Part 34 (2/2)

”Everything quiet, Wilson?” he asked the young subaltern, who, with another, was on guard on the roof.

”Yes; we have heard nothing except a few distant shouts and noises out at the lines. Round here there has been nothing moving, except that we heard someone go out into the garden just now.”

”I went out with Bathurst,” the Doctor said. ”He has gone in the disguise of a native to the Sepoy lines, to find out what are their intentions.”

”I heard the talk over it, Doctor. I only came up on watch a few minutes since. I thought it was most likely him when I heard the steps.”

”I hope he is beyond the sentries,” the Doctor said. ”I have come up here to listen.”

”I expect he is through them before this,” Wilson said confidently. ”I wish I could have gone with him; but of course it would not have been any good. It is a beautiful night--isn't it, Miss Hannay?--and there is scarcely any dew falling.”

”Now, you go off to your post in the corner, Wilson. Your instructions are to listen for the slightest sound, and to a.s.sure us against the Sepoys creeping up to the walls. We did not come up here to distract you from your duties, or to gossip.”

”There are Richards and another posted somewhere in the garden,” Wilson said. ”Still, I suppose you are right, Doctor; but if you, Miss Hannay, have come up to listen, come and sit in my corner; it is the one nearest to the lines.”

”You may as well go and sit down, Isobel,” the Doctor said; ”that is, if you intend to stay up here long;” and they went across with Wilson to his post.

”Shall I put one of these sandbags for you to sit on?”

”I would rather stand, thank you;” and they stood for some time silently watching the fires in the lines.

”They are drawing pretty heavily on the wood stores,” the Doctor growled; ”there is a good deal more than the regulation allowance blazing in those fires. I can make out a lot of figures moving about round them; no doubt numbers of the peasants have come in.”

”Do you think Mr. Bathurst has got beyond the line of sentries?” Isobel said, after standing perfectly quiet for some time.

”Oh, yes, a long way; probably he was through by the time we came up here. They are not likely to post them more than fifty or sixty yards from the wall; and, indeed, it is, as Bathurst pointed out to me, probable that they are only thick near the gate. All they want to do is to prevent us slipping away. I should think that Bathurst must be out near the lines by this time.”

Isobel moved a few paces away from the others, and again stood listening.

”I suppose you do not think that there is any chance of an attack tonight, Doctor?” Wilson asked, in low tones.

”Not in the least; the natives are not fond of night work. I expect they are dividing the spoil and quarreling over it; anyhow, they have had enough of it for today. They may intend to march away in the morning, or they may have sent to Cawnpore to ask for orders, or they may have heard from some of the Zemindars that they are coming in to join them--that is what Bathurst has gone out to learn; but anyhow I do not think they will attack us again with their present force.”

”I wish there were a few more of us,” Wilson said, ”so that we could venture on a sortie.”

”So do I, lad; but it is no use thinking about it as it is. We have to wait; our fate is not in our own hands.”

”And you think matters look bad, Doctor?”

”I think they could hardly look worse. Unless the mutineers take it into their heads to march away, there is, humanly speaking, but one chance for us, and that is that Lawrence may thrash the Sepoys so completely at Lucknow that he may be able to send out a force to bring us in. The chances of that are next to nothing; for in addition to a very large Sepoy force he has the population of Lucknow--one of the most turbulent in India--on his hands. Ah, what is that?”

Two musket shots in quick succession from the Sepoy lines broke the silence of the evening, and a startled exclamation burst from the girl standing near them.

The Doctor went over to her.

”Do you think--do you think,” she said in a low, strained voice, ”that it was Bathurst?”

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