UNDER FIRE.
"The tin soldier trembled; yet he remained firm; his countenance did
not change; he looked straight before him, and shouldered his
musket."--_The Brave Tin Soldier_.
Five days afterwards the camp was all astir, and presented an unusual
scene of activity and animation.
On the twenty-eighth of December, orders had been issued for a portion
of the force to march across the desert and occupy the wells at Gakdul;
and on this, the morning of the thirtieth, the Guards Camel Regiment
and the Mounted Infantry (to which latter force Jack and his comrades
of the Royal Blankshire were attached), together with detachments of
the Engineers and Medical Staff Corps, a squadron of the 19th Hussars,
and a large train of "baggagers," were preparing for the start, amid
much bugle-blowing, shouting of orders, and roaring of camels as the
loads were being placed on their backs. Gradually, as the hour
approached for the assembly of the force, the noise grew less; even
"Lamentations" ceased his protestations, and stalked off to the parade
ground without further murmuring.
Lord Wolseley inspected the force, and shortly before three o'clock the
cavalry scouts started. As Jack stood by the side of his kneeling
steed, with Joe Crouch on his right, his heart beat fast. This was
something different from any of his previous military experiences; the
cartridges in his pouch and bandoleer were ball, not blank. It was to
be the real thing this time; the stern reality of what he and Valentine
had so often pictured and played at far away in the peaceful old house
at Brenlands.
Though showing it in different ways, all his comrades were more or less
excited at the prospect of a move: some were silent, others unusually
noisy; Joe Crouch puffed incessantly at a little clay pipe; Sergeant
Sparks seemed to have grown ten years younger, and overflowed with
reminiscences of Afghanistan and the Ghazees; while Lieutenant Lawson
might, from his high spirits and cheery behaviour, have been just
starting on a hunting expedition or some pleasure excursion.
At last it came: "Prepare to mount!"
"Well, here goes!" said Jack, drawing his steed's head round, and
putting his foot in the stirrup. "Here goes!" echoed Joe Crouch.
"Mount!" The bugle sounded the advance, the word was given, and the
column moved off across the undulating plain--the Guards in front,
baggage camels in the centre, and the Mounted Infantry bringing up the
rear; the length of the column extending to nearly a mile.
Scared gazelles sprang up from among the rocks and bushes, and bounded
away.
"Hi, Swabs! where's yer catapult?" inquired Tommy Briggs.
"Keepin' it for the niggers," answered the marksman significantly.
After an hour's going, many of the riders sought to ease themselves,
and vary the peculiar swaying motion by a change of position: some
crossed their legs in front of them; while Jack and his chum sat
side-saddle, facing each other, and for the twentieth time that day
exchanged opinions as to when and where they would first come in touch
with the enemy.
In addition to the heat, the clouds of dust raised by the force in
front rendered it choky work for those in rear; and no one was sorry
when, about five o'clock, the bugles sounded the halt.
Jack dismounted, feeling uncommonly sore and stiff, but was soon busily
engaged helping to make fires of dry grass and mimosa scrub, on which
to boil the camp kettles for tea.
Never, even when poured from Queen Mab's old silver teapot, had the
steaming beverage tasted so refreshing; and the men, sitting round in
groups, mess-tin in hand, seemed to regard the whole business in the
light of a gigantic picnic. The sun dropped below the horizon; and
after a rest of about an hour and a half, the march was continued, the
column closing up and proceeding with a broadened front.
The clear, brilliant light of the moon flooded the scene with silvery
splendour, throwing up in strange contrast the black, dark hills in the
distance. Gradually, as the men grew sleepy, their laughter and
conversation died away, the padded feet of the camels made no sound as
they passed over the sand, and the silence remained unbroken save for
the occasional yelping bark of some hungry jackal. Jack felt cold and
drowsy, and, in spite of the movement of his camel, had hard work to
keep awake.
Once or twice, when the loads of some of the baggagers slipped, a halt
was called while they were refixed; and men, dismounting from their
saddles, fell fast asleep on the sand, only to be roused again in what
seemed a moment later by the "advance" being sounded.
