The Sergeant was right, for, after turning a rib-like mass of stone
forming an angle in the path, it was to find that either a fresh party
of the enemy were waiting for them, or the others had by taking a short
cut reached an eminence commanding the path; and as soon as the company
came in sight they were saluted with an avalanche of stones, on a spot
where they were terribly exposed, there being no shelter that could be
seized upon by a few picked marksmen to hold the stone-throwers in check
while the rest got by.
Matters looked bad, for the whole; of the baggage with the guard had
disappeared, and, to make matters worse, shot after shot came whistling
by from behind, indicating that the hill-men had come down to the track,
and were closely following them in the rear.
"We must make a rush for it, Bracy," said Captain Roberts, as he gazed
up at the heights from which the invisible enemy were bombarding the
path. "We'll hold them back for a few minutes, and then you take half
the company and dash across to yonder rocks. As soon as you are in
shelter open fire and cover, as I fancy you can get a sight of them from
there. It's waste of ammunition to fire from here, and--Who's that
down?"
For there was a sharp cry from one of the men, who staggered forward a
few yards, fell, and sprang up again minus his helmet, which had been
struck by a bullet from behind.
"All right; not much hurt, sir," cried the sufferer, rejoining his
companions, after picking up his helmet, the back of which had been
scored by a nearly spent rugged missile, whose track was marked in a
long jagged cut across the man's right cheek-bone, from which the blood
was trickling down.
The rear men were on the alert, watching for a chance to retaliate upon
their troublesome enemy, but holding their fire, for not a man was
visible, and it seemed useless to fire at the rocks they had just left.
"The sooner we are out of this the better," said the Captain quietly.
"You know your work.--Wait a minute, and then at the word rush across to
the rocks."
The minute had nearly passed, the time filled up by the rattle and roar
of falling stones, and Bracy's half-company, though at rest, were
panting hard with excitement like greyhounds held by a leash. Then,
just as the falling stones were beginning to slacken as if the throwers
grasped the fact that they were wasting their strength, and were
reserving their discharge till the half-company made its rush, there was
a sudden quick movement among the rocks they were to try and reach, and
Bracy's blood ran cold as, puff, puff, puff, and then crack, crack, fire
was opened.
"Hah!" ejaculated Roberts excitedly; "they've got down somehow to cut us
off. We're between two fires, Bracy, man. There's nothing for it now
but to dash forward. You must clear them out of that. Don't stop to
pick up your men who go down. We shall be close behind, and will see to
them. Get across, and then turn and cover us if you can."
Bracy nodded, and drew his revolver, just giving one glance upward at
the heights from whence the stones came, and then fixing his eyes upon
the rocks on the other side of the curve of the track, from which fresh
puffs of smoke arose, making their position look desperate with the
enemy in front and rear, supplemented by those hidden among the rugged
natural battlements of their stronghold.
"How many men shall I lose?" thought the young officer; and then, "Shall
I get across alive?"
The next moment all was changed.
"Why, Roberts," he cried, "it's our own men yonder, firing up instead of
at us, to cover our advance."
"Forward, then," cried Roberts. "We shall be close behind."
Bracy dashed ahead, waving his sword, and his half-company of boys
cheered as they followed him; while as soon as they started there was a
tremendous crashing of dislodged masses of rock, which came thundering
down, fortunately sent too soon to injure the charging soldiery, who
were saved from a second discharge by a sharp crackling fire from the
rocks which they were to have occupied, the rapid repetitions telling
that a strong company of their friends were at work, and the bullets
spattering and flicking among the enemy, driving them at once into
cover.
There was a hearty cheer to greet Bracy and his half-company as they
successfully crossed the stone-swept track and reached the shelter of
the rocks, ready to turn on the instant and help to keep down the
stone-throwing as Roberts and his men came along at the double.
But Bracy's lads did not fire a shot aloft, for a glance at the second
half of the company revealed a new danger, and his men dropped into
position, ready to repel that with a volley. For no sooner had the
second half started than the track, a quarter of a mile in their rear,
suddenly seemed to become alive with white-garbed hill-men, who came
bounding along in a little crowd.
"Steady, steady! make every shot tell, boys," cried Bracy. "Fire!"
A ragged volley was the result; the hill-men stopped suddenly as if
petrified, and were hesitating still as to what they should do, when a
second volley sent them to the right-about, leaving several of their
number on the track, while half-a-dozen more were seen to drop before
their comrades were out of sight.
