Chapter 2: The Start.
Chapter 3: The First Fight.
Chapter 4: In The Passes
Chapter 5: Promoted.
Chapter 6: Unfair Play.
Chapter 7: Tales Of War.
Chapter 8: The Dargai Pass.
Chapter 9: Captured.
Chapter 10: Through The Mohmund Country.
Chapter 11: An Arduous March.
Chapter 12: A Tribal Fight.
Chapter 13: The V.C.
Chapter 14: Forest Fighting.
Chapter 15: A Narrow Escape.
Chapter 16: The Relief Of Coomassie.
Chapter 17: Stockades And War Camps.
Chapter 18: A Night Surprise.
Chapter 19: Lost In The Forest.
Chapter 20: At Home.
Illustrations
Map illustrating the Chitral Campaign.
Lisle gives the alarm.
He carefully aimed and fired.
They charged the attacking force from end to end.
Map illustrating the Tirah Campaign.
A party of Afridis rushed down upon him.
It was the dead body of an Afridi.
"My horse must carry two, sir," Lisle replied.
Map illustrating the Ashanti Campaign.
Two of them fell before Lisle's revolver.
They saw a strong party of the enemy crossing the road.
Preface.
Our little wars attract far less attention among the people of this
country than they deserve. They are frequently carried out in
circumstances of the most adverse kind. Our enemies, although
ignorant of military discipline are, as a rule, extremely brave;
and are thoroughly capable of using the natural advantages of their
country. Our men are called upon to bear enormous fatigue, and
endure extremes in climate. The fighting is incessant, the peril
constant. Nevertheless, they show a magnificent contempt for danger
and difficulty; and fight with a valour and determination worthy of
the highest praise.
I have chosen, as an illustration of this, three campaigns; namely,
the relief of Chitral, the Tirah campaign, and the relief of
Coomassie. The first two were conducted in a mountainous country,
affording every advantage to the enemy; where passes had to be
scaled, torrents to be forded, and deep snow to be crossed. In the
other, the country was a combination of morass and thick forest,
frequently intersected by wide and deep rivers. The work, moreover,
had to be done in a tropical climate, during the rainy season. The
conditions, therefore, were much more trying than in the case of
former expeditions which had crossed the same ground and, in
addition, the enemy were vastly more numerous and more determined;
and had, in recent years, mastered the art of building extremely
formidable stockades.
The country has a right to be proud, indeed, of the prowess both of
our own troops and of our native regiments. Boys who wish to obtain
fuller details of these campaigns I would refer to Sir George
Robertson's Chitral; H. C. Thomson's Chitral Campaign; Lieutenant
Beynon's With Kelly to Chitral; Colonel Hutchison's Campaign in
Tirah; Viscount Fincastle and P. C. Eliott Lockhart's A Frontier
Campaign; and Captain Harold C. J. Biss's The Relief of Kumasi,
from which I have principally drawn the historical portion of my
story.
G. A. Henty.
Chapter 1: An Expedition.
"Well, Lisle, my boy, the time is drawing very near when you will
have to go home. My brother John will look after you, and choose
some good crammer to push you on. You are nearly sixteen, now, and
it is high time you buckled to."
"But you have always taught me, father!"
"Yes, that is all very well, but I could not devote three hours a
day to you. I think I may say that you are thoroughly well
grounded--I hope as well as most public-school boys of your own
age--but I can go no further with you. You have no idea what
cramming is necessary, now, for a young fellow to pass into the
army. Still I think that, by hard work with some man who prepares
students for the army, you may be able to rub through. I have
always saved up money for this, for my brother is by no means a
rich man, and crammers are very expensive; so the next time I see a
chance of sending you down to Calcutta, down you go. My agents
there will see you on board a ship, and do everything that is
necessary."
"Of course, father, if I must go, I must; but it will be beastly,
after the jolly time I have spent in the regiment, to set to and do
nothing but grind, for the next three years."
"We all have to do a good many unpleasant things, Lisle; and as we
have decided that you shall enter the army, you must make up your
mind to do the necessary work, even though it be disagreeable."
