For Fortune and Glory: A Story of the Soudan War

by Lewis Hough

  CHAPTER TWENTY.

  BIR-HUMP.

  "And when will we be after attacking Matammeh?" asked Grady, as he satover the bivouac fire.

  "Precious soon, I should think; we can't get on to Khartoum till it'staken," said Kavanagh.

  "And for why not?" asked Grady again.

  "Eh, man!" exclaimed Macintosh, "ye would na go past it and leave allthese thousands of heathens in our rear, would ye? With an army atKhartoum in front, and the army here in our rear, we should be betweentwo fires, don't ye see? Never a mouthful of grub or a cartridge couldget to us, and we should be peppered on all sides at once."

  "We might as well risk it and get it over," said Tarrant.

  "We get nothing fit to eat as it is."

  "I call that stupid, talking like that!" cried Dobbs. "I know therations are a deal better than ever I expected; capital, I call them."

  "So they are," said Macintosh; "but if Tarrant had sheep's-head, haggis,and whusky itsel' for dinner, he would na be contented."

  "Every man to his taste," growled Tarrant; "and if a chap likes tinnedmeat he's welcome. I prefer good beef and mutton, fresh-killed, withplenty of potatoes and white bread."

  "And a little tripe and onions, or a swatebread after it, with puddingand lashings of sherry wine, I'll be bound," said Grady.

  "Get along wid ye, it's Lord Mayor of London ye ought to be. Why, man,it's fighting and not ating ye've come out here for."

  "Well, I got plenty of that between Abu Klea and this, anyway," repliedTarrant. "A bullet went through my water-bottle early on theeighteenth, and I was without a drop for hours. I believe I have worseluck than anybody."

  "Worse luck than anybody, you ungrateful beggar!" cried Smith.

  "And how about Richardson, your rear rank man, who got the same bulletwhich spoilt your bottle into his body, and died in pain that evening?I suppose you would rather _his_ water-bottle had been hit and _your_inwards!"

  Tarrant busied himself in stuffing and lighting his pipe, and made noreply.

  "Well, for my part, I hope we shall have a cut in at Matammeh to-morrow," said Kavanagh, "so as to get on up the river at once."

  "Aye, I hope we may," echoed half a dozen voices in chorus.

  "Gordon and the poor chaps with him must be pretty well sick of waitingto be relieved, hemmed in all the time by those blood-thirsty savages."

  "Eh, but it must have been bad last March, when our people won thevictory at Tamai, and they thought at Khartoum that they were comingacross to them," said Macintosh.

  "And then to hear they had gone awa again, and left them without a bitof help but themselves."

  "Sure, won't they be glad when they hear our guns!" cried Grady. "Andwon't they come out and tackle the naygurs that have been bothering themon the one side, while we pitch into them on the other! We'll doublethem up and destroy them entoirely."

  "I doubt if we go at Matammeh before we get reinforcements," saidMacintosh.

  "And what will we want with reinforcements?" asked Grady; "haven't webate the inimy into fiddle-strings already?"

  "Yes, if they only knew it," said Kavanagh.

  "But they seem to take a lot of persuading before they own themselvesbeaten."

  "They do, the poor ignorant creatures," said Grady, reflectively. "Andwe can't kill the lot of 'em, which is what they seem to want; they aretoo many."

  "If there _is_ a big fight in a day or two we shan't be in it," saidCorporal Adams, who had come up in time to hear the end of theconversation.

  "The orders are out, and our company has got to go ten miles off to-morrow."

  "Only our company, corporal?"

  "That's all detailed in orders."

  "And does it say what for?"

  "It does not; rikkernottering most like. But you will hear them readpresently."

  That was done, and Corporal Adams was quite correct. This particularcompany was ordered to take a certain amount of ammunition both formouth and rifle, and march out in a certain specified direction. Ifthey found water they were to make a zereba, or otherwise entrenchthemselves and remain until further orders; if not, they were to returnat once. There was a little disappointment amongst both officers andmen of the company.

  "We will be out of all the fun entirely," said Grady. "They will catchthe Mahdi, relieve Khartoum, rescue Gordon, and have all their names inthe newspapers--and we will have nothing to say to it at all, at all."

  "Don't you believe it," said Kavanagh. "The general would not send arifle away if he were going to attack. He has heard something, or knowssomething we can't guess at, and means waiting for more troops to comeup, you may depend. And our expedition has something to do, I shouldnot wonder, with covering the flank of the reinforcements. We shall becalled in, no fear, before the big battle is fought."

  But even with those who thought differently the matter did not weighvery heavily. They had already fallen into the true campaigning frameof mind which takes things as they come--good quarters and bad; fightingand resting; outpost duty or guarding stores, even wounds and death--very philosophically.

  As the company was to start some time before daybreak, the men wiselyleft off discussing matters, and went to sleep. Then came their risingwhile it was still night, and the raking together of the embers of thebivouac fire, and breakfasting; then the saddling and lading of camels,amid the dismal lamentations of those grievance-mongering animals; thenthe start in darkness, and the mind adapting itself to the lethargicmonotony of the tramp. Every one was chilly; every one was a triflesullen at not being in bed; no one was inclined to talk.

