In Honour's Cause Part 56

"Oh, it's too good to be true," thought the boy; but he clung to the hope all the same.

The only time when he was relieved from the pressure of his sad thoughts was when the conversation around grew animated respecting the probabilities of the country being devastated by civil war; but even then it made his heart ache on Andrew Forbes's account, as he heard the quiet contempt with which the elder officers treated the Pretender's prospects, the colonel especially speaking strongly on the subject.

"No," he said, "England will never rise in favour of such a monarch as that. It is a mad business, that will never win support. The poor fellow had better settle down quietly to his life in France. The reign of the Stuarts is quite at an end."

"Poor old Drew," thought Frank. "I wish he could have heard that; but he would not have believed if he had."

Then the officers went on talking of the possibility of their regiment being called upon for active service, and the boy could not help a feeling of wonder at the eager hopes they expressed of having to take part in that which would probably result in several of those present losing their lives or being badly wounded.

"I wonder whether I shall be as careless about my life when I am grown-up and a soldier?" he thought.

The regular dinner had long been over, and the members of the mess had been sitting longer than usual, the probability of the regiment going into active service having supplied them with so much food for discussion that the hour was getting late, and the young guest had several times over felt an intense longing to ask permission to leave the table, his intention being to get Captain Murray to let him join Andrew Forbes. But he felt that as a guest he could not do this, and must wait till the colonel rose.

He was thinking all this impatiently for the last time, feeling wearied out after so terribly exciting a day as he had pa.s.sed through, when the colonel and all present suddenly sprang to their feet; for a shot rang out from close at hand, followed by a loud, warning cry, as if from a sentry; then, before any one could reach the door to run out and see what was wrong, there was another shot, and again another, followed by a faint and distant cry.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.

A WATCH NIGHT.

"What is it--an attack?"

"Quick, gentlemen!" cried the colonel; "every man to his quarters."

He had hardly spoken before a bugle rang out; and as Frank was hurried out with the rest into the courtyard, it was to see, by the dim light of the clouded moon and the feeble oil lamps, that the guard had turned out, and the tramp of feet announced that the rest of the men gathered for the defence of the Palace and its occupants were rapidly hurrying out of their quarters, to form up in one or other of the yards.

Frank felt that he was out of place; but in his interest and excitement he followed Captain Murray like his shadow, and in very few minutes knew that no attack had been made upon the Palace, but that the cause of the alarm was from within, and his heart sank like lead as the captain said to him:

"Poor lad! He must be half crazy to do such a thing. Come with me."

Frank followed him, and the next minute they met, coming from the gate on the Park side, a group of soldiers, marching with fixed bayonets toward the guardroom, two of the men within bearing a stretcher, on which lay Andrew Forbes, apparently lifeless. For the lad had been mad enough to make a dash for his liberty, in spite of knowing what would follow, the result being that the sentry by the guardroom had challenged him to stop, and as he ran on fired. This spread the alarm, and the second sentry toward the gate had followed his comrade's example as he caught a glimpse of the flying figure, while the third sentry outside the gate, standing in full readiness, also caught sight of the lad as he dashed out and was running to reach the trees of the Park.

This shot was either better aimed, or the unfortunate youth literally leaped into the line of fire, for as the sentry drew trigger, just as the lad pa.s.sed between two of the trees, Drew uttered a sharp cry of agony and fell headlong to the earth.

"Poor lad! poor lad!" muttered Captain Murray; and he made a sign to the soldiers not to interfere, as Frank pressed forward to catch his friend's hand. Then aloud, "Where is the doctor?"

"Here, of course," said that gentleman sharply from just behind them.

"Always am where I'm wanted, eh? Look sharp, and take him to the guardroom."

"No, no--to my quarters," said Captain Murray quickly. "Tut--tut--tut!

What were they about to let him go?"

