CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.
A QUESTION OF HELMETS.
Bracy felt quite sure that they were being tracked, but he did not lookround till they were well within the shelter of the rocks for which theyaimed. Then, as soon as he could feel that he was certain of beingunobserved, he raised his head above one of the blocks, and took hisglass to read more fully their position. For, in a long line, atintervals of some ten yards or so, the enemy was coming on, without asign of haste, but in the quiet, determined way of those who know thatthey are following an absolute certainty, and that it is only a matterof time before their prey drops down at their mercy.
The day was gloriously bright, and the vast landscape of rock, forest,and gleaming water to their left, and the dazzling stretch of peak,snowfield, and glacier, with its many gradations of silver and deliciousblue, on their right, presented a scene which the mind might haverevelled in for hours. But Bracy saw nothing of Nature's beauties, forhis attention was centred in the long line of tribes-men coming slowlyon, their movements being so full of suggestion and offering themselvesfor easy reading.
Bracy closed his glass, and turned with wrinkled brow to Gedge, who tookthis as an invitation to give his opinion; and he went on at once, as ifin answer to a few remarks from his officer.
"Yes, sir," he said; "it is a nice game, and no mistake. The cowards!Look at 'em, sir. That's what they mean to do--come sneaking alongafter us, waiting for a chance to rush in and take a stroke, and thenslipping off again before we can get a shot at 'em. That's what theythink; but they're making the biggest mistake they over made in theirlives. They don't know yet what one of our rifles can do."
"You think they mean to follow us up, Gedge?"
"That's it, sir. They'll hang about for a chance. These niggershaven't got anything to do; so, when they see a chance of doing a bit ofa job so as to get something, they give theirselves up to it and go on,spending days and weeks to get hold of what they could have got honestlyin half the time. But, look here, sir."
"Yes," said Bracy, nodding, as his companion tapped his rifle. "Wecould keep them off by good shooting, Gedge, while it is light; but whatabout the darkness?"
"Yes; that's what bothers me, sir. They don't try the shooting then,but sets their guns on one side, and lakes to those long, sharp knives."
Bracy nodded again, and Gedge drew back, and began to make quick pointswith his rifle, acting as if the bayonet were fixed.
"That'll be it after dark, sir. Bay'net's more than a match for anyknife in the dark."
"Yes," said Bracy; "but it means one of us to be always awake, and insuch a journey as ours this will be distressing."
"Never mind, sir. We'll take double allowance of sleep first chanceafterwards. Yes; I see, sir; that patch o' stones, one of which liesover o' one side--to the left."
"Forward!" said Bracy; and the spot indicated was reached, the shorthalt made, and they went on again, after noting that the enemy wasslowly following on their track.
That seemed a day of days to Bracy, and interminably long and wearisome.They kept along as near the edge of the snow as they could, and watchedthe two bodies of men to right and left till they were hidden by theinequalities of the ground; but they came into sight again and again.About midday the two parties were seen to meet, and then come to a halt,about a mile from where Bracy and his companion crouched, as usual, inamong some loose rocks, in the unenviable position of being between twofires, the enemy in the rear halting too, and making no effort to cometo close quarters after the lesson they had learned about the long,thin, pencil-like bullets sent whistling from Gedge's rifle.
"Can you make out what they are doing, sir?" asked Gedge.
"Sitting together, and I think eating."
"That's what you said the others were doing, sir."
"Yes."
"Then wouldn't it be a good time for us to be having a refresher, sir?"
"Very good time indeed, Gedge, if you can eat," said Bracy meaningly.
"If I can eat, sir?" said Gedge, turning over his officer's words."Why, sir, I feel famished. Don't you?"
"No," said Bracy sadly. "I suppose the anxiety has taken away myappetite."
"But you must eat, sir. Make your load lighter, too. There are timeswhen I feel as if I should like to eat all I want, and then chuck allthe rest away. One don't seem to want anything but cartridges; butthen, you see, sir, one does, or else the works won't go. I'm wonderfullike a watch, I am--I want winding up reg'lar, and then I go very tidy;but if I'm not wound up to time I runs down and turns faint and queer,and about the biggest coward as ever shouldered a rifle. I'm just nouse at all, not even to run away, for I ain't got no strength. Yes,sir, that's how it is: I must be wound up as much as a Waterbury watch,and wittles is the key."
"Go on, then," said Bracy, smiling; "wind yourself up, Gedge, and I'lldo the same."
"Thank ye, sir; that's done me no end o' good," cried the lad,brightening up. "You've give me a reg'lar good appetite now."
Gedge proceeded to prove this fact at once, and his words and theexample set him had the effect of making his leader begin to eat a fewmouthfuls, these leading to more; and at the end of a minute or two bothwere heartily enjoying their repast, although the prospect before themseemed to promise that this would be the last meal of which they wouldpartake.