  The silence was only broken by the _swish_, _swish_, _swish_ of thecamels' feet through the sand, the most ghostlike and uncanny of sounds;so slight, so continuous, so wide-spread. To meet a train of camels inthe dark would be enough to convert any unbeliever in supernaturalphenomena, I mean if he did not know anything about it.

  When the sun rose every man seemed to wake up and feel new life in him,and they began to talk, just as the dicky birds tune up for a song onthe like occasion. Yet the scene was desolate and dreary enough forDante or Gustave Dore.

  After some hours' march they passed this barren land and approached thefoot of a hill where the mimosa was plentiful again, and other shrubswere seen, with herbage, scant indeed, but good for camels, who willbrowse upon what would hardly tempt a donkey. Here a halt was called,and while the men dismounted and lay down, the three officers who werewith the company explored the spot. There were two mud-holes whichsupplied water, and had a couple of palms near them, pretty well in theopen, and a third spring a hundred yards from the others, larger anddeeper, and apparently yielding a better supply than both the others puttogether, but so near a patch of rocks and thick mimosas which wouldafford dangerous cover to an enemy, should any be in the neighbourhood,that it would never do to camp close by it.

  So when the colour-sergeant was called out presently, he learned that ithad been determined to form the zereba so as to include the two smallerwater holes and the palm-trees, and the ground was marked outaccordingly. Then all set to work to cut down mimosa bushes, and make ahedge of them all round, a gap, just admitting of one camel to pass at atime, being left on the side nearest the outside well, but not at thecorner, and this gap was marked by a short hedge inside facing it. Itwas determined to use this outside well while they had the place tothemselves, and reserve those within the zereba in case of an attack.

  The space enclosed was as limited as was consistent with convenience torender it more capable of defence, and the hedge was breast high, sothat the men could fire over it without their aim being in any wayimpeded. Shrubs beyond those required to form the zereba were cut downand stored for firewood, so as to remove all cover where Arabs mightconceal themselves as far as possible.

  Most of this work was done before dinner, and the men had two hours'rest. After that tapes were brought out and the lines of a trenchmarked off, six feet from the hedge all round, and when that was donethe men beg
an to dig it out, five feet wide, one foot and a foot and ahalf deep, throwing the soil out on the hedge side, flattening it downand making it as firm as they could, so that if exposed to heavy firethe men might find protection, since the prickly walls, though difficultfor men to struggle through, would not stop bullets. And so a goodday's work ended, and the night sentries were posted between the trenchand the hedge.

  There was no alarm that night. The next morning the camels were takenoutside the zereba and watered at the large well, from which also asupply was drawn for the company; and it sufficed for all, evidently avaluable spring. That day the trench was completed, deepened a little,but not much, as it would not do for the defenders to be too low behindthe hedge, and a small watch-tower commenced in the centre of thesquare. Some quaint, distorted trees were found at a little distance,and from one of these enough timber was got for the erectioncontemplated. There was a flat rock which formed a foundation for it,and a rustic-looking affair, something like a summer-house, was raisedsome twelve feet from the rock it stood on, which was already six feetfrom the level plain. From this elevation an extensive view could beobtained.

  On the third day a balcony was made round the top of the watch-tower,the sides of which were composed of logs, which it was reckoned would bebulletproof. A few good marksmen might, without being exposed, doconsiderable execution from this. It also had a roof fixed over it, andthe look-out man had thus a protection from the sun. The saddles, withall cases and packages, were arranged to form an inner court of thezereba, within which were the camels, and when they were lying down theywere very well protected. Hump, who of course had followed his company,took great interest in all these proceedings, and when the men were atwork he stood with his head on one side watching them critically, andfrom the expression of his face, and the vibration of his tail, it wasgathered that on the whole he approved. Captain Reece, who commandedthe company, did not, as a matter of fact, much expect an attack, but hethought it only right to be prepared in case one were made, and being aman of an ingenious turn of mind, who, when a boy at Harton, was knownas the "Dodger," he felt a special delight in constructing devices. Onbeing ordered off on his present duty, he had gone to a friend in theRoyal Engineers and begged a good bit of gun-cotton, carried forblasting purposes, and with this he proposed to make a mine, an electricbattery and a coil of wire forming part of his baggage. There was agroup of boulders two hundred yards off, which was certain to be takenadvantage of by an enemy, since it formed a perfectly safe redoubt fromwhich to fire on the zereba, or to shelter a group forming the forlornhope of an attack. This Reece fixed upon as the most favourable spotfor his mine, and here the gun-cotton was placed in the position hedeemed most adapted for a favourable explosion, and connected by a wire,which there was no great delay or difficulty in concealing in the sandysoil with the zereba, and so with the electric battery.

  "It's a sight of trouble we have taken to resave the inimy, and it willbe mighty onpolite of him if he doesn't come at all," said Grady.

