STORY ONE, CHAPTER FIVE.
Now, after giving my word of honour to hold all that sacred, some peoplemay think I'm breaking faith in telling what I saw; but I made thatright by asking the colonel's leave--he is a colonel now--and he smiled,and said that I ought to change the names, and then it would not matter.
I left off my last chapter saying how I felt being tied down to onespot, as I kept guard there; and perhaps everybody don't know that asentry's duty is to stay in the spot where he has been posted, and thatleaving it lightly might, in time of war, mean death.
I should think I watched quite an hour, wondering whether I ought togive any alarm; but I was afraid it would appear foolish, for perhapsafter all it might only mean a bit of a quarrel, and I could not call tomind any quarrel between officers ending in a duel.
I was glad, too, that I did not say anything, for at last I saw themcoming back in the clear moonlight--clear-like as day; and then in thedistance they stopped, and in a moment one figure seemed to strike theother a sharp blow, which sent him staggering back, and I could not thensee who it was that was hit, till they came nearer, and I made out thatit was Captain Dyer; while, if I had any doubts at first, I could havenone as they came nearer and nearer, with Lieutenant Leigh talking in abig insolent way at Captain Dyer, who was very quiet, holding hishandkerchief to his cheek.
So as to be as near as possible to where they were going to pass, Iwalked to the end of my tether, and, as they came up, Lieutenant Leighsays, in a nasty spiteful whisper: "I should have thought you would havecome into the tent to display the wound received in the lady's cause."
"Leigh," said Captain Dyer, taking down his white handkerchief--and inthe bright moonlight I could see that his cheek was cut, and thehandkerchief all bloody--"Leigh, that was an unmanly blow. You calledme a coward; you struck me; and now you try to poison the wound withyour words. I never lift hand against the man who has taken that handin his as my friend, but the day may come when I can prove to you thatyou are a liar."
Lieutenant Leigh turned upon him fiercely, as though he would havestruck him again; but Captain Dyer paid no heed to him, only walkedquietly off to his quarters; while, with a sneering, scornful sort oflaugh, the lieutenant went into the colonel's tent; though, if heexpected to see Miss Ross, he was disappointed, for so long as I was onguard, she did not shew any more that night.
Off again the next morning, and over a hotter and dustier road thanever; and I must say that I began to wish we were settled down inbarracks again, for everything seemed to grow more and more crooked, andpeople more and more unpleasant. Why, even Mrs Bantem that morningbefore starting must shew her teeth, and snub Lantern, and then begingoing on about the colonel's wife, and the fine madam, her sister,having all sorts of luxuries, while poor hard-working soldiers' wiveshad to bear all the burden and heat of the day; while, by way of windingup, she goes up to Harry Lant and Measles, who were, as usual,squabbling about something, and boxes both their ears, as if they hadbeen bad boys. I saw them both colour up fierce; but the next minuteHarry Lant bursts out laughing, and Measles does the same, and then theytwo did what I should think they never did before--they shook hands; butMrs Bantem had no sooner turned away with tears in her eyes, becauseshe felt so cross, than the two chaps fell out again about some stupidthing or another, and kept on snarling and snapping at each other allalong the march.
But there, bless you! that wasn't all I saw Mrs Maine talking to hersister in a quick earnest sort of way, and they both seemed out ofsorts; and the colonel swore at the tent-men, and bullied the adjutant,and he came round and dropped on to us, finding fault with the men'sbelts, and that upset the sergeants. Then some of the baggage didn'tstart right, and Lieutenant Leigh had to be taken to task by CaptainDyer, as in duty bound; while, when at last we were starting, if therewasn't a tremendous outcry, and the young colonel--little Cock Robin,you know--kicking, and screaming, and fighting the old black nurse,because he mightn't draw his little sword, and march alongside of HarryLant!
Now, I'm very particular about putting all this down, because I want youto see how we all were one with the other, and how right through thebattalion little things made us out of sorts with one another, andhardly friendly enough to speak, so that the difference may strike you,and you may see in a stronger light the alteration and the behaviour ofpeople when trouble came.
All the same, though, I don't think it's possible for anybody to make along march in India without getting out of temper. It's my belief thatthe grit does it, for you do have that terribly; and what with the heat,the dust, the thirst, the government boots, that always seem as if madenot to fit anybody, and the grit, I believe even a regiment allchaplains would forget their trade.
Tramp, tramp, tramp, day after day, and nearly always over wide, dreary,dusty plains. Now we'd pass a few muddy paddy-fields, or come upon ariver, but not often; and I many a time used to laugh grimly to myself,as I thought what a very different place hot, dusty, dreary India was,to the glorious country I used to picture, all beautiful trees andflowers, and birds with dazzling plumage. There are bright placesthere, no doubt, but I never came across one, and my recollections ofIndia are none of the most cheery.
But at last came the day when we were crossing a great wide-spreadplain, in the middle of which seemed to be a few houses, with somethingbright here and there shining in the sun; and as we marched on, thecluster of houses appeared to grow and grow, till we halted at last in amarket square of a good-sized town; and that night we were once more inbarracks. But, for my part, I was more gritty than ever; for now we didnot see the colonel's lady or her sister, though I may as well own thatthere was some one with them that I wanted to see more than either.
They were all, of course, at the colonel's quarters, a fine old palaceof a place, with a court-yard, and a tank in the centre, and trees, anda flat roof, by the side of the great square; while on one side wasanother great rambling place, separated by a narrowish sort of alley,used for stores and hospital purposes; and on the other side, stillgoing along by the side of the great market square, was anotherbuilding, the very fellow to the colonel's quarters, but separated by anarrow footway, some ten feet wide, and this place was occupied by theofficers.
Our barracks took up another side of the square; and on the others weremosques and flat-roofed buildings, and a sort of bazaar; while all roundstretched away, in narrow streets, the houses of what we men used tocall the niggers. Though, speaking for myself, I used to find them,when well treated, a nice, clean, gentle sort of people. I used to lookupon them as a big sort of children; in their white muslin and calico,and their simple ways of playing--like at living; and even now I haven'taltered my opinion of them in general, for the great burst of frenziedpassion that run through so many of them was just like a child'suncontrolled rage.
Things were not long in settling down to the regular life: there was alittle drill of a morning, and then, the rest of the day, the heat tofight with, which seemed to take all the moisture out of our bodies, andmake us long for night.
I did not get put on as sentry once at the colonel's quarters, but Iheard a little now and then from Mrs Bantem, who used to wash some ofMrs Maine's fine things, the black women doing everything else; andshe'd often have a good grumble about "her fine ladyship," as she calledher, and she'd pity her children. She used to pick up a good deal ofinformation, though, and, taking a deal of interest as I did in MissRoss, I got to know that it seemed to be quite a settled thing betweenher and Captain Dyer; and Bantem, who got took on now as LieutenantLeigh's servant, used to tell his wife about how black those two wereone towards the other.
And so the time went on in a quiet sleepy way, the men getting lazierevery day. There was nothing to stir us, only now and then we'd have agood laugh at Measles, who'd get one of his nasty fits on, and swear atall the officers round, saying he was as good as any of them, and thatif he had his rights he would have been made an officer before then.Harry Lant, too, used to do his bit to make time pass away a
little lessdull, singing, telling stories, or getting up to some of his pranks withold _Nabob_, the elephant, making Chunder, the mahout, more mad thanever, for, no matter what he did or said, only let Harry make a sort ofqueer noise of his, and just like a great flesh-mountain, that elephantwould come. It didn't matter who was in the way: regiment at drill,officer, rajah, anybody, old _Nabob_ would come straight away to Harry,holding out his trunk for fruit, or putting it in Harry's breast, wherehe'd find some bread or biscuit; and then the great brute would smoothhim all over with his trunk, in a way that used to make Mrs Bantem say,that perhaps, after all, the natives weren't such fools as they looked,and that what they said about dead people going into animals' bodiesmight be true after all, for, if that great overgrown beast hadn't asoul of its own, and couldn't think, she didn't know nothing, so nowthen!