Rujub, the Juggler Part 35

"Not at all. If they detected him, and I really do not see that there is a chance of their doing so, disguised as he was, they would have seized him and probably killed him, but there would be no firing. He has gone unarmed, you know, and would offer no resistance. Those shots you heard were doubtless the result of some drunken quarrel over the loot."

"Do you really think so, Doctor?"

"I feel quite sure of it. If it had been Forster who had gone out, and he had been detected, it would have been natural enough that we should hear the sound of something like a battle. In the first place, he would have defended himself desperately, and, in the next, he might have made his way through them and escaped; but, as I said, with Bathurst there would be no occasion for their firing."

"Why didn't he come in to say goodby before he went? that is what I wanted to ask you, Doctor, and why I came up here. I wanted to have spoken to him, if only for a moment, before he started. I tried to catch his eye as he went out of the room with you, but he did not even look at me. It will be so hard if he never comes back, to know that he went away without my having spoken to him again. I did try this morning to tell him that I was sorry for what I said, but he would not listen to me."

"You will have an opportunity of telling him when he comes back, if you want to, or of showing him so by your manner, which would be, perhaps, less painful to both of you."

"I don't care about pain to myself," the girl said. "I have been unjust, and deserve it."

"I don't think he considers you unjust. I did, and told you so. He feels what he considers the disgrace so much that it seems to him perfectly natural he should be despised."

"Yes, but I want him to see that he is not despised," she said quickly.

"You don't understand, Doctor."

"I do understand perfectly, my dear; at least, I think--I think I do; I see that you want to put yourself straight with him, which is very right and proper, especially placed as we all are; but I would not do or say anything hastily. You have spoken hastily once, you see, and made a mess of it. I should be careful how I did it again, unless, of course," and he stopped.

"Unless what, Doctor?" Isobel asked shyly, after a long pause. But there was no reply; and looking round she saw that her companion had moved quietly away and had joined Wilson at his post. She stood for a few minutes in the same att.i.tude, and then moved quietly across the staircase in the center of the terrace, and went down to the party below. A short time later the Doctor followed her, and, taking his rifle, went out into the garden with Captain Doolan, who a.s.sisted him in climbing the tree, and handed his gun up to him. The Doctor made his way out on the branch to the spot where it extended beyond the wall, and there sat, straining his eyes into the darkness. Half an hour pa.s.sed, and then he heard a light footfall on the sandy soil.

"Is that you, Bathurst?" he whispered.

"All right, Doctor;" and a minute later Bathurst sat on the branch beside him.

"Well, what's your news?"

"Very bad, Doctor; they expect the Rajah Por Sing, who, it seems, is the leader of the party in this district, and several other Zemindars, to be here with guns tomorrow or next day. The news from Cawnpore was true..

The native troops mutinied and marched away, but were joined by Nana Sahib and his force, and he persuaded them to return and attack the whites in their intrenchments at Cawnpore, as they would not be well received at Delhi unless they had properly accomplished their share of the work of rooting out the Feringhees."

"The infernal scoundrel!" the Doctor exclaimed; "after pretending for years to be our best friend. I'm disgusted to think that I have drunk his champagne a dozen times. However, that makes little difference to us now, your other news is the most important. We could have resisted the Sepoys for a month; but if they bring up guns there can be but one ending to it."

"That is so, Doctor. The only hope I can see is that they may find our resistance so obstinate as to be glad to grant us terms of surrender."

"Yes, there is that chance," the Doctor agreed; "but history shows there is but little reliance to be placed upon native oaths."

Bathurst was silent; his own experience of the natives had taught him the same lesson.

"It is a poor hope," he said, after a while; "but it is the only one, so far as I can see."

Not another word was spoken as they descended the tree and walked across to the house.

"Never mind about changing your things, come straight in."

"Our scout has returned," the Doctor said, as he entered the room. There was a general exclamation of gladness on the part of the ladies who had not retired.

"I am very glad to see you safe back, Mr. Bathurst," Mrs. Hunter said, going up to him and taking his hand. "We have all been very anxious since you left."

"The danger was very slight, Mrs. Hunter. I only wish I had brought you back the news that the native lines were deserted and the mutineers in full march for Delhi and Lucknow."

"I was afraid you would hardly bring that news, Mr. Bathurst; it was almost too good to hope for. However, we are all glad that you are back.

Are we not, Isobel?"

"We are indeed, Mr. Bathurst, though as yet I can hardly persuade myself that it is you in that get up."

"I think there is no doubt of my ident.i.ty. Can you tell me where you uncle is, Miss Hannay? I have to make my report to him."

"He is on the roof. There is a sort of general gathering of our defenders there."

Two lamps had been placed in the center of the terrace, and round these the little garrison were grouped, some sitting on boxes, others lying on mats, almost all smoking. Bathurst was greeted heartily by the Major and Wilson as soon as he was recognized.