  "I don't believe there's any Arabs about these parts," said Macintosh;"they air all together at Matammeh, or else before Khartoum."

  "You think yourself very clever, no doubt," said Corporal Adams,indignantly. "But do you suppose that the captain would have taken allthis trouble without good information?"

  "Nay, but with all due respect to the captain, and the colonel, and thegeneral, and yersel', too, corporal," said Macintosh, "the reports theyhave acted upon are native reports, and they may be good, and they maybe bad, they may be honest, and they _may_ want to get detachments sentaboot to weaken the force at Gubat."

  "Well, I think you are very presumpterous," said the corporal, "verypresumpterous indeed, to suppose your superior officers can be took inby a lot of Johnnies that you can see through. They may attack us orthey may not, seeing how ready we are for them; but they aresomewhere's, you may take a haveadavy."

  As everybody is generally somewhere, it was difficult to contradict thisstatement. Besides it is imprudent for a private to contradict acorporal, who has many ways of making himself disagreeable or thereverse. So the prudent Scot acquiesced.

  "Well, I am a paceable boy meself, and hate fighting," said Grady.

  "But still it seems a pity to make such iligant fortifications and notto thry them. Is there not sinse in that, now, Kavanagh?"

  "I don't know about sense, but there's a lot of human nature in it,"replied Kavanagh. "I know I learned to box when I was a lad, and wasnever happy until I had a turn up to try my skill without the gloves.And a jolly good licking I got for my pains."

  "To be sure!" cried Grady. "And if ye get a new knife ye want to cutsomething with it, or a new gun ye must be after shooting with it; andso on with anything at all. And now we have got the fortifications oneis a thrifle curious to know if the Johnnies could get into them."

  I don't know whether many of the company wanted to be attacked, or,indeed, if any did, but certainly there was a restlessness about them.They listened all day for firing in the direction of Matammeh, somelying down with their ears to the ground to hear the farther. But allwas still as the desert only can be, and the great battle which wasexpected had certainly not yet begun. But expectation of a fightexcites men, and if at a distance they itch to be in it, this feelingeven actuating men who fail to show any particular heroism when thepinch comes.

  However, wishing or not wishing to be attacked could make no difference;the Arabs were not likely to consult their feelings on the subject.There was no alarm that night, and all but the men on duty slept soundlyby the bivouac fires. In the course of the next morning the camels wereto be taken to the outside well to be watered, and a few impedimentswhich blocked the gap being removed they began to move out. The leaderhad gone twenty paces, and three others were following, when Grant, oneof the lieutenants who was in the gallery of the look-out with a field-glass, shouted, "Halt! Come back!"

  The man with the leading camel looked round to see if the order appliedto him, and saw the lieutenant beckoning to him. "Come back at once!"he repeated. The four camels went to the right-about not a bit toosoon; for a puff of smoke spurted up from a mimosa bush beyond, and thevicious whiz of a bullet hinted to the leader of the camel nearest to itthat it would be better for him not to stop to wind up his watch or parehis nails before he got under shelter.

  Pop, pop, pop, pop! A camel is a big mark, and it was clever to missthe lot. One indeed had a lock of hair chipped off him, as if themarksman were an artist who wanted a painting brush; but that was thenearest approach to a casualty.

  The other bullets went high over everything, save one or two, whichstruck the sand and sent little stones flying about in a dangerousmanner. But they came in contact with nothing vulnerable, and the fourwere back in the enclosure presently.

  Macintosh, Cleary, and two other men, the crack shots of the company,were ordered up into the balcony to try if they could show the attackingparty that they could make a better use of their weapons than theycould. Captain Reece was now up there, and the bullets were whizzingabout and thudding into the logs in a nerve-shaking manner.

  "Crouch down, men, till they are a bit tired of wasting theircartridges," said the captain, standing erect himself, however; "youcould not get a fair shot yet for the smoke."

  When they had done so, he sat on a block of wood himself, and was thenprotected by the balcony. The two lieutenants and the non-commissionedofficers were below cautioning the men, who were now in position allround the zereba, against firing until ordered.

  It was a picked corps, and they were perfectly in hand, so that not onesingle shot was fired during this first storm. And a storm it was; theair seemed perfectly alive with the rush of bullets, all aimed high.Whether it did not occur to the Arabs that the bushes of the enclosurewere not impervious, or the watch-tower offered a more tempting mark, orthe Remington rifle stocks did not suit their arms and shoulders, andcame up high I don't know, but certainly all the bullets which hitanything stru
ck the wooden erection and the rock it stood upon.Splinters of wood and chips of stone were flying in all directions, butnothing was wounded which minded it, not a man or a camel or Hump, whothought the whole affair got up for his amusement, and barked withdelight at the noise.

  The leaden shower raged for about five minutes, died down to asputtering, and ceased. Every man grasped his weapon and peered overthe hedge, expecting a rush. But the enemy seemed to want to knowwhether they had annihilated everything with their fusillade, and keptclose in cover. Slowly the smoke lifted, and rolled above theirpositions.

