CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH
NO THOROUGHFARE
"We seem to have lived an age during the last two days," said Bob ongreeting Lawrence again in the dining-room. "'One crowded hour ofglorious life,' begad! But why aren't you asleep, young man?"
"I can hardly keep my eyes open, but I shan't sleep till I know where weare. What did your flag mean?"
"Of course, you don't know. It seems stale news to me. There's a wholearmy corps encamped ten miles beyond the bridge--twenty thousand men ata guess, with field-guns, all complete. I saw hundreds oftransport-wagons rolling up, camel caravans too. It's a big thing."
"But what's the game? They don't need an army corps to bag this mine."
"Hanged if I know. It seems clear they intend to march up the valley;it was probably an advanced outpost that we came into conflict with. Sofar as I know the valley leads only to Afghanistan and--India."
"Those Mongols we have heard about, then, are going to have a slap atAfghanistan?"
"Or India!"
"That's tosh. Twenty thousand men are no good for invading India, andthey wouldn't come this way in any case."
"That's just what I said to myself. Of course Afghanistan is muchnearer, and they might catch the Amir napping by choosing this unusualroad. But after all, what concerns us is our position here."
"Yes. What have you been doing all day?"
"Flying up and down like a swallow--or wasn't it an eagle that droppedsomething on a Johnny's bald skull--in the classics. I haven't donethat exactly, but I've had a little practice in bomb dropping."
He related the manoeuvres by which he had checked the pursuit of thePathans and driven the Kalmucks down-stream, and the subsequentadventurous flight of Nurla Bai.
"Would you have let them shoot at him?" he asked. "The Babu was madwith me."
"I don't think I would. It wouldn't be cricket, do you think? The Babuwouldn't learn that sort of thing at Calcutta University!"
"Have you had any trouble?"
"Quite enough, I can assure you. In the small hours they tried to crossat the bridge, some of them floating themselves on water-skins. We beatthem off at the cost of a few knocks. But some must have got past usover the hills--a mighty big round. We met a crowd of them on foot.Luckily it was all very sudden, and a charge scattered them. We lostone man, but we polished off a lot of them; the Pathans are perfectdemons at fighting."
"Well done, old chap! Charging was the very thing. These beggars can'tface it. I remember that in the Mutiny our men never charged withoutsuccess. But what about the future? We've two courses open: to pack upand cut our sticks before the Mongols arrive, or to hang on and make thebest defence we can. Candidly, I don't see how we can hold the placewith our little lot against such a host."
"What about Thermopylae and Leonidas?"
"Yes, but Xerxes hadn't any artillery. Besides, if I'm not mistaken,Leonidas and his three hundred were cut up, to a man."
"Only because a traitor showed the Persians a way round to their rear.Still, you know best."
"I'll send for old Gur Buksh. He's seen a lot of service, and has acool head. We're better placed than Leonidas in one respect: traitor orno traitor, we can't be got at from the rear."
When the havildar arrived, Bob put the position to him exactly, omittingno detail, and glossing over none of the difficulties.
"Now, havildar," he said in conclusion, "shall we run, or shall wefight? We ought to have plenty of time to get away. The enemy can'tadvance in force until they have repaired the bridge, and they'll haveto do that thoroughly if they wish to bring their artillery across. Itwill take them at least a day, probably longer. We can reckon ontwenty-four hours' start."
The havildar, a fine soldierly figure, stood in silence before the twolads, pondering deeply.
"The men are very weary, sahib," he said at length. "They could notstart before morning. There are not horses for all: the march would beslow, and the journey would be long. We should not be safe for ahundred miles, and if the enemy is so numerous, they would pursue us notonly along the track, but over the hills, and outstrip us, and we shouldnot escape."
"And what if we remain here?"
"Who can tell? If we die, we die. But we are safer here, sahib. Theenemy cannot haul their guns up the heights opposite. The gorge isnarrow; with our gun and our rifles we could prevent them from passingthe bend northward--so long as our ammunition lasts."
"And how long will that be? And what provisions have we?"
"There are plenty of cartridges, sahib, and we have those the Kalmucksleft behind in their huts. Our provisions would have lasted three weeksfor us all; now that the Kalmucks are gone, they will last longer."
"I say, Bob," said Lawrence, "why not block up the track? With a goodcharge of dynamite we could bring down tons of rock on it, and thoughthat wouldn't block the way for ever against twenty thousand men, itwould give them a few days' work to clear it."
