CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
A PAUSE.
The moment the court could be crossed, a rush was made for the hospital,where the fight was still going on; but the mingled company of excitedmen were checked twice over by wounded and shamming Ghazis springing upto foot or knee to deliver one final blow at their hated Christianconquerors, and several of the soldiers were badly wounded by the deadlyrazor-edged tulwars before the wielder was borne to the earth bybayonets, struggling fiercely still, though riddled with wounds.
Then the entrance to the hospital was reached, and the wild cheer of adozen men sent a reviving thrill of hope through the fast-fallingdefenders, and they held their _chevaux-de-frise_ of bayonets once morenow, though with trembling, unnerved hands.
A minute before it seemed to them that their last blow had been struck,and that there was nothing else to do but die with their face to thedead and living enemy. But that wild British cheer sent a thrillthrough them; the massacre of the wounded was after all to be stayed,and they stood firmly there in the brightly illumined room, witnesses ofthe bayoneting, till the last savage lay dying on the floor.
Roberts had headed his party, and was the first to return to try andsave his friend and comrade; and it was into his arms Bracy fell and wascarried out, while the men crowded in now to bear out Mrs Gee, theDoctor, Gedge, and the rest, those outside cheering madly as first oneand then another bloodstained, ghastly object was borne into the light;while, in the interval between two of the outbursts, poor Gedge, who wasbeing cheered by his comrades, seemed drunk with excitement, as hecontrived with failing arm to wave his rifle above his head and shout:
"Three cheers for Mr Bracy; three cheers for the Doctor and old MotherGee! Three cheers for us all!"
There was a tremendous roar at this, heard loudly above the cracklingfire kept up on the enemy still striving to force a way in from beyondthe walls.
"Three more," cried Gedge. "Cripples, all on us, but we held our own,and hip--hip--hip--hoo--"
Gedge did not finish his cheer, for half-way through the last word hefell forward, utterly exhausted, fainting dead away.
It was just then that an officer with blackened face and sword in handsuddenly made his appearance high up in the golden light of the fire,and the moment he appeared a howl of execration was raised, which ranthrough the crowd of soldiery, while the officers scowled and turnedaway.
The tall, thin figure stopped short in front of the burning building, togaze down wonderingly.
"Drummond--Scotch coward!" roared a voice, and a yell of execrationburst forth.
Just at that moment, from behind an angle of the building, four of theGhazis, who had lain hidden there and escaped the deadly fire, rushedforth yelling and waving their swords as they made for the figurestanding apparently beyond the reach of help.
"Quick, some one--fire, fire!" shouted Roberts.
The figure heard the cry, and turned just in time to face his enemies,two of whom reached him together, cutting at him with all their might.But, active as a cat, the tall, lithe youth avoided one of his foes byleaping aside, ran the other man through, and swinging round, with atremendous cut severed the wrist of the wretch he had avoided, whencoming at him for a second blow.
The other two did not reach him, for half-a-dozen shots rang out, andthe true firing of the boy-regiment was again proved, the two Ghazisleaping high in the air, and falling backward on to the bayonets of themen below. There was another cheer at this, but it was dominateddirectly after by a renewal of the howl of execration which had brokenout before.
The hearer looked for a moment or two puzzled, and hesitated to advance;but the next minute he turned half-face, doubled along the rampart tothe steps, and descended to the court, passing coolly among the menwhere Colonel Graves was standing giving orders.
"Mr Drummond," he said, "I am told that you left your men in a way thatdisgraces a British officer."
"That I didn't," cried the young man indignantly. "I heard you say thatif we only had light we could see to fire, or something of that sort."
"Yes, sir, I did," said the Colonel sternly.
"Well, sir, I ran along the ramp and climbed up three times before Icould get to the store, and then set fire to the fodder; but it was everso long before I could get it to burn, and then I couldn't get out."
"You did that?" cried the Colonel.
"To be sure I did, sir. Wasn't it right? Oh, I see now; the menthought I went and hid to get out of the light."
"My dear boy," cried the Colonel; "of course."
"Oh," cried Drummond, "what jolly fools the lads can be! But I say,sir, who's hurt? and was old Bracy safe?"
A minute later the men cheered even louder than before, as they watchedDrummond--a hero now in their midst--place a bag of powder to blow downthe burning building and save the place from risk of the fire spreading.
That was soon done. It was a risky task, but bravely set about; and, asthe place went up in a rush of flames and sparks, the assault fromoutside ceased, the enemy drawing off under cover of the mist; and anhour later silence fell upon the horrible scene of carnage, not even ableat arising from the sheep.
But the fort was safe, the dim morning light showing the British flag,wet and clinging, but still hanging in its place upon the flagstaff;while by that time all save the doubled sentries upon the walls and thesuffering wounded lay plunged in a heavy sleep wherever a place could befound roomy enough for the poor fellows' aching limbs.
Fix Bay'nets: The Regiment in the Hills Page 21