As they watched the enemy in front and rear they could only come to theconclusion that it was as impossible to continue their journey as it wasto retreat. There was the open north to the left of their intendedcourse, but as far as they could make out it was impassable. By sternendeavour they felt that they might in time wade through the deep snowand reach the mountains; but, as far as they could judge, fartherprogress in the way of striking through them, and then turning round totheir right, was not possible without the aid of ice-axe and rope. Andagain, there was the less mountainous part of the country across theside valley they had traversed, and where they might climb the ridge andmake a circuit to the left; but that course would probably lead themmore amongst the encampments of the enemy besieging the fort; and theyhad hardly begun discussing this course when Gedge exclaimed:
"Take your spy-glass, sir. There's game or something on the move overyonder to the south."
"A strong body of men, Gedge," said Bracy decisively. "The country'salive with the wretches, and these are evidently going to join those inour valley."
"Hard lines for the two Colonels and our poor lads, sir," said Gedge,with his face puckering up. "If it wasn't for orders I wouldn't mindthem beggars behind; we'd get through them somehow, for it would be farbetter to go at 'em sharp and have it out, so that it might end one wayor t'other, than keep creeping on here, never knowing when they may makea rush."
"I feel the same, Gedge," said Bracy firmly; "but we have our orders,and that mountain we must reach by night."
"Right, sir; I'm not grumbling; we're a-going to do it; but don't itseem rum? Only the other day the place was empty everywhere, and it wasjust as if the enemy had all been shot and buried theirselves, whilewhen you gents went out shooting, and the Colonel sent out littleparties to scout and cover you coming back, in case the niggers showed,we went about over and over again, and never see a soul. And now, justbecause you've got to take word to the Ghoorkha Colonel that we wanthelp, all of 'em have turned out so as to send us back to our quarters."
Bracy let his companion chatter on; but he was actively busy the whilewith his glass, which gave him a clear picture in miniature of everymovement of their pursuers, at the same time convincing him that neitherthe enemy in front, nor those, perfectly plain now on the ridge acrossthe little valley, were aware of their presence.
"We must be getting on, Gedge," he said at last; "the enemy behind is onthe move, and they are opening out to the left."
"That means getting down to the hollow yonder, sir, to come upon ourflank or cut us off. Oh! don't I wish you could detach a partyskirmishing, ready to counter upon them and send 'em back; but the force
aren't strong enough, sir. You see, you want me to form the reserve."
Bracy smiled, and once more they stepped out, making for patch afterpatch of rocks, the more boldly now that they saw the enemy in front wascrossing their intended track as if to get to the ridge on the otherside of the valley, and form a junction with the men there.
"Double!" said Bracy suddenly; and they trotted now wherever the groundwould allow of such a way of progressing, and in the hope of gettingwell forward; but, to their disgust, it was to find that theirindefatigable pursuers imitated every movement, running when they ran,and settling down again to a walk as soon as they slowed.
And so the afternoon wore on, with the position in the rear unchanged,but the front clearing as the sun sank lower in the west.
"There's a more hopeful lookout yonder, Gedge," said Bracy, "but thesescoundrels seem more determined than ever."
"That's right, sir; and the worst of it is they won't come, within shot.They're waiting for the dark. That's their game. Couldn't we steal amarch on 'em somehow, sir? for this is getting a bit stupid."
"We can steal the march as soon as it's dark," replied Bracy. "I havebeen thinking of that; but then there is the difficulty of getting alongin this rough place, and we may be getting out of the frying-pan intothe fire."
"Well, I don't know as if would be any hotter, sir. Don't you thinkwe'd better lie down behind some of the stones and pick a few of 'em offas they come up?"
"It might cheek them, if we could do it; but if you look through theglass you will see that they keep sending a couple of men up all thehigh places, who keep watch, and they'd signal to their companions thatwe were in ambush."
"I was afraid so, sir," said Gedge grimly; "that's always the way withmy plans. There's always a hole in the bottom o' the tub I make 'em in,and they run out like sand."
"How would this do?" said Bracy. "Suppose we pick out a good place justas it is getting dark, and settle ourselves down to watch."
"That sounds right, sir," said Gedge encouragingly. "Then, as soon asthey have got used to seeing us there looking over the stones, supposewe slip off our 'elmets, and leave them on the rocks, and creep away forsome distance before we rise, and then go on as fast as we can so as the'elmets may keep 'em off for a bit, sir."
"Yes; I see what you mean, but the trick is too old. Remember how themen put their helmets or caps above the breastworks to tempt them tofire. Depend upon it they would suspect."
"May be, sir, may be not; but we're in a fix, and we must do something."
"But the thing is what?"
