Tom Willoughby's Scouts: A Story of the War in German East Africa

by Herbert Strang

  CHAPTER XVIII--A GOOD HAUL

  The interview with Major von Rudenheim left Tom soberly reflective.There could no longer be the least doubt that he was to be attacked.The attempt to come to terms with him seemed to show that the Germanswere now under no illusions as to the strength of his position, andwished to avoid operations which must involve the employment of a largerforce than the objective, from a strictly military point of view,warranted. But their prestige was at stake throughout the whole region.The native tribes, always restive under their galling yoke, would runout of hand when it became generally known that the German power wasbeing set at defiance by an Englishman with a handful of negroes, andthat Germans were held in captivity. The menace of a great rising ofthe blacks would grow increasingly serious, and the higher authorities,having proved the uselessness of light measures, would now organise anexpedition in strength.

  Tom felt confident in his ability to hold his own behind his defences,provided they were not attacked by artillery; and the country betweenthe nullah and Bismarckburg, at all times difficult, was now rendered somuch more difficult by the rains that the transport of guns would be aformidable undertaking. It might prove to be impossible. In that casethe attack should fail. Tom had under his command a hundred andforty-seven able-bodied men, of whom a score were trained askaris, somefifty Wahehe were fairly efficient with the rifle, another thirty couldhandle fire-arms well enough to do considerable execution at shortrange, and the remainder were expert with the spears they had made forthemselves. Behind their fortifications, each man would perhaps beequal to three outside.

  On the other hand, the difficulties of the defence were serious enough.Provisions were running perilously low; if the nullah were besieged, theend must come in about ten days. There was, further, the question of thewounded. Casualties were bound to occur; the medical stores brought fromthe plantation would be of little use in dealing with gunshot wounds:there were no surgical appliances whatever. If Tom had known beforehandwhat he was to learn before many days had passed, he might have metRudenheim's offer with a counter-proposal, instead of rejecting itoutright. New to warfare, he was ignorant of what fighting with modernweapons means; but he foresaw suffering, and felt some uneasiness incontemplating a possible long casualty list.

  It was time to dispatch another messenger to Abercorn. Neither of hisformer messengers had returned; possibly neither had got through; butwith the crisis imminent it was right to put the position clearly beforethe British authorities. He adopted the same plan as before: sentduplicate notes on successive days, announcing his expectation ofattack, and stating his determination to resist as long as hisprovisions lasted.

  Feeling it unwise to leave the nullah himself, he allowed Mirambo tolead short shooting expeditions in the neighbourhood, to replenish thelarder. He devoted all his own energies to the maintenance andstrengthening of his fortifications, the drilling and exercising of themen, and the allotment of duties to the non-combatants. Of these lastevery man, and many women, had their definite tasks--to bring food andammunition to the fighting-posts, to remove and tend the wounded, and soon.

  His plan of defence was to post twenty men on the cleft at the north endof the nullah, in case the enemy should again attempt an entrance by the"back door," and to employ all the rest in the nullah itself. Seventymen were told off to hold the first line--the barricade and the trencheson the flanks; the remainder, in support, were to man the communicationtrench, which led to a fold of the cliff face about a hundred and fiftyyards in the rear, and gave complete cover from enemy fire.

  Waiting for critical events always puts a strain upon even thestoutest-hearted. A schoolboy dreads the interval between the "call-up"and the headmaster's thrashing more than the thrashing itself. Thesoldier in the trenches knows more of the agony of fear when he awaitsthe word of command than when he is actually going "over the top." Asday followed day, and no message came through the chain of scouts, Tomfound constant activity the only sedative for his overstrung nerves.

  Two little incidents relaxed the tension. One morning, just as he wasleaving his hut, he heard a terrible shriek from the lake side. Rushingforward, he saw, near the brink, a woman waving her arms frantically,and calling to a little toddling child, who was wading in the shallowwater towards a bright flower a few yards away. In an instant Tom sawthe cause of the mother's agitation. Just beyond the glowing blossom, afew inches above the surface, lay what appeared to be a log of greenishwood. Tom sprang into the water, caught up the child, and darted back;and the seeming log sank with a gurgle and disappeared. Crocodiles hadbeen rarely seen since the occupation of the nullah; apparently they hadbeen scared away by the noise of so many people, which, however, had nowlost its terrors for them. Tom gave the child back to his gratefulmother, and, using one of the few phrases in the Wahehe tongue that hehad picked up, bade the woman be careful.