"All right, father! I know what depends upon it, and I will set
to."
"I have no doubt you will, Lisle, for you have plenty of common
sense, though you are a little inclined to mischief--not that you
are altogether to blame for that, for the officers encourage you in
it."
This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd
Pioneers, and his son. The regiment was in cantonments near the
northern frontier of India. The captain had lost his wife some
years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he
had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.
The climate was excellent, and the boy enjoyed as good health as if
he had been in England. Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of
pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught
the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England,
and be regularly coached for the army.
Next day the captain entered his quarters, hurriedly.
"I am off," he said. "Those rascally Afridis have come down and
looted several villages; and I am to go up, in command of a couple
of companies, to give them a lesson."
"They are not very strong, are they, father?"
"No, I don't suppose they can put a couple of hundred men in the
field. We shall take the two mountain guns with us, and batter
holes in their fortresses, and then attack and carry them easily.
There is no sign of movement among the other tribes, so we need not
expect any serious opposition."
A week later, the little detachment entered the valley in which the
Afridi villages lay. The work had been fatiguing, for the country
was very rough; and the mules that carried the guns met with such
difficulties that the infantry had to turn to, and improve the
paths--if paths they could be called, for they were often little
better than undefined tracks. As the expedition moved up the
valley, the tribesmen opened on them a distant fire; but scattered
after a few shells from the mountain guns were thrown among them.
The fortified houses, however, were stubbornly held; and indeed,
were only carried after the guns had broken in the doors, or made a
breach in the walls.
During the attack on the last house, a shot struck Captain Bullen
in the chest, and he instantly fell. When they saw this, the
Pioneers dashed forward with a howl of rage, carried the fort, and
bayoneted its defenders. The doctor of the party at once examined
the wound, and saw that it would probably be fatal.
"Patch me up, Lloyd, so that I may get back to camp and see my boy
again," the wounded man whispered.
"I will do my best," the doctor said, "but I doubt whether you will
be able to stand the journey."
The Pioneers, after setting fire to all the houses in the valley,
started at once for home. Captain Bullen was placed on a stretcher,
and four men at a time carried him down, taking the utmost pains
not to jolt or shake him. His face was covered with light boughs,
to keep off the flies; and everything that was possible was done to
conduce to his comfort.
The doctor watched him anxiously. His condition became more
serious, every day. As they neared the camp, a messenger was sent
down with a report from the native officer of what had happened;
and the Pioneers all came out to see their favourite officer
brought in; and stood, mournful and silent, as he was carried to
his bungalow.
"Don't come in yet, lad," the surgeon said, to Lisle. "Your father,
at present, is incapable of speaking; and he must have a little
rest before you see him, for the slightest excitement would
probably cause a gush of blood to the wound, which would be fatal."
Lisle's grief was unbounded. He could not listen to the kind words
with which the officers tried to soothe him, but wandered away out
of camp and, throwing himself down, wept unrestrainedly for an
hour. Then he roused himself, and walked slowly back. By a mighty
effort he had composed himself, for he knew that he must be calm
when he saw his father.
Half an hour later, the doctor beckoned him in.
"He is conscious now," he said, "and has whispered that he wishes
to see you. He has been very calm, all the way down, and has spoken
of you often."
"I will do my best," Lisle muttered, keeping down his tears with a
tremendous effort; and then went into his father's room.
He could not trust himself to speak a word but, walking up, took
his father's hand and, kneeling down, pressed it to his lips, his
whole form shaking with agitation.
"I am glad I have held out until I got back," his father said, in a
low voice. "It is all up with me, my boy, and I have only a few
hours to live, at most. I am sorry, now, that you did not start for
England before this happened; but I have no doubt that it is all
for the best. I shall die, as I should wish to die, doing my duty
and, except for leaving you, I shall feel small regret."
"Must you leave me, father?" Lisle sobbed.
"Yes, my boy, I have known it from the first. It is only my intense
desire to see you again that has kept me up. The doctor said he did
not expect that I should last more than two or three days, at most.
