The Air Patrol Part 31

He was rather astonished at his lack of nervousness; but the events of the last few days had in fact exercised a bracing influence upon him.

He crawled on all fours as rapidly as possible along the exposed section of the path, rose to his feet on reaching the spot where the buildings gave him cover, and in another few minutes greeted his brother.

"Well done, old chap!" said Bob heartily. "I hardly expected you to get back yesterday, but it's a great relief to see you. You had no trouble?"

"Not with the machine, but we came across a lot of hillmen marching south, and they potted the major in the arm, and riddled the petrol cans, so that I ran short. But they gave me some paraffin at the tower, and it serves surprisingly well. It's lucky we had a second carburetter."

Just then a bullet sang overhead.

"Can you come to the house for a minute or two?" said Lawrence. "I've got a good deal to tell you, and you can't attend to me and the enemy at the same time."

"All right. I'll leave Gur Buksh in charge. They've done us no harm yet--inside at any rate; but I'll give you all the news. Come on!"

Seated in the house, Lawrence repeated the substance of the conversation between Major Endicott and Captain Fenton. Bob listened in amazement.

"By George! it's a big thing," he exclaimed. "No wonder we were puzzled.

It's desperately serious, then."

"Yes, and this is the serious part for us. The major wired all about us to headquarters, and the commander-in-chief wired back that we must hold on at all costs for a week. He made no bones about it: simply said it must be done."

"Well, we'll do it!" cried Bob with flashing eyes. "We'll not cave in after a direct order from the commander-in-chief. It's the best thing that could have happened. Some of the men are getting rather shaky, but I'll tell them the Sirkar depends on them--talk about their known valour, and all that: and it'll buck them up no end."

"Wouldn't the promise of a reward from Government be more effective?"

"I dare say; but it's only a jolly a.s.s who'd give a pledge of that sort for Government. I dare say they mean well, but--no, my boy, it's not safe. We'll rely on moral stimulants. Now look here: this is what I've done----"

"I see you've thrown up a breastwork on the other side, but so have the enemy, and cut a path too."

"Yes, that's one to them, confound them! I had twenty men behind my breastwork, but when the enemy came round the bend this morning they bolted back in a panic. They'd have done better to stick to it, for two of them were shot in the back and killed outright. I'd left the bridge down under a guard, so that the others got back safely, but their retreat had a bad effect on the rest. They need a tonic."

"The major gave me a dozen rifles and a lot of ammunition: that'll help."

"It will indeed: I've had to be sparing."

"Why didn't the enemy occupy your breastwork?"

"No doubt they would have only I built it at such an angle that it can be enfiladed from our wall. It's a great nuisance that they've managed to get so far as they have. I hoped to be able to check them at the bend much longer--at any rate until they'd brought up the two field guns you told me about. When they arrive we shan't be able to hold the wall.

We shall have to take refuge in the galleries."

"That means suffocation."

"Well, we won't think of it. We'll hold on as long as we can. You didn't notice perhaps that I've had a shield of boiler plates set up on top of the parapet. I found we couldn't loophole the embankment, and the men couldn't fire without protection of some kind. This metal shield is better than nothing. It's loopholed. I only allow a few men to fire at the enemy, when there's a chance of their doing some good.

But to keep up their spirits I let them all have a turn. They come up in squads, so that every man will have a chance of a shot during the day."

"You haven't used the machine gun? Couldn't you batter their breastwork with it?"

"It would be very much like pelting toy bricks with a pea-shooter. Gur Buksh has orders only to fire if there's a rush. What I fancy will happen is this. At night they'll try to rush our breastwork. If they get it they'll push a trench southward along the track until they're opposite us. What they'll do then about crossing the river I don't know.

We've got to delay them as long as possible. I've made a ramshackle sort of searchlight out of Uncle's old camera: it may help us a little in the dark. But I must go out and talk to the men. I wish I were a dab at the lingo. Will you do the spouting?"

"You're in command. Get the Babu to interpret for you: what you say won't lose anything in his mouth."

"It may do him good too. He's getting positively thin with funk. Come along!"

While this conversation was in progress in the house, there had fallen a lull in the firing outside. It was clear that the enemy were not prepared for a rush, and had realized the uselessness of continually sniping at a garrison whom they rarely saw. There could be little doubt that they were waiting either for darkness to cover a dash up the track, or for the arrival of their field guns. Whatever the reason, the respite was welcome. Taking advantage of it, Bob left a small guard at the wall, and a.s.sembled the rest in the compound.

