CHAPTER IX
THE RESCUE OF NOREEN
There was a moment's consternation among the Bhuttias. Then they sprang totheir feet and began to draw their _dahs_. But suddenly one cried:
"The demon elephant! The devil man!"
Another and another took up the cry. Then all at once in terror they turnedand plunged panic-stricken into the undergrowth. All but two--the wearer ofshoes and a man with a scarred face beside him. While the rest fled theystood their ground and called vainly to their companions to come back. Whenthey found themselves deserted the wearer of shoes pulled out a revolverand fired at Dermot, while his scarred comrade drew his sword and rantowards Noreen.
The soldier, ignoring his own danger but fearing for the girl's life, threwhis rifle to his shoulder and sent a bullet crashing through herassailant's skull, then with his second barrel he shot the man with thepistol through the heart. The first raider collapsed instantly and fell ina heap, while the other, dropping his weapon, swayed for a moment,staggered forward a few feet, and fell dead.
Only then could Dermot look at Noreen. In the dramatic moment of hisappearance the girl had uttered no sound, but sat rigid with her eyes fixedon him. When the swordsman rushed at her she seemed scarcely conscious ofher peril but she started in terror and grew deadly pale when his companionfired at her rescuer. When both fell her tension relaxed. She sank backhalf-fainting in her chair and closed her eyes.
When she opened them again Badshah was kneeling a few yards away and Dermotstood beside her cutting the cords that bound her.
She looked up at him and said simply:
"I knew you would come."
With an affectation of light-heartedness that he was far from feeling hereplied laughing:
"Of course you did. I am bound to turn up like the clown in the pantomime,saying, 'Here we are again.' Oh, I forgot. I am a bit late. I should haveappeared on the scene when those beggars got to your bungalow."
He pretended to treat the whole affair lightly and made no further allusionto her adventure, asking no questions about it. He was afraid lest sheshould break down in the sudden relief from the strain and anxiety. Butthere was no cause to fear it. The girl was quietly brave and imitated hisair of unconcern, behaving after the first moment as if they were meetingunder the most ordinary circumstances. She smiled, though somewhat feebly,as she said:
"Oh, not a clown, Major Dermot. Rather the hero of a cinema drama, whoalways appears in time to rescue the persecuted maiden. I am beginning tofeel quite like the unlucky heroine of a film play."
The cords fastening her had now been cut, so she tried to stand up butfound no strength in her numbed limbs.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm--I'm rather stiff," she said, sinking back into thechair again. She felt angry at her weakness, but she was almost glad of itwhen she saw Dermot's instant look of concern.
"You are cramped from being tied up," he said. "Don't hurry."
The cords had chafed her wrists cruelly. He stooped to examine theabrasions, and the girl thrilled at his gentle touch. A feeling of shynessovercame her, and she turned her eyes away from his face. They fell on thebodies of the dead raiders, and she hastily averted her gaze.
"Hadn't we better hurry away from here?" she asked, apprehensively.
"No; I don't think there is any necessity. The men who ran away seemed tooscared to think of returning. But still, we'll start as soon as you feelstrong enough."
"What was it that they cried out?"
"Oh, merely an uncomplimentary remark about Badshah and me," he replied.
The girl made another attempt to rise and succeeded with his assistance. Helifted her on to Badshah's pad and went over to examine the dead men. Afterhis first casual glance at the wearer of shoes he knelt down and lookedclosely into the face of the corpse. Then he pulled open the singlegarment. A thin cord consisting of three strings of spun cotton was roundthe body next the skin, passing over the left shoulder and under the rightarm. This Dermot cut off. From inside the garment he took out some otherarticles, all of which he pocketed. He then searched the corpse of thescarred Bhuttia, taking a small packet tied up in cloth from the breast ofthe garment. Noreen watched him with curiosity and marvelled at his couragein handling the dead bodies.
He returned to the kneeling elephant and took his place on the neck.
"Hold on now, Miss Daleham," he said. "Badshah's going to rise. _Uth_"
Noreen gripped the surcingle rope tightly as the elephant heaved up his bigbody and set off along a track through the jungle at a rapid pace.
"Now we are safe enough," said Dermot, turning towards his companion. "Ihave not asked you yet about your adventures. Tell me all that happened toyou, if you don't mind talking about it."
