Part 28 (1/2)
”Oh, papa, I am so glad you feel like that! You are writing to him?
Do you know, I was going to ask you to let me put in a note, that he might see there was one person on his side.”
”Oho, you sly little puss!” cried Sir Arthur, highly amused. Honour looked offended, and her father s.h.i.+fted his ground rapidly. ”No, no, Honour, I couldn't think of it--without consulting your mother, at any rate. But I tell you what I will do--add a postscript that my family send their kind regards to him and Gerrard. Mustn't leave poor Gerrard quite out in the cold, but I think they'll understand that--eh?”
”There is nothing to understand,” said Honour, departing with dignity.
”So it's Charteris!” said Sir Arthur to himself. ”Somehow I had an idea it was the other. I'm almost sorry. He will take it hard, poor chap!”
CHAPTER XX.
A DAY OF VICTORY.
Sitting in Charteris's tent, in their s.h.i.+rt-sleeves, the two inconvenient young men whose inconsiderate action was casting British India into turmoil talked over their prospects. The remainder of the Habs.h.i.+abad force had beaten off the detachment opposed to it, and rejoined Gerrard and the guns, and Chand Singh and the Agpur army had continued their precipitate flight. On the evening of the battle, the long-delayed despatches from Ranjitgarh caught up Charteris at last, ordering him to retire forthwith into Darwan, since it would be impossible during the hot weather to move reinforcements sufficient to ensure the capture of Agpur. Before they slept that night, he and Gerrard had deliberately made up their minds to put the telescope to the blind eye. Retreat now would mean not only perfect liberty for Sher Singh to move in any direction he chose, but also that that direction would inevitably be Darwan, where the disaffected artillery and Bishen Ram's Granthis would joyfully flock to his standard. All the work done in pacifying the country would then be wasted, and what was worse, Sher Singh would be provided with a second base of operations against Ranjitgarh, and a means of communication with his desired ally, Abd-ur-Ras.h.i.+d Khan of Ethiopia. Since to retire would be to incur fresh danger, as well as to sacrifice the advantages already won, they determined to advance, and boldly, though with all possible respect, notified their decision to James Antony. His reception of the news astonished them, for their cool estimate of the chances against them, and readiness to take the risk, seemed to have touched a sympathetic chord in his iron nature. In the letter which lay now on the camp-table between them, the acting-Resident generously a.s.sociated himself with their resolution, approved of the measures by which they had forced his hand, and promised to use his influence in trying to induce the military authorities to send the desired reinforcements.
”Old boy,” said Charteris with emphasis, after reading the letter once more, ”we are made men.”
”If we succeed,” Gerrard reminded him. ”If not, we drag down James Antony as well as ourselves.”
”The Colonel won't be in a forgiving mood,” agreed Charteris. ”Strikes me, Hal, that but for this latest illness of his we should find ourselves in the wrong box even now.”
”If he will only let us catch Sher Singh, he can try him as much as he likes when we've got him,” said Gerrard. ”We give no guarantees, but we take him alive if we can. That ought to meet Sir Edmund's wishes.”
”Talking of taking Sher Singh alive is just a little bit like selling the bear's skin before you've killed him, ain't it? Any one viewing our present situation impartially would say we were more likely to be taken alive ourselves--and in that case I fear we shouldn't long remain so.”
”We can't very well stay as we are,” said Gerrard drily.
”True, O most sapient Hal, and we can hardly expect Chand Singh to attack us unprovoked. He knows too well that his game is to stay quiet in the plain there and wait for us to come down, like Colonel Carter's 'possum. Therefore we must make the plain uncomfortable--not too hot to hold him, for that we can't do, but simply rather warm. I suggest that you take two of your guns to-night round by that nullah on the left, and tickle him up a bit in the morning. It won't be a particularly quiet corner for you, but you can post two other guns in support, and we'll back you up. If Chand Singh retreats again we'll follow him, if he attacks we've got him.”
”Quite so. If he don't see how ill-mannered it is to block the road in this way to two gentlemen in a hurry, he must be politely removed. But listen, Bob! It sounds almost as if---- And yet they can't possibly be attacking.”
”Charteris, do you know that Chand Singh is advancing?” cried Warner, coming in hastily.
”Advancing? He must be mad.”
”Advancing in line, with flags and music. They say Sher Singh is there too, on an elephant.”
”Then he is delivered into our hands,” said Charteris, and Gerrard and he hurried out of the tent and looked over the plain, where the distant dust-cloud, through the rifts in which came glimpses of colour and flas.h.i.+ng steel, and bursts of barbaric music, showed the approach of the Agpuri host. Rukn-ud-din came towards them as they gazed.
”Her Highness sends her salaams, sahib, and she will lead her troops to-day.”
”Ah, this is the day of vengeance, then?”
”So it would appear, sahib, since the brother-slayer yonder has consulted a famous soothsayer of the unbelievers, who declares that this day his arms shall be invincible.”
”So that's why they are coming on!” said Charteris. ”Who's this?” The newcomer was a Habs.h.i.+abadi in gorgeous raiment, who announced to Gerrard that his Excellency Dilir Jang Bahadar sent his salaams, and with Jirad Sahib's permission, would lead his master's forces into battle.
”With all my heart,” said Gerrard, and as the man moved off he observed to Charteris, ”This will leave me free to fight the guns for you, Bob, if you wish it. Funny to think of that old sinner Desdichado as fired with martial ardour, ain't it? Suppose he thinks it looks as if it ought to be a soft job, but I only hope he'll be as good as his word, for I hear that in the last fight before I joined you, when I came on with the guns and left him in command, he spent the time under a tree with a case-bottle of arrack, and the troops looked after themselves.”
”You must supersede him promptly if he shows any signs of hanging back to-day. But I'm uncommon glad to have the guns in your hands, old boy, even if it's only at the outset. Hal, if we break up Sher Singh's army to-day, they must send us our siege artillery and let us finish this job--they must.”
”I only wish they had sent it already--or even given the order. The news of that would have been enough. Do you like the look of your Granthis, Bob?”