Hours seemed drawn out into weeks, and Jack, glancing with heavy eyes
to his left front, wondered if the sky would ever brighten with the
signs of dawn. At length the east grew grey, then flushed with pink,
and the sun rose with the red glare of a conflagration, sending a glow
of warmth across the desert. For about two hours the march was
continued; then, at a spot where a number of trees were growing, a halt
was made, camels unloaded, and preparations made for a well-earned
breakfast.
In spite of the excitement of this first bivouac, as soon as the meal
was over Jack stretched himself out upon the ground and fell fast
asleep, only returning to consciousness when wakened by the flies and
midday heat; and so ended his first experience of a desert march.
For the purposes of this story it will not be necessary to follow
closely all our hero's doings during the next fortnight; and we shall
therefore rest content with describing, as briefly as possible, the
movements of the force during that period of time which preceded its
coming in actual contact with the enemy.
Starting again on the afternoon of the thirty-first of December, the
column pushed forward with occasional halts, until, early on the
morning of the second of January, Gakdul was reached, and the wells
occupied without resistance. Leaving the Guards and Engineers to
garrison the place, the rest of the column marched the same evening on
the return journey to Korti, to collect and bring on the remaining
troops and stores necessary for continuing the advance to Metemmeh.
Ten days later, the remainder of the force arrived at Gakdul; and after
a day spent in watering and attending to arms and ammunition, a start
was made on the afternoon of the fourteenth in the direction of Abu
Klea. Soon after sunset the column halted, and resuming the march
early on the following morning, by five o'clock in the evening had
reached Jebel-es-Sergain, or the Hill of the Saddle, which was to be
the resting-place for the night.
The men lay down as usual, with piled arms in front and camels in rear;
the order for perfect silence was hardly needed; the sandy
water-channels made a comfortable couch for wearied limbs; and the
tired warriors were glad enough to wrap themselves in their blankets,
and enjoy a few hours of well-earned repose.
In spite of the long and fatiguing day through which he had just
passed, Jack did not fall asleep at once, like the majority of his
comrades. Ever since his meeting with Valentine, his mind had been
continually going back to the days when they were at school together;
and now, in the solemn stillness of the desert, as he lay gazing up at
the bright, starlit sky, his thoughts flew back to Brenlands, and he
pictured up the dear face that had always been the chief of the many
attractions that made the place so pleasant. He almost wished now that
he had written to her before leaving England. She knew where Valentine
was, and every morning would glance with beating heart at the war
headings in the newspaper. It would have been a great satisfaction to
feel confident of having a share in her loving thoughts. Since
Christmas Day, our hero had only caught an occasional glimpse of his
cousin, but that was sufficient to revive his old love for the bright,
frank-looking face.
"He's just the same as ever," thought Jack. "Well, I hope he'll get
through this all right. There are the girls, and Aunt Mabel--it would
be dreadful if anything happened!" And with this reflection Fenleigh
J. turned over and fell asleep.
Before daybreak next morning the column was once more on the move,
crossing a large waste of sand and gravel, relieved here and there by
stretches of black rock; while, bordering the plain on either side,
were ranges of hills, which gradually approached each other until, in
the distance, they formed the pass through which ran the track leading
to the wells of Abu Klea.
The march was now beginning to tell upon the camels, which, weakened by
fatigue and short allowance of forage, fell down in large numbers
through sheer exhaustion, throwing the transport into great confusion.
Shortly before mid-day the force halted at the foot of a steep slope
for the usual morning meal of tea and bully beef.
"I shan't be sorry when we get to those wells," said Jack, sipping at
the lid of his mess-tin; "I've been parched with thirst ever since we
left Gakdul. I wonder it we shall reach them this evening!"
"I don't reckon it's much further," answered Joe Crouch. "I heard the
Nineteenth are going on ahead to water their horses. Look! they're
just off."
Jack watched the Hussars as they disappeared over the brow of the hill.
"Lucky beggars!" he muttered, and lying down upon his bed he pulled his
helmet over his eyes, and prepared for a quiet snooze before the order
should be given to mount.