  "Now there is a chance for you, Macintosh," said the captain; "abovethat bush, do you see? About three hundred yards."

  Macintosh took a steady aim and pulled.

  The man he aimed at staggered, and came down in a sitting position,seizing his right leg, which was broken, with both hands.

  "An outer!" cried Captain Reece, who had his field-glass directed on thespot.

  "A miss," he said presently, as another man fired at an Arab dartingfrom a distant to a nearer bit of cover.

  "Don't shoot at them running."

  An Arab was taking careful note of the zereba from the rocks two hundredyards off, his head and shoulders only being exposed. Cleary rested hisrifle on the top of the balcony, pulled the stock firmly to hisshoulder, got a fine sight on his mark, and pressed the trigger. Aflash! A crack!

  "A bull for you, Cleary!" exclaimed the captain. "You have nailed himthrough the head."

  The enemy were now more cautious, and not more than half a dozen shotswere got in the next hour, but most of them told. During that time theArabs indulged in no more continued storms of fire; only Captain Reecedrew occasional volleys, mostly from a considerable distance, as hestood fully exposed, reconnoitring the position.

  He did not do this recklessly or out of bravado, but simply because itwas of the utmost importance to gain some idea of their numbers, whichhe put at about five or six hundred; not more in the immediateneighbourhood. It was an uncomfortable position, being cramped upthere, imprisoned in so small a space, but not a dangerous one. Theenemy kept up a dropping fire, which had no effect beyond wasting theircartridges, though after nightfall it was annoying in two ways; theEnglish had to bivouac in the cold, for they could not light fires, andtheir sleep was disturbed by constant alerts. In the morning there wasa lull, not a shot being fired for some hours. The marksmen went up tothe balcony, but, seeing no chance of a shot, were withdrawn, and onlythe look-out man left there. There was some idea that the enemy mighthave gone away, and no one would have been sorry; for the wells insidethe zereba were very inefficient, the water being soon exhausted, and atedious waiting entailed before the wells filled again. Already the menhad to be put on an allowance, and in that country, where the throat isalways parched, any stint of water is the greatest possible privation.

  But just as it was in contemplation to send out an exploring party,numbers of them were sighted again amongst the more distant bushes, andit did not go out. Dinner time arrived, and the meal was served out.Before the men had quite finished two sentries fired shots, and allsprang to their arms, which were handy; for every man ate, drank, sleptwith his rifle close to him, as it was impossible to tell at what momenthe might require it.

  In half a minute every man was at the hedge with a cartridge in hisrifle, and that was not too soon, for the Arabs came at a fast run ontwo sides simultaneously, and even lapped round and threatened a third.

  "Steady, now! Don't shoot till you have your man covered. There's nohurry. The nearer they are the better!" cried the officers, andsergeants and corporals seconded them well. Yet the commands were notnecessary, so cool and steady were the men. It was as if they had beenwaiting so long for a chance, that they were afraid of wasting it nowthey had got it. Nothing could be more deliberate than the way theyaimed.

  "Why did you not fire then, Macintosh?" Sergeant Barton happened toask; "you had a fair chance," the Arab being about forty yards off, andthe Scotsman "drawing a bead" on him.

  "I was trying to get two in a line," said the economist; and presentlyhe succeeded. Being protected by the hedge naturally made the mencooler, and able to afford to reserve their fire.

  If any Arabs were shot so far off as a hundred yards it was as much asit was, and then only because the marksman felt he was "on." Indeed,with far inferior defenders the position would have been impregnable;held by such men as these, to attack it was suicide. It is hardly anexaggeration to say that every shot told; and if several hit one man, onthe other hand some single bolts struck two men, and that helped tobring up the average. For a good ten minutes the plucky fanaticspersevered, thirsting like tigers for the blood of their foes; and thecarnage was fearful. They had no artillery to shake the defence withbefore attacking, and the fire was uniform as well as deadly.

  "Give it 'em hot, boys!" "That's your sort!" "Bravo, old Waterproof!"this last cheer being for Macintosh, who shot a chief who was leading onhis tribesmen, brandishing a huge two-handed sword.

  "Camels for ever!" "Faugh-a-ballah!" "Ha! Ha!" "Hurrah! Hurrah!Hurra-a-ah!" and the cheers were heard for miles across the barrenwaste, disturbing the beasts and birds of prey on the sites ofneighbouring battle-fields from their unholy repast, as the Arabs drewoff to their cover in confusion, leaving the whole ground between it andthe zereba strewed with their dead and dying. As they pressed back morefell, the soldiers firing at longer distances now the prospect of manymore immediate chances was small. The champion marksmen ran for thebalcony again, and the last victims dropped to their rifles. And soonwas apparent the astonishing vitality of the Arab race. The wounded,who were not mortally stricken, were seen crawling and draggingthemselves to cover in all directions. Had they but got the order, howdelighted would the soldiers have been to quit the zereba, and dash uponthe disordered foe; and that Captain Reece burned to give that order youmay be perfectly certain. But that would have been contrary to thetenor of his instructions; and, besides, might, after all, have turnedvictory into disaster, for the Arabs probably had receivedreinforcements before the attack, and the little band of Englishmenmight find themselves smothered with numbers in the bush.

