The Air Patrol: A Story of the North-west Frontier

by Herbert Strang

  CHAPTER THE NINETEENTH

  STALKED

  "Masterly cattle-driving," were Major Endicott's first words as Lawrencejoined him.

  No one would have supposed from the simple words and the naturalhand-shake that the meeting marked the end of a tense and periloussituation. Five sowars grouped at the door saluted and gave a shout ofwelcome.

  "I'm jolly glad I'm in time," said Lawrence.

  "Jolly good of you to come at all--wholly unexpected. I had quiteforgotten that you had brought an aeroplane out."

  "I say, are you hungry?"

  "We are on our second horse. We had to use our own food for theanimals. We are desperately thirsty, though. The well water isputrid."

  "I've got plenty of food and water in the aeroplane."

  "That's more than I hoped. I'll send the men for it. Horse-flesh isn'tbad, but it lacks variety; and thirst is torture."

  Having dispatched three of the sowars to fetch the provisions, he said--

  "I sent the dafadar on the chance of his finding you. Is all well atthe mine?"

  "We're in the deuce of a fix, Major. There's a regular army of Kalmucksforty miles north of us."

  "Kalmucks! An army of them!" said the Major in surprise.

  "Yes. Bob estimates the number at twenty thousand."

  The Major knit his brows. The news evidently disturbed him.

  "Encamped, you say? Any signs of a movement?"

  "They intend marching up the valley. We have had two or three brusheswith advanced parties."

  "That's very serious." He reflected silently for a little; then, as ifrousing himself from a reverie, continued--

  "You didn't need my warning, then. Your uncle was already preparing todecamp?"

  "Uncle's gone!"

  "Not left you young-- Why, my dear fellow--you don't mean thathe's----"

  Lawrence nodded.

  "One of our miners shot him," he said briefly.

  "Poor old Harry! That's a good fellow gone. I'm awfully sorry for youyoung fellows. Is your brother getting ready to come away?"

  "Bob is still at the mine. It's in a narrow gorge, and we've blocked upthe only path, so they can't get at us for some little time. But whatare we to do, Major? You and your men will march for the mine, won'tyou?"

  The Major sank again into a brown study. Lawrence watched his grave faceanxiously.

  "It's a pity, but I haven't time," he said at length. "I must get southas rapidly as possible. What you tell me confirms the rumours that havebeen flying about. When I started from Rawal Pindi there was talk ofrisings in different parts of the country, and as I came north I heardabout large movements in Central Asia. I thought they were directedagainst Russia, but it seems pretty clear that the imbeciles are goingto break their heads against us. This flanking movement will give ustrouble. I must get back to the nearest post and wire the news toheadquarters, and they'll want me; I've made an egregious failure here,but I may still be able to do something among the tribes farther south."

  "But it's war now, isn't it? Ganda said you had only a few men. Youcould hardly fight your way back if the enemy were across the road."

  "I've those five men you see there, and two of them are wounded. Istarted with twelve; six were killed. And I almost wish you hadn'tstampeded the enemy's horses quite so thoroughly. The enemy collared allbut three of ours. We killed two for food. On foot we are at aterrible disadvantage. The only thing for me to do is to ride offalone, and trust to luck. One man might get through safely where aparty would fail. I know the ground thoroughly. The one thing thatbothers me is my wounded. I was going to suggest that my men shouldmake tracks for your mine; they might be of use to you; but the twowounded fellows can't stand the march."

  "I see a way out of that," said Lawrence at once. "I can take them inthe aeroplane and be back in a couple of hours or so. I should have toleave my Gurkha, but he would come along with your men."

  "The country's clear between here and the mine, I suppose?"

  "Practically; a few Kalmucks got past before we blocked up the path--weblasted the rocks with dynamite. There aren't more than a dozen,certainly."

  "Armed?"

  "Yes, but I fancy they're without food, and in no condition to tackleyour men if they meet. Besides, when I get back I can cover their march:I've several bombs left."

  "Dynamite again, as I saw. Your mine is rather useful. I'll remainhere, then, until you get back, and then leave my men to you."

