Part 25 (1/2)
was his unspoken thought.
The men were amazed and delighted that the master had returned. As for Said Mohammed, it was doubtful whether his fate gave them any concern.
The night pa.s.sed in peace. Ferrier felt very weary in the morning, but John, after a long sleep, rose much refreshed, though he still found moving difficult. About eight o'clock there was a cry from the gate that the enemy were rus.h.i.+ng down towards the causeway. The bastions were instantly manned, John taking post in one and Ferrier in the other, dividing the askaris equally between them. Twenty men with spears and bows and arrows were told off to hold the broken portion of the wall on either side of the gate, where the attack was most to be feared. The remainder of the force were stationed at various points, to be ready to run wherever they were called, and to keep watch on the opposite side of the island.
John was surprised to see that the enemy did not take to the water, as they had done on the former occasion, but came in a yelling line along the causeway. They were Juma's newest allies, and being without personal experience of the reception their friends had formerly met with, they came rus.h.i.+ng across with a reckless courage. When the first man had reached the middle of the causeway, a volley was fired simultaneously from each of the bastions, and half the line fell into the water, uttering dreadful yells. There was a momentary pause; but the leader had escaped; he bounded forward, followed by the survivors and others who had not come within the line of fire. The sh.o.r.e behind was thick with black warriors, hideous in their war-paint, and shouting furiously. Only Ferrier's rifle was double-barrelled; John's had been taken from him when he was captured; and before the men could reload, several of the enemy had reached the end of the causeway, and, springing into the water at the gap, gained the shelf of land beneath the wall.
Ferrier's rifle disposed of one of them; the rest rushed up to the gate and the ruined rampart, and were in a moment fighting hand-to-hand with the men within.
”Keep your fire on the causeway,” shouted John, who then called to some of the men in reserve to mount the wall and fling stones on the men trying to clamber up. A second volley from either side crashed into the negroes racing towards the fort. Only two of them got across. Those behind who had not been struck down came to a sudden halt, only to be pushed on by those surging in the rear. The result was that a score of unhurt negroes were hustled into the water. John forbore to fire at these, but as soon as his men had reloaded, sent another volley among those who were still running along. Meanwhile the defenders of the wall had beaten off the a.s.sault of the men below, who were at a hopeless disadvantage. Two or three fell groaning to the ground, transfixed with spears; the rest leapt into the pool, and struck out frantically for the sh.o.r.e. The sight of this retreat, and a fourth volley from their unseen enemy, shattered the confidence of the bravest negroes. There was wild confusion on the causeway. Those upon it could not retreat because of the pressure of their comrades behind. They jumped into the water on both sides. The others, seeing that all was lost, fled back towards the wood. In ten minutes after the first attack they were in full flight.
But at this moment a shout was raised that the enemy were attacking from the other side of the island. Ferrier instantly sprang down from his perch, and calling on his men to follow him, rushed across the enclosure to repel this new a.s.sault. John, perforce confined to his post, ordered his company to join the others, while he alone kept watch on the causeway. Being undisturbed, he had leisure to consider what the enemy's plan had been. He could not doubt that they had arranged in their council of war that the Swahilis with their party should cross the river and creep under cover of the trees and scrub to the western sh.o.r.e of the pool. The intention had certainly been that the attack should be made on both sides of the fort simultaneously. If it had been perfectly timed, and begun at a concerted signal, the plight of the garrison might have been very serious. But careful co-operation is impossible to the negro. The men on the eastern side had rushed blindly to the a.s.sault, heedless of what the other party was doing. These, led by Juma himself, had made their way un.o.bserved to the place arranged, and swum the pool under cover of the fringe of trees which were still left standing. But only one or two had landed when they heard the din of fighting on the other side. Juma, more intelligent than the negroes, had seen at once the necessity of striking while the garrison was engaged in that quarter. But he was compelled to wait until he had sufficient support, and by the time he had gathered a score of men about him the eastern attack was beaten off, and the defenders were hurrying to meet him.
When Ferrier reached the wall, he saw the Swahilis and their followers coming up the slope in a straggling body. The moment they perceived him, they halted; those who had rifles fired them off, too hurriedly to take effective aim; the others let fly a shower of arrows. Then they all rushed forward, a disorderly shouting mob. Ferrier fired his rifle, but his men had not had time to reload, having hastened from the bastion immediately after the final volley upon the causeway. The enemy had come within about twenty yards of the wall when Ferrier, whipping out his revolver, snapped a shot at Juma and winged him. The big man fell to the ground with a howl of pain; his men halted in consternation.
This was not the easy victory they had been promised. Their hesitation was fatal. It had given time to the men on the wall to load their pieces. A general fusillade spattered bullets among the waverers; it quickened them into action, but instead of continuing their advance they turned tail and bolted down the slope, pursued by a shower of arrows.
Juma had risen, and struggled along with the help of two of his kind.
They fled with all speed among the trees, and the garrison, yelling with delight, saw them no more that day.
CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SECOND--A Counter Stroke
John had every reason to be satisfied when he took stock of the results of the action. The enemy had been thoroughly routed, with considerable loss: he had no men killed, and only a few with superficial flesh wounds. But he looked grave enough when, at dinner-time, Ferrier confessed that he had already had to put the men on half rations.
”Our only hope is that the enemy have had enough of it and will clear off,” he said. ”The 'bad men,' at any rate, won't think much of their job.”
”And Juma himself has had a reminder that won't leave him for a few days. But if they _don't_ clear off----”
”We must wait and see. There ought to be plenty of fish in this pool; couldn't we try a little angling?”
”What about hooks?”
”Well, there are some empty condensed milk-tins; we can make some sort of hooks out of them. And as for bait--I say, look there!”
Two vultures were swooping down upon the western end of the island.
”Sickening!” said Ferrier, with a shudder. ”I'll go and pot them and get the men to attend to things there. The birds will give us bait, and the men may like to eat them--I couldn't.”
Several large hooks were made out of milk-tins. A piece of rope was unravelled to form lines, and several of the men were soon sitting on the causeway, angling with portions of the vultures which Ferrier shot.
In the course of an hour or two they caught several fish, large and small; but the total quant.i.ty was insignificant in comparison with what was needed to give all a full meal. They were all rather hungry when they settled down for the night, and the white men devoutly hoped that when morning dawned they would see that the enemy's force had broken up.
In this they were disappointed. Daylight showed them parties of negroes hovering on the outskirts of the wood. That their intention was to resume their old tactics of watching the fort was proved before the day was over. A long line of women was observed coming from the north, bending under heavy loads.
”Grub for them,” said Ferrier. ”They're short, like us: but they can draw on the village while we starve.”
”I wonder if we could intercept a convoy,” suggested John.
”Very risky: practically impossible. We couldn't tell when it's coming.
We might have to wait a day or two, and miss it after all. Besides, we might be cut off; they're strong enough to keep us out if they get between us and the fort; and the garrison would be so much weakened that they couldn't hold out against a general attack. No: we mustn't think of it.”