  There was no more sign of the enemy that day; they lay close in cover,watching. During the night they stole out and removed many of theirdead, which those in the zereba were glad of, for the numbers threatenedpresently to poison the air. The next day water began to grow veryscarce indeed, and two men with a corporal were permitted to leave thezereba and approach the well, to try if they could get a supply withoutmolestation, so quiet and hidden were the enemy. But they had hardlygot half-way before a storm of fire was poured upon them, and they hadto run back as hard as they could go, one dropping--the first casualty.The corporal and the other man, who was no other than Grady, stopped,picked him up, and carried him in, the bullets cutting the ground up inpuffs of dust all around. But they were not hit, and got their comradeinside amidst cheers from all who were watching them.

  Poor Hump seemed likely to come off badly, for however great a pet youmay make of an animal, when it comes to a question whether you or he areto go thirsty, the animal is apt to come off second best. And thecamels, who reverse the recipe of "little and often," and require "muchand seldom," must fill the reservoirs, as they call their stomachs, atcertain intervals, or die. And if they died the company would probablydie too. Poor Hump! Every consideration was against his getting adrink. He whined, and looked very plaintive, with his tongue hangingout. He scratched and scratched, but the water was exhausted, and onlytrickled into the legitimate holes by driblets. Everybody was verysorry for him, but still more sorry for himself.

  So Hump took the matter into his own hands--I was going to say, but hehad not got any. I mean that he fell back on his own resources, and hesimply ran across to the outside well, drank his fill, and ran backagain. It never occurred to the Arabs to take the trouble to shoot at adog, so he was quite unmolested. After he had made two journey
s abright idea came into the head of Thomas Dobbs. The next time Humpprepared to start on a watering expedition, he took off the lid of hiswater-bottle, which was suspended round his neck, so when the dogplunged his nose to lap, the tin went into the water and got filled; andthough some of it got spilled as he trotted back, enough remained to wetthe ingenious Dobbs's whistle. And he improved upon this; he cut around piece of wood, filling the can so loosely as to lie at the bottomwhen it was empty, and floating to the surface when full, but preventedfrom tumbling out by the edges of the top of the tin being bent in abit. This prevented most of the spilling, and every excursion Hump madehe brought back the best part of a pint. And a pint of water, look you,was worth a good deal more than a pint of champagne in England.

  Two more days passed; the Arabs burst out now and then into a spurt ofvolley firing, but would not attempt another attack. They probably knewthe nature of the wells, and trusted to thirst to fight for them.

  The little party in the zereba kept a sharp look-out for rescue, you maydepend, for their position was growing more and more critical everyhour. To the south was the spring, with a few trees, and the thickmimosa bush beyond. On the east were more mimosas and rocky ground inwhich the enemy could find cover to within five hundred yards at thefurthest part; up to two hundred at one point. But on the northern andwestern sides the country was quite open, and the view was only boundedby sand-hills a good mile off. And it was from one of these directionsthat they expected help would come.

  So when dust was noticed, amidst which an occasional glitter flashed, onthe western horizon, eyes began to sparkle and hearts to beat high, asthose of shipwrecked men in an open boat when a sail comes in sight. Nodoubt it was a party sent to relieve them--cavalry, by the pace theycame, for the cloud of dust rolled rapidly nearer. In five minutes itwas within a thousand yards, and then out of it burst a single horseman,riding straight for the zereba, and the enemy, running from their coveron the southern side, strove to intercept him with their fire as hepassed, while presently some twenty Arab horsemen became visible, racingafter the fugitive, the foremost about twenty yards from his heels._Bang_! _bang_! _bang_! From the Arabs, who had run out, and weresomewhat too far for the zereba fire. But the hunted man came onuntouched.

  It is not easy, even for good shots, to hit flying with ball, and theArabs were not good shots, but the exact reverse. Nearer now, with hishorse well in hand, not seeking to increase his distance, glancing backto judge how far off his pursuers were. The footmen of the enemy,provoked at not being able to stop him, ran out in his course too closeto the English, and two of them were presently down on the sand. Othersnot heeding sought to cut him off, and the English could not firewithout risk to him also, as they were straight in his direction.

  Whipping out his sword, which had hitherto been sheathed, he flourishedit in salutation of his friends, and rode straight at a couple of Arabsin his path, loosening his rein, and digging with his spurs as he didso. He knocked one down with his horse's shoulder, and put aside thespear of the other, as he passed, and without waiting to cut at him,went straight at the zereba hedge. The horse, though covered with foam,had a good bit left in him yet, and rose at it nobly, without an attemptto refuse, and landed safely on the inside. His pursuers came withinten yards. There was a spurt of fire, and four saddles were empty.

