrival of the steamer. About nine o'clock he set off with two nativesfor the lake where he had left the seaplane. Little more than two hourslater Trentham heard the hum of the engine. The seaplane passed overthe village, going eastward and skimming the tree-tops. From the signsmade by Hoole, Trentham understood that the Germans were on their way,and this preliminary intimation was confirmed soon after noon, when thescouts came running in. Their report that a great host of the bad menwas approaching aroused great excitement among the natives, who, proudof their easy victory on the previous day, showed little sign ofunderstanding the nature of the ordeal they were to pass through. Someof them were for sallying out and meeting the Germans in the forest; butFlanso had intelligence enough to perceive the danger of breaking up hisforce, and at Trentham's suggestion he concentrated the greater numberof his men near the gate, where the enemy's main attack was likely to bemade. A few were stationed at other points along the circuit of thewall, to give notice if surprise attacks were attempted elsewhere thanin front.
Trentham had persuaded the chief to place under Grinson's command abouta score of the men whom he had led on the day before. His leadershipthen, and his subsequent display of muscular strength in dealing withthe medicine-man, had won their admiration; and the fact that he boretheir totem mark on his shoulder was a great factor in inspiring themwith confidence. Even without Lafoa's assistance Grinson seemed to beable to make them understand his wishes.
'You had better hold your men in reserve, Grinson,' said Trentham. 'Putthem in a central position--about the chief's house, say; and keep themout of the fight until they can come in with decisive effect.'
'For the knock-out, as you may say, sir,' Grinson replied. 'Iunderstand. But begging your pardon, I ain't to remain in a state ofabsolution if I see a chance--you don't mean that, sir?'
'Not at all,' answered Trentham, who was by this time able to understandthe seaman's sometimes recondite phraseology. 'All I mean is that Idon't want you to take part in every scrimmage, but only when you seethe rest of us hard pressed. Where 's your revolver, by the way?'
'I give it to Ephraim, sir.'
'But he had one; we have five altogether now.'
'True, sir; but the long and short is that I feel much more at home withthis 'ere truncheon or knuckle-duster. With the pistol I might miss,not being used to such things; but with this'--he lifted it, eyeing itwith affection--'with this I can be sure, by the feel.'
'Is Meek a good shot?'
'He couldn't hit a hay-stack, sir; but, talking between our two selves,we thought Ephraim was the man to keep his eye on you and be ready togive you another pistol when the fust is empty. I don't mind saying'twas my idea, 'cos Ephraim ain't quite hisself yet arter that night onthe ledge, only he 's got such a spirit that nothing would 'a kept himout of it if so be he didn't believe he was more useful otherways, andhe believes that now, though I won't answer for how long it will last.'
The simple dispositions that were alone possible had barely been madewhen Trentham, looking out over the wall beside the gate, saw a manbearing a white flag advancing unaccompanied along the broad centralpath through the village. In a few seconds he recognised the square,solid face of Hahn. The German, who appeared to be unarmed, haltedbeyond range of revolver shots, and waving his flag, shouted:
'Hi, hi! Somevon speak.'
'What do you want, Hahn?' Trentham called.
'I speak for Captain Holzbach, of ze Imperial German Navy,' said Hahn.'Ze captain bresent his gompliments and say zat he admire very much zeclever vay his ship is sunk, and zink ze vite men shall now be friendly,because we must all remain on zis island until ze var end. He vish tobuy food, and say if ze savages come out and sell, he pay good price,and zey shall be safe.'
Trentham was under no illusion as to the German's good will; but wishingto temporise, partly with a view to the avoidance of further fighting,partly to allow for the arrival of the ex
pected help, he replied:
'On behalf of the chief of this village I am willing to strike abargain. If you, Hahn, and three other officers will come inside,unarmed, as hostages, a sufficient supply of provisions shall be sentout to you, on condition that you leave this part of the country, andengage not to molest the people.'
Whatever Hahn may have expected, it was clear that he was surprised atthe terms offered. After a slight hesitation he said:
'It is not right zat German officers shall place zemselves in ze handsof savages, vat eat men.'
'But I am not a savage, and I guarantee that you shall not be eaten.You have good reason for being sure of that, Hahn.'
The German appeared to be annoyed at the allusion to his rescue from thedancing party on the beach.
'It is absurd!' he cried. 'Ze dignity of German officers vill notpermit zem to do vat you say.'
'Then I am afraid that you must repeat to your captain that we cannottrade with him.'
