As Bracy, closely followed by Gedge, made for the door, the noise and
confusion in the darkness were horrible. There were nearly a score of
sick and wounded in the two rows of beds, some of whom were groaning and
appealing for help; but the majority were making brave efforts to get on
some clothes, and one man was shouting for the nurse to go to the
armoury and bring as many rifles and bayonets as she could carry. But
there was no answer to their appeals, as Bracy, tottering at first, but
growing stronger as he passed between the two rows of beds, struggled
for the door at the end, and passed through into a little lobby, from
which another door led at once into the court, a mere slit of a window
at the side admitting a few faint rays of light.
"Ha!" ejaculated Bracy in a tone of thankfulness. "The door's fast,
Gedge, lad, and we must defend it to the last. We can do no good
outside."
"Who's this?" cried a harsh, sharp voice. "Bracy, my dear boy, you
here?" cried the Doctor almost simultaneously.
"Nurse!--Doctor!" panted the young officer.
"Yes, here we are, my boy, on duty; and bless this woman! she's as
plucky as half-a-dozen men."
"Nonsense!" said Mrs Gee harshly. "You don't suppose I was going to
stand still and let the wretches massycree my patients--do you, Doctor?"
"No, my dear, I don't think anything of the kind, and certainly I won't.
Have you got plenty of cartridges?"
"A dozen packets, and there's four rifles with fixed bayonets behind the
door."
"I'll have one, my lass. I was afraid I should have to take to my
surgical instruments. But, look here, Bracy, my boy, you can do no
good, so go back to bed and send that scoundrel Gedge here. He's hiding
under one of the beds. He could load for nurse, here, and me, while we
fired."
"If you warn't like one o' my sooperior officers," snarled Gedge, "I'd
say something nasty to you, Doctor. Give us one of them rifles, old
lady; I'm better with them and a bay'net than with this popgun. You
take your pistol, Mr Bracy, sir."
"No, no--yes, yes," said the Doctor hurriedly. "You may want it, my
boy. Now, then, go back to your bed. You'll be in the way here."
"In the way of some of these yelling fiends, I hope, Doctor," said
Bracy, thrusting the revolver into the waistband of his hurriedly
dragged on trousers. "Now, then, where will they try to break in?"
"The first window they can reach, when they fail at this door. You,
Gedge, watch that window. No one can get in, but some one is sure to
try."
The keen point of a bayonet was held within a few inches of the opening
the next moment, and then the little party, awaiting the attack, stood
listening to the terrible sounds from without. It was hard work to
distinguish one from the other, for the confusion was now dreadful; but,
from time to time, Bracy, as he stood quivering there as if a strange
thrill of reserved force was running through every vein, nerve, and
muscle, made out something of what was going on, and primarily he
grasped the fact, from the loud clanging, that the great gates had been
closed and barred against the entrance of those who were rushing forward
to the support of the fanatical Ghazis who had been so successful in
their _ruse_.
Then came other sounds which sent a ray of hope through the confusion;
first one or two shots rang out, then there was a ragged volley, and a
more or less steady fire was being kept up from the towers and walls.
But this was doubtless outward, begun by the sentries, and aided by the
two companies that rapidly mounted to their side by the orders of their
officers, who felt that it would be madness to begin firing in the dark
upon the Ghazis raging about the court, for fear of hitting their
unarmed friends.
It was some minutes before the Colonel could reach the guard-room, which
was held by the relief, and he had a couple of narrow escapes from cuts
aimed at him; but he reached the place at last, in company with about a
dozen unarmed men, and in a few minutes there was one nucleus here ready
with fixed bayonets to follow his orders. Other men made a rush for
their quarters from the walls where they had flocked, unarmed, to be
spectators of the capture; but to reach them and their rifles and
ammunition they had to cross the court, which was now one tossing chaos
of cutting and slashing fiends in human form, rushing here and there,
and stumbling over the frightened sheep, which plunged and leaped
wildly, adding greatly to the din by their piteous bleating, many to
fall, wounded, dying, and struggling madly, beneath the sword-cuts
intended for the garrison. These were flying unarmed seeking for
refuge, and often finding none, but turning in their despair upon their
assailants, many of whom went down, to be trampled under foot by those
whom they sought to slay.
