Begumbagh: A Tale of the Indian Mutiny

  STORY ONE, CHAPTER NINETEEN.

  I suppose it was my wound made me do things in a sluggish dreamy way,and made me feel ready to stop and look at any little thing which tookmy attention. Anyhow, that's the way I acted; and going inside thatroom, I stopped short just inside the place, for there were those twolittle children of the colonel's sitting on the floor, with a whole heapof those numbers of the Bible--those that people take in shillingparts--and with two or three large pictures in each. Some one had giventhem the parts to amuse themselves with; and, as grand and old-fashionedas could be, they were shewing these pictures to the soldiers' children.

  As I went in they'd got a picture open, of Jacob lying asleep, with hisdream spread before you, of the great flight of steps leading up intoheaven, and the angels going up and down.

  "There," says little Jenny Wren to a boy half as old again as herself;"those are angels, and they're coming down from heaven, and they've gotbeautiful wings like birds."

  "Oh," says little Cock Robin thoughtfully, and he leaned over thepicture. Then he says quite seriously: "If they've got wings, why don'tthey fly down?"

  That was a poser; but Jenny Wren was ready with her answer,old-fashioned as could be, and she says: "I should think it's toz theywere moulting."

  I remember wishing that the poor little innocents had wings of theirown, for it seemed to me that they would be a sad trouble to us to getaway that night, just at the time when a child's most likely to be crossand fretful.

  Night at last, dark as dark, save only a light twinkling here and there,in different parts where the enemy had made their quarters. There was abuzzing in the camp where the guns were, and as we looked over, oncethere came the grinding noise of a wheel, but only once.

  We made sure that the gate and the broken window opening were wellwatched, for there was the white calico of the sentries to be seen; butsoon the darkness hid them, and we should not have known that they werethere but for the faint spark now and then which shewed that they weresmoking, and once I heard, quite plain in the dead stillness, the soundmade by a "hubble-bubble" pipe.

  We waited one hour, and then, with six of us on the roof, the plan Imade began to be put into operation.

  My idea was that if we could manage to cross the north alley, which as Itold you was about ten feet wide, we might then go over the roof of thequarters where the mutineers were; then on to the next roof; which was afew feet lower; and from there get down on to some sheds, from which itwould be easy to reach the ground, when the way would be open to us, toescape, with perhaps some hours before we were missed.

  The plan was, I know, desperate, but it seemed our only chance, and, asyou well know, desperate ventures will sometimes succeed when the mostcarefully arranged plots fail. At all events, Captain Dyer took it up,and the men under my directions, a couple of muskets were taken at atime, and putting them muzzle to muzzle, the bayonet of each was thrustdown the other's barrel, which saved lashing them together, and gave usa sort of spar about ten feet long, and this was done with about fifty.

  Did I tell you there was a tree grew up in the centre of the alley--astunty, short-boughed tree, and to this Measles laid one of the doublemuskets, feeling for a bough to rest it on in the darkness, afterlistening whether there was any one below; then he laid more and more,till with a mattress laid upon them, he formed a bridge, over which heboldly crept to the tree, where, with the lashings he had taken, hebound a couple more muskets horizontal, and then shifted the others? Hearranged them all so that the butts of one end rested on the roof of thepalace; the butts at the other end were across those he had bound prettylevel in the tree. Then more and more were laid across, and a couple ofthin straw mattresses on them; and though it took a tremendously longtime, through Measles fumbling in the dark, it was surprising what afirm bridge that made as far as the tree.

  The other half was made in just the same fashion, and much more easily.Mattresses were laid on it; and there, thirty feet above the ground, wehad a tolerably firm bridge, one that, though very irregular, a mancould cross with ease, creeping on his hands and knees; but then therewere the women, children, and poor Harry Lant.

  Captain Dyer thought it would be better to say nothing to them about it,but to bring them all quietly up at the last minute, so as to give themno time for thought and fear; and then, the last preparation being made,and a rough, short ladder, eight feet long, Measles and I had contrived,being carried over and planted at the end of the other quarters,reaching well down to the next roof; we prepared for a start.

  Measles and Captain Dyer went over with the ladder, and reported nosentries visible, the bridge pretty firm, and nothing apparently tofear, when it was decided that Harry Lant should be taken over first--Measles volunteering to take him on his back and crawl over--then thewomen and children were to be got over, and we were to follow.

  I know it was hard work for him, but Harry Lant never gave a groan, butlet them lash his hands together with a handkerchief; so that Measlesput his head through the poor fellow's arms, for there was no trustingto Harry's feeble hold.

  "Now then, in silence," says Captain Dyer; "and you, Lieutenant Leigh,get up the women and children. But each child is to be taken by a man,who is to be ready to gag the little thing if it utters a sound.Recollect, the lives of all depend on silence.--Now, Bigley, forward!"

  "Wait till I spit in my hands, captain," says Measles, though what hewanted to spit in his hands for, I don't know, without it was from use,being such a spitting man.

