It was a couple of days later, when the kopje was dotted with the rough
shelters that the uninjured men had worked hard to erect from the ruins
of the village, the principal being for the benefit of the wounded. The
position was the same, or nearly the same, as it had been before. The
Boers had retreated to their laagers, which were more strongly held than
ever, and the investment was kept up with more savage determination;
while the defenders had only the kopje to hold now, the village being a
desolation, and the colonel's forces sadly reduced.
The doctor was in better spirits, and showed it, for he had managed to
get something like order in his arrangements for his wounded men. But
the colonel and the major were in lower spirits, and did not show it,
for matters looked very black indeed, relief seeming farther off than
ever.
"My last orders were to hold this place," said the colonel to the major,
"and I'm going to hold it."
"Of course! Keep on. Every day we shall be having another man or two
back in the ranks. Ah! here is Emden.--Well, how are the lads?"
"Getting on splendidly. My dear sirs, I have heard people abuse the
Mauser as a diabolical weapon. Nothing of the sort; it is one of the
most humane. The wounds are small, cleanly cut, and, so long as a bone
is not touched, begin to heal with wonderful rapidity. Come and have a
look round."
"Yes; we have come on purpose," said the colonel. "By the way, though,
before we go into the officers' shelter, I wish you had contrived
differently about Roby and Lennox. It seemed very short-sighted, after
what has occurred, to place them next to one another."
"My dear sir," cried the doctor, "I did all I could to try and save the
poor fellows' lives as they were carried in to me, without thinking
about their squabbles and quarrels and rank."
"Yes, yes; of course, doctor. I beg your pardon. You have done
wonders."
"Thankye! Done my best, of course. But don't you worry about those
two; they'll be all right. Come and see."
"But about the men? Nothing more serious, I hope."
"N-n-no. Had to take that fellow's leg off to save his life."
"What poor fellow? Oh yes--Corporal May?"
"Yes. He objected strongly, but it had to be done. He threatens to
commence an action against me when he gets home--so I hear."
They had been moving towards the shelter of corrugated iron beneath
which the officers lay, each of whom greeted them with a smile. They
were all badly wounded, but looked restful and contented, as wounded men
do who have achieved a victory.
Roby seemed to be the most cheerful, and he beckoned to the colonel to
come closer, while the doctor cocked his eye rather drolly and in a way
that the chief did not understand.
"Well, Roby," said the colonel, "you look better."
"Well, for a man who has had the top of his head rasped by a bullet and
got a hole right through his leg, I call myself a wonder."
"Does your wound pain you much?"
"Quite enough; but there, I don't mind. We've whipped."
"Yes," said the colonel, smiling; "we've whipped, thanks to every one's
gallant behaviour. You did splendidly, Roby."
"Did my best, sir," said the captain quietly. "But I'm not quite as I
should like to be," he continued confidentially. "Don't take any
notice. I can't quite understand about my hurt on the head."
"Indeed?" said the colonel, frowning.
"I recollect, of course, getting the stinging pain in my leg, and going
down, and then it seemed to me that one of the Boers kicked me at the
top of the forehead with his heavy boot, and I was trampled on. After
that I fainted, and didn't come to until the firing was going on and
Lennox came running through it to pick me up. Colonel, that's about the
bravest thing that has been done since we've been here."
"Quite," said the colonel, watching the speaker curiously.
"I want you to promise me that you'll mention it well in your despatch
about the taking of the laager."
"If I ever get a despatch to headquarters it shall contain that, I
promise you."
"Thank you," said Roby warmly, and with the tears now in his eyes. "I
say, colonel, I'm sorry I went down; but the doctor says the lads got
back after another skirmish, with plenty of cattle and stores."
"Yes," said the colonel; "it was a splendid addition to our supplies
and--"
"Stop! stop! please, colonel," said the doctor. "Roby's weak yet."
"Oh no, doctor."
"My dear fellow, I say yes; and I say," said the doctor, bending down to
whisper to his patient, "Lennox and Dickenson are both very feeble.