"Oh, it was awful," she answered, shuddering at the remembrance. "And itwas all so sudden. There was a fire in the jungle near the garden, and Fredwent with the others to put it out. He wouldn't let me accompany him, buttold me to go for my ride in the opposite direction. I didn't stay awaylong. I had just returned to the bungalow and dismounted and was giving mypony a piece of sugar, when several Bhuttias rushed at me from behind thehouse and seized me. Poor Lalla, my _syce_, tried to keep them off with hisbare hands, but one brute struck him on the head with his sword. The poorboy fell, covered with blood. I'm afraid he was killed."
"No, he isn't dead," remarked Dermot. "I saw him, and I think that he'lllive."
"Oh, I'm so glad to hear it," exclaimed the girl. "Ever since I saw it I'vehad before my eyes the dreadful sight of the poor lad lying on the groundcovered with blood and apparently lifeless. Well, to go on. I called theother servants, but no one came. The Bhuttias tied my hands and tried tolift me on to my pony's back, but Kitty got frightened and bolted. Thenthey didn't seem to know what to do, and one went to a man who had remainedat a distance from us and spoke to him. He apparently told them to fetch achair from the bungalow and put me into it. I tried to struggle, but I waspowerless in their grasp. I was fastened to the chair, poles were tied toit, and at a sign from the man who stood alone--he seemed to be theleader--I was lifted up and carried off."
"Did you notice anything about this man--the leader?" asked Dermot.
"Yes, he was not like the others in face. He didn't seem to me to be aBhuttia at all. He was one of the two that you shot--the man with shoes. Itseems absurd, but do you know, his face appeared rather familiar to mesomehow. But of course I could never have seen him before."
"Are you sure that you hadn't? Think hard," said Dermot eagerly.
The girl shook her head.
"It's no use. I puzzled over the likeness most of the time that I was intheir hands, but I couldn't place him."
Dermot looked disappointed.
The girl continued:
"We went through the forest for hours without stopping, except to changethe bearers of my chair. I noticed that the leader spoke to one man only,the man with the scars on his face whom you shot, too, and he passed on theorders."
"Could you tell in what language these two spoke to each other?"
"No; they never talked in my hearing. In fact I noticed that the man withshoes always avoided coming near me. Well, we went on and on and neverhalted until we reached the place where you found us. It seemed to be aspot that they had aimed for. I saw the scarred man examining some marks onthe trees in it and pointing them out to the leader, who then gave theorder to stop."
"How did they behave to you?"
"No one took any notice of me. They simply carried me, lifted me up, anddumped me down as if I were a tea-chest," replied the girl. "Well, that isall my adventure. But now please tell me how you came so opportunely to myrescue. Was it by chance or did you follow us? Oh, I forgot. You said yousaw Lalla, so you must have been at Malpura. Did Fred send you?"
Dermot briefly related all that had happened. When he told her of hisdispute with Badshah about the route to be followed and how the elephantproved to be in the right she cried enthusiastically:
"Oh, the dear thing!
He's just the most wonderful animal in the world.Forgive me for interrupting. Please go on."
When he had finished his tale there was silence between them for a little.Then Noreen said in a voice shaking with emotion:
"How can I thank you? Again you have saved me. And this time from a fateeven more dreadful than the first. I'd sooner be killed outright by theelephants than endure to be carried off to some awful place by thosewretches. Who were they? Were they brigands, like one reads of in Sicily?Was I to be killed or to be held to ransom?"
"Oh, the latter, I suppose," replied Dermot.
But there was a doubtful tone about his words. In fact, he was at a loss tounderstand the affair. It was probably not what he had thought it atfirst--an attempt on the part of enterprising Bhuttia raiders to carry offan Englishwoman for ransom. For when he overtook them they were on a paththat led away from the mountains, so they were not making for Bhutan. Andthe identity of the leader perplexed him.
There could be no political motive for the outrage. The affair was apuzzle. But he put the matter aside for the time being and began toconsider their position. The sun was declining, for the afternoon was welladvanced. As far as he could judge they were a long way from Malpura, andit seemed to him that Badshah was not heading directly for the garden. Buthe had sufficient confidence in the animal's intelligence to refrain frominterfering with him again. The pangs of hunger reminded him that he hadhad no food since the early morning cup of tea at the planter's bungalowwhere he had passed the night, for he had hoped to breakfast at Malpura. Itoccurred to him that his companion must be in the same plight.
"Are you hungry, Miss Daleham?" he asked.
"Hungry? I don't know. I haven't had time to think about food," shereplied. "But I'm very thirsty."
"Would you like a cup of tea?"
"Oh, don't tantalise me, Major," she replied laughing. "I feel I'd giveanything for one now. But unfortunately there aren't any tea-rooms in thiswonderful jungle of yours."