  "But, Major, I don't like to think of you riding alone over ninety or ahundred miles of country that may be overrun by the enemy."

  "It wouldn't be the first time one of us has tried it and got throughsafely. Anyway, I see nothing else for it. This news must be gotthrough to Simla, and while I'm alive I mustn't be out of the way."

  "I've an idea. Why not march with the men to the mine? Then Bob or Iwould carry you across country in the aeroplane. You'd lose a day ortwo to begin with, but after all you'd get to the post quite as soon ason horseback--without any of the dangers."

  "Aeroplane _perfectly_ safe then?" he said with a quizzical smile.

  "Well, we've had no trouble with it yet, and Bob would take you, I daresay; he's better at it than I am."

  "It's uncommonly good of you to suggest it. How far is your mine fromhere?"

  "Something over forty miles."

  "That means two days' march at least, in such rugged country and onfoot. Well, I'll close with you. I should like to take stock of theposition at your mine. I might make a suggestion, perhaps; and if youor your brother will be good enough to carry me across country, I shallbe grateful, and it'll be useful to Government. How far did you drivethose Afghans, by the by?"

  "Quite six miles, I should think, so you'll have a good start. Even ifthey buck up and catch their horses, they won't get back here before me,and I don't believe they'll come back at all. They were prettythoroughly scared by the bombs."

  "Very well, then, we shall have to carry my wounded to the aeroplane.They'll be horribly nervous. Can you strap them in?"

  "With their own belts. They'll get over their nervousness in a fewminutes; it's easier travelling than by railway."

  "I'm glad of that. I was afraid I should be squeamish myself. The restof us will start as soon as you are off."

  The sowars had now returned with the baskets of food, and the wholeparty sat on the ground, with their rifles across their knees, to whatwas a sumptuous feast after their recent privations. When they hadfinished the meal, the two wounded men were carried by their comrades tothe aeroplane. Fazl quietly obeyed Lawrence's order to give up hisseat, though he was clearly disappointed; and the two passengers havingbeen securely strapped in, Bob started, with a cheery "So long!" to theMajor.

  "Hai, sahib!" said one of the men, who were overawed by these strangeproceedings: "that is a terrible thing."

  "A godsend to us," said the Major. He then explained to them hispurpose. One of them brought his horse from the tower, and ten minutesafter Lawrence's departure the little party started, the three sowarshaving strapped on their backs the water-skins and the baskets, withwhat was left of the provisions. They made their way down the ravine,to avoid observation from any of the Afghans who might be still lurkingin the neighbourhood, the Major's intention being to strike acrosscountry to the river as soon as they were out of sight of thesurroundings of the tower.

  Lawrence's mind was so busily occupied with this latest turn ofFortune's wheel that he forgot, on his flight back to the mine, to keepa look-out for the Kalmucks. He would scarcely have seen them, for theyheard the hum of the machine from a considerable distance, and, mindfulof former happenings, they concealed themselves behind rocks or amongbushes without making any attempt to check its flight with their rifles.

  About ten miles from the mine Lawrence had a momentary fright. Theengine, which had worked with perfect accuracy ever since the firstexperiments, now
suddenly missed fire. Before he had time to think ofwhat he should do if it failed, however, it recovered itself, and gavehim no further anxiety. On coming within sight of the platform, he sawwith relief that Bob was there to meet him; it was clear that all waswell at present. When he alighted he explained the situation of MajorEndicott in a few rapid sentences. Bob walked a few yards along thepathway, round the curve, and hallooed to Gur Buksh to send some of themen to him. These carried the wounded sowars to the compound, andpresently returned with more baskets of food, which Bob had ordered tobe prepared for the Major's party on the march.

  "I say, Bob," said Lawrence during the men's absence, "there was amiss-fire a few miles back."

  "Whew! it's beginning to play tricks then. We've been very lucky so far.Need you go back?"

  "Oh yes! I told the Major I'd return to cover his march."

  "Let me have a look at it."

  He opened up the engine, examined all its parts, started it.

