Draw Swords! Part 28

d.i.c.k did not go to sleep quite so easily that night, and when the bugle was sounded he seemed to have hardly closed his eyes.

But there was no time for thought in the early grey of the morning. The bustle and hurry of preparation was going on all round. There was the trampling of horses, the clink of spurs, and the rumble and rattle of gun-wheels, limbers, and ammunition-wagons.

Soon after there was a familiar whinnying sound outside, and he ran to the window, to look down and see Ram Dad in spotless white walking Burnouse up and down, ready for his master.

"Who's going to feel dumpy when he has a horse like that?" muttered d.i.c.k as he turned away and stood before the gla.s.s, giving the finishing touches to his dressing, ending by buckling on his sword.

"Wish I were bigger," he said to himself; "I don't seem to grow a bit,"--which was strange; but at that time the lad's ideas of growth were that he ought to increase in size as rapidly as a melon.

The opening of the door behind him interrupted his meditations, and he turned to see the smiling face of his body-servant, who had brought him his morning coffee.

"Will the sahib take Hakim with him to Soojeepur?" said the man.

"Of course. Don't you want to go?"

"Hakim would go everywhere with the sahib," replied the man, "if the sahib will promise that his servant shall not be killed."

"I'll promise that I will not kill you, Hakim," said d.i.c.k, smiling.

"Then his servant is satisfied and happy. Will Ram Dad go too?"

"Oh, yes. Look here, Hakim; you will see that my things go with the officers' baggage, and look out for yourself."

"The sahib's servant has been on the march before," said the man importantly, "and he will see to everything."

"That's right," said d.i.c.k, hurrying through his coffee and biscuit, for he was none too soon. Then, running down, he reached his horse just as Wyatt came up.

"Morning," said the latter, with a very sleepy look in his eyes.

"Humph! your charger looks well. Don't seem quite so ready to eat you now, or to kick you into the middle of next week."

"Oh, no; we're getting great friends.--Aren't we, 'Nouse," replied d.i.c.k, patting the beautiful neck and rubbing the muzzle extended to meet his hand.

"Yes, he looks civil enough, but I wouldn't trust him. There, mount, and come along. Here comes Hulton."

The troop was already drawn up in heavy marching order, and directly after they moved out on to the parade, where the general and the staff soon after rode on to the ground. There was a careful inspection, and the men were dismissed long before the sun made its power felt, the general having expressed his satisfaction with everything.

Those were busy hours which intervened till just before sunset, when the order to march was given, and the troop rode out from the town, escorted by a squadron of one of the native cavalry regiments and a band, for a short distance, before the final farewells were said, and they broke into a trot to overtake the long train of baggage-wagons which had set off a couple of hours earlier; for, in spite of everything being cut down, the necessities for a lengthened expedition, with tents, servants, gra.s.s-cutters, provender, and an ample supply of ammunition and spare horses, sufficed to make what seemed to d.i.c.k an appallingly long display.

Long before midnight, though, they were encamped, with everything, consequent upon the admirable state of discipline, in perfect order; and d.i.c.k sat with his brother-officers and the doctor in their mess-tent by day, and lay in their sleeping-tent by night.

The guard had been set, and it was d.i.c.k's duty to visit the posts about the camp that night. To his surprise, he found Wyatt awake, ready to roll off his camp-bed and make the round with him.

"Don't mind my company, I suppose?" he said.

"Glad of it;" and they went round the little sleeping camp together--an attractive walk by the light of the great full-moon.

"Looks quite nice," said Wyatt, "and no fear of an alarm."

"Alarm--no!" said d.i.c.k, laughing.

"I was thinking of being in the enemy's country, with a force ten or twenty times as strong as our own on the _qui vive_ to wipe us out.

Keeps you from feeling sleepy, my lad."

"Have you ever been in that position?" asked d.i.c.k.

"Often," was the laconic reply. Then, after a pause, "Perhaps we may be next month."

It was a long, monotonous march, with the customary incidents: troubles about water, native servants breaking down with illness, real or fancied--oftener, the doctor said, the latter. Then the dreary plains began to give place to hilly country, the air was less heavy, the woodlands more beautiful; and, after a week or two of this, hills began to appear in the distance--hills that would in Europe have been dubbed big mountains.

The marches now were for the most part along winding valleys, with sparkling rivers near the roads, which became more difficult for the guns and wagons: but this was balanced by the beauty of the scenery and the invigorating nature of the air.

"Fellow can breathe out here, and Hulton says Soojeepur is more beautiful and higher up than this."

"This valley is beautiful enough for anything," said d.i.c.k as they rode on one evening. "Why, there ought to be tigers and leopards in these jungles."

"Lots," said Wyatt.

"And fish in the river."

"Heaps," said Wyatt; "monsters sixty and seventy pounds weight. You and I are going to have some shooting and fishing by-and-by, old lad, if we find time. But Hulton's right."

"What about?"

"He says we're in for it."

"In for what?"

"Who knows? It's as he says--we've got to depend entirely upon ourselves; for, if we have to do any fighting, and the other side's too strong, we shall have to pull up our boots and tighten our belts."

"Surely we shall not be in such a position as that?" said d.i.c.k.

"Who can tell? Perhaps the Rajah's chaps haven't much go in them, and will leave us to do the fighting. There we are. Suppose we send for help; it will take a month for the messenger to get to cantonments, and a month for the help to come, and during that time they could eat us all but our boots."

"But if things went against us we should have to retire."

"Retreat, eh? Yes," said Wyatt thoughtfully; and then he broke out suddenly, to d.i.c.k's amus.e.m.e.nt, with a capital imitation of the Irishman in the old anecdote, "'Och, your honner, I've tuk a prisiner.'

"'Bring him along then, Pat.'

"'Plase yer honner, he won't come.'

"'Come without him, then.'

"'Plase, yer honner, he won't let me.'"

"Suppose that's our position, d.i.c.ky. It seems to me that we're going right into a trap, and mayn't be able to get away again. I don't think we ought to have been sent."

"Why, you're not afraid?" said d.i.c.k.