  It was in the afternoon of the next day that one of the messengers, sentout more than a week before, returned: the other was never seen again.The man was very proud of his success, and exhibited a small brass rodgiven him as a reward by the m'sungu in Abercorn. Tom was moreinterested to learn whether he had brought an answer to his message, andthe negro produced from his loin-cloth a small dirty envelope. Tearingit open, Tom took out the still dirtier folded scrap of paper, which herecognised at once as a leaf from his own pocket-book. One side borehis message, now almost illegible; on the other he read the few words--

  _Hold fast._ _T. Burnaby, Major._

  "He's short of paper, I suppose," Tom thought; he learnt later that inthe army a superior officer writes his reply to a communication from asubaltern on the back. "But he might have said a little more. Doesn'tpromise anything. Cold comfort, Major Burnaby. Yet it _is_ comfortafter all. He wouldn't say 'hold fast' if he didn't think there was achance. Still, I'm glad I sent a second message: hope he gets it."

  Towards ten o'clock on the fifth morning after the interview with Majorvon Rudenheim, Tom was superintending work on the parapets of thetrenches when a message came from the nearest of his scouting posts.From hill to hill had been shouted the news that a large column of whitemen, askaris and porters, was marching along the Neu Langenburg roadfrom the direction of Bismarckburg.

  "At last!"

  Tom's exclamation had something of relief, from the strain of suspense;something of anxiety, for what was to come. It was not certain, ofcourse, that the nullah was the enemy's objective, but he must act as ifit were. Within a few minutes every man had gone to his allotted post.

  The source of the message was a hill many miles to the westward of thetrack by which Rudenheim had come. Two hours afterwards it was reportedthat the column had reached that track, but had halted in a glade besidethe road; the men had thrown themselves on the ground.

  "They're taking a rest after their hilly march," thought Tom. "Orperhaps they intend a night attack."

  But a few minutes later another message suggested a differentexplanation. From the further-most eastern post came word that asmaller party was marching from the direction of Neu Langenburgwestward. It was formed mainly of porters, with a number of askaris andtwo white men. Was it not a fair inference that the junction of the roadwith the northward track had been appointed as rendezvous for both thecolumns, and that either the one was before its time or the other waslate?

  Tom made a rapid mental calculation, congratulating himself on thepersonal knowledge of the road he had obtained in the course of hisround of inspection of the scouting posts. When the second column wassighted (that is, only a few minutes before he heard of it), it musthave been nearly thirty miles from the rendezvous. Now, the spot wherethe first column had halted was not the point on the Neu Langenburg roadthat was nearest to the nullah. Some ten miles east of it there was ascouting post closer to the nullah by about five miles; but the way toit, though shorter, was much more arduous, and for that reason was notat all likely to be chosen by the Germans as the route to theirobjective. It seemed to Tom tha
t by a rapid march with a light force hemight reach this spot on the road before the eastern column, and, givenfavourable circumstances, prevent this column from joining the other. Hehad a rosy vision of snapping up the stores it was conveying, with theresult that the threatened attack on the nullah would be at leastdelayed, while his own resources would be increased.

  There were two risks to be taken into consideration: the first, that thewestern column might not await the arrival of the eastern beforeresuming its march to the nullah; the second, that the road between themwould be so closely patrolled as to render intervention impossible. Thescouts, however, had not reported the passing of patrols; and as to thefirst risk, it seemed unlikely that the officer in command would makeany further movement until his force was complete. The prize was great,in Tom's eyes well worth the risk, and after a few minutes' cogitationhe determined to "put his fate to the touch."

  Choosing forty of his best men to accompany him, with Mwesa and two ofM'setu's scouts, and leaving Mirambo in charge at the barricade, hestarted southward. The route he must follow led over very hillycountry, covered in parts with forest, through which it might sometimesbe necessary to cleave a way. For this purpose he had ordered some ofhis men to bring axes and bill-hooks, though he hoped that the scouts,knowing the district thoroughly, would find a practicable track, and soavoid the delays which cutting a path must involve.

