IN THE GARDEN.
Fortunately our friends had entered one of the loneliest portions of
Delhi, where for a time they saw not a living soul, even when so many
thousands were abroad; but this could not last, and some would be
sure to meet them before going much further.
It was this dread that prevented them from keeping up their fastest
gait, even while they were so anxious to increase the distance
between themselves and their enemies.
The latter were gaining rapidly, for that peculiar "monotonous chant
of frenzy," (Allah-ullah) which, once heard, can never be forgotten,
sounded closer every minute.
Although Marian Hildreth had lived a number of years in Delhi, she
was now in a portion that was as unfamiliar to her as the slums of
Cawnpore or Lucknow. Naturally, therefore, her escort took the lead.
"Follow me as fast as you can," he whispered, increasing his speed.
The young surgeon had caught sight of a piece of broken wall of sun
dried bricks on his right. One powerful leap carried him to a
projection near the top, and catching the hand of Marian he drew her
up beside him. The jagged pieces of wall served as well as a stair
could have done, and a moment later both were on the top of a flat
roofed, unoccupied building, partly in ruins.
The couple ran across the flat surface to the other side, where they
found themselves facing an open space, which was the compound or
garden of some wealthy native, whose house was in plain sight a
hundred yards away.
It was not the place that Avery would have selected, but there was no
time for choosing. Running to the edge of the roof, he dropped to
the earth. The descent was about a dozen feet, and he was
considerably shaken; but he did not mind that, and, steadying
himself, he looked up at Marian, who was peering hesitatingly down
upon him.
"Jump!" he whispered, "I'll catch you!"
With the faith of the little child leaping into the arms of its
parents, she gathered her skirts about her dainty feet and dropped as
lightly as a bird. The powerful Avery caught her without trouble,
and placing her on the ground clasped her hand.
"The only thing to do is to hide under those trees; it isn't the best
place in the world, but we have no choice."
There was some consolation in the knowledge that a wall ten feet high
separated them from their enemies, though there was no telling how
long that obstacle would intervene. They had but a short distance to
go when they stopped beneath the shadow of a number of trees in the
corner of the compound.
The street along which they were passing when observed by the mob,
ran north and south. Turning to the right, the fugitives sped a
short distance in an easterly direction, that being the course of the
wall up which they clambered. They took to the shelter of the trees
near where they dropped to the ground, which was in the southeastern
corner. From this point they had a fair view of the garden and home
of the wealthy native, upon whose property they were trespassers.
The house stood in the middle of the compound, which was surrounded
on all sides by a wall ten feet high, composed of sun dried bricks.
The roof of this house was sloped and thatched and had a long veranda
in front. The high inclosing wall had but one entrance, which was
from the main street, that is, the one running north and south, from
which the fugitives turned off before taking refuge in the garden.
Their position, therefore, was close to the street, along which the
mob were hurrying in pursuit, though, as has been shown, the high
wall separated the parties.
The hope of the fugitives was that their enemies would continue up
the street without suspecting their refuge. Would they do so? A few
minutes must tell.
"I hardly expected to find such fine grounds in this part of the
city," whispered Avery, standing with the hand of Marian clasped in
his own, and using his eyes and ears for all they were worth.
"They are not many in number. This must be the home of some nawab.
Baird, listen! They are moving along the street just beyond this
wall to the back of us. Hear them talking and cursing!"
"There is no doubt that they will search this garden, for the broken
wall will suggest the means by which we eluded them."
"They will not enter there, but by the regular entrance in front of
the house. What do you think? Is there any hope?"
Passing his strong arm around her waist, he drew her closer to him,
held her thus a moment, pressed his lips to hers and in a low,
loving, but firm voice said:
"Marian, I do not believe that we shall be alive fifteen minutes
longer."
"Baird, will you do me a favor--the last that I can ask?"
"I will refuse you nothing in my power to grant."
"When all hope of escape is gone, will you shoot me dead?"
"I will," was the instant response that escaped the white lips, "and
that reminds me," he added the next moment, "that one of my pistols
is unloaded."
And while they stood in the heavy shadow of a mango tree, he
deliberately recharged the five chambers of his revolver, as though
he was making ready to engage in a shooting match with a friend.
Meanwhile the rabble on the other side of the wall was increasing in
numbers every minute. Some of the most significant of their
expressions were translated by Marian.
"Where did the sahib loge go?" asked one.
"They went along this road," replied another.
"They did not do so," said a third; "we ran faster than they, and we
should have seen them."
"Where then can they be?"
"They have fled into one of the bungalows; likely they are among the
trees of a garden; they may be close at hand."
"We will search this garden, but we may not do so without permission
of the nawab."
The last remark convinced the fugitives that they were standing in
the grounds of some native of note, else the mob would not have felt
any hesitation about searching them without asking permission.
A minute later two of the leaders approached the entrance of the
garden, and were met by the porter, who had noticed the turmoil
outside. When the wish of the intruders was made known, the porter,
sensible of his duty to his master, refused point blank to allow any
of the party to enter the grounds.
He asserted that no one had taken refuge there, and intimated that
the request of the men before him was only a thin subterfuge by which
they hoped to gain plunder.
The leaders became angry, and replied that it would be impossible to
keep out the mob; it was best to give permission when a refusal would
only exasperate the impatient men to violence.
All this time the nawab was quietly smoking his hookah on the
veranda. He left all such matters to his porter, but inasmuch as he
heard every word that passed, he saw that his personal attention was
needed. Rising from his lounging chair, he walked slowly forward and
asked what was the matter,--as though he did not know anything about
the cause of dispute.
The two leaders, who were talking angrily with the porter, used few
words in making their business known. The nawab was shrewd enough to
see that the easiest way out of the trouble was to compromise.
"I cannot have the crowd trampling through my grounds," said he,
removing his hookah from between his lips; "but I hate the Inglese
and will help kill all the Christians. Select three of your men to
join you two, and do you make thorough search of all the grounds,
taking good care to injure nothing. I will allow no one else to come
in. You five can find the Inglese, if they are here, can you not?"
"We cannot fail," replied one of the men, both of whom were pleased
by the condescension of the nawab. The mob on the outside were also
suited. Many of them, believing the fugitives had taken refuge
elsewhere, moved down the street, those who remained scattering so as
to surround, as far as possible, the inclosing wall. The moment the
fugitives should be driven from the grounds and attempt to scale the
high wall, these natives meant to be on hand to secure them.
The fugitives plainly heard every word spoken, and Marian translated
the whole conversation. The two believed that the decision was
certain death, for it was utterly impossible for five fierce fanatics
to make such a search of the grounds as they were sure to do, without
finding those for whom they were looking. Indeed it was hard to see
how they could fail to discover them during the first few minutes of
their search.
Avery and Marian were standing erect under a large mango, whose dense
shadow screened them from the sight for a distance of a rod or so,
but was of no use when their enemies should come within a few paces.
"I will wait right here," he said, in a low voice, "and fight until I
can fight no longer. The last bullet from my revolver shall be
driven through your brain."
"Save the last for _yourself_," whispered Marian, "and give me the
last but one."
"No; I shall die fighting," was the response; "I want to carry as
many of them with me as I can, and unless some unexpected slip takes
place, I'll thin them out considerably."
Many a time during the sepoy mutiny was this done. More than one
brave officer, when he saw the wretches swarming over the vainly
defended entrenchments, shot wife and daughter and then turned his
pistol upon himself. It was a mercy to his loved ones that he did so.
The spokesman of the mob, having made known to them the decision of
the nawab, singled out his assistants by name, and the search began.