"The chota sahib speaks words of wisdom," said Gur Buksh. "The track isnarrow where it bends a little to the north--that is the place to dowhat the sahib says."
"A jolly good notion," said Bob. "We'll set about it to-morrow. Also,havildar, we will strengthen the wall. You have already, I see, linedit with bags of earth, as I ordered. You must throw up behind them amound of the tailings from the mine. Cover that with earth, and beat itdown hard, and we shall have a triple fortification. It won't be veryscientific, Lawrie, but it ought to be of some use. Can you think ofanything else, havildar?"
"That is all, sahib. Has the sahib told the Pathans what he has toldme?"
"Oh yes. The men who were chased by the Kalmucks intended to go home,but I told them everything, and I'm sure they will stick to us. Youhave arranged the sentries for the night?"
"That is done, sahib."
"Then we'll get to bed, Lawrie. We both want a good sound sleep. Wakeus if anything happens, havildar."
But Gur Buksh had not been gone five minutes, and Bob had not yet takenoff his boots, when he was struck with a sudden uneasiness.
"I say, Lawrie," he exclaimed, "what if the beggars came up during thenight? We couldn't use either the machine-gun or our rifles with anyeffect in the darkness, and they might easily slip past; not withoutsome loss, of course, but not enough to stagger them."
"But you said yourself just now that it would take them a whole day torepair the bridge. They couldn't get here before morning."
"It would certainly take them a day or longer to make the bridge strongenough to bear their artillery. But we've only the advanced guard todeal with, not the main army, and in two or three hours they could rigup a bridge good enough for themselves and their ponies. They may beonly a few hours' march away. I wish we had a searchlight. We couldthen light up the track at the bend yonder, and give them such a dosethat they wouldn't try it again."
"Why not try a bonfire? Light a big one just on this side of the bend.That would give us enough light."
"A good idea! We'll do it, and to make perfectly sure, we'd betterblast the rock at once, and not leave it till the morning. I'll see toit, however; you have a good sleep."
"Not a bit of it. I should fall asleep in two ticks if I had nothing todo, but I'm not going to leave you to bear the brunt of everything. Weshare and share alike."
"Thanks, old chap. You see to the dynamite and get a wire spliced forthe current while I get the bonfire started."
GUR BUKSH DEFENDS THE MINE]
In a few minutes a large fire was blazing on a ledge of rock a few feetsouth of the bend, and a number of Pathans were drilling holes in thecliff. An hour's work by experienced miners would suffice, Bob thought,to prepare for the charge of dynamite. Meanwhile, in the compound,under Lawrence's direction, other men were splicing together severallengths of the wire used for conveying the current from the smallelectric battery to the mine galleries. A number of boxes were brokenup to provide fuel fo
r the bonfire, which, however, it would be hardlynecessary to keep alight when once the track had been blocked up by thefallen rocks.
These operations were all in progress when there was a sudden commotionamong the men drilling the rock. After a moment's hesitation, theydropped their tools and scampered at the top of their speed towards themine. They had barely crossed the bridge, and this had only been raiseda few feet from its platform, when there came swiftly round the bend astring of horsemen, galloping two abreast. Gur Buksh was at his post bythe machine-gun. In a few moments it was rattling its shot in a rapidstream towards the enemy, and at the same time the Sikhs opened firewith their rifles. A number of the enemy were seen to fall, either uponthe track or over the brink into the river, and the horses of the menimmediately behind them stumbled over the prone bodies and in one or twocases threw their riders. There were a few moments of confusion. Thequiet of the night was broken by cries and groans and the rattle andhiss of shots. Then the stream of horsemen suddenly stopped. Shoutswere heard from beyond the bend, but no more of the enemy appearing, Bobordered his men to cease fire.
Everybody in the mine compound had been so intent on what was happeningwithin the area illuminated by the bonfire that only Bob himself and oneor two more had noticed that several of the enemy had got past thecritical point before fire was opened. They were now in darkness, butthe clatter of their horses' hoofs could be heard on the track justbeyond the quarters lately occupied by the Pathans. At this sound Bobhad much difficulty in preventing his men from blazing away at random atthe cliff opposite. To allow it would be merely to waste ammunition, forthe enemy were quite invisible; so he peremptorily ordered them todesist after two or three shots had been fired. When quietness wasrestored, he heard the horsemen retreating up the valley, and soon thesound of their movements died away.
