Fix Bay'nets: The Regiment in the Hills

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

  BRACY'S NURSE.

  "Bracy, my dear old man!"

  "My dear old chap!" These were the salutations of Drummond and Robertslater on in the morning, when they sought him out, to find him withGedge in a portion of the soldiers' quarters which had been temporarilyturned into a hospital.

  "Ah, Roberts," sighed Bracy drowsily as he raised himself on one arm."Not hurt, I hope?"

  "Not a scratch. But you--you? Morton tells me you fought like a lionall through that horrible attack."

  "Like a very weak lion," said Bracy, smiling faintly.

  "But how are you?"

  "Oh, so much better," said the young officer, with a sigh. "I feel sorestful, and as if I could do nothing but sleep."

  "Thank Heaven! But what a change in you!"

  "And you, Drummond? But your face--blackened. Were you in thatexplosion I heard?"

  "Yes; I helped to pop off the powder."

  "Helped!" cried Roberts. "Why, you placed the powder-bag and fired thefuse."

  "Well, what of that? Some one had to do it. I wasn't hurt there,though, old man. It was in setting fire to the store and coaxing itinto a blaze, for the blessed wood refused to burn. Spoiled my lovelylooks a bit--eh? But I say--it's harder work than you would think forto burn a--I say! Bracy, old chap!--Why, he's asleep!"

  "Fast," said Roberts, looking wonderingly at their friend, who had sunkback on his rough pillow, formed of a doubled-up greatcoat, and wasbreathing deeply, with his face looking peaceful and calm.

  "Here, I say, you, Bill Gedge," cried Drummond; "this can't be right.Go and fetch the Doctor."

  "No, sir; it's all right, sir. The Doctor was here half-an-hour ago.He was fast as a top then; but he heard the Doctor speaking to me, androused up while he had his wounds looked at. What d'yer think o' that,sir?"

  He drew a small, ragged scrap of something from his pocket, and held itout before the two officers.

  "Nothing," said Roberts shortly; "but I don't like Mr Bracy's looks.This can't be right."

  "Doctor says it is, sir, and that it's exhorschon. He's to sleep asmuch as he can. You see, he had a horful night of it, sir, just when hewasn't fit."

  "But how in the world could he fight like the Doctor says he did?"

  "I dunno, sir," replied Gedge, grinning. "Doctor says it was theexcitement set him going, and then he couldn't stop hisself. You knowhow he was a bit ago, gentlemen, when he hit out and kicked, andcouldn't help it."

  Roberts nodded.

  "And he did fight wonderful, and never got a scratch. That's what theDoctor said it was, and when he zamined his bandages he found this hereunder his back."

  "That! What is it?" said Drummond, now taking the object and examiningit curiously.

  "His complaint, sir, that kept him bad so long. The bit of iron theDoctor said he dursen't try to get out. It worked out last night in thefight. He's going to get well now."

  It was Roberts's turn now to examine the little ragged scrap ofdiscoloured iron.

  "Seems wonderful," he said, "that so trifling a thing as that shouldcause so much agony, and bring a man so low."

  "Oh, I dunno, sir," said Gedge respectfully. "I had a horful toe onceas got bigger and bigger and sorer till I couldn't get a boot on, onlythe sole; and when my leg got as big as a Dan'l Lambert's, some un says,`Why don't you go to the orspital?' he says, sir; and so I did, and assoon as I got there I began to wish I hadn't gone, for there was a loto' doctors looked at it, and they said my leg must come off half-way upmy thigh, but they'd wait a day or two first, and they did; but only thenext morning one of 'em has another good look, and he gets outsomething--just a teeny bit of a nail as had gone into my toe out of myboot."

  "Humph!" said Roberts rather contemptuously.

  "Lor' bless yer, gentlemen, I was 'nother sort o' feller that night, andwas just like Mr Bracy here; hadn't had no proper sleep for weeks, andthere I was at it like one o'clock, going to sleep as you may say allover the place. Shouldn't ha' been here if it hadn't been for thatthere doctor. Wouldn't have had a one-legged un in the ridgiment, sir--would yer?"

  "No," said Roberts, who was leaning over and gazing at his sleepingcomrade curiously. "Yes, he is sleeping as peacefully as a child. Andwhat about you, Gedge?"

  "Me, sir? Oh, I'm all right, sir. Bit stiff in the arms with all thatbay'net exercise, and got the skin off one elber with ketching it agenthe wall. Yer see, we'd no room."

  "We've been there this morning," said Roberts, with a slight shudder."The woodwork is chipped and cut into splinters, and the sight ishorrible."

  "Well, yus, I s'pose so, sir. It was horrible work, but we was obligedto do it; they'd have cut us all to pieces. Reg'lar butchers--that theyare--and deserved it. Coming on like that at a lot o' poor cripples anda woman, besides the nong-combytant. Savages they are to try and cutdown a doctor who's ready to 'tend to everybody, either side, and tie orsew them up."