'You know vat you do? Of us zere are fifty or sixty, viz rifles. Youzink savages viz spears any good? Ve are not hard; but if it is var,zen----'
'Threats are useless, Hahn,' Trentham interrupted. 'We know your ideaof war. I have nothing more to say. You have my terms: you had betterconsult your superior officer.'
The German glared, turned on his heel, and walked away. The breathlesssilence which had held the natives during the colloquy was broken byshouts of triumph; but Trentham sent Lafoa to explain matters to thechief, and asked him to keep his men in readiness for the assault whichcould not long be delayed. It was clear to him that Hahn's mission hadbeen intended to lead to the opening of the gate and the division of thegarrison. He had no doubt that if the natives had been decoyed outsidetheir wall, the Germans would have rushed the place.
For some time after Hahn's departure there was no sign of hostilities.Then the Germans could be heard shouting to one another in the forestnorth of the village, and with the voices mingled the sound ofwood-cutting. None of the enemy came in sight, and Trentham could onlyconjecture the nature of their operations.
Nearly two hours passed. The natives grew more and more noisy andrestless. They could not understand why they were still cooped up in theenclosure. At length, however, after a brief cessation of all sounds inthe forest, there was a sudden whistle, followed by the sharp crack ofrifles, and from the trees facing the northern side of the village theGermans rushed forward in open order, on a front of nearly a quarter ofa mile. The defenders, as Trentham had ordered, remained out of sight.He himself watched the enemy through a loophole in the log wall.
They were variously armed. Some had rifles with bayonets; otherscutlasses, others axes. Some carried roughly constructed ladders. Asthey drew nearer, Trentham noticed that these last, as well as theofficers at different parts of the line, were armed with rifles. Theycame on steadily and silently until they were almost within effectivebow-shot; then they halted, the officers collected and consultedtogether. It appeared that they were somewhat at a loss how to proceedagainst an enemy whom they could not see, and whose defences they had nomeans of battering down. The pause was of short duration. Anothervolley was fired, with the intention doubtless of overawing the nativesrather than of doing effective damage. A few men behind the walls wereslightly injured by splinters; none were incapacitated, and all, with aself-restraint that Trentham had not expected, remained quietly at theirposts until the enemy should come to close quarters.
After discharging their rifles, the Germans surged forward again, movingvery rapidly, but maintaining a regular line. Trentham wondered whythey were spread out so widely instead of concentrating on a limitedsection of the wall. In a few moments he saw through their plan. Ithad been desired to weaken the defence by compelling the natives to mana longer stretch of the wall than was the actual object of attack. TheGermans suddenly contracted their front, no doubt calculating to reachthe wall a few invaluable seconds before the defenders could mass at thethreatened section.
They were now within range of the natives' weapons, and in close orderpresented a target which even Grinson, despite his want of skill withthe spear, could hardly have missed. Obeying a preconcerted signal fromTrentham, Flanso at last gave his panting warriors the word they hadeagerly awaited. They sprang on to the platform that lined the foot ofthe wall, and was just high enough to bring their heads a few inchesabove the top. A shower of arrows and spears burst upon the advancingenemy. Many of them fell, but the rush was not stayed. There was noanswer from their rifles; their orders evidently were to force their wayinto the defences with cold steel. Another flight of arrows equallyfailed to check them. With disciplined energy they swept forward to thewall, and having reached it were in comparative safety from the weaponsof the men within. Quickly they set their ladders against the barricadeand began to swarm up with the agility of seamen. Where there were noladders they mounted on one another's backs. They gained the top, andthen began a furious struggle, so confused that Trentham was never ableto give a clear account of it.
QUICKLY THEY SET THEIR LADDERS AGAINST THE BARRICADE, ANDBEGAN TO SWARM UP.]
The Germans had the advantage of discipline, the higher position, andbetter weapons. The natives on the other hand, were more numerous, butlacked cohesion. They plied their spears manfully, but these were a poordefence against clubbed rifles, bayonets, swords, revolvers. Only theirnumbers saved them from utter defeat from the moment when the enemygained a footing on the wall. Trentham ran along the line, making playwith his revolver wherever the Germans were thickest. A group ofnatives had attached themselves to him, and when he had disposed of twoor three of the enemy with rapid shots, the Papuans took advantage ofthe Germans' momentary bafflement and with their spears cleared a fewfeet of the wall.
