Begumbagh: A Tale of the Indian Mutiny

  STORY ONE, CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

  I don't know how time passed then; but the next thing I remember islistening to the firing for a while, and then, leaning on Lizzy, beinghelped to the women's quarters, where, in spite of all they could do,those children would keep escaping from their mother to get to HarryLant, who lay close to me, poor fellow, smiling and looking happywhenever they came near him; and I smiled too, and felt as happy whenLizzy, after tending me with Mrs Bantem as long as was necessary, gotbathing Harry's forehead with water and moistening his lips.

  "Poor fellow," I thought, "it will do him good;" and I lay watchingLizzy moving about afterwards, and then I think I must have gone tosleep, or have fallen into a dull numb state, from which I was wakenedby a voice I knew; and opening my eyes, I saw that Miss Ross, pale andscared-looking, was on her knees by the side of Harry Lant, and thatCaptain Dyer was there.

  "Not one word of welcome," he said, with a strange drawn look on hisface, which deepened as Miss Ross rose and went close to him.

  "Yes," she said; "thank God you have returned safe.--No, no; don't touchme," she cried hoarsely. "Here, take me away--lead me out of this!" shesaid, for at that moment Lieutenant Leigh came quietly in, and she puther hands in his. "Take me out," she said again hoarsely; and then likesome one muttering in a dream: "Take me away--take me away."

  I said that drawn strange look on Captain Dyer's face seemed to deepenas he stood watching whilst those two went out together; then he passedhis hand over his eyes, as if to ask himself whether it was a dream; andthen, with a groan, he leaned one hand against the wall, feeling his wayout from the room, and something seemed to hinder me from calling out tohim, and telling him what I knew. For I was reasoning with myself whatought I to do? and then, sick and faint I seemed to sleep again.

  But this time I was waked up by a loud shrieking, and a rush of feet,and, confused as I was, I knew what it meant: the hole where the blacksescaped--Chunder and his party--had not been properly guarded, and themutineers had climbed up and made an entrance.

  The alarm spread fast enough, but not quick enough to save life; for,with a howl, half-a-dozen sepoys, with their scarlet and white coateesopen, dashed in with fixed bayonets, and two women were borne to theground in an instant, while a couple of wretches made a dash at thosetwo children--Little Cock Robin and Jenny Wren, as we called them--standing there, wondering like, by Harry Lant's bed on the floor, whilstthe golden light of the setting sun filled the room, and lit up theirlittle angels' faces.

  But with a howl, such as I never heard woman give, Mrs Bantem rushedbetween them and the children, caught a bayonet in each hand, and heldthem together, letting them pass under one arm, then with a springforward she threw those great arms of hers round the black fellows'necks as they hung together, and held them in such a hug as they neversuffered from before.

  The next moment they were all rolling together on the floor; but thatincident saved the lives of those poor children, for there came a cheernow, and Measles and a dozen more were led in by Lieutenant Leigh, and--

  There, I am telling you too many horrors. They beat them back step bystep, at the point of the bayonet; and a fierce struggle it was, a longfight kept up from room to room, for our men were fierce now as themutineers, and it was a genuine death-struggle; and the broken windowbeing guarded, not a man of about a dozen mutineers who gained entrancelived to go back and relate their want of success.

  And can you wonder, when two of those who fought had found their wivesbayoneted Grainger was one of them and when the fight was over, duringwhich, raging like a demon, he had bayoneted four men, the poor fellowsat down by his dead wife, took her head first in his lap, then to hisbreast, and rocked himself to and fro, crying like a child, till therewas a bugle-call in the court-yard, when he laid her gently in a corner,carrying her like as if she had been a child, kneeled down, and said`Our Father' right through by her side, kissed her lips two or threetimes, and then covered her face with a bit of an old red handkerchief;and him all the while covered with blood and dust and black of powder.Then, poor fellow, he got up and took his gun, and went out on the tipsof his toes, lest he should wake her who would wake no more in thisworld.

  Perhaps it was weakness, I don't know, but my eyes were very wet justthen, and a soft little hand was laid on my breast, and Lizzy's headleant over me, and her tears, too, fell very fast on my hot and feveredface.

  I felt that I should die, not then, perhaps, but before very long, for Iknew that my arm was so shattered that it ought to be amputated justbelow the elbow, while for want of surgical assistance it would mortify;but somehow I felt very happy just then, and my state did not give memuch pain, only that I wanted to have been up and doing; and at lastLizzy helping me, I got up, my arm being bandaged--and in a sling, tofind that I could walk about a little; and I made my way down into thecourt-yard, where I got near to Captain Dyer, who, better now, and ableto limp about, was talking with Lieutenant Leigh, both officers now, andforgetful apparently of all but the present crisis.

  "What wounded are there?" said Captain Dyer, as I walked slowly up.

  "Nearly every man to some extent," said Lieutenant Leigh; "but this manand Lant are the worst."

  "The place ought to be evacuated," said Captain Dyer; "it is impossibleto hold it another day."

  "We might hold out another day," said Lieutenant Leigh, "but not longer.Why not retreat under cover of the night?"

  "It seems the only thing left," said Captain Dyer. "We might perhapsget to some hiding-place or other before our absence was discovered; butthe gate and that back window will be watched of course: how are we toget away with two severely wounded men, the women, and children?"

  "That must be planned," said Lieutenant Leigh; and then the watch wasset for the night, as far as could be done, and another time of darknessset in.

  It was that which puzzled me, why a good bold attack was not made bynight; why, the place must have been carried again and again; but no, wewere left each night entirely at rest, and the attacks by day wereclumsy and bad. There was no support; every man fought for himself andafter his own fashion, and I suppose that every man did look uponhimself as an officer, and resented all discipline. At all events, itwas our salvation, though at this time it seemed to me that the end mustbe coming on the next day, and I remember thinking, that if it did cometo the end, I should like to keep one cartridge left in my pouch.

  Then my mind went off wandering in a misty way upon a plan to get awayby night, and I tried to make one, taking into consideration, that thequarters on the north side of us now, and only separated by ten feet ofalley, were in the hands of the mutineers, who camped in them, the samebeing the case in the quarters on the south side, separated again by theten feet of alley through which we returned when Captain Dyer and HarryLant were taken. While on the east was the market plain or square, andon the west a wilderness of open country with huts and sheds. I felt,do you know, that a good plan of escape at this time was just what Iought to make, every one else being busy with duty, and me not able toeither fight or stand sentry, so I worked on hard at it that night,trying to be useful in some way; and after a fashion, I worked one out.

  But I have not told you what I meant to do with that last cartridge inmy pouch; I meant that to be pressed to my lips once before I contrivedwith one hand to load my rifle, and then if the worst came to the veryworst, and when I had waited to the last to see if help would come,then, when it seemed that there was no hope, I meant to do what I toldmyself it would be my duty, as a man and a soldier, to do, if I lovedLizzy Green--do what more than one man did, during the mutiny, by thewoman for whom he had been shedding his heart's best blood; and in thedead of that night I did load that gun, after kissing the bullet; and adeal of pain that gave me, mental as well as bodily, but I don't thinkthat I need to tell you what that last cartridge was for.