"You will bear in mind what I said to you, the day before we
started. I have no fear about you, Lisle; I am sure you will make
an honest gentleman and a brave soldier, and will do credit to our
name. I should stay here a few weeks longer, if I were you, until
some others are going down. The officers are all fond of you, and
it would be better for you to have company, than to make the long
journey to the coast alone.
"My voice is failing me, lad, and I can say no more, now; but you
can sit here with me, till the end comes. It will not be long. When
you have completed your training, the fact that I have died in this
way will give you a good claim to a commission."
Lisle sat with his father for some hours. Occasionally the dying
man moved and, leaning over him, he could catch the words "God
bless you!" Before midnight the brave spirit had passed away, and
Lisle went out and cried like a child, till morning.
The funeral took place next day. After it was over, the colonel
sent for Lisle; who had now, after a hard struggle, recovered his
composure.
"Did your father give you any instructions, Lisle? You may be sure
that whatever he said we will carry out."
"He said that he thought it would be best for me to stay here for a
few weeks as, among so many kind friends, I should be able to bear
it better than if I went down at once."
"Quite right, lad! We shall all be very glad to have you with us.
You can remain in the bungalow as long as you like. It is not
likely to be wanted, for some months. Your father's butler and one
or two servants will be enough to look after you; and you will, of
course, remain a member of the mess. In this way, I hope you will
have recovered some of your cheerfulness before you start."
It was a hard time for Lisle for the next week or two, for
everything reminded him of his father. The risaldar major and the
other native officers, with all of whom he was familiar, grasped
him by the hand when they met, in token of their sympathy; and the
sepoys stood at attention, with mournful faces, when he passed
them. He spent the heat of the day with his books, and only stirred
out in the early morning and evening, meals being considerately
sent down to him from the mess. At the end of a fortnight he made a
great effort and joined the mess, and the kindness with which the
officers spoke to him gradually cheered him.
Then there came an excitement which cheered him further. There were
rumours of disaffection among the hill tribes, and the chances of a
campaign were discussed with animation, both among officers and
soldiers. The regiment was a very fine one, composed of sturdy
Punjabis; and all agreed that, if there were an expedition, they
would probably form part of it. Lisle entered fully into the
general feeling, and his eyes glistened as he listened to the
sepoys talking of the expeditions in which they had taken part.
"It would be splendid to go," he said to himself, "but I don't see
how the colonel could take me. I shall certainly ask him, when the
time comes; but I feel sure that he will refuse. Of course, I ought
to be starting before long for Calcutta; but the expedition will
probably not last many weeks and, if I were to go with it, the
excitement would keep me from thinking, and do me a lot of good.
Besides, a few weeks could make no difference in my working up for
the examination."
The more he thought of it, the more he felt determined to go with
the column. He felt sure that he could disguise himself so that no
one would suspect who he was. He had been so long associated with
the regiment that he talked Punjabi as well as English.
His father had now been dead two months and, as the rumours from
across the frontier grew more and more serious, he was filled with
fear lest an opportunity should occur to send him down country
before the regiment marched; in which case all his plans would be
upset. Day after day passed, however, without his hearing anything
about it, till one day the colonel sent for him.
"The time has come, lad, when we must part. We shall all be very
sorry to lose you, but it cannot be helped. I have received orders,
this morning, to go up to Chitral; and am sending down some sick,
at once. You must start with them. When you reach the railway, you
will be able to get a through ticket to Calcutta.
"As long as it was likely that we should be going down ourselves, I
was glad to keep you here; but now that we have got orders to go
off and have a talk with these tribes in the north, it is clearly
impossible for us to keep you any longer. I am very sorry, my boy,
for you know we all like you, for your own sake and for your good
father's."
"I am awfully obliged to you all, colonel. You have been very good
to me, since my father was killed. I feel that I have had no right
to stop here so long; but I quite understand that, now you are
moving up into the hills, you cannot keep me.
"I suppose I could not go as a volunteer, colonel?" he asked,
wistfully.