Dermot smiled.
"Perhaps it could be managed," he said. "What I am concerned about is howto get something substantial to eat, for I foolishly came away fromGranger's bungalow, where I stayed last night, without replenishing mystores, which had run low. I intended asking you for enough to carry meback to Ranga Duar. But when I heard what had happened--Hullo! with luckthere's our dinner."
He broke off suddenly, for a jungle cock had crowed in the forest not faraway.
"I wish I had a shot gun," he whispered. "But my rifle will have to do._Mul_, Badshah."
He guided the elephant quietly and cautiously in the direction from whichthe sound had come. Presently they came to an open glade and heard the fowlcrow again. Dermot halted Badshah in cover and waited. Presently there wasa patter over the dry leaves lying on the ground, and a jungle cock, a birdsimilar to an English bantam, stalked across the glade twenty yards away.It stopped and began to peck. Dermot quietly raised his rifle and tookcareful aim at its head. He fired, and the body of the cock fell to theearth headless.
"What a good shot, Major!" exclaimed Noreen, who had been quite excited.
"It was an easy one, for this rifle's extremely accurate and the range wasvery short. I fired at the head, for if I had hit the body with such a bigbullet there wouldn't have been much dinner left for us. Now I think thatwe shall have to halt for a little time. I know that you must be eager toget back home and relieve your brother's anxiety. But Badshah has beengoing for many hours on end and has not delayed to graze on the way, so itwould be wise to give him a rest and a feed."
"Yes, indeed," said the girl. "He thoroughly deserves it."
She was not unwilling that the time spent in Dermot's company should beprolonged. It was a sweet and wonderful experience to be thus alone withhim in the enchanted jungle. She had forgotten her fears; and theremembrance of her recent unpleasant adventure vanished in her presenthappiness. For she was subtly conscious of a new tenderness in his mannertowards her.
The elephant sank down, and Dermot dismounted and lifted the girl offcarefully. Noreen felt herself blushing as he held her in his arms, and shewas thankful that he did not look at her, but when he had put her down,busied himself in taking off Badshah's pad and laying it on the ground.Unstrapping his blankets he spread one and rolled the other up as a pillow.
"Now please lie down on this, Miss Daleham," he said. "A rest will do yougood, too. I am going to turn cook and show you how we fare in the jungle."
The girl took off her hat and was only too glad to stretch herself on thepad, which made a comfortable couch, for the emotions of the day had wornher out. She watched Dermot as he moved about absorbed in his task. Fromone pocket of the pad he took out a shallow aluminium dish and a small,round, convex iron plate. From another he drew a linen bag and a tincanister.
"You said that you would like tea, Miss Daleham," he remarked. "Well, youshall have some presently."
"Yes; but how can you make it?" she asked. "There's no water in thejungle."
"Plenty of it."
"Are we near a stream, then?"
"No; the water is all round us, waiting for me to draw it off."
The girl looked about her.
"What do you mean? I don't see any. Where is the water?"
"Hanging from the trees," he replied, laughing. "I'll admit you into one ofthe secrets of the jungle. But first I want a fire."
He gathered dried grass and sticks, cleared a space of earth and builtthree fires, two on the ground with a large lump of hard clay on eitherside of each, the third in a hole that he scraped out.
"To be consistent I ought to produce fire by rubbing two pieces of driedwood together, as they do in books of adventure," he said, turning to theinterested girl. "It can be done. I have seen natives do it; but it is alengthy process and I prefer a match."
He took out a box and lit the fires.
"Now," he said, "if you'll see to these for me, I'll go and get the kettleand crockery."
At the far end of the glade was a clump of bamboos. Dermot selected thebiggest stem and hacked it down with his _kukri_. From the thicker end hecut off a length from immediately below a knot to about a foot above it,trimmed the edges and brought it to Noreen. It made a beautifully clean andpolished pot, pale green outside, white within.
"There is your kettle and tea-pot," he said.
From a thinner part he cut off similarly two smaller vessels to serve ascups.
"Now then for the water to fill the kettle," he said, looking around amongthe creepers festooning the trees for the _pani bel_. When he found theplant he sought, he cut off a length and brought it to the girl, who hadnever heard of it. Asking her to hold the bamboo pot he filled it withwater from the creeper, much to her astonishment.
"How wonderful!" she cried. "Is it really good to drink?"
"Perfectly."
"But how are you going to boil it?"
"In that bamboo pot."
"But surely that will burn?"