He had been dozing, and was in the dreamy stage between waking and
sleeping, when his attention was attracted by a conversation which was
taking place in his immediate vicinity. A few yards away, Lieutenant
Lawson was sitting on the ground rearranging the folds of his putties,
and talking to another subaltern.
"I shouldn't have brought a thing like that with me," the latter was
saying; "you might lose it. Any old silver one's good enough for this
job, especially if you get bowled over, and some villain picks your
pockets."
"Well, I hadn't another," answered Lawson; "and, after all, it didn't
cost me much. I knew a fellow at Melchester, called Fosberton, an
awful young ass. He got into debt, and was hard pushed to raise the
wind. He wanted me to buy this. I was rather sorry for the chap, so I
gave him five pounds for it, and told him he could have it back if he
chose to refund the money; but he left the town soon after that, and
I've never heard from him since. Hallo! What's up now?"
A couple of horsemen were galloping down the slope, and a few minutes
later the command was passed back from the front,--
"Fall in! Examine arms and ammunition!"
The men sprang forward to the row of piled arms, and then, like an
electric current, the report passed from one to another--the enemy was
in sight!
"Cast loose one packet of your ammunition," said the commander of the
company.
Jack's fingers twitched with excitement as he pulled off the string of
the familiar little brown paper parcel, and dropped the ten cartridges
into his pouch. It was the real thing now, and no mistake!
Moving forward in line of columns, the force ascended the slope, and
after one more brief halt, while further reconnaissances were being
made, began to advance across the level stretch beyond, from which a
good view was obtained of the distant valley of Abu Klea, with the
steep hills rising on either side, and opening out at the entrance of
the pass.
"There they are!"
Far away, on the dark, rocky eminences, crowds of tiny, white-robed
figures could be clearly distinguished moving and gesticulating in an
excited manner.
Steadily the force advanced until, when within a comparatively short
distance of the mouth of the valley, the word for "close order" was
given. The camels were driven forward into a solid mass in rear of the
leading company as it halted; the men dismounted, and knee-lashed their
steeds.
There was not much time for looking about, for the order was
immediately given to build a zareba; and while some men were set to
work to cut down brushwood, Jack and his comrades were told off to
gather stones for constructing a breastwork.
"Look alive, my lads!" said Sergeant Sparks, "and get whatever you can.
Hallo!" he added; "they've begun, have they?"
Jack had heard something like the sound of the swift flight of a
swallow far overhead, but he did not understand its significance until,
a moment later, the sound was repeated, and on the ground in front of
him there suddenly appeared a mark, as though some one had struck the
sand with the point of an invisible stick, leaving behind a short, deep
groove, and causing a handful of dust to spring into the air. Far away
on the distant hillside was a tiny puff of smoke, and as he looked the
faint pop of the rifle reached his ear. Then the truth dawned on him:
this was his baptism of fire--a long-range fire, to be sure, but none
the less deadly if the bullet found its billet!
He caught up a fragment of rock, and carried it to where the wall was
to be constructed. Men were hurrying to and fro all around him, and
yet suddenly he seemed to feel himself alone, the sole mark for the
enemy's fire; again that z--st overhead, and a cold chill ran down his
back. He shut his teeth, and, with a careless air, strode off for a
fresh load. He had not gone twenty yards when another shot ricochetted
off a stone, and flew up into the air with a shrill chirrup. Jack
winced and shivered. It was no good, however well he might conceal the
fact from others--the fear of death was on him; it was impossible to
deceive his own heart. A fresh terror now seized him, coupled with a
sense of shame. He was the fellow who had always expressed a wish to
be a soldier, and go on active service; and now, before the first
feeble spitting of the enemy's fire, all his courage was ebbing away.
What if his comrades should notice that his limbs trembled and his
voice was shaky? What if, when the advance was made, his nerve should
fail him altogether, and he should turn to run?
With dogged energy he pursued his task, hardly noticing what was going
on around him. For the fourth time he was approaching the zareba, when
a comrade, a dozen yards in front, stumbled forward and sank down upon
the ground. There was no cry, no frantic leap into the air, yet it was
sufficiently horrible. Jack felt sick, and his teeth chattered; he had
never before seen a man hit, and it was his first experience of the
sacrifice of human flesh and blood. At the same moment, like a clap of
thunder, one of the screw-guns was discharged; the droning whizz of the
shell grew fainter and fainter--a pause--and then the boom of its
explosion was returned in a muffled echo from the distant hillside.