  "It seems to be working all right. I don't see any grit; if there wasany it's been got rid of. If it should happen again you had better planedown and wait till the Major reaches you; but I don't think you'll haveany trouble."

  As Lawrence got into his place, he recollected the bombs that laybeneath the seat that Fazl had occupied.

  "Shift those, Bob, will you?" he said. "It will be rather awkwardwithout Fazl if I have to use them. Put them as closely within reach asyou can. I shall have to steer with one hand and drop them with theother."

  "Probably you won't have to use them at all. The Major and four men willbe more than a match for those Kalmuck fellows, who must be gettingfamished by this time."

  "The Afghans may be in pursuit, though."

  "But the mere sight of the aeroplane might be enough for them after whathas happened. Still, it's just as well to be prepared. Bluffingsometimes doesn't come off, and the aeroplane is useless for offensiveaction without the bombs. If you do find the Major fighting a rear-guardaction don't be too tender. Strike hard if you strike at all."

  "Well, I'll do what I must. Don't expect us before to-morrow night atthe earliest. I shall have to come down at times, or the petrol won'tlast out; and when the Major is within a few miles I'll fly back aheadof him if all's safe. So long!"

  Bob watched him out of sight. He felt a little anxious; he would havebeen alarmed had he known that within five miles of the mine the enginebegan to give trouble again. Lawrence was in two minds whether toreturn and have it thoroughly overhauled, or to continue on his course.But he felt that delay might be serious to the Major, and, as before,the engine might soon right itself. He kept straight on. His hopeswere flattered when, after a minute or two of fitful explosions, theengine worked normally again.

  But he had only flown about half-way to the tower, as he guessed, whenthe trouble recommenced. Hoping against hope, he continued his flightfor a minute or so, until he became convinced that the engine was on thepoint of breaking down utterly. He had been preparing himself for thepossibility, but found himself in a serious difficulty now that theproblem actually faced him. The valley at the point which he hadreached was broader than at the mine, and not so rocky or broken up asit was in many other parts. But it offered few spots where even themost intrepid and experienced airman would care to risk a descent. Thebanks of the river were covered with thick scrub and bushes; here andthere on the hill-side there were patches of brushwood and small clumpsof trees; everywhere the ground was broken. But it was no time forpicking and choosing. If he had not begun to plane down by the time theengine finally failed, the chances were that he would be smashed topieces.

  Casting an anxious look on the ground, he decided to make for an openspace between two belts of woodland. He could not tell whether it wasas level as it seemed; all that he was sure of was that it allowed roomfor alighting and was free from considerable obstructions.

  The problem of descent had so fully occupied him that not until he hadactually begun the vol plane did he remember with a thrill ofconsternation the dynamite bombs at his feet. For a moment his brainseemed paralysed; then, as he realized the full measure of his peril, hebraced himself to deal with it. If the ground proved to be less smooththan it seemed, the shock of alighting might well be severe enough toexplode the dynamite. Then, instead of a broken chassis or a wrenchedstay, and a few bruises--the slight mishaps that had befallen many anairman--the result would be the complete shattering of the aeroplane andhimself. The only way of safety was to jettison the bombs, and heinstantly stooped to pick them up one by one and cast them over theside. There followed a series of detonations like pistol-shots muchmagnified, each louder than the one before. The bombs fell behind theaeroplane as it descended in a gliding swoop, and Lawrence was now besetby a new anxiety: whether, maintaining his control of the machine, hecould get rid of the bombs fast enough to escape risk of damage by theexplosions as he neared the ground. There would have been little or nodanger if he had been flying at speed; but his downward course being ata rather large angle, the closer he came to the ground, the nearer hewould be to the scene of the last explosion.

  A spectator would have had a poor opinion of the airmanship of the pilotwhose machine was descending so unsteadily. To control planes,elevator, and rudder; to keep an eye on the ground; and at the same timeto cast the bombs overboard: all these simultaneous tasks put a severestrain upon his nerve, agility, and judgment. He got rid of the lastbomb within about thirty feet of the ground, and immediately shifted theelevator to avoid a too sudden landing. It was fortunate that hechecked the descent when he did; but he was too near the ground toescape altogether. The force of the explosion set the aeroplane rockingas in a gale of wind. He was enveloped in a cloud of smoke and dust andfragments of rock. For a moment or two he lost control of the machine,and instead of alighting evenly, one side hit the ground first, and ittoppled over. Lawrence was flung out. As he rose dizzily to his feet,he thought himself lucky to have escaped with a few bruises and a painin his left ankle, which had apparently been turned over as he fell.