There was another burst of cheering as the second half-company pressed
on without the loss of a man, Gedge having so far recovered that he was
able to double with one of his comrades, who came steadily on with him,
arm-in-arm. As the young officers stood breathless and panting with
their exertions, the stern, keen face of Colonel Graves suddenly loomed
above the smoke, and his horse bore him into their midst.
"How many men down?" was his first eager question.
"Two slightly wounded; that's all, sir," was the reply.
"Forward, then," he said, and he signed to Roberts and Bracy to come to
his side.
"You've done well," he said. "Retain your places as rear-guard. I'll
keep in touch with you.--Hark!"
"Firing, sir," said Captain Roberts.
"Yes; the Major must be clearing the way for us. We must get off this
shelf and on to open ground before dark."
He turned his horse's head and made his way towards the front as rapidly
as the nature of the wretched rock-strewn shelf would allow; and the two
young officers tramped on at a fair distance from the rear of the
baggage-guard, keeping a sharp lookout for enemies in pursuit, feeling
little anxiety about the rugged eminences up to their left, knowing as
they did that they would have ample warning of danger by an attack being
made somewhere along the line whose extreme rear they were protecting.
Their task was comparatively easy now, for their two wounded men had
been passed on to the baggage-train, so that they could be in charge of
the ambulance men and have the benefit of the Doctor's help. A shot
came now and then from behind, showing that the enemy were in pursuit;
but no mischief was done, a return shot or two from the rear files, who
retired in skirmishing order, silencing the firing at every outbreak.
Every step taken, too, now was more and more downward, and the keen
winds, sharpened by the ice and snow, which had cut down the ravines at
the higher part of the pass, were now tempered by the warm afternoon
sunshine, which bathed the tops of the shrubs they had looked down upon
from above, the said shrubs having developed into magnificent groves of
cedars, grand in form and towering in height.
These last were for the most part on the farther side of the now verdant
valley--verdant, for its rocky harshness was rapidly becoming softened;
even the shelf along which they tramped began to be dotted with alpine
flowers, which gave the march the appearance of having lasted for
months, for the morning; had been in part among mountains whose
atmosphere was that of a sunny day in February. Now they were in May,
and according to appearances they were descending into an evening that
would be like June.
Matters were going on so quietly now that the two officers found time
for a chat at intervals, one of which was as they passed a
formidable-looking spot where the thickly scattered stones and marks of
lead upon the rocks showed that it must have been the scene of one of
the attacks made by the enemy from the rocks above. But there was no
sign of them now, the only suggestion of danger being the presence of a
score of their men left to keep any fresh attack in check, and who
retired as soon as the rear-guard came in sight.
"This must be where the Major had to clear the way," said Roberts as he
scanned the heights with his glass.
"Yes," replied Bracy; "and I hope he was as well satisfied with the boys
as we were."
"Shame if he wasn't," cried Roberts. "Pooh! don't take any notice of
what he said. You know his way."
"Yes; he must have something to grumble at," replied Bracy. "If he were
with a regiment of veterans--"
"Yes, of course; he'd be snarling because they were what he'd call
worn-out, useless cripples, only fit for Chelsea Hospital. The Doctor
was right: it's his liver."
"Yes," said Bracy; "and when we are in camp to-night and at dinner he'll
be in the highest of glee, and do nothing but brag about how he made the
enemy run."
"Well, yes; a bit of work always does him good. It isn't brag, though,
for I believe the Major to be a splendid officer, and if we have much to
do he'll begin showing us greenhorns what a soldier ought to be. But, I
say, don't talk about dinner. I didn't think of it before; now I feel
famished. My word! I shall punish it to-night."
"If we get safely into camp," cried Bracy excitedly. "Down with you, my
lads, and look out. It came from across the valley there, from among
those trees."
Even as he spoke, pat, pat, pat came as many bullets, to strike against
the bare face of the rock over their heads and fall among the stones at
their feet, while the reports of the pieces fired were multiplied by the
echoes till they died away.
"Nothing to mind," said Roberts coolly. "They're trying to pick us off!
We can laugh at any attack if they try to cross the depths below
there."
"Nothing to mind so long as we are not hit," replied Bracy; "but I
object to being made a mark for their practice. What have you got
there, Jones?"
"One of their bullets, sir," said the man, who had picked up a messenger
which had come whizzing across the valley.
"Bullet--eh? Look here, Roberts," and Bracy handed his brother officer
a ragged piece of iron which looked as if it had been cut off the end of
a red-hot iron rod.
"Humph! Nice tackle to fire at us. Lead must be scarce. Now, that's
the sort of thing that would make a wound that wouldn't heal, and
delight old Morton."
Pat, pat, again overhead, and the missiles fell among the stones.
"We must stop this," said Roberts.--"Hold your fire, my lads, till you
have a good chance. One telling shot is worth a hundred bad ones."
"Ah! Look out," cried Bracy, who was scanning the distant grove of
large trees across the valley a quarter of a mile away. "There they go,
breaking cover to take up ground more forward, to have at us again."
For, all at once, some fifty white-coats became visible, as their owners
dashed out of one of the patches of cedars and ran for another a furlong
ahead. The lads were looking out, and rifle after rifle cracked. Then
there was quite a volley to teach the enemy that a quarter of a mile was
a dangerous distance to stand at when British soldiers were kneeling
behind rocks which formed steady rests for the rifles they had carefully
sighted.
Five or six men, whose white-coats stood out plainly in the clear
mountain air against the green, were seen to drop and not rise again;
while the rest, instead of racing on to the cover in front, turned off
at right-angles and made for a woody ravine higher up the right face of
the valley; but they did not all reach it in safety.
The firing brought back the Colonel, who nodded thoughtfully on hearing
Roberts's report.
"Hurry on," he said; "the shelf descends to quite an opening of the
valley a quarter of a mile farther on, and there is a patch of wood well
out of reach of the hills, where I shall camp to-night. The
advance-guard have cleared it of a similar party to that you describe."
"It was getting time," said Bracy to Roberts as the Colonel rode on. "I
shouldn't have liked for us to pass the night on this shelf. Think
they'll attack us after dark?"
"Can't say, my son. If they do--"
"Well, what?" asked Bracy.
"We shall have to fight; but not, I hope, till we have had a comfortable
meal."
"I hope the same; but I suppose there'll be no rest till we've had a
good set-to and thrashed the ruffians. Why, the country seems to be up
in arms against us."
"Yes," said Roberts; "it's a way these genial hill-men have."
"Fortunately for us it is very thinly peopled," observed Bracy as they
tramped along, seemingly as fresh as when they started.
"Don't be too sure. We've been up among the mountains. Wait till we
see the vales."
But the troubles of the day ceased at sunset, one which was made
wonderful with the hues which dyed the mountains of the vast Karakoram
range; and when the cooking-fires were out in the cedar grove and the
watches were set, officers and men slept well in the aromatic air; even
the mules did not squeal and kick so very much in their lines, while the
weary camels groaned and sighed and sobbed in half-tones, as if
bemoaning their fate as being rather better than usual, for none had
been riddled by bullets, fallen, or been beaten overmuch, and their
leaders had taken care that they were not overloaded, and that they had
plenty to eat and drink. The only men who slept badly were Gedge and
Symons, the man whose cheek-bone had been furrowed by a bullet. But
even they were cheerful as they talked together in the shelter of a
canvas tent, and passed the time comparing notes about their ill-luck in
being the first down, and calculating how long it would be before they
were back in the ranks.
"Hurt much, matey?" said Gedge.
"Pretty tidy, pardner. How's your nut?"
"Been easier since the Doctor put the wet rag on it soaked with some
stuff or another. Oh, I shouldn't care a bit, only it keeps on swelling
up like a balloon, and it'll make a fellow look such a guy."
"Hist!" said the other; "some one coming. The Doctor."
"Are you asleep in there?" said a low voice.
"Mr Bracy, sir," cried Gedge eagerly. "No, sir; we're wido."
"How are you, my lads--in much pain?"
"Oh no, sir; we're all right."
"I came just to see how you are. Good-night. Try and get to sleep."
"Yes, sir; thank ye, sir. Good-night, sir."
"Good-night."
There was a faint rustle as of feet passing over cedar needle, and then
a faint choky sound as if some one in the dark were trying to swallow
something.
"I like that," said Symons at last in a whisper; "makes yer feel as if
yer orficers do think o' something else besides making yer be smart."
"Like it?" said Gedge huskily. "I should just think you do. Oh, I say,
though, what a guy I shall look in the morning! Wish we'd got a box o'
dominoes and a bit o' candle."