A couple of men hurried forward and raised their wounded comrade. Jack
turned away his eyes, and immediately they encountered a rather
different spectacle.
A young subaltern, with a short brier pipe in his mouth, and without a
hair on his face, was making a playful pretence of dropping a huge
boulder on to the toes of the lieutenant of Jack's detachment.
"Hold the ball--no side!" said Mr. Lawson facetiously. "Look here,
Mostyn, you beggar! I've just spotted a fine rock, only it's too big
for one to carry. Come and help to bring it in; it's a chance for you
to distinguish yourself. Look sharp! or some of the Tommies will have
bagged it."
Something in this speech, and the careless, happy-go-lucky way in which
it was uttered, seemed to revive Jack's spirits. Mr. Lawson recognized
and spoke to him as he passed.
"Well, Fenleigh, they've begun to shake the pepper-box at us; but it'll
be our turn to-morrow."
There was nothing in the remark itself, but there was something in the
cheery tone and manly face of the speaker; something that brought fresh
courage to the soldier's heart, and filled it with a sudden
determination to emulate the example of his leader.
"Yes, sir," he answered briskly, and from that moment his fears were
banished.
Slowly the construction of the zareba was completed--a low, stone wall
in front, and earthen parapets and abattis of mimosa bushes on the
other three sides. The enemy still continued a dropping fire, which
was replied to with occasional rounds of shrapnel from the guns; but
Jack saw no further casualties.
Once, during the work of collecting stones, he encountered Valentine.
"I say," remarked the latter, acknowledging his cousin's salute with a
nod and a smile, "this reminds me of the time when we went up the river
with the girls to Starncliff, and built up a fireplace to boil the
kettle."
When darkness fell, the force was assembled within the zareba; the low
breastwork was manned in double rank, every soldier lying down in his
fighting place, with belts on, rifle by his side, and bayonet fixed;
all lights were extinguished, and talking and smoking forbidden. In
spite of the day's exertions, few men felt inclined for sleep; the
drumming of tom-toms, and the occasional whistle of a bullet overhead,
were not very effective as a lullaby, and served as a constant reminder
of the coming struggle.
Jack settled himself into as comfortable a position as his belts and
accoutrements would allow, and lay gazing up at the silent, starlit
sky. What was death? and what came after? Before another night he
himself might know. Lying there in perfect health, it seemed
impossible to realize that before another night his life might have
ended. He turned his thoughts to Brenlands. Yes; he would like to
have said good-bye to Aunt Mabel, and to have had once more the
assurance from her own lips that he was still "my own boy Jack!"
"I always make a mess of everything," he said to himself. "I thought I
should always have had Brenlands to go to; and first of all I got
chucked out of the school a year before I need have left, and then this
happens about the watch. In both cases I've Raymond Fosberton to
thank, in a great measure, for what happened. I'll pay him out if ever
I get the chance."
The thought of his cousin brought back to his mind the recollection of
the conversation he had overheard that morning. Strange that Mr.
Lawson should have known Raymond! Jack wondered what the monetary
transaction could have been that had been alluded to by his officer.
Gradually a sense of drowsiness crept over him, and his heavy head sank
back upon the sand.
"Stand to your arms!" He clutched instinctively at the rifle by his
side, and rose to his feet; the noise of the tom-toms seemed close at
hand.
"They're coming!" But no; it was a false alarm. Once more the men
settled down, and silence fell on the zareba. Suddenly there was a
wild yell from one of the sleepers.
"What's up there?--man hit?"
"No--silly chump!--only dreaming!"
Again Jack dozed off, to be wakened, after what seemed only a moment of
forgetfulness, by Joe Crouch shaking him by the shoulder. The word was
once more being passed along, "Stand to your arms!" and the men lay
with their hands upon their rifles. Daybreak was near, and an attack
might be expected at any moment.
The sky was ghostly with the coming dawn, the air raw and cold. Jack
shivered, and "wished for the day."