  The Arab horsemen wheeled round, and the broadsides of the horsespresented too fair a mark. Half a dozen of the poor animals werebrought down by the bullets, and before they could get away the riderstoo were slain. Neither did those who in the excitement of the momenthad run out from their cover entirely escape; several deliberate shotswere aimed at them, and several fresh corpses dotted the plain.

  "The curse of Cromwell on them!" cried Grady; "the more you shoot themore there are!"

  And it really looked like it. It was a similar phenomenon to that ofthe wasps in August, when, if you kill one, three come to his funeral.The man who had occasioned this commotion was carried by his horsesafely over the zereba hedge, as has been said. Directly he landed hefound himself on the edge of the trench, and this, too, the animalcleverly got over.

  The rider at once dismounted, and saw Captain Reece before him.

  "Rather an unceremonious way of coming into a gentleman's parlour," hesaid; "but I don't think I have done any damage."

  "Not a bit; and no matter if you had," said Reece. "We cannot show youmuch hospitality, I fear, for we are short of everything."

  "By Jove!" exclaimed the new-comer, "I beg your pardon if I am wrong,but is not your name Reece?"

  "Yes."

  "You do not remember me?"

  "Well, I am sure you will pardon me; I cannot call to mind exactly whereI have had the pleasure of meeting you. Was it at the Rag? No, no;surely at Simla, was it not?"

  "Not exactly," said the new arrival.

  "Don't you remember a little idiot who was your fag at Harton, and usedto boil your eggs hard and burn your toast, for which you very properlycorrected him?"

  "What, Strachan!" cried Captain Reece. "Impossible! You can't be TomStrachan!"

  "As sure as you are Dodger Reece. I should not have dared to call youthat to your face then, though."

  "Well, but, you know, I should never have recognised you."

  "I daresay not; I was twelve years old when you left Harton, and I havealtered a bit since, no doubt. You were seventeen, and have not changedso much."

  "I am very glad to see you, anyhow," said Reece, "and we will have agood chat presently. Just now I must not lose my opportunity; the rocksseem pretty crowded. The beggars are blazing away from every creviceabout them."

  Strachan wisely asked no questions, but watched and followed. The Arabshad evidently gathered in considerable numbers about the pile ofboulders among which the gun-cotton mine was buried. Reece hadforbidden any one to molest them from the balcony, not wishing to drivethem away. He now went to his battery, attached the wires, brought twoends together, and the ground shook. There was a roar and a rattle;blocks of stone, arms, heads, legs went flying into the air, and a wholeposse of Arabs were seen scuttling away into the mimosa bushes.

  "What is bred in the bone," said Strachan to himself.

  "He is a Dodger still!"

  The men got some more shots at their enemies in the confusion caused bythe explosion. It was a useful measure, this, however; for six men withwater-cans, and six with rifles, who were waiting close to the gap,rushed out to the well the moment they heard the explosion, and in theconfusion into which the enemy were thrown by an event which seemed tothem supernatural, in the dust and in the smoke they accomplished theirtask of filling the cans and retiring without being observed, much lessattacked.

  It was not until they were safely back in the zereba that the Arabsbegan firing harmless volleys, in evident anger at having been out-manoeuvred. The water gained was not so much in quantity, but was agreat boon nevertheless, for it had been absolutely necessary to waterthe camels, and that had absorbed every drop of their own springs forthe last twelve hours, and was very insufficient for the poor animalsthen. Strachan loosened his horse's girths and rubbed him down with apalm-leaf or two, doing what he could for him after his gallant efforts.It was pitiful to hear him whinny as he smelt the water in thedistance, and not to be able to get him any. But perhaps a little couldbe spared from what trickled out by-and-by.

  Presently Captain Reece came back to his visitor.

  "Well, now I have time to ask, how on earth did you come to choose thisdesert for a steeple-chase course, and our little zereba for a goal?" heasked.

  "I am acting on the staff," said Strachan; "only galloping, you know.And I was sent out to find you if I could, and tell you to make forShebacat, and, if you could, to get on to Abu Klea at once. If I foundany of the enemy out in this direction, and could not get on, I was toreturn at once, and a force was to be sent to relieve you; but it wasimportant to avoid this if possible, I was given to understand.However, I had no chance of re
turning, for the first glimpse I got ofthe enemy consisted of a small body of mounted Arabs, who cut off myretreat, and chased me all the way here."

  "We are not to make back to Gubat, then?" asked Reece in surprise.

  "No," said Strachan.

  "Matammeh has not been carried?"

  "Not yet; I suppose it may be soon; everybody seems to expect it. But Idon't see the use now."

  "Why not?"

  "Well," said Strachan, "one hates to be the bearer of bad news, but itmust come. The expedition has been too late: Khartoum has fallen."

  The two other officers had come up and heard this, and their facesshowed the blank dismay which had fallen upon their hearts, as the wordsfell upon their ears.

  Khartoum fallen! Why, then, what were they fighting for? What was tohappen next? All seemed chaos.

  "And Gordon?" was the first question which rose to all lips.

  "There is no certain news, yet," said Strachan; "but the rumours of hisdeath are only too probable. He was not the sort of man to be takenalive, I think, was he?"

  "No, no!"

  "But when did you hear this?" asked Reece.

  "Only last night," replied Strachan. "Gordon's four steamers arrivedwhile you were at Abu Kru, the camp at Gubat, I think?"

  "Yes, and two of them, the _Bordein_ and _Telh-howeiya_, had startedwith Sir Charles Wilson up the river. That was on the 24th of January."

  "Exactly. Well, it seems when they got to Khartoum they found it in thehands of the Mahdi, and it was with the greatest difficulty they gotaway, having to run the gauntlet of several batteries and a tremendousfusillade. Both steamers were wrecked coming down, and Sir CharlesWilson, with the crews and the Royal Sussex men who went with him, is onan island watched by the enemy, who have got guns posted, waiting to bebrought off. Stuart Wortley came down in a small boat with the newslast night."

  "I could go straight to Shebacat; but for Abu Klea I am not so certain,"said Reece.

  "I can guide you as straight as a die," replied Strachan.

  "Indeed, from Shebacat you cannot miss the track."

  Captain Reece then said he had some immediate business to look to, andretired to the watch-tower, partly to have another look round, butprincipally to get away alone for a bit to think. It was clear to himthat he must get away as soon as possible, but yet leaving would causehim to incur responsibility, which he hated. He was a brave man enoughwhere personal danger was concerned, but to have to decide upon a matterwhere grave interests were at stake threw him into a cold sweat. Let asuperior officer be in command, and he was as jolly as possible underany circumstances; supposing he got killed, and all got killed, it hadnothing to do with him--that was the commanding officer's look-out; andhe obeyed him cheerfully, reserving the right to criticise him freelyafterwards, supposing he were alive to do so.

  But here he himself had to take a decided step; he was commandingofficer, and Strachan had brought him no definite orders. Suppose theywere intercepted, and cut to pieces. The blame would fall on him. Whydid he quit the zereba? Suppose he delayed, and a force had to be sentto his rescue, and it were proved afterwards that he could have savedthe small main body all that risk and trouble, and very likely loss, ifhe had shown a little more enterprise. Or suppose that the enemy, now asmall body, assembled in force, cut off his retreat, now open, preventedall rescue, and cut them to pieces. In any case he would be blamed. Hedreaded the second alternative most, because then he would be alive andashamed. Still it made his ears burn to think what would be said ofhim, even after he could not hear or know, if he failed.

  The more he thought about it, however, the more he saw that the firstrisk was the best to incur, and he finally determined to march thatnight and stand the racket. He examined the enemy's position once morecarefully through his field-glass, and could only make out a few camelsand a couple of horses. Indeed, they could not have watered any largenumber, especially as they had to do so entirely by night, the wellbeing under the fire of the zereba all the daytime. And from men onfoot they had nothing to fear, let them get the shortest of starts.There was the cavalry which had hunted Strachan, but they were but ahandful. And the route to Shebacat was open desert, so far as the eyecould reach from the balcony, with but few mimosas or black rocks.

  When he had quite settled his plans he felt easier, and returned to theothers. The two juniors had shown Strachan what little hospitality wasin their power, including an iron tea-cupful of muddy water for himselfand a pint for his horse, who asked for more, poor fellow! With all theearnestness of Oliver Twist in the workhouse.

  "Are you Strachan of the Blankshire?" asked Grant.

  "Yes," said Strachan.

  "Were you not wounded at Tamai last spring?"

  "Yes, I was; but I soon got all right."

  "Is not Edwards in your battalion?"

  "Yes, he is; do you know him?"

  "Very well; we were at Sandhurst together."

  And this discovery of a common friend made these two feel like comradesat once.

  "Well, Strachan," said Reece, coming up, "are you ready to pilot us to-night?"

  "Perfectly ready, sir," replied Strachan.

  "Well, then, we will be off directly after sun-down. Since Khartoum hasfallen, the troops before it will be set free, and the country perhapswill be flooded with them. This may be our best chance."

  "Certainly."

  The three officers of camelry had to prepare their men for the start,and see that they got the saddles and other packages, which had beenpiled together to make an inner defence, separated and placed in properposition for instant adjustment.

  Tom Strachan, left alone, wandered off to the watch-tower, to have alook at it and mount to the balcony. On his way across he met asoldier, who advanced his rifle and brought his right-hand smartlyacross in salute, whom he recognised.

  "Kavanagh!" he cried.

  "Yes, sir, here I am," replied Kavanagh. "No, please don't shake handsnow or here," he added, hurriedly. "I do not want to be recognised atall. My captain has not remembered being with me at Harton, I am gladto say."

  "I have your sword still," said Strachan.

  "Yes, and did good work with it at Tamai," replied Kavanagh.

  "I am glad of that."

  "It is a good one, indeed," said Strachan; "but I don't know that I havedone anything wonderful with it!"