  "You're right, Gedge, my lad; they are savages," said Drummond, pattingthe speaker on the shoulder.

  "Hff! gently, please, sir," said Gedge, flinching.

  "I beg your pardon. Are you hurt there?" cried Drummond hastily.

  "Oh, all right, sir," said the lad, grinning; "but you said, `Hurtthere.' Why, it's all over, sir. There aren't a place as I've foundyet where you could put a finger on without making me squirm. Doctormade me yell like a great calf. But there's nothing broke or cracked,and no fresh holes nowhere."

  "That's a comfort," said Drummond.

  "Yus; but it aren't very comf'table yet, sir. He says I shall soon bebetter, though."

  "Yes, Gedge, you must regularly lie up till the pain has gone."

  "I mean to, sir, all the time that I can get from tending Mr Bracyhere. I must tend him."

  "You can stay with him; but someone else ought to be sent in."

  "No, sir, please; I can manage. It wouldn't be fair, sir, for some unelse to come in now the gov'nor's getting better. Doctor says I'vesaved his life so fur, and I wants to go on and save his life sofurther. See?"

  "Yes, of course," said Roberts, smiling. "It would not be fair for youto be robbed of the credit of what you have done."

  "Thank ye, sir. That does a chap good, sir. But I beg your pardon,Captain: you see, I'm noo to sojering and fighting. I thought we'd hadit tidy 'ot in the coming up along o' the stone-throwing. Then it was abit warm when Mr Bracy was shot down and I got my bullet. But that wasall like playing skretch-cradle to our set-to last night in the dark.Shall we have it much worse by-and-by?"

  "Worse? No," cried the Captain sharply. "Nothing could be worse thanlast night's work."

  "Oh, come, I'm glad o' that, sir; for arterward, when I begun to cooldown, it seemed to me that if it could be much worse I should begin tothink as sojering might get to be a little bit too strong."

  It was just then that Doctor Morton came in, and for the moment hefrowned; but the angry look passed off after a glance at Bracy.

  "I was afraid you would disturb him," he said; "but there is no need tomind; he will sleep a great deal for days, till this state of exhaustionhas passed off. My dear boys, what a night we had! I wonder that anyof us are alive."

  "There were some narrow escapes, Doctor," said Roberts.

  "Awful, awful; and what a morning for me! I feel as if I could do asBracy is doing--sleep for days; but here I am with a terrible load offresh cases on my hands, and my chief nurse turned into a patient--Gee'swife. What a woman! what a woman! She must have descended from theAmazons of old. But there, I must go; I only wanted to see that poorBracy was all right."

  "And you do think he is, Doctor?" said Roberts.

  "Sure of it, sir. He'll be back with his company before long."

  He nodded sharply, and after a word or two with Gedge, who looked tenyears older for his night's work, the room was left for sleep, and theyoung officers hurried off to their several duties. For there was amplework for every one of the defe
nders, whose loss had, however, beenwonderfully small, the Ghazis having been comparatively helpless aftertheir successful entry, their attacks being repulsed by the bayonet, andthe soldiery for the most part having the advantage of the walls, whiletheir fanatical foes were raging about the court, repulsed at everyattempt to get on close quarters with the infidels they sought todestroy.

  As the morning wore on, and the horrible traces of the deadly fray wererapidly removed by the fatigue-parties set to work, a soft breeze fromthe mountains waited away the heavy clouds of mist, the sun came out,and with it the horrors of the night faded away so rapidly that, had itnot been for the blackened ruins of the fodder-store, it would have beenhard to realise the fact that such a night had been passed.

  Scouting parties went, out in different directions, and returned allwith the same report--that the enemy had disappeared, not a trace ofthem being visible, not even one of the dead or wounded, though theirlosses must have been considerable. That evening a time of perfect restseemed to have descended upon Ghittah, which, by the light of thesinking sun, looked, with its magnificent surroundings of dazzlingsnow-peak, verdant hill, forest, and falling water, orange, golden, andsparkling in the reflections from the glorified sky.

  "Yes, lovely, lovely," said Colonel Graves sadly, "if one could onlyfeel that we might lie down and sleep in peace."

  "Well, can't we?" said one of the younger officers. "Surely, sir, thishas been such a lesson as the enemy will not forget."

  "Quite right," said the Colonel; "they will not forget it, nor rest tillthey have had revenge."

  "But look at their losses last night," said the Major.

  "I do," replied the Colonel; "but men are plentiful up here in thehills, and they all belong to a fighting race. If they were notfighting with us they would be among themselves, and it is the educationof their boys: being taught to fight."

  "Then you think they'll renew their attacks, sir?" said Roberts.

  "I feel sure of it, and they must find us more upon the _qui vive_ nexttime. I feel ashamed for allowing myself to be such an easy victim totheir cunning _ruse_."

  "Never mind now," said the Major; "it has furnished us with a finesupply of fresh meat."

  "Yes," said the Colonel sadly; "but at a heavy cost of wounded men."