Fix Bay'nets Part 20

Here the deep gully, down which the stream ran, had grown shallower till it debouched, with the valley on either side reduced to a dead level and the banks only a foot or so above the surface of the rushing water, which only reached to the officers' knees when they stepped in. But, unfortunately, the last of the cover had been pa.s.sed, and a couple of shots reminded the party of the danger they ran.

"Here y'are, sir," cried Gedge, reaching out his hand to Bracy and helping him out. "Oh! why ain't I got my rifle?"

"Don't talk," cried Bracy as his companions leaped, dripping, out of the stream.

"No; open out and follow, my lads," cried Roberts. "Forward! double!"

"Ugh!" grunted Gedge to his nearest comrade; "and they'll think we're running away."

"So we are, mate."

"Yah! only our legs. I ain't running. Think I'd cut away from one o'

them black-looking, bed-gown biddies? Yah! go back and send yer clothes to the wash."

The retiring party had separated well, so as not to present too good a mark for the enemy, whose practice was far from bad. For the stones were struck close to them again and again, and leaves and twigs were cut from the low growth which here fringed the bank of the river, always in close proximity to where the party ran, and teaching them that not only were the hill-men who fired good shots, but many in number, the high, precipitous ascent to the left being evidently lined with concealed scouts.

"Forward there!" shouted Bracy suddenly, for Gedge began to slacken and hang back.

"Beg pardon, sir," puffed the lad; "wouldn't you rayther lead?"

"Forward, you scoundrel!" cried Roberts angrily; and Gedge darted back into the position in which he had been running before, with his two companions, the officers having kept behind.

"Getting pumped, pardner?" said his comrade on the left.

"Pumped! Me pumped!" said Gedge derisively. "Hor, hor! Why, I feel as if I'd on'y jus' begun to stretch my legs. Go on like this for a week to git a happy-tight. But orsifers ought to lead."

"Advancing, matey," said the man on the right. "Fust inter action; last out, you know."

"Ho, yus; I know," grumbled Gedge; "but 'tain't fair: they get all the best o' everything. Here, I say, look out, laddies. We're getting among the wild bees, ain't us? Hear 'em buzz?"

"Yes; and we shall have one of 'em a-stinging on us directly. There goes another."

For bullet after bullet came buzzing by the flying party's ears, but still without effect.

"I say," cried Gedge; "keep shying a hye back now and then to see if the gents is all right."

"No need," said the man on his left. "We should know fast enough."

Meanwhile the three officers had settled down behind to a steady double, and kept on their conversation as if in contemptuous disregard of the enemy hidden high among the patches of wood to their left.

"Thought they were better shots," said Bracy. "Nothing has come near us yet."

"Quite near enough," growled Roberts.

"Don't you holloa till you're out of the wood," said Drummond; "they can make splendid practice at a mark not moving; but it's not easy work to hit a running man."

"So it seems," said Bracy coolly.

"Here, I've been thinking that we must have pa.s.sed a lot of these fellows as we came along," said Roberts.

"Not a doubt of it," said Bracy; "fresh ones keep taking up the firing.

We're regularly running the gauntlet. Surely they'll soon hear this firing at, the fort."

"Hope so," said Roberts. "We ought to have known that, the beggars had advanced like this."

"Well, we have found out now," cried Drummond. "I say, you two; this means that the war has broken out in real earnest. But I say,"--He stopped suddenly.

"Say on," said Bracy merrily; "we can't stay to listen to your speech."

"What a fellow you are!" cried the subaltern. "I can't cut jokes at a time like this. I was going to say--phee-ew--that was close! I felt the wind of that bullet as it pa.s.sed my face."

"Miss is as good as a mile," said Bracy cheerily. "We shall be having men out on the opposite bank before long, ready to cover us; and they will not have running objects to aim at. They'll soon crush out this sniping."

"Hope so," said Drummond; "but I say--"

"Well, let's have it this time," cried Roberts.

"All right," panted Drummond; "if I go down, don't stop for a moment, but get on. The relief can come and pick me up. I shall creep into cover, if I can."

"Yes," said Roberts coolly--"if you can. Now, just look here, my lad; you want all your breath to keep your machinery going; you've none to spare to teach us our duty."

"Well said, Rob," cried Bracy. "Just as if it's likely. But you'd better go down! I should like to see you!"

Crash! in the midst of some bushes, as a single shot succeeded a spattering fire, and one of the privates went down just ahead.

"Almost got your wish, Bracy. Wrong man down."

As Roberts spoke he and Bracy dashed to where two of the privates had pulled up to aid their comrade, who had pitched head first into the clump of growth ahead of where he was running.

"Don't say you've got it badly, Gedge," cried Bracy huskily, helping the men as they raised the lad, who stared from one to the other in a half-dazed way.

"_Habet_," muttered Roberts, with his face contracting.

"Eh?" panted the lad at last, as he tried to pull himself together.

"Here--where is it?" cried Drummond excitedly. "Where are you hurt?"

"Oh, my toe!" cried the lad. "Ketched it on a stone outer sight, sir.

My! I did go down a rum un."

"Not wounded?" cried Bracy joyfully.

"Not me, sir! Yah! they can't shoot. Here, I say, mateys, where's my bay'net? There it is."

Gedge limped to where it lay with the hilt just visible amongst the shrubs, and he made a dart to get it, but overrated his powers. He seized the bayonet from where it had been jerked by his fall, but went down upon his face in the act, and when raised again he looked round with a painful grin upon his lips.

"Got a stone in my foot, p'raps, gen'lemen," he said.

"Carry him!" said Roberts briefly; and the men were lowering their arms to take the poor fellow between them, but he protested loudly.