  It was fortunate that since the great storm the rainfall had been light;otherwise much of the ground would now have become swamp, and put him ata disadvantage compared with the enemy on the well-kept high road. Tomhad always been known among his friends as a good "foot-slogger," and,hardened as he now was by constant exercise, he had no difficulty inkeeping up with his lithe and limber guides. The party covered thefirst twelve miles in less than three hours, over a track that ranalmost due south from the nullah, and was very little obstructed. Then,however, they came into broken country, with steeper ascents anddescents and thicker vegetation, where the pace was necessarilyslackened. Once or twice the men had to use their implements, and Tomchafed at the delay; but he let no sign of impatience escape him, andfound a few cheery words of praise a potent stimulus to his willingnegroes.

  Presently they came to a hill-stream flowing southward. An idea struckTom.

  "Does this stream cross the high road?" he asked.

  The scouts replied through Mwesa that it did.

  "Then is there a bridge?"

  He learnt that a bridge spanned the stream some distance east of thepost for which he had been making. The stream, which was much swollenafter a period of heavy rain, had cut a deep and wide channel, andsometimes rose to within an arm's-length of the bridge. Now, however,the rainfall for some days having been slight, it was likely that thewater was two men's height below the trestles of which the bridge wasmade.

  This information caused Tom to change his objective. Instead ofcontinuing along the forest track that led directly to the scoutingpost, he followed the course of the stream, and in some twenty minutescame in sight of the bridge far below. Calling a halt, he sent one ofthe men to the scouting post on a hill-top invisible from his presentposition, to inquire of the man stationed there whether he had seenanything of the enemy's columns, or of patrols. The scout's reportbeing reassuring, Tom led his party down to the road, through thebrushwood, rank grass, and bushy shrubs that lined the bank of thestream.

  The ground within twenty yards of the road had evidently been at sometime cleared of the taller growing vegetation, no doubt to destroycover. But the lesser plants had sprung up only the more thickly,furnishing safer cover even than the larger shrubs and trees above.

  Tom's first idea had been to have the bridge hacked down. This wouldhave effectually checked the march of the columns along the road, andthe stream was here so wide and deep, and its banks so steep, that theenemy could not have crossed it until the bridge had been repaired.Second thoughts raised an objection to this obvious measure. The columnwould almost certainly be preceded by an advance guard, who woulddiscover that the bridge was broken and give warning. The main bodywould halt, and Tom would have no chance of getting possession of thestores without a fight. Ignorant of the strength of the column, he darednot risk exposing his small force of comparatively untrained men in theopen. Unless he should see a fair prospect of dealing the enemy a"knock-out blow," he would do much better to keep his men out of sight,and remain content with having prevented the two columns from joiningforces and thus delayed their advance on the nullah. But this would beonly partial success: something more was wanted for completesatisfaction; and an examination of the bridge suggested to Tom whatseemed a better way.

  Having first sent a couple of scouts in each direction along the road toguard against surprise, he set three men with axes to cut nearly throughtwo of the piles supporting the bridge, one up, the other down stream,just on the water line. A dozen others he sent a few yards along thestream to weave two long, stout ropes from rushes and creepers. Expertat this work, the natives in the course of an hour or so had completedtwo serviceable ropes about thirty yards in length. Tom tested them bymeans of an impromptu tug-of-war; then, the axe-men having long finishedtheir part of the job, he himself attached the ropes to the weakenedpiles by means of bowlines in the notches and allowed them to sag intothe water. At intervals he weighted them with stones in order to keepthem below the surface, and carrying the free ends up stream, hid themin the vegetation at the foot of the bank. All these operations nearthe bridge were carried out by men wading in the water, in order that notracks on the ground should betray them to the enemy scouts.

  Tom had only just completed his preparations when the scouts he had senteastward came running back with news that the enemy column was in sight.There were two white officers, and an innumerable company of porters andaskaris The negro's inability to estimate number was a constant worry toTom: anything above ten might be reported as a host.

  Withdrawing all his men about fifty yards up stream, and posting themunder cover of the rushes, he gave them precise orders as to what theywere to do when he blew his whistle. Until then no one was to whisperor make the slightest movement. Each man held his rifle with bayonetready fixed. When he had proved that all were invisible from the road,Tom found a spot where, concealed himself, he had a clear view of thebridge.

  He hoped that the period of waiting would not be long, for stillness andsilence taxed the negroes more than anything else he could have demandedof them. Already there were signs of restlessness among them when,about half an hour after they had taken up their positions, he caughtsight of two figures some distance away, approaching through the bush atthe edge of the cleared space skirting the road. An urgent whisperreduced the Wahehe to stillness again. The two askaris came on quietly,pausing now and again to peer into the thickets beyond the clearing.Just before they reached the bridge they stepped into the road, and werejoined by two more askaris who had emerged from the bush on the otherside. The four men crossed the bridge together, separated at thewestern end, and pursued their way in couples as before.