"I am awfully glad to see you back," Wilson said, shaking him warmly by the hand. "I wish I could have gone with you. Two together does not seem so bad, but I should not like to start out by myself as you did."

There was a hearty cordiality in the young fellow's voice that was very pleasant to Bathurst.

"We have all our gifts, as Hawkeye used to say, as I have no doubt you remember, Wilson. Such gifts as I have lay in the way of solitary work, I fancy."

"Now, light a cheroot, Bathurst," the Major said, "and drink off this tumbler of brandy and soda, and then let us hear your story."

"The story is simple enough, Major. I got through without difficulty.

The sentries are some distance apart round the garden wall. As soon as I discovered by the sound of their footsteps where they were, it was easy enough to get through them. Then I made a longish detour, and came down on the lines from the other side. There was no occasion for concealment then. Numbers of the country people had come in, and were gathered round the Sepoys' fires, and I was able to move about amongst them, and listen to the conversation without the smallest hindrance.

"The Sepoys were loudly expressing their dissatisfaction at their officers leading them against the house today, when they had no means of either battering down the walls or scaling them. Then there was a general opinion that treachery was at work; for how else should the Europeans have known they were going to rise that morning, and so moved during the night into the house? There was much angry recrimination and quarreling, and many expressed their regret they had not marched straight to Cawnpore after burning the bungalows.

"All this was satisfactory; but I learned that Por Sing and several other Zemindars had already sent in a.s.surances that they were wholly with them, and would be here, with guns to batter down the walls, some time tomorrow."

"That is bad news, indeed," the Major said gravely, when he had finished. "Of course, when we heard that Nana Sahib had thrown in his lot with the mutineers, it was probable that many of the landowners would go the same way; but if the Sepoys had marched off they might not have attacked us on their own account. Now we know that the Sepoys are going to stay, and that they will have guns, it alters our position altogether."

There was a murmur of a.s.sent.

"I should tell you before you talk the matter over further," Bathurst went on, "that during the last hour some hundreds of peasants have taken up their posts round the house in addition to the Sepoy sentries. I came back with one party about a hundred strong. They are posted a couple of hundred yards or so in front of the gate. I slipped away from them in the dark and made my way here."

"Well, gentlemen, what do you think we had better do?" the Major said; "we are all in the same boat, and I should like to have your opinions.

We may defend this house successfully for days--possibly we may even tire them out--but on the other hand they may prove too strong for us. If the wall were breached we could hardly hope to defend it, and, indeed, if they constructed plenty of ladders they could scale it at night in a score of places. We must, therefore, regard the house as our citadel, close up the lower windows and doors with sandbags, and defend it to the last. Still, if they are determined, the lookout is not a very bright one."

"I am in favor of our cutting our way out, Major," Captain Forster said; "if we are cooped up here, we must, as you say, in the long run be beaten."

"That would be all very well, Captain Forster, if we were all men,"

Mr. Hunter said. "There are sixteen of us and there are in all eighteen horses, for I and Farquharson have two each; but there are eight women and fourteen children; so all the horses would have to carry double. We certainly could not hope to escape from them with our horses so laden; and if they came up with us, what fighting could we do with women behind our saddles? Moreover, we certainly could not leave the servants, who have been true to us, to the mercy of the Sepoys."

"Besides, where could we go?" the Doctor asked. "The garrison at Cawnpore, we know, are besieged by overwhelming numbers. We do not know much as to the position at Lucknow, but certainly the Europeans are immensely outnumbered there, and I think we may a.s.sume that they are also besieged. It is a very long distance either to Agra or to Allahabad; and with the whole country up in arms against us, and the cavalry here at our heels, the prospect seems absolutely hopeless. What do you think, Doolan? You and Rintoul have your wives here, and you have children. I consider that the question concerns you married men more than us."

"It is a case of the frying pan and the fire, as far as I can see, Doctor. At any rate, here we have got walls to light behind, and food for weeks, and plenty of ammunition. I am for selling our lives as dearly as we can here rather than go outside to be chased like jackals."

"I agree with you, Doolan," Captain Rintoul said. "Here we may be able to make terms with them, but once outside the walls we should be at the scoundrels' mercy. If it were not for the women and children I should agree entirely with Forster that our best plan would be to throw open our gates and make a dash for it, keeping together as long as we could, and then, if necessary, separating and trying to make our way down to Agra or Allahabad as best we could; but with ladies that does not seem to be possible."

The opinion of the married civilians was entirely in accord with that of Mr. Hunter.

"But what hope is there of defending this place in the long run?"

Captain Forster said. "If I saw any chance at all I should be quite willing to wait; but I would infinitely rather sally out at once and go for them and be killed than wait here day after day and perhaps week after week, seeing one's fate drawing nearer inch by inch. What do you say, Bathurst? We haven't had your opinion yet."