But he could not be everywhere at once. While he had been engaged atthis spot, some fifty yards beyond, the Germans, having beaten off thenatives who had tried to thrust them from the wall, had jumped down, andwere pressing forward over the bodies of the fallen towards the centreof the enclosure. Trentham and Flanso had marked the danger at the samemoment. With a resonant shout the latter dashed towards the enemy atthe head of a body of picked men, and the Germans, outnumbered andunable to withstand the fury of his onset, fell stubbornly back.Satisfied that Flanso could hold his own for a time, Trentham dashed onto another point where half a dozen Germans in line were driving backwith their bayonets the few survivors of the natives who had been unableto hold the wall. At this moment he was somewhat perturbed at hearingshouts and firing from a distant quarter which he had not known to beattacked. He had no time to find out what was happening there, buthoped that Grinson had been on the alert. On the point of plunging intothe fray, he found that he had emptied both the revolvers he had broughtwith him. He snatched up a spear, but as he rose from stooping Meek'stremulous voice sounded in his ear.
'Mr. Grinson said I was to bring 'em, sir.'
The man thrust two revolvers into his hands, then took the spear andfollowed him.
The natives were falling back before the serried bayonets. From thewall behind Germans were leaping one after another as fast as they couldclimb the ladders on the other side. One of them, pausing on the top,fired his rifle point-blank at Trentham, but a comrade climbing afterhim jostled him at the critical moment; the shot flew wide, and, unknownto Trentham, struck Meek, who fell heavily near the foot of the wall.With a couple of shots Trentham disposed of the man who had fired at himand another who had just descended; then he turned to help the nativeswhom the pitiless bayonets were demoralising.
At this moment Hahn, with bayonet outstretched, came heavily towards himfrom the side. Trentham flashed a shot at him, and as he stumbled past,hard hit, wrenched the rifle from his grasp and hurried on. Coming uponthe Germans from the rear, he shot down one after another; the natives,cheered by his presence, rallied, and flinging themselves on thesurvivors, disposed of them with their spears and sent reeling backothers who had just sprung from the wall.
r /> But other Germans were swarming over on each side. At three or fourpoints little groups had found their footing and were more than holdingtheir own, while others, astride on the top, were firing on thedefenders and strewing the ground with their victims. Trentham saw withsinking heart that the natives were everywhere giving way and fallingback towards the chief's house. The Germans on the flank farthest fromhim were beginning to form up in line, with the evident intention ofcarrying all before them in a final charge. Fully occupied in helpinghis immediate followers to repel a swarm of Germans who were pouringover the wall in his neighbourhood, Trentham saw the imminence of totaldefeat which he now felt powerless to avert.
Facing the wall, he suddenly heard, above the general din of theconflict, the deep bellow of Grinson's war-cry. He turned quickly andsaw the seaman, with his sleeves turned up, wielding his huge mace, andfollowed by a score of yelling natives, charging along at the foot ofthe wall. Swinging his mighty weapon as easily as if it had been awalking-cane, Grinson fell upon the flank of the Germans who werepreparing to charge. Now he plied the mace in wide sweeps that cleareda path as a sickle through grain; now he gave point with the massivestudded head; now he swung it over his head like a blacksmith's hammer.Revolvers were flashed at him, but he hurled himself along unscathed.The Germans on the wall dared not fire at him for fear of hitting theirown men. And Trentham was amazed to see, close behind him, the hideousfigure of the medicine-man, advancing with grotesque leaps and whirlinghis arms with extraordinary contortions.
The enemy huddled together, some still fighting, others merely seekingto escape from this human battering-ram. They began to retire inTrentham's direction; the natives in their front, taking heart, closedin; and Trentham, feeling that at this critical moment he might leavethe wall unguarded, led his men to meet the discomfited enemy. Takenthus in front and on both flanks, so crowded together that those of themwho had firearms were unable to use them, the Germans became adisorganised mob. Heedless of the shouts of their officers, of whom oneor two had entered the enclosure, while the others were either on thewall or outside, they sought safety in flight. Many of them were cutdown before they gained the wall. The rest clambered over, abandoningtheir weapons that impeded them, and fled helter-skelter into theforest, pursued by the natives led by Flanso himself.
Grinson sat down with his mace across his knees, wiped his streamingbrow, and looked with a sort of amused curiosity at sundry gashes andstabs on his arm.
'Might 'a been worse, sir,' he said. 'Would you believe it? Ugly mughas stuck to me like a brother. Which it proves, if you want a man tolove you, just knock him down. But where's my Ephraim, sir? What'sbecome o' the lad?'