"Quite impossible," the colonel said, decidedly. "Even if you had
been older, I could not have taken you. Every mouth will have to be
fed, and the difficulties of transport will be great. There is no
possibility, whatever, of our smuggling a lad of your age up with
us.
"Besides, you know that you ought to go to England, without further
delay. You want to gain a commission, and to do that you must pass
a very stiff examination, indeed. So for your own sake, it is
advisable that you should get to work without any unnecessary
delay.
"A party of invalids will be going down tomorrow, and you can go
with them as far as Peshawar. There, of course, you will take train
either to Calcutta or Bombay. I know that you have plenty of funds
for your journey to England. I think you said that it was an uncle
to whom you were going. Mind you impress upon him the fact that it
is absolutely necessary that you should go to a first-rate school
or, better still, to a private crammer, if you are to have a chance
of getting into the service by a competitive examination."
"Very well, colonel. I am sure that I am very grateful to you, and
all the officers of the regiment, for the kindness you have shown
me, especially since my father's death. I shall always remember
it."
"That is all right, Lisle. It has been a pleasure to have you with
us. I am sure we shall all be sorry to lose you, but I hope that
some day we shall meet again, when you are an officer in one of our
regiments."
Lisle returned to the bungalow and called the butler, the only
servant he had retained.
"Look here, Robah, the colonel says that I must go down with a sick
party, tomorrow. As I have told you, I am determined to go up
country with the troops. Of course, I must be in disguise. How do
you think that I had better go?"
The man shook his head.
"The young sahib had better join his friends in England."
"It is useless to talk about that," Lisle said. "I have told you I
mean to go up, and go up I will. There ought to be no difficulty
about it. I speak three or four of these frontier languages, as
well as I speak English. I have at least learnt that. I have picked
them up by talking to the natives, and partly from the moonshee I
have had, for four years. My dear father always impressed upon me
the utility of these to an officer; and said that, if I could take
up native languages in my examinations, it would go a long way
towards making up for other deficiencies. So I am all right, so far
as language is concerned.
"It seems to me that my best plan will be to go up as a mule
driver."
"It is as the sahib wills," the old man said. "His servant will do
all he can to help him."
"Well, Robah, I want you in the first place to get me a disguise.
You may as well get two suits. I am sure to get wet, sometimes, and
shall require a change. I shall take a couple of my own vests and
drawers, to wear under them; for we shall probably experience very
cold weather in the mountains."
"They are serving out clothes to the carriers, sahib."
"Yes, I forgot that. Well, I want you to go into their camp, and
arrange with one of the headmen to let me take the place of one of
the drivers. Some of the men will be willing enough to get off the
job, and a tip of forty rupees would completely settle the matter
with him. Of course, I shall start with the sick escort but, as
there will be several waggons going down with them, they will not
travel far; and at the first halting place I can slip away, and
come back here. You will be waiting for me on the road outside the
camp, early in the morning, and take me to the headman.
"By the way, I shall want you to make up a bottle of stain for my
hands and feet; for of course I shall go in the native sandals."
"I will do these things, sahib. How about your luggage?"
"Before I leave the camp tonight I shall put fresh labels on them,
directing them to be taken to the store of Messieurs Parfit, who
were my father's agents; and to be left there until I send for
them. I shall give the sergeant, who goes down with the sick, money
to pay for their carriage to Calcutta.
"And about yourself, Robah?"
"I shall stay here at the bungalow till another regiment comes up
to take your place. Perhaps you will give me a chit, saying that I
have been in your father's service fourteen years, and that you
have found me faithful and useful. If I cannot find employment, I
shall go home. I have saved enough money."
An hour later, Robah again entered the room.
"I have been thinking, sahib, of a better plan. You wish to see
fighting, do you not?"
"Certainly I do."
"Well, sahib, if you go in the baggage train you might be miles
away, and see nothing of it. Now, it seems to me that it would be
almost as easy for you to go as a soldier in the regiment, as in
the transport train."
"Do you think so, Robah?" Lisle exclaimed excitedly.