  A few minutes later four files of askaris followed. At a short intervalcame a connecting file, and then the main body, which consisted of twoparties of askaris marching in fours, with a gang of porters betweenthem. With each party there was a German N.C.O. Tom rapidly estimatedthat the askaris numbered about sixty in all.

  When the first party reached the bridge, they broke step and formed twodeep to cross. Tom waited until about twenty had gained the other side,then blew his whistle. The Wahehe sprang to their feet. Ten of themfired a volley at the enemy who were upon the bridge, then chargedthrough the thin scrub upon those who had crossed and, startled by theshots and the cries, had wheeled round at the sharp order of theirsergeant. Meanwhile twenty men, with Tom at their head, had dashedstraight towards the road in the other direction until they had a clearview of the second party beyond the porters, then halted, fired onevolley, and charged with the bayonet. At the same time, two groups o
ffive rushed to the spot where the ends of the ropes lay hidden, seizedthem and hauled with a will. The nearer pile collapsed; the farther helduntil all ten men tugged at the same rope. Then it snapped like theother, and the whole central part of the bridge fell with a crash intothe stream, carrying with it one or two of the rear files of theaskaris.

  Surprise is halfway to victory. Even European troops could hardly haveavoided confusion, however short-lived, when suddenly beset at closequarters by an unsuspected enemy. The German sergeant who had crossedthe bridge hardly had time to bring his men into line before the Wahehe,yelling the war-cry of their tribe, were among them. They were severedfrom the other party by the broken bridge and the crowd ofpanic-stricken porters, who flung down their loads and fledhelter-skelter into the bush. The sergeant and one or two more stoodfirm and were cut down; the rest turned and bolted across the road,seeking safety in the woods.

  Meanwhile the sergeant in command of the second party, being fartherfrom the bridge, had had a few seconds longer to prepare to meet theattack. Before Tom reached him he had halted his men, formed them uphurriedly, and ordered them to fix bayonets. But the time was all tooshort. The men were still fumbling when the impetuous Wahehe at Tom'sheels had surged from the clearing on to the road. Tom made straightfor the sergeant, and thrust at him with his bayonet. The German deftlyparried the stroke, but before he could himself take the offensive Tomswung his rifle over and brought the butt up swiftly against hisopponent's chin. The man fell like a log. His askaris did not await thetouch of cold steel. Some flung up their hands, others took to theirheels, the yelling Wahehe panting behind them. Tom became alive to thedanger of his own men scattering in the pursuit and losing themselves inthe forest. With loud blasts of his whistle he sounded the signal forrecall. Some of the men obeyed instantly, but many minutes had passedbefore all returned, and the weapons of most of them bore witness to thework they had been doing.

  Tom lost no time in taking stock of the situation. A few of the askarishad been killed by rifle-shots, a few by bayonets. About twenty werewounded, twelve so seriously that it was clear they could not be moved.Rather more than twenty had surrendered. One of the German was killed,the other lay where he had fallen. All the rest of the column werescattered through the bush.

  Examining the loads dropped by the porters, Tom found that about halfconsisted of food, half of small-arm ammunition, both valuable booty. Hedistributed the bales among the unwounded prisoners and some of his ownmen, and sent them off at once on the return march to the nullah. Forthe wounded he could do nothing. He ordered those who were slightlyinjured to revive the sergeant with a dash of water from the stream, andto render first aid to their helpless comrades, knowing that help wouldbe forthcoming from the western column as soon as fugitives had reportedthe disaster.

  By this time the last of the Wahehe had rejoined, and Tom set off on thereturn journey, soon overtaking the carriers. He pressed the pace asmuch as possible, though the risk of being pursued was slight. Late inthe afternoon, tired but jubilant, his men marched into the nullah, amidexultant shouts from their fellows who manned the defences and thenon-combatants who crowded about them as they conveyed their spoils tothe village.

  Tom discovered that only three of his men had been slightly wounded.

  "Almost a bloodless victory," he said to himself. "What wonderfulluck!"

  But the negroes, discussing the affair far into the night, did not speakof luck. They talked of "white man's medicine," and assured one anotherthat their particular white man had better "medicine" than any one elsein the world.