In a few minutes the wounded lad was lying on Captain Murray's bed, with the colonel, Captain Murray, and two or three more of the officers present, and Frank by the bedside, for when the colonel said to the lad, "You had better go," the doctor interfered, giving Frank a peculiar c.o.c.k of the eye as he said, "No, don't send him away; he can help."

Frank darted a grateful look at the surgeon, and prepared to busy himself in undressing the sufferer.

"No, no; don't do that now--only worry him. I can see what's wrong, and get at it."

The position of the injury was plain enough to see from the blood on the lad's sleeve, and the doctor did not hesitate for a moment; but, taking out a keen knife from a little case in his pocket, he slit the sleeve from cuff to shoulder, and then served the deeply stained shirt sleeve the same.

"Dangerous?" said the colonel anxiously. "Pooh! no," said the doctor contemptuously. "Nice clean cut. Just as if it had been done with a knife," as he examined the boy's thin, white left arm. "You ought to give that sentry a stripe, colonel, for his clever shooting. Hah! yes, clean cut for two inches, and then buried itself below the skin. Not enough powder, or it would have gone through instead of stopping in here. No need for any probing or searching. Here we are."

As he spoke he made a slight cut with his keen knife through the white skin, where a little lump of a bluish tint could be seen, pressed with his thumbs on either side, and the bullet came out like a round b.u.t.ton through a b.u.t.ton-hole, and rolled on to the bed.

"Better save that for him, Gowan," said the doctor cheerfully. "He'll like to keep it as a curiosity. Stopped its chance of festering and worrying him and making him feverish. Now we'll have just a st.i.tch here and a st.i.tch there, and keep the lips of the wound together."

As he spoke he took a needle and silk from his case, just as if he had brought them expecting that they would be wanted, took some lint from one pocket, a roll of bandage from another, and in an incredibly short time had the wound bound up.

"Likely to be serious?" said Captain Murray.

"What, this, sir? Pooh! not much worse than a cut finger. Smart a bit.

Poor, weak, girlish sort of a fellow; feeble pulse. Good thing he had fainted, and didn't know what I was doing. Well, squire, how are you?"

Andrew Forbes lay perfectly still, ghastly pale, and with his eyes closely shut, till the doctor pressed up first one lid and then the other, frowning slightly the while.

"Can I get anything for you, doctor?" said Captain Murray.

"Eh? Oh no! He'll be all right. Feels sick, and in a bit of pain.

Let him lie there and go to sleep."

"But he is fainting. Oughtn't you to give him something, or to bathe his face?"

"Look here!" cried the doctor testily, "I don't come interfering and crying 'Fours about,' or 'By your right,' or anything of that kind, when you are at the head of your company, do I?"

"Of course not."

"Then don't you interfere when I'm in command over one of my gang. I've told you he's all right. I ought to know."

"Oh yes; let the doctor alone, Murray," said the colonel. "There, I'm heartily glad that matters are no worse. Foolish fellow to attempt such a wild trick. You will want a nurse for him, doctor."

"Nurse! for that? Pooh! nonsense! I'm very glad he was so considerate as not to disturb me over my dinner. I shouldn't have liked that, Squire Gowan. Didn't do it out of spite because he was not asked to dinner, did he?"

"Pish! no; he was asked," said Captain Murray. "Yes; you wanted to say something, Gowan?"

"Only that I will have a mattress on the floor, sir, and stay with him."

"Not necessary, boy," said the doctor sharply.

"Let him be with his friend, doctor," said Captain Murray.

"Friend, sir? I thought they were deadly enemies, trying hard to give me a job this morning to fit their pieces together again. I don't want to stop him from spoiling his night's rest if he likes; but if he stays, won't they begin barking and biting again?"

"Not much fear of that--eh, Frank? There, stay with your friend. I'm in hopes that you will do him more good than the doctor."

"Oh, very well," said that gentleman.

"Then you don't think there is anything to be alarmed about?" said Frank anxiously.