"No, the water will boil long before the green wood begins to be charred,"replied Dermot, placing the pot over the first fire on the two lumps ofclay, so that the flames could reach it.
Then he opened the linen bag, which Noreen found to contain _atta_, ornative flour. Some of this he poured into the round aluminium dish and withwater from the _pani bel_ he mixed dough, rolled it into balls, and pattedthem into small flat cakes. Over the second fire he placed the iron plate,convex side up, and when it grew hot put the cakes on it.
"How clever of you! You are making _chupatis_ like the natives do,"exclaimed Noreen. "I love them. I get the cook to give them to us for teaoften."
She watched him with interest and amusement, as he turned the cakes overwith a dexterous flip when one side browned; then, when they were done, hetook them off and piled them on a large leaf.
"Who would ever imagine that you could cook?" Noreen said, laughing. "Dolet me help. I feel so lazy."
"Very well. Look after the _chupatis_ while I get the fowl ready," hereplied.
/>
He cleaned the jungle cock, wrapped it up in a coating of wet clay and laidit in the hot ashes of the third fire, covering it over with the redembers.
Just as he had finished the girl cried: "The water is actually boiling? Whowould have believed it possible?"
"Now we are going to have billy tea as they make it in the bush inAustralia," said Dermot, opening the canister and dropping tea from it intothe boiling water.
Noreen gathered up a pile of well-toasted _chupatis_ and turned a smiling,dimpled face to him.
"This is the jolliest picnic I've ever had," she cried. "It was worth beingcarried off by those wretches to have all these delightful surprises. Now,tea is ready, sir. Please may I pour it out?"
He wrapped his handkerchief round the pot before handing it to her.
"I suppose you haven't a dairy in your wonderful jungle?" she asked,laughing.
"No; I'm sorry to say that you must put up with condensed milk," hereplied, producing a tin from a pocket of the pad and opening it with hisknife.
"What a pity! That spoils the illusion," declared the girl. "I ought torefuse it; but I'll pass it for this occasion, as I don't like my teaunsugared and milkless. No, I refuse to have a spoon." For he took out acouple and some aluminium plates from the inexhaustible pad. "I'll stir mytea with a splinter of bamboo and eat my _chupatis_ off leaves. It is morein keeping with the situation."
Like a couple of light-hearted children they sat side by side on the pad,drank their tea from the rude bamboo cups and devoured the hot _chupatis_with enjoyment; while, invisible in the dense undergrowth, Badshah twentyyards away betrayed his presence by tearing down creepers and breaking offbranches. In due time Dermot took from the hot ashes a hardened clay ball,broke it open and served up the jungle fowl, from which the feathers hadbeen stripped off by the process of cooking. Noreen expressed herselfdisappointed when her companion produced knives and forks from the magicpockets of the pad.
"We ought to be consistent and use our fingers," she said.
When they had finished their meal, which the girl declared was the mostenjoyable one that she had ever had, Dermot made her rest again on the padwhile he cleaned and replaced his plates, cutlery, and cooking vessels.Then, leaning his back against a tree, he filled and lit his pipe, whileNoreen watched him stealthily and admiringly. In the perfect peace andsilence of the forest encompassing them she felt reluctant to leave theenchanted spot.
But suddenly the charm was rudely dispelled. A shot rang out close by, andDermot's hat was knocked from his head as a bullet passed through it andpierced the bark of the tree half an inch above his hair. As though theshot were a signal, fire was opened on the glade from every side, and for amoment the air seemed full of whistling bullets. The soldier sprang toNoreen, picked her up like a child in his arms, and ran with her to anenormously thick _simal_ tree, behind which he placed her. Then he gatheredup the pad and piled it on her exposed side as some slight protection. Atleast it hid her from sight.
As he did so the firing redoubled in intensity and bullets whistled anddroned through the glade. One grazed his cheek, searing the flesh as with ared-hot iron. Another wounded him slightly in the neck, while a third cutthe skin of his thigh. He seemed to bear a charmed life; and the girlwatching him felt her heart stop, as the blood showed on his face and neck.The flying lead sent leaves fluttering to the ground, cut off twigs, andstruck the tree-trunks with a thud. Flinging himself at full length on theground Dermot reached his rifle, then crawled to shelter behind anothertree.