  When he regained his scattered wits he limped to the aeroplane, andlooked at it ruefully. At first sight it appeared to be wrecked, but onexamining it more closely he was relieved to find that the damage wassuch as could be repaired with a little care. The left side of thechassis was twisted; some of the stays were broken, and the left-handplane was badly ripped.

  "A narrow squeak," he said to himself. "And now what on earth is to bedone?"

  He sat down and felt his sprained ankle. It was very tender to thetouch, and he realized that he could not set off on foot to meet theMajor, but must remain until he arrived. At a guess he had come abouttwenty-five miles from the mine. The Major could not be nearer than tenmiles. He could not expect to see him for three hours at least. Thewhole prospect was gloomy. The aeroplane could only be repaired at themine, and it was quite impossible for the three sowars and Fazl totransport it over twenty-five miles of a narrow and difficult track. Itseemed as if the machine must be left where it lay until men could befetched from the mine to take it to pieces, and that would need Bob'ssuperintendence. The proposed flight to the British post was out of thequestion, and he knew the Major well enough to be sure that he wouldrevert to his original intention of making the journey on horseback,alone. Altogether it was a desperately vexatious plight.

  And then he remembered the Kalmucks, whom for the time he had forgotten.He had seen nothing of them either going or coming, but unless they hadstruck across the hills, which was unlikely, they must be very near towhere he now was. They could not fail to have heard the successiveexplosions of the bombs, so that they would be on the alert. They mighthave seen the descent of the aeroplane from their lurking places amongthe rocks, and if they should guess that he had come to grief, theywould have him at their mercy. As soon as his thoughts took thisdirection Lawrence got up and unstrapped his rifle from the aeroplane.He took his revolver from his pocket; it was uninjured. Then liftinghis field-glass h
e swept the surrounding country for signs of the enemy.

  He had to admit to himself that his position could scarcely be worse.The spot on which he had landed was fairly open, but it was surroundedby broken ground that would give ample cover to an enemy. On two sides,up- and down-stream, the clumps of woodland approached to within ahundred yards. Below him, not far away, was the river, lined on bothbanks with a thick fringe of brushwood and rushes. Above, the hill rosegently for a great distance, but it was very rugged, broken by contortedfissures, through some of which rivulets zigzagged swiftly down to theriver. He swept the country again and again with his glass, and tooksome comfort from the absence of any sign of man; but there were so manyplaces where the Kalmucks might be in hiding that he thought it wise toseek some secluded spot himself, where he would be better able than onthe open ground to guard against surprise.

  He rose and limped up the slope of the hill. After a little search, hediscovered a hollow about forty yards above the aeroplane, from which hecould take a bird's-eye view of the ground, and where he had a certainamount of shelter. Thither he carried his rifle, a basket of food and aflask of water, and lay down to wait with what patience he might for thecoming of Major Endicott.

  It was now midday, and the sun was very hot. For some time he kept asharp look-out, examining the country every few minutes through hisfield-glass, and creeping from side to side of the hollow so as toextend and change his view. Presently, however, the great heat and hisfailure to discover any trace of the enemy caused him to relax hisvigilance. He was very tired; whenever he moved, his ankle gave himmuch pain; and, as at the bridge during his night watch, an oppressivedrowsiness stole upon him, which he found it impossible to shake off.He would nod, recover himself, vow that it should not happen again, andin another minute his head would fall forward, and he opened his eyesbedazed and scarcely realizing where he was. Then once more he raisedthe glass to his eyes, and gazed around almost mechanically, only to gothrough the same series of nods and starts again.

  Recovering himself after a more prolonged fit of dozing, he rubbed hiseyes, pinched himself, and threw a glance around. His sluggishfaculties were quickened by the sight of something moving in the thinbrushwood at the edge of the northern clump. He quickly lifted hisglass and directed it at the spot, but saw nothing suspicious, andsupposed that either he had been mistaken, or that the moving object hadbeen some animal which he need not trouble about. But the momentarysuspicion banished his drowsiness; now wide awake, he sat with his backagainst the rock, fixing his eyes on the scene in front of him.

  Presently he started. Beyond doubt a figure had run from tree to treeon the hill-side to the right, a little above him. By the time he hadlevelled his glass on the spot the figure had disappeared. He reachedfor his rifle, and crouched low in the hollow, peering over its edge.Next moment his attention was again caught by a movement in the clump ofwood where he had first noticed it. This time he could see, even withthe naked eye, the form of a man bending low. Almost immediatelyafterwards another half-perceived movement caused him to look towards aspot midway between the wood and the place on the hill-side where he hadseen the first form. The top of a skin hat was projecting above a knobof rock there.

  "Stalking, by George!" he said to himself.

  His first instinct was to seize his rifle; his second to look around forsome way of escape. It was possible that the Kalmucks had not yetdiscovered him, though the aeroplane was full in their view; and if hecould only creep among the shrubs into some deep fissure he might yetelude them. He might even make a dash for it, gain the clump of treesto the south, and push on to meet Major Endicott. The enemy wouldprobably waste some time in searching for him--enough to give him a goodstart. But he saw at a glance that he could not reach the trees withoutcrossing the open ground in sight of the enemy, and partially crippledas he was he could not hope to outstrip them, even if they did not usein the pursuit the horses which they had had when they slipped past themine. His only course was to stay where he was, hoping with good luck toremain undiscovered. In the last resort he could do some executionamong them with his weapons, though the odds of numbers against himprecluded any idea of his being able to keep them off permanently.

  At that moment he was more concerned about the fate of the aeroplanethan about his own. It would be of no use to the enemy; they wouldprobably destroy it, and that prospect enraged him. For the first timehe felt a real desire to fight and slay, and wondered whether, when theenemy came into the open, he might not pick them off one by one. Afterall, he thought, his position in the hollow gave him some advantage.They could not take good aim at him, whereas if they attempted to rushhim across the open space, he could mark them down almost at hisleisure.

  His reflections were suddenly cut short by a rifle-shot. A bulletstruck the ground unpleasantly near him, and sent up a spurt of earth,some of which struck him. He crouched still lower in the hollow.Escape was now out of the question: he must simply wait and take whatopening of defending himself offered.

  The shot had been fired from the clump of wood. Immediately afterwardsthe man on the hill-side stood erect in the attitude of taking aim.Lawrence hastily levelled his rifle and took a rough shot at him, withwhat effect he could not tell, for his attention was at once called offby a rush of the man in the wood, who dashed forward over several yardstowards a patch of bush nearer to the hollow. Lawrence felt that hisposition was even worse than he had supposed. The enemy had scatteredwith a definite plan. They meant to work their way gradually towardshim under cover, distracting him by firing in turn, until they thoughtit possible to overwhelm him with a final rush from several sides. Hewished he had acted on his first impulse to sprint towards the wood onthe south. Was it possible even now to do it? A sudden twinge in hisankle gave him the answer. They had him in a trap.

  THE KALMUCKS MAKE A PRISONER]

  And then he saw something flickering by a tree up the hill-side. Itseemed to be a piece of cloth. Was it a flag of truce? While he waswatching it there was a patter of feet behind him. Three men had risenas it were out of the earth southwards of the hollow. Before he couldrise they flung themselves upon him. He was dashed to the ground. Hemade desperate efforts to free himself, writhing, kicking, trying tofree one of his hands to use his revolver. But they pinned him down: onesnatched his revolver from him, the others held him firmly by the neckand feet, and when his hopeless struggles ceased they whipped off theirleather girdles and tied him up so that he was unable to move. Thenthey turned him on his back, uttering guttural grunts of satisfaction,and he looked up into the malicious faces of Nurla Bai and Black Jack.