"I think so, sahib. You see, you know all the native officers, and
your father was a great favourite among them. If you were dressed
in uniform, and took your place in the ranks, it is very unlikely
that any of the English officers would notice you. These matters
are left in the hands of the native officers.
"Yesterday a young private died, who had but just passed the
recruit stage, and had been only once or twice on parade. You might
take his name. It is most unlikely that any of the white officers
will notice that your face is a fresh one and, if they did ask the
question, the native officer would give that name. The English
officer would not be at all likely to notice that this was the name
of a man who had died. Deaths are not uncommon and, as the regiment
is just moving, the matter would receive no attention. The book of
this man would be handed to you, and it would all seem regular."
"That is a splendid idea, Robah. Which officer do you think I had
better speak to?"
"I should speak to Risaldar Gholam Singh. He was the chief native
officer in your father's wing of the regiment. If he consents, he
would order all the native officers under him to hold their tongues
and, as you are a favourite with them all, your secret would be
kept."
"It is a grand idea, and I certainly don't see why it should not
work out properly."
"I have no doubt that the risaldar major will do all he can for
you."
"Do you think so, Robah?"
"I am sure he will. He was very much attached to your father, and
felt his loss as much as anyone. Indeed, I think that every one of
the native officers will do all he can for you."
"That would make it very easy for me," Lisle said. "Till you
suggested it, the idea of going as a soldier never occurred to me
but, with their assistance, it will not be difficult."
"Shall I go and fetch the risaldar here, sahib?"
"Do so. I shall be on thorns until I see him."
In a few minutes the officer, a tall and stately Punjabi, entered.
"Risaldar," Lisle said, "I know you were very much attached to my
father."
"I was, sahib."
"Well, I want you to do something for me."
"It would be a pleasure for me to do so, and you have only to ask
for me to grant it, if it is in my power."
"I think it is in your power," Lisle said. "I will tell you what I
want. I have made up my mind to go with this expedition. I thought
of disguising myself, and going as a baggage coolie; but in that
case I should be always in the rear and see none of the fighting,
and I have made up my mind to go as a private in the ranks."
"As a private, sahib?" the officer exclaimed, in astonishment.
"Surely that would be impossible. You would be detected at the
first halt. Besides, how could the son of our dear captain go as a
private?"
"I do not object to go as a private, risaldar. Of course I should
stain myself and, in uniform, it is not likely that any of the
white officers would notice a strange face."
"But you would have to eat with the others, to mix with them as one
of themselves, to suffer all sorts of hardships."
"All that is nothing," Lisle said. "I have been with the regiment
so long that I know all the ways of the men, and I don't think that
I should be likely to make any mistake that would attract their
attention. As to the language, I know it perfectly."
"I hardly dare do such a thing, sahib. If you were discovered on
the march, the colonel and officers would be very angry with me."
"Even if I were discovered, it need not be known that you had
assisted me, risaldar. You may be sure that I should never tell. If
you were questioned, you could declare that you had taken me for an
ordinary recruit. If I deceived everyone else, I might very well
deceive you."
The risaldar stood thoughtful for some time.
"It might possibly be managed," he said at last. "I would do much
for Captain Bullen's son, even risk the anger of the colonel."
"I understand that a sepoy died yesterday. He was quite a young
recruit, and the white officers had not come to know his face. I
might say that I am a relation of his, and am very anxious to take
his place."
"You could take his place in the ranks under his name."
"That would certainly be a good plan, if it could be carried out. I
should only be asked a few questions by the sepoys of my company.
It would seem to them natural that I should take my cousin's place;
and that, as the regiment was moving, and there was no time to
teach me drill, I should be expected to pick up what I could on the
way. But indeed, I have watched the regiment so often that I think
I know all the commands and movements, and could go through them
without hesitation. Besides, there won't be much drilling on the
march. There will probably be a good deal of skirmishing, and
perhaps some rough fighting."
"But if you were to be killed, sahib, what then?"