Lawrence was struck by the altered appearance of Ditta Lal when he came forward at Bob's summons. His fat cheeks had fallen in; his features spoke eloquently of despair; and his clothes hung loosely where formerly they had closely encased his rotundities.

"I should never have believed that a man could lose so much flesh in so little time," said Lawrence in a low tone.

"Do him good," returned Bob unfeelingly. "Ditta Lal, I'm going to speak to the men, and I want you to translate faithfully what I say--no additions or subtractions."

"I will do my best, sir," said the Babu with unwonted simplicity. "My voice is not strong; I am fading away like a flower."

"For goodness' sake say something to buck him up," whispered Lawrence, "or he'll damp their courage with his lugubrious manner."

"Look here, Babu," said Bob, "Major Endicott is telegraphing for reinforcements. They should be here in a week."

"Can I believe my ears?"

"You can believe me. The Government knows all about us. The commander-in-chief himself has asked us to hold the place for a week, and we're going to do it."

"That's jolly bucking, sir," said the Babu in his usual manner. "The hour brings forth the man. The King-Emperor will dub you knight, or at least baronet, for thus stepping into deadly breach, and----"

"We're wasting time," Bob interrupted. "Just tell the men what I say."

"Right-o, sir. My voice is recovering wonted rotundity. Fire away!"

Lawrence's eyes twinkled more than once during the Babu's address to the garrison. Bob's words were simple and direct, with no surplusage of rhetoric: Ditta Lal transformed them into an oration.

"Sikhs and Pathans, Rajputs, Gurkhas and Chitralis," he said, "misfortune makes brothers of us all. In a thunderstorm the lion and the a.s.s are friends. The thunderstorm is about to burst upon us. We have heard the first rumblings; we have seen the lightning flash in the lurid sky; and the huzur having been taken from us by the hand of the Kalmucks, we have lost our chief defence and stay.

"Yet in the blackest night we behold a star of hope. My brother the chota sahib" (the Babu spoke as though translating) "has even now returned from a frontier house where the Sirdar who for one brief day shed the light of his countenance upon us, spoke to the Sirkar along the quivering wire, that carries men's thoughts swifter than speech. The Sirkar far away knows us what we are, and how we, a handful of men, are beset in this narrow valley by a host of evil-doers, in number like the stars of heaven. The Sirkar knows that though we be few, yet are we stout of heart and strong of hand. The lurid storm-cloud does not oppress us, nor does the lightning fire appal our souls. We are not the men to quail before a host of flat-nosed dogs. The order is given that we sharpen our swords and resist to the uttermost, and within a week--such is the word--the Sirkar will send a great army to strengthen our hands and smite the enemy until not one of them is left. I have said that we will do even as the Sirkar has commanded. Will you put me to shame? Will you not rather brace yourselves to the conflict, and oppose yourselves like a wall of adamant to these off-scourings of the plains?"

This was the spirit if not the letter of Bob's appeal, and the whole a.s.sembly responded with cheers and pa.s.sionate e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns of loyalty.

The Sikhs, some of whom understood English and knew that the Babu had interpolated a good deal, had listened gravely, their inveterate contempt of the unwarlike Bengali yielding to their appreciation of the effect he aimed at. Later on, Ganda Singh spat, and said to Gur Buksh that any one would know the Bengali for a coward, because his words were so big. The more simple miners were as impressible to high-sounding eloquence as any ignorant mob all the world over; and when the Babu, at a word from Lawrence, wound up his speech with the announcement that Major Endicott had sent some service rifles and a large stock of ammunition for their use, they cheered again and again. Those timid ones who had fled from the breastwork earlier in the day shouted the loudest, to ease themselves of their shame.

The Appletons never knew that after the a.s.sembly had been dismissed Ditta Lal, in a private audience of some of the Pathans, indulged his fancy in announcements that were quite unauthorised.

"Tidings of our prowess and valour," he said, "will be spoken in the ear of the King-Emperor over the black water, and the august majesty of our great prince will deal bountifully with us and shower his graciousness upon us. He will take the sahibs our masters by the hand and lift them up the steps of his throne, speak them words of comfort and set them on his right hand among his lords; and furthermore, the humblest of us shall be exalted and be bounteously rewarded. A lakh of rupees will be distributed among those who quit themselves well, and we shall be satisfied with a feast of fat things."

As the brothers returned to the house, Bob said:

"I'm very much inclined to make another attempt to hold our breastwork.

It's bad tactics to let the enemy have free course between the bend and the bridge. Probably if I lead a detachment myself the men will follow readily enough."

"I daresay you're right on the point of tactics, but you ought to have a good sleep before you try it. You look very f.a.gged; I suppose you've been up all night."

"Pretty nearly."