Think of them."
Roby took the doctor's hand and pressed it, accompanying the pressure
with a significant look.
"Thank you for coming, colonel," he said, "and you too, major. Emden's
an awful tyrant when he gets us on our backs."
"Right," said the doctor. "Nero was nothing to me.--Now, gentlemen,
just a word or two with the rest of my nursery folk, and then I must
order you off."
The colonel nodded, passed on to Captain Edwards, and said a word or
two; the same followed at Dickenson's side, where the young officer,
forgetful of his wounds, gave his chief a look full of exultation,
receiving a good-humoured nod in return, and Dickenson turned his face
sidewise with a sigh of content.
"Wait a bit," he said to himself. "I'll have it out with the old man as
soon as I get better. He's bound to ask poor old Drew's pardon. But
fancy Roby turning like this."
Meanwhile the colonel had passed on to Lennox's side, to find him far
the greatest sufferer of the party present, and unable to do more than
smile his thanks and lie back, extremely weak, but with a look of calm
restfulness in his eyes that told that there was nothing mental to
trouble him and keep him back.
"What do you think of them, colonel?" said the doctor as soon as they
were outside.
"All much better than I expected," said the colonel.
"But what about Roby? He is quite delirious from his wound, is he not?"
"Perfectly calm, sir, with his _mens_ much more _Sana_ than his
_corpus_. I thought he was all wrong at first, but he's only weak--
pulse regular, temperature as cool as a hot iron roof will let it be."
[Note: _Mens sana in corpore sano_.]
"But, hang it all, doctor! his head's all in a muddle about storming the
little kopje and getting the cattle and stores away."
"Yes; that's the comical part of it. He's a bit mixed, and in his
present state I let him think what he likes, so long as it is not likely
to do him any harm."
"But really, Doctor Emden, I fail to follow your reasoning," said the
colonel rather stiffly.
"Never mind, colonel; leave it. I don't follow all your military
manoeuvres, so I leave them to you. Let the cobbler stick to his last.
There, man, don't look mystified. Let me explain. Roby had bad
concussion of the brain from that first shot. There was no fracture,
but the bone was, so to speak, a little dented down, and the consequence
was that, though he rapidly recovered his health bodily, he did not get
his mental balance quite right at the same time."
"Then you think that charge of his against Lennox was a trifling
aberration that's now over. I hope you are right, doctor; but--"
"But me no buts," said the doctor. "I stake my reputation upon it.
Surely, man, you can see the proof? The poor fellow showed you that he
has not the slightest recollection now of what has been going on since
the expedition to the laager."
"To be sure," said the major. "I see now. That explains it. He talked
as if he thought this was the result of being shot down there."
"To be sure he does. He thinks, too, that Edwards is wounded from a
skirmish with the Boers during the retreat."
"Then there was no nonsense, no unreality, in his display of interest in
poor Lennox?"
"Not a bit. He's delighted with the poor fellow's gallantry, and talks
to me about how much he owes him."
"But his charge of cowardice?"
"Wind, my dear sir; wind. Let it blow away. If any one were to tell
him of it now he would stare with astonishment and ask you if you meant
to insult him. Take my word for it, the hallucination has completely
passed away. The fresh wound, with its loss by haemorrhage, and the
reaction, has acted antagonistically to his mental trouble. He has, so
to speak, stepped mentally from the attack on the Boers to their attack
on us, and as soon as he recovers his strength he'll be as good a man as
ever."
"But when we tell him about his charge?" said the colonel.
"Why tell him, sir? Let it rest. If it ever comes out by accident,
that's quite another thing. The trouble has settled itself, as some
troubles will."
"I wish this one would," said the major, "for I'm getting very sick of
being penned up here on very reduced rations. Have they quite forgotten
us at headquarters?"
"No," said the colonel. "Their hands are full.--Meanwhile, doctor, our
ranks are very thin, so as fast as you can send the poor lads back to
the ranks, let us have them again. The Boers will not let us rest like
this for long."