Part 8 (1/2)

”He's gone too, poor chap,” says some one. ”No, he ain't gone neither,”

says a voice behind me; and turning, there was Measles tying a handkerchief round his head, muttering the while about some black devil.

”I ain't gone, nor I ain't much hurt,” he growled; ”and if I don't take it out of some on 'em for this chop o' the head, it's a rum 'un; and that's all I've got to say.”

”Load,” says Lieutenant Leigh shortly; and we loaded again, and then fired two or three volleys at the n.i.g.g.e.rs as they came up towards the gate once more; when some one calls out,--

”Ain't none of us going to make a sally party, and bring in the captain?”

”Silence, there, in the ranks!” shouts Lieutenant Leigh; and though it had a bad sound coming from him as it did, and situated as he was, no one knew better than I did how that it would have been utter madness to have gone out again; for even if he were alive, instead of bringing in Captain Dyer, now that the whole mob was roused, we should have all been cut to pieces.

It was as if in answer to the lieutenant's order that silence seemed to fall then, both inside and outside the palace--a silence that was only broken now and then by the half-smothered groan of some poor fellow who had been hurt in the sortie--though the way in which those men of ours did bear wounds, some of them even that were positively awful, was a something worth a line in history.

Yes, there was a silence fell upon the place for the rest of that night, and I remember thinking of the wounds that had been made in two poor hearts by that bad night's work; and I can say now, faithful and true, that there was not a selfish thought in my heart as I remembered Lizzy Green, any more than there was when Miss Ross came uppermost in my mind; for I knew well enough that they must have soon known of the disaster that had befallen our little party.

STORY ONE, CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

Whatever those poor women suffered, they took care it should not be seen by us men; and, indeed, we had little time to think of them the next day. We had given ourselves the task to protect them, and we were fighting hard to do it, and that was all we could do then; for the enemy gave us but little peace--not making any savage attack, but hara.s.sing us in a cruel way, every man acting like for himself, and all the discipline the sepoys had learned seeming to be forgotten.

As for Lieutenant Leigh, he looked cold and stern; but there was no flinching with him now: he was in command, and he showed it; and though I never liked the man, I must say that he showed himself a brave and clever officer; and but for his skilful arrangement of the few men under his charge, that place would have fallen half-a-dozen times over.

We had taken no prisoners, so that there was no chance of talking of exchange; though I believe to a man all thought that the captain and files missing from our company were dead.

The women now lent us their help, bringing down spare muskets and cartridges, loading too for us; so that when the mutineers made an attack, we were able to keep up a much sharper fire than we should have done under other circ.u.mstances.

It was about the middle of the afternoon when, hot and exhausted, we were firing away; for the bullets were coming thick and fast through the gateway, flying across the yard, and making a pa.s.sage in that direction nearly certain death, when I felt a strange choking feeling, for Measles says to me all at once,--

”Look there, Ike.”

I looked, and I could hardly believe it, and rubbed my eyes; for just in the thickest of the firing there was the sound of merry laughter, and those two children of the colonel's came toddling out, right across the line of fire, turned back to look up at some one calling to them from the window, and then stood still laughing and clapping their hands.

I don't know how it was; I only know that it wasn't to look brave; but, dropping my piece, I rushed to catch them, just at the same moment as did Miss Ross and Lizzy Green; while directly after Lieutenant Leigh rushed from where he was, caught Miss Ross round the waist, and dragged her away, as I did Lizzy and the children.

How it happened that we were none of us. .h.i.t is strange to me, for all the time the bullets were pattering on the wall beyond us. I only know I turned sick and faint as I just said to Lizzy, ”Thank G.o.d for that!”

and she led off the children, Miss Ross shrinking from Lieutenant Leigh with a strange mistrustful look, as if she were afraid of him; and the next minute they were under cover, and we were back at our posts.

”Poor bairns!” says Measles to me; ”I ain't often glad of anything, Ike Smith; but I am glad they ain't hurt. Now my soul seemed to run and help them myself, but my legs were just as if they couldn't move. You need not believe it without you like,” he added in his sour way.

”But I do believe it, old fellow,” I said warmly, as I held out my hand.

”Chaff's chaff; but you never knew me make light of a good act done by a true-hearted comrade.”

”All right,” says Measles gruffly. ”Now see me pot that sowar. Missed him, by Jove!” he exclaimed as soon as he had fired. ”These pieces ain't true. No--hit him--he's down! That's one bairn-killer the less.”

”Sam,” I said just then, ”what's that coming up between the huts yonder?”

”Looks like a wagin,” says Measles. ”'Tis a wagin, ain't it?”

”No,” I said, feeling that miserable I didn't know what to do; ”it isn't a wagon, Sam; but--why, there's another--a couple of field-pieces!”