  But spit in his hands he did, and then he was down on his hands andknees, crawling on to the mattress very slowly, and you could hear thebayonets creaking and gritting, as they played in and out of themusket-barrels but they held firm, and the next minute Measles was asfar as the tree, but only to get his load hitched somehow in a raggedbranch, when there was a loud crack as of dead-wood snapping, astruggle, and Measles growled out an oath--he would swear, that fellowwould, in spite of all Mrs Bantem said, so you mustn't be surprised athis doing it then.

  We all stood and crouched there, with our hearts beating horribly; forit seemed that the next moment we should hear a dull, heavy crash; butinstead, there came the sharp fall of a dead branch, and at the samemoment there were voices at the end of the alley.

  If Captain Dyer dared to have spoken, he would have called "Halt!" buthe was silent; and Measles must have heard the voices, for he nevermoved, while we listened minute after minute, our necks just over theedge of the roof, till what appeared to be three of the enemy creptcautiously along through the alley, till one tripped and fell over thedead bough that must have been lying right in their way.

  Then there was a horrible silence, during which we felt that it was allover with the plan--that the enemy must look up and see the bridge, andbring down those who would attack us with renewed fury.

  But the next minute, there came a soft whisper or two, a light rustling,and directly after we knew that the alley was empty.

  It seemed useless to go on now; but after five minutes' interval,Captain Dyer determined to pursue the plan, just as Measles came backpanting to announce Harry Lant as lying on the roof beyond the officers'quarters.

  "And you've no idea what a weight the little chap is," says Measles tome.--"Now, who's next?"

  No one answered; and Lieutenant Leigh stepped forward with Miss Ross.He was about to carry her over; but she thrust him back, and afterscanning the bridge for a few moments, she asked for one of thechildren, and so as to have no time lost, the little boy, fast asleep,bless him! was put in her arms, when brave as brave, if she did not stepboldly on to the trembling way, and walk slowly across.

  Then Joe Bantem was sent, though he hung back for his wife, till sheordered him on, to go over with a soldier's child on his back; and hewas followed by a couple more.

  Next came Mrs Bantem, with Mrs Colonel Maine, and the stout-heartedwoman stood as if hesitating for a minute as to how to go, when catchingup the colonel's wife, as if she had been a child, she stepped on to t
hebridge, and two or three men held the butts of the muskets, for itseemed as if they could not bear the strain.

  But though my heart seemed in my mouth, and the creaking was terrible,she passed safely over, and it was wonderful what an effect that had onthe rest.

  "If it'll bear that, it'll bear anything," says some one close to me;and they went on, one after the other, for the most part crawling, tillit came to me and Lizzy Green.

  "You'll go now," I said; but she would not leave me, and we crept ontogether, till a bough of the tree hindered us, when I made her gofirst, and a minute after we were hand-in-hand upon the other roof.

  The others followed, Captain Dyer coming last, when, seeing me, hewhispered: "Where's Bigley?" of course meaning Measles.

  I looked round, but it was too dark to distinguish one face fromanother. I had not seen him for the last quarter of an hour--not sincehe had asked me if I had any matches, and I had passed him half-a-dozenfrom my tobacco-pouch.

  I asked first one, and then another, but nobody had seen Measles; andunder the impression that he must have joined Harry Lant, we cautiouslywalked along the roof, right over the heads of our enemies; for fromtime to time we could hear beneath our feet the low buzzing sound ofvoices, and more than once came a terrible catching of the breath, asone of the children whispered or spoke.

  It seemed impossible, even now, that we could escape, and I was forproposing to Captain Dyer to risk the noise, and have the bridge takendown, so as to hold the top of the building we were on as a last retreatbut I was stopped from that by Measles coming up to me, when I told himCaptain Dyer wanted him, and he crept away once more.

  We got down the short ladder in safety, and then crossed a low building,to pass down the ladder on to another, which fortunately for us wasempty; and then, with a little contriving and climbing, we dropped intoa deserted street of the place, and all stood huddled together, whileCaptain Dyer and Lieutenant Leigh arranged the order of march.

  And that was no light matter; but a litter was made of the short ladder,and Harry Lant laid upon it; the women and children placed in themiddle; the men were divided; and the order was given in a low tone tomarch, and we began to walk right away into the darkness, down thestraggling street; but only for the advance-guard to come back directly,and announce that they had stumbled upon an elephant picketed with acouple of camels.

  "Any one with them?" said Captain Dyer.

  "Could not see a soul, sir," said Joe Bantem, for he was one of the men.

  "Grenadiers, half-left," said Captain Dyer; "forward!" and once more wewere in motion, tramp, tramp, tramp, but quite softly; Lieutenant Leighat the rear of the first party, so as to be with Miss Ross, and CaptainDyer in the rear of all, hiding, poor fellow, all he must have felt, andseeming to give up every thought to the escape, and that only.