"I don't mean to be killed if I can help it," Lisle said; "but if I
am, I shall be buried as one of the sepoys. The officers will all
believe that I have gone home and, though they may wonder a little
that I never write to them, they will think it is because I am too
busy. It will be a long time, indeed, before any of my friends
write to ask about me; and then it will be supposed that I have
been accidentally killed or drowned.
"At any rate, I should have the satisfaction of being killed in the
Queen's service. All the men are delighted at going, and they will
run the same risk as I do."
"Well, sahib," the risaldar said, "I will do it. I would very much
prefer that you had never asked me, but I cannot say 'no' to you. I
will think it over; and tell you, tomorrow morning, what seems to
me the best plan. I don't see, at present, how you are to disappear
and join the regiment."
"That is easy enough," Lisle said. "I am going to start tomorrow
with the sick convoy; but shall slip away from them, after I have
gone a short distance. Robah will meet me with my uniform and
rifle; and I shall come into the camp again, in uniform, after it
is dark."
"You appear to have thought it all out," the officer said, "and if
your scheme can be carried out, there should be no difficulty,
after the first day or two. You are more likely to pass unnoticed,
on a march, than you would be if you were staying here. The men
will have other things to think about, and you will only have three
men marching with you in the column to ask questions. Indeed, there
is very little talking on the line of march.
"Well, I will think it over, and see you in the morning."
This was as good as consent, and Lisle was highly delighted. In the
morning, the risaldar called again.
"I have spoken," the risaldar said, "to the three officers of the
company to which the soldier Mutteh Ghar belonged; and they all
agreed, willingly, to help you to carry out your scheme, and think
that there is very little probability of the fact that you are a
new recruit being noticed. The general discipline of the regiment
is in our hands. The British officers direct, but we carry out
their orders. As the man was only on parade twice and, on neither
of these occasions, came under general inspection of the white
officers, it is probable that they do not know his face. It is
certainly best that you should take Mutteh Ghar's name, as the
soldiers will see nothing strange in our placing a young recruit in
the ranks, after his cousin had died in the regiment. We are all of
opinion, therefore, that you can take your place without
difficulty; and that the chance of the change being detected by the
British officers is extremely slight. We think, however, that it
will be next to impossible for you always to keep up your
character, and believe that you will find it so hard to live under
the same conditions as the others that you yourself will tire of
it."
"I can assure you that there is no fear of that," Lisle said
earnestly. "I want to take part in the expedition, and am quite
prepared to share in the habits and hardships of the men, whatever
they may be. You know, if I were discovered I should be sent off at
once, even if a fight were imminent. I think I can say that, when I
undertake a thing, I will carry it through.
"I cannot tell you how grateful I feel to you all, for aiding me to
carry out my wish. Will you kindly convey my thanks to the officers
of the company, and particularly urge upon them that they must show
me no favour, and pay no more attention to me than to the other
men? Anything of that sort would certainly give rise to comment and
suspicion."
"I have already told them that," the officer said, "and I think
they thoroughly understand how they must act.
"The sick party are to start tomorrow morning. How do you wish the
uniform of your supposed cousin to be sent to you?"
"If you hand it over to Robah, he will bring it out to me. The
rifle, of course, should be handed quietly to me when I return to
camp. I cannot march in with it. I shall not come in till after
dark. Then the havildar must take me to one of the sepoy tents, and
mention to the men there that I am Mutteh Ghar's cousin; and that,
as a great favour, I am to be allowed to accompany the regiment."
"Of course, you will take with you the usual underclothes to put
on, when you lay aside your uniform; and especially the loincloth,
and light linen jacket, which the men use in undress."
"I will see to all that, risaldar. I can assure you that, so far
from finding it a trouble to act as a native, I shall really enjoy
it; and shall make very light of any hardships that I may have to
undergo. When it comes to fighting I am, as you know, a very good
shot; and should certainly be able to do my part, with credit."
"I will tell the havildar to be on the lookout for you, when you
come into camp, and to bring you straight to me. I will then see
that your uniforms and belts are properly put on, before I send you
off under his charge. I hope the matter may turn out well. If it
does not, you must remember that I have done my part because you
urged it upