Part 5 (1/2)

Worse than all, Hugh John had tried to keep Sambo in his rabbit-box.

But not only did he utterly fail to put his ”fearful head, crowned with a red night-cap” over the edge of the hutch at the proper time--as, had he been of respectable parentage, he would not have failed to do, but, in addition, he developed in his close quarters an animal odour so pungent and unprofitable that Janet Sheepshanks refused to admit him into the store-cupboard till he had been thoroughly fumigated and disinfected. So for a whole week Sambo Soulis swung ignominiously by the neck from the clothes line, and Hugh John went about in fear of the questioning of the children or of the confiscation by his father of his well-beloved but somewhat unsatisfactory familiar spirit.

It was in order to consult him on a critical point of doctrine and practice that Hugh John had now sent for Sambo Soulis.

He propped him up before him against a pillow, on which he sat bent forward at an acute angle from the hips, as if ready to pounce upon his master and rend him to pieces so soon as the catechism should be over.

”Look here,” said General-Field-Marshal Smith to the oracle, ”supposing the governor tells me to split on Nipper Donnan, the butcher boy, will it be dasht-mean if I do?”

Sambo Soulis, being disturbed by the delicacy of the question or perhaps by the wriggling of Hugh John upon his pillow, only lurched drivellingly forward.

”Sit up and answer,” cried his master, ”or else I'll hike you out of that pretty quick, for a silly old owl!”

And with his least bandaged hand he gave Sambo a sound cuff on the side of his venerable battered head, before propping him up at a new angle with his chin on his knees.

”Now speak up, Soulis,” said General Smith; ”I ask you would it be dasht-mean?”

The oracle was understood to joggle his chin and goggle his eyes. He certainly did the latter.

”I thought so,” said Soulis' master, as is usual in such cases, interpreting the reply oracular according to his liking. ”But look here, how are we to get back Donald unless we split? Would it not be all right to split just to get Donald back?”

Sambo Soulis waggled his head again. This time his master looked a little more serious.

”I suppose you are right,” he said pensively, ”but if it would be dasht-mean to split, we must just try to get him back ourselves--that is, if the beasts have not cut his throat, as they said they would.”

CHAPTER IX.

PUT TO THE QUESTION.

In the chaste retirement of his sick room the Field-Marshal had just reached this conclusion, when he heard a noise in the hall. There was a sound of the gruff unmirthful voices of grown-ups, a scuffling of feet, a planting of whips and walking-sticks on the zinc-bottomed hall-stand, and then, after a pause which meant drinks, heavy footsteps in the pa.s.sage which led to the hero's chamber.

Hugh John s.n.a.t.c.hed up Sambo Soulis and thrust him deep beneath the bedclothes, where he could readily push him over the end with his toes, if it should chance to be ”the doctor-beast” come to uncover him and ”fool with the bandages.” I have said enough to show that the General was not only frankly savage in sentiment, but resembled his great imperial namesake in being grateful only when it suited him.

Before General Napoleon had his toes fairly settled over the back of Sambo Soulis' neck, so as to be able to remove him out of harm's way on any sudden alarm, the door opened and his father came in, ushering two men, the first of whom came forward to the bedside in an easy, kindly manner, and held out his hand.

”Do you know me?” he said, giving Hugh John's second sorest hand such a squeeze that the wounded hero was glad it was not the very sorest one.

”Yes,” replied the hero promptly, ”you are Sammy Carter's father. I can jolly well lick----”

”Hugh John,” interrupted his father severely, ”remember what you are saying to Mr. Davenant Carter.”

”Well, anyway, I _can_ lick Sammy Carter till he's dumb-sick!”

muttered the General between his teeth, as he avoided the three pairs of eyes that were turned upon him.

”Oh, let him say just what he likes!” said Mr. Davenant Carter jovially. ”Sammy is the better of being licked, if that is what the boy was going to say. I sometimes try my hand at it myself with some success.”

The other man who had come in with Mr. Smith was a thick-set fellow of middle height, with a curious air of being dressed up in somebody else's clothes. Yet they fitted him very well. He wore on his face (in addition to a slight moustache) an expression which somehow made Hugh John think guiltily of all the orchards he had ever visited along with Toady Lion and Sammy Carter's sister Cissy, who was ”no end of a nice girl” in Hugh John's estimation.

”This, Hugh,” said his father, with a little wave of his hand, ”is Mr.