"If we wanted to go back, sir--to retreat," began Gedge.
"Which we do not," said Bracy coldly.
"Of course not right away, sir; but to make a fresh start, that dodgewould do."
"What do you mean?"
"Why, this, sir; suppose we put our 'elmets on the tops o' two stonesjust as it's getting dark."
"Well, go on," said Bracy impatiently.
"Then we keep our eyes upon our gentlemen to see whether they come innigh enough first so as to give us a shot, and if they don't we waittill it's dark enough."
"And then go on as fast as we can, and without our helmets, to beexposed to the sun by day, the cold wind and snow by night, if we werenot overtaken and finished. Bah, my lad! that will not do."
"No, sir; but that ain't the way my story goes," said Gedge, grinning.
"Let's have your way, then," said Bracy impatiently, as he scanned theenemy in the distance with his glass.
"I mean this, sir. We puts our 'elmets as 'fore-said on the rocks,watches till it's quite dark, and then, instead o' doubling off on ourjourney, we just creeps away to right or left, say a hundred yards, andthen lies down."
"Yes?"
"Bimeby, one by one, my gentlemen comes creeping up with their longknives, ready to cut us up in the dark, supposing that we're there onthe watch. Dessay dozen of 'em would come, front, right, left, andrear; and then, after they've surrounded our 'elmets, they goes right infor us, and slashes them instead of us. Next minute there's a reg'larhoo-roar, and most likely, if we're lucky, they've chopped one; anotherawful. But whether they have or not, they've found out we're not there,and that they've been done; and on they goes in a passion right away,hoping to catch up to us again in the morning to carry on the same gameof following us and giving us no rest till we're quite done, and the jobto finish us is as easy as that."
He kissed his hand by way of illustrating the simplicity of thebusiness.
"Yes; we should get rid of their hideous, heart-wearing pursuit," saidBracy thoughtfully, "and then be able to make a fresh start, of course.But what about covering for our heads?"
"Oh, don't you worry about that, sir. I'm on'y a thin un, and there'splenty o' spare stuff in this skin coat to spare for a couple o' woollybusbies as 'll suit us for this journey far better than 'elmets. Theniggers at a distance would take us for the real article then. Now thespikes on our heads says English to every one as sees 'em."
"Yes," said Bracy thoughtfully; "that might be done if we could make thewool hats."
"Don't you worry yourself about that, sir. It's on'y like cutting twobig long squares to measure, and doubling 'em over sidewise, and sewingtwo edges together. Then you sews the top edges, turns the thing insideout, and--"
"Well, and what?" said Bracy, for the lad stopped short and grinned.
"Puts 'em on, sir. That's all."
"And we have scissors and needles and thread and thimbles, of course,"said Bracy mockingly.
"That's right, sir. In my pocket. Didn't Mother Gee give me 'em allready for sewing up bandages and seeing to wounds? I'd a deal rathermake caps with 'em; wouldn't you?"
"Of course, of course, Gedge," Bracy hastened to say. "Here, it's timewe began to put our plan in action."
"Time to get on a bit farther first, sir. But do you really think thatdodge would do?"
"I think enough of it to make me say that we'll try it, Gedge; and, ifit succeeds, I tell you what, hard as it may be, we'll try the snow."
"That's the place to hide in, sir, when we creep away."
"Of course. Capital!"
"Might roll ourselves over in it, and it would stick to our coats, andthey'd never find us. But I don't know about going on that way, sir."
"We must; I see no other."
"But what about footmarks afterwards, sir? It's like putting down a loto' holes to show 'em the way we've gone."
"Holes that the sun would soon till in, or fresh snow fall to hide. Butwe need not study that. The enemy would go on and never think of comingback to make a fresh start. Even if they did, they would never find theplace again that they went to in the dark."
"Not by the 'elmets, sir?"
"No; they'd make sure of them--carry them off as trophies. But I see aterrible difficulty."
"Do yer, sir? I'm very sorry."
"Suppose, while we're lying in the snow, one or two of the ruffians comeand stumble right over us?"
"I hope they won't, sir," said Gedge, with a grim look in his eyes, ashe drew his dagger-like bayonet out and touched the point with histhumb. "That's pretty sharp, sir, and we should be on the lookout, andholding 'em in our hands, as what Sergeant Gee calls a shiver-de-freexe.They might tumble on them."
"Gedge, my lad, you're full of resources," said Bracy eagerly. "We'lltry your plan, exactly as you propose."
"Thank ye, sir," said the lad uneasily; "but I don't want you to thinkI'm cocky and knowing, and like to be thought double cunning."
"That will do," said Bracy, smiling. "Let's think of the task we havein hand. It is no time to discuss trifles. This is all part offighting for our lives."
Fix Bay'nets: The Regiment in the Hills Page 27
