Trapped by Malays Part 23

What was to come next and was now in progress was Britain's thin red line, and that line was on that occasion very thin, very, very red, and extremely long, purposely extended so as to make the most of the tiny force.

The crowds cheered in their fashion as the train moved on, and, excited by the yelling, the elephants began to trumpet as the troops were now nearly half across the parade-ground. Then the bugle rang out "Halt!"

and the orders followed quickly: "Fire!" and with wonderful precision there was the long line of puffs of smoke as the volley roared and half obscured the advancing force in the thin veil of smoke.

There was a fresh burst of cheers from the crowds, who now saw that the little line of scarlet-coated men was marching out of the filmy, grey cloud and lessening the distance between them.

The next bugle-call was rather unsettling, and the next still more so, for it meant "Double;" while the last of all was more disturbing than anything that had taken place that day, for it was followed by a peculiar flickering of light as the brilliant sun played upon the glistening bayonets brought down sparkling in front of the line of men.

The bugles now rang out "Charge!" followed by the good old British cheer given by wildly excited men with all the power left in them, and they bore the bristling bayonets on, racing down upon the spectators in front, as if the mimic advance were real.

The trumpeting that greeted the charge was not defiant, for the elephants turned simultaneously as upon a pivot and set the example of making for the nearest points of the jungle; and to the charging men it seemed as if they formed part of some immensely extended human hay-making machine, whose glittering spikes were about to sweep off a living crowd which, excited and yelling wildly, had turned and fled for safety.

The gaily coloured men of the two Rajahs, perhaps feeling in doubt as to their duty to fetch back the elephants--perhaps not: they may have been influenced otherwise--had dashed off after the huge quadrupeds at once, but the crowd of ordinary spectators were in nowise behind. Shrieking, yelling, and angry with each other as they dashed away, they made for shelter at full speed, and when the charge was at an end and the bugles rang out, the evolution had been so well driven home that a complete transformation had been effected.

Where the great gathering had spread from side to side of the parade, there was the long, halting line of panting and powder-blackened men, who, in spite of their breathlessness, had followed up their British cheer with a tremendous petillating roar of laughter, which ran along the line from end to end and back again--a roar of laughter so loud that hardly a man knew that the band was now playing in full force "G.o.d save the Queen," with an additional obbligato from the drums--that one known as the "big" threatening collapse from the vigorous action of the stick-wielder's st.u.r.dy arms.

It was only a few of the men who were cognisant of the fact that the Major was lying down exhausted, and wiping his eyes.

"Who's that?" he panted. "Who's that--you, Maine?"

"Yes, sir."

"Oh dear! Oh dear! I can't stop it! It's quite hysterical. Give me a water-bottle;" and then, after an application to the unstoppered mouth, "Oh dear! How they did run! I hope poor Dallas has seen it all. I wish he had been here. Hah! I'm better now. Why, Maine, we've swept them clean away. Are they collecting farther on?"

"No, sir; I can't see a single soul."

"Who's that?" said the Major again.

"Me, sir."

"I didn't know you, my man. What is it, Sergeant?"

"Well, sir, I was only going to say, as I was so near, what about them there squibs and crackers as was to be let off to-night?"

"Oh, the rockets and fireworks," said the Major. "They haven't gone off in the heat, have they? No accident?"

"No, sir; but there won't be n.o.body left to see them pop."

CHAPTER TWELVE.

SEE THE CONQUERING HEROES.

The line closed up, and marched "easy" back towards the upper end of the parade-ground, with not a single stranger to represent the spectators, and, half ironically, they were received by the band with "See, the Conquering Hero Comes." The review and sham-fight were over, and as the officers and weary men were dismissed, and the officers gathered where the ladies and others of the station were a.s.sembled, one of the first upon whom they set eyes was the young Rajah Hamet, who had just joined the Resident.

"Well, Dallas," said the Major, who was mopping his forehead, "what did you think of our charge?--Ah, Rajah Hamet," he continued, as he caught sight of the young man, who approached to hold out his hand, "what did _you_ think of our sham-fight? Did you see it all?"

"Magnificent, sir; every bit."

"Where were you?"

"Down yonder, sir, in front of my elephants and men."

"Then you didn't run?"

"No, sir; I have been to Aldershot and seen a review before."

"I am afraid we scared your men," said Archie, to whom the young Rajah turned a few minutes later.

"Well, wasn't it quite enough to scare them?" replied the Prince. "It seems to me that a body of men, to whatever nation they belonged, would require a good deal of hardening before they would stand firm and receive a bayonet charge."

"Yes," replied Archie. "As far as I know, there are not many who can.

It was rather comic, though, to see your men run."

"Well," replied the young Prince, "I don't think my men ran any faster than Suleiman's."

"Not a bit," cried Archie hastily. "I say, I didn't mean to insult you."

"Oh, I am not insulted," said the young man quietly. "I should have run too if I had not known that your men would pull up at the last moment.

Well, good-bye."

"You are not going?" cried Archie. "You will stop and be our guest to-night? You were invited, of course. There are all the sports to come, and the illuminations and fireworks."

"Oh no, I must go," said the young Rajah. "I have got to rally my men, and see them safely back."

"Well, but some of your officers will do that, and bring them back."

"I doubt it," said Hamet, smiling. "If I know my people, they will not stop till they get home."

"Oh, surely not! They will all come here again and see the rest of our _file_--and Rajah Suleiman's too."

Hamet shook his head.

"Some of your people from the campongs, who know you--they may come back, but none of the others."

"Well, you stop at any rate."

"No," said the young Rajah. "If my people have forsaken me, I must not forsake them. Here, you promised, you know, to come and spend a few days with me, and have some tiger-shooting. When is it to be?"

"When my major gives me leave. Stop! Stop now, and ask him. He or Sir Charles Dallas will put you up for the night."

"No, Maine; they don't believe in me enough. Somehow they have no faith in me at all, and because I'm Suleiman's enemy--or rather, he is mine, for I have no feeling for or against the fellow--they think that I am opposed to the English, with whom I want to be friends and to get their help to civilise my people. No, I must be off to my boat at once, and try to get in touch with my people as soon as possible. They will keep to the lower elephant-patch, as near to the river as they can. There, try and get leave, old chap. I want you to come. I say, you don't mind my calling you 'old chap'?"

"Like it," said Archie, holding out his hand. "I am disappointed, however, for I should have liked you to stay. But hadn't you better try to bring some of your men back?"

"No. They wouldn't come now, for fear of being laughed at for being such cowards."

"Well, if you must go, you must; but, as I said, I should have liked you to stay. It would have looked so friendly to my people."