  "Oh, yes, I read about it in the papers. You were mentioned indespatches."

  "They were very kind, because I was wounded. Have you heard anything ofthe missing will, or Harry Forsyth?"

  "Not a word; but I hope for better times still," he replied.

  "So do I, Reginald, with all my heart. You have found life as a privatesoldier a severe trial, I fear."

  "Not out here, campaigning," replied Kavanagh. "At home it wascertainly trying at first. But the sergeant is waiting for me."

  And he saluted again and passed on, leaving his old chum very seriousand meditative, which was not by any means his accustomed state of mind.

  Presently Hump came up to make friends, and, when Strachan met Grantagain he learned the story of the dog and his excursions to the well,and how Thomas Dobbs had made him fetch water.

  "You were saying you did not know the name of this place," criedStrachan, laughing; "you should call it after him. _Bir_ is the ArabicI believe for a well; you should name it _Bir-Hump_."

  The suggestion was repeated, adopted, and spread, and the entire companyalways alluded to the place as _Bir-Hump_ from that hour forward.

  The day waned; the camels were saddled and loaded as quietly as mightbe, Strachan tightened the girths of his horse, and when the sun had setand the after-glow faded into darkness, all mounted, and the camels, ledby Strachan, defiled out of the zereba like a string of ghosts.

  Every man had his rifle in his hand, ready to sell his life as dearly ashe could; but the Arabs did not issue from their cover, and they sped onat a sharp trot unmolested, Strachan keeping a correct course
by acompass he had, with an ingenious phosphorescent contrivance, by whichhe could distinguish the north point. When an hour had elapsed they allbegan to breathe more freely, for it is uncanny work expecting to beattacked every minute in the dark. But still strict silence wasmaintained.

  During the long night tramp, with no jingling of accoutrements, beat ofhoofs, light laugh, or homely talk to break the stillness, nothing butthe light _brushing_ sound, more like the whisper of sound than sounditself, caused by the movement of the camels' feet over the sand, theminds of the most thoughtless could not avoid reflection, and probablythere was not one of all that company who did not think of Gordon. Andof him there was not a little to think. The long waiting, month aftermonth; never disheartened or beaten; trying every device, everystratagem, to keep the foes which environed him at bay; maintaining welleven _his_ reputation; anxious not for himself but for others, ready tosacrifice self indeed at any moment, cheerfully, for the sake of thosewhom he had undertaken to rescue; struggling on against fanatic couragewithout, and weakness, frailty, half-heartedness within; seeing thehearts of those in whom he was forced to trust grow fainter and fainterby degrees, in spite of his constant struggles against the effects ofhope deferred upon them.

  And then, when the reward was just within his reach--not personalhonours, for which he cared so little, but what to him was the dearestobject, the rescue of those whom he had undertaken to save if possible--to lose all by treachery, the treason of those he had trusted andforgiven.

  "Trust makes troth," says the proverb, and Gordon had proved the truthof it again and again.

  But it failed him; the endurance of some who had long wavered was nowquite worn-out, and so he was killed, and all his heroic work nullified,all those who had depended on his efforts for safety being destroyedwith him. It was a perfectly maddening thought that the ship shouldfounder thus in the entrance of the harbour; that after so many tediousmarches, thirst-sufferings, struggles against the forces of nature,desperate battles, and wide-spread misery and wretchedness, they shouldbe just a couple of days too late.

  So little would have done it. A week's earlier start, a little moreenergy in some clerk, tailor, bootmaker, shipwright--who knows?

  The mind seems forced in such a case to try and fix blame upon somebody.There was no redeeming feature for the most persevering maker of thebest of things to turn to Experience gained? There was no use in it,for Gordons do not crop up every century.

  His example? The lesson of it was spoiled, since his devotion resultedin failure, and he died in the bitterness of feeling that his effortshad not been appreciated, and that he had been but lukewarmly supported.

  We do not mean to imply that this was so. History must judge of that.We know only partial facts, and our judgment must also necessarily beaffected by our feelings. But it is to be feared that it seemed so tohim.

  The moon rose, and gloomy thoughts were lightened. There was no enemyin sight, and talk began to circulate amongst the men. Captain Reece,for his part, was inclined to forget everything else in his delight athaving given the enemy the slip. To have carried out his orders, andsustained such an attack with the loss of but one man wounded, and hedoing well, was a legitimate source of satisfaction. It is true that hewas not out of the wood yet; the Arabs who had chased Strachan mightbelong to a large body that had seized Shebacat.

  This proved not to be the case, however, and a halt was called at thewells there. First the men were supplied, and Strachan's horse had agood satisfactory drink, and then the camels got an instalment of water.Then they mounted again, and pushed on to Abu Klea, where they arrivedat sunrise, and Reece reported himself to the officer in command with afeeling of intense relief. He had got well out of it, at any rate, andTom Strachan also had accomplished his mission satisfactorily; and nextday he returned to head-quarters, not, however, without having seizedthe opportunity of a short unnoticed interview with his old chumKavanagh before he started.