The firing now began to rapidly increase, the flashings of the rifles
seeming to cut through the dense mist, now growing thicker with the
smoke, which, instead of rising, hung in a heavy cloud, mingling with
the fog, and making the efforts of the defenders more difficult as it
increased. For some time every one seemed to have lost his head, as, in
spite of the efforts of the officers, the panic was on the increase, and
the Ghazis had everything their own way. Colonel Graves, as soon as he
had got his little force together, gave the word for a rush with the
bayonet, and led the way, his men following bravely, but the
difficulties they encountered were intense. It was almost impossible to
form in line, and when at last this was roughly achieved in the
darkness, and the order to advance was given, it was upon a mass of
struggling sheep mingled with the yelling fiends; and, to the horror of
the line of sturdy men, they found that to fire, or advance with the
bayonet, would be to the destruction of friend as well as foe.
To add to the horror, the wild and piteous shrieks of women arose now
from the portion of the fort containing the officers' quarters; and at
this Roberts, who was firing with his men down into the seething mass of
fresh assailants swarming at the gates and striving, so far vainly, to
mount the walls, gave a sharp order.
"Here, cease firing, my lads," he yelled. "Drummond--Drummond! Where's
Mr Drummond?"
"Gone, sir," came from one of the men.
"What! down?" cried Roberts.
"No, sir; he said something about go on firing, and hooked it off along
the ramp."
An angry groan arose, and Roberts muttered something about his friend
before shouting again.
"Sergeant," he cried, "take the command of your men, and keep these dogs
from mounting the gate. I am going to lead my company to the officers'
quarters. Ready, my lads? No firing. The bayonet. We must save those
women, or die."
A loud, sharp, snapping hurrah rang out, seeming to cut through the
mist, and then at Roberts's "Forward!" they dashed after him at the
double, to reach the next descent into the court, which meant right
among the yelling Ghazis, but at the opposite end to that where Colonel
Graves and the Major--who had reached them now with a couple of dozen
men, mostly armed with the Indians' tulwars--had managed to struggle
into line.
Very few minutes elapsed before the shouting of Captain Roberts's men,
as they dashed down, two abreast, cutting into the mass below, added to
the wild confusion, and for a time it seemed as if the struggle would
become hopeless, as the brave fellows' strength began to yield to
exhaustion, for the power to combine seemed gone, and the _melee_ grew
more a hand-to-hand fight, in which the savage Ghazis had the advantage
with their keen swords, their adversaries wanting room to use their
bayonets after a few fierce and telling thrusts.
"This is useless, Graham," panted the Colonel at last; "these sheep
hamper every movement. We can do nothing in this horrible darkness. I
am going to give the order for every man to make for the walls, where we
must defend ourselves with the bayonet as the fellows attack us. We
must wait for morning, and then shoot them down."
"And by then they will have slaughtered every woman and non-combatant in
the fort," growled the Major savagely.
"No; we must each lead a company or two for the quarters. You take as
many as you can collect straight for the ladies' rooms."
"Roberts has gone ten minutes ago, and is fighting his way across."
"Go round by the walls on the other side and get in behind. I am going
to rush for the hospital. Bracy and all those poor fellows must be
saved."
"Too late," said the Major bitterly. "Two of the men here left a score
of the hounds fighting their way into the ward. Oh, if we only had a
light!"
Strange things occur when least expected, and there are times when, as
if by a miracle, the asked-for gift is bestowed.
"God bless you, Graves!" whispered the Major; "if we don't meet again,
I'll do all that man can do."
"I know it, Graham. You'll save the women, I'm sure. Ah! what's that?"
"Fire--fire!" shouted a voice, and a yell of triumph rose from the
Ghazis, to be echoed by the seething mob of fanatics outside the gates,
who burst forth with their war-cry of "Allah! Allah--uh!"
"We're done, Graves," said the Major in an awestricken, whisper. "It's
the fodder-store, and it will attack our quarters soon. It's all of
wood."
"If it does we shall see how to die fighting," said the Colonel
hoarsely, as a wreath of flame and sparks rolled out of a two-story
building at the far end of the court, lighting up the whole place and
revealing all the horrors of the scene.