"Lucky we didn't go to bed after all," said Bob to Lawrence. "Is thatwire ready?"
"Yes, but the rock isn't drilled yet, is it?"
"We'll soon finish that. The track must be blocked at once, or we mayhave this going on all night."
He called the miners up, and ordered them to go back to their work.
"Mashallah, sahib, but it is not safe, we shall all be killed," one ofthem ventured to say.
"Nonsense. They won't come on again."
"But some have got past, sahib. They will come back and shoot us."
"They won't venture within the light of the bonfire, and if they do theSikhs will shoot them down. Come on: I'll go with you. Give me thedynamite, Lawrence. Fazl, you take the end of the wire. Now then, afew minutes' more work, and we'll tumble a mountain of rock on to thetrack, and be able to sleep soundly for the rest of the night."
His confident bearing, and the example of his personal leadership,inspired the men with courage. The bridge was again lowered; Bob passedover with Fazl and the miners; Lawrence, Gur Buksh and the Sikhs postedthemselves between the bridge head and the southern extremity of thecompound to guard against any attack on the part of the men who had goneup the track. They could not number more than a dozen or so at the most,and Bob felt sure that after what had occurred they would not be veryready to approach the spot that had proved so fatal to their comrades.
He ordered the men to move very quietly. On reaching the place wherethey had flung down their tools, he bade them wait a little. From roundthe bend came the sound of voices, apparently some distance away. Theenemy had not withdrawn altogether: would they have the courage to comeon again? The machine-gun was no protection to the working-party, forit could not fire without great risk of hitting them. Bob sent one ofthe men back to fetch three of the Sikhs; their rifles might at any ratesuffice to check a rush long enough for the miners to retreat to thebridge.
As soon as the Sikhs arrived, he ordered the men to resume theirdrilling, for which the bonfire gave sufficient light. The first soundsattracted the attention of the enemy. They raised their voices, andBob, grasping his revolver, told the Sikhs to level their rifles andfire if he gave the word. All were concealed from the enemy by theshoulder of the cliff. The work went on without interference from theenemy beyond, but presently shots began to patter on the rocks from therifles of those who had passed up the valley. The bonfire was now aninconvenience, and the danger was greater to Bob and the Sikhs, whostood erect, than to the miners stretched on the ground. But it was arisk that must be endured, and Bob spoke a cheery word to the men at hisside, and urged the miners to hurry on with their work. Unknown to him,at the first shot Lawrence had led the other Sikhs across the bridge andposted them on the track, to repel the Kalmucks if they should venturenearer to get a better aim.
In a quarter of an hour the drilling was finished. Bob sent the minersback, and himself laid the charge of dynamite. Then he inserted thewire, and retreated with Fazl and the Sikhs.
"Good man!" he said to Lawrence when he reached the bridge. "It's alldone. We've only to make the contact."
"Nobody hit?" asked Lawrence anxiously.
"Never a man. I think we'd have done better. Now let's get back. Infive minutes we'll have a little earthquake."
They crossed into the compound, the bridge was raised, and Bob sent Fazlinto the shed where the battery was kept, to complete the electriccircuit. The firing had ceased. Nothing was to be heard but therushing water. In a few minutes there was a dull, sullen rumble; theground quivered, and immediately afterwards a terrific crash whichechoed and re-echoed along the valley. The bonfire was suddenlyobliterated as by an extinguisher.
"Another trick to us!" said Bob gleefully. "And now I think we can go tosleep with an easy mind. They won't get past till they've moved athousand cartloads of rubbish."
"What about those fellows who got past?"
"We can leave Gur Buksh to deal with them. They can't get into thecompound; if they did they'd never get out again. I shouldn't wonder ifthey're wishing they hadn't been in quite such a hurry. Now, my boy,bed: neither you nor I will need any rocking to-night. It's barelyeight o'clock: we ought to get a good twelve hours, and I can do with itall."
They felt a strange pang as they passed through their uncle's room. Itwas the first time they had entered it since the fatal morning when theyset out so cheerfully with him in pursuit of Nurla Bai. Neither spoke ofhim; his loss touched them now with a poignancy of feeling that wouldnot endure expression. Bob closed the door quietly, as if a sleeper laywithin; and both undressed in silence.
The Air Patrol: A Story of the North-west Frontier Page 18