He looked eagerly around for his assailants. At first he could see no one.Suddenly through the undergrowth about thirty yards away the muzzle of anold musket was pushed out, and then a dark face peered cautiously behindit. The eyes in it met Dermot's, but that glance was their last. Thesoldier's rifle spoke, and the face disappeared as its owner's body pitchedforward among the bushes and lay still. At the sharp report of the whiteman's weapon the firing all around ceased suddenly. But the intense silencethat followed was broken by a strange sound like the shrill blast of asteam whistle mingled with the crackling of sheets of tin rapidly shakenand doubled. Noreen, crouching submissively in the shelter where Dermot hadplaced her, thrilled and wondered at the uncanny sound.
The soldier knew well what it was. It was Badshah's appeal for help, and hewondered why the animal had given it then, so late. But far away a wildelephant trumpeted in reply. There was a crashing in the undergrowth asBadshah dashed away and burst through the cordon of enemies encirclingthem. Dermot's heart sank; for, although he rejoiced that his elephant wasout of danger, his sole hope of getting Noreen and himself away had lain inrunning the gauntlet on the animal's back through their invisible foes.
As he gripped his rifle, keenly alert for a mark to aim at, his thoughtswere busy. He was amazed at this unexpected attack and utterly unable toguess who their assailants could be. They were not the Bhuttias again, forthose had no guns. And the man that he had just shot was not a mountaineer.Although it was evident that the firearms used were mostly old smooth-boremuskets, and the smoke from the powder rose in clouds over the undergrowthand drifted to the tree-tops, he had detected the sharp crack of a modernrifle occasionally among the duller reports of the more ancient weapons.The mysterious attackers were apparently numerous and completely surroundedthem. Dermot cursed himself for his folly in halting for food instead ofpushing on to safety without a stop. But he had calculated on thesuperstitious fears of the Bhuttias who had been scared away by the sightof him and Badshah; and indeed to all appearance he was right in so doing.He could not reckon on new enemies springing up around them. Who could theybe? It was almost inconceivable that in this quiet corner of the IndianEmpire two English people could be thus assailed. The only theory that hecould form was that the attackers were a band of Bengali political_dacoits_.
The firing started again. Dermot appeared to be so well hidden that none oftheir enemies had discovered him, except the one unlucky wretch whosecourage had proved his ruin. The shots were being fired at random and allwent high. But there seemed no hope of escape; for it was evident from thesounds and the smoke that the girl and he were completely surrounded. Forone wild moment he thought of rising suddenly to his feet and making a dashthrough the cordon, hoping to draw all their enemies after him and give hiscompanion a chance of escape. But the plan was futile; for she would neverfind her way alone through the jungle and would fall at once into the handsof her foes.
Suddenly a heavy bullet struck the tree a foot above his head, evidentlyfired from behind him. He instantly rolled over on his back and laymotionless with his eyes half-closed, looking in the direction from whichthe shot must have come. The bushes not ten yards away were parted quietly;and a head was thrust out. With a swift motion Dermot swung his rifle rounduntil the muzzle pointed over his toes and, holding the weapon in one handlike a pistol, fired point-blank at the assailant who had crept up quietlybehind him. Shot through the head the man pitched forward on his face,almost touching the soldier's feet. Dermot saw that the corpse was that ofa low-caste Hindu, clad only in a dirty cotton _koorta_ and _dhoti_. ATower musket lay beside him.
The wild firing died down again. The sun was setting; and the soldierjudged that the attackers were probably waiting for darkness to rush him.Why they did not do so at once, since they were so numerous, surprised him;but he surmised that it was lack of courage. It was maddening to be obligedto await their pleasure. He was far more concerned about the girl than forhimself. A feeling of dread pity filled his heart when he thought of whather fate would be when he was no longer alive to protect her. Should hekill her, he asked himself, and give her a swift and merciful death insteadof the horrors of outrage and torture that would probably be her lot if shefell alive into the hands of these murderous scoundrels? In those momentsof tension and terrible strain he realised that she was very dear to him,that she evoked in his heart a feeling that no other woman had ever arousedin him.
The sun was going down; and with it Dermot felt that his life
was passing.He grudged losing it in an obscure and causeless scuffle, instead of on anhonourable field of battle as a soldier should. He wished that he had ahandful of his splendid sepoys with him. They would have made short work ofa hundred of such ruffians as now threatened him. But it was useless tolong for them. He drew his _kukri_ and laid it on the ground beside him,ready for the last grim struggle. He had resolved to crawl to the girl whendarkness settled on the forest, and, before the rush came, give her thechance of a swift and honourable death, shoot her if she chose it--as hewas confident that she would--then close with his foes until death came.
The light grew fainter. Dermot nerved himself for the terrible task beforehim and was about to move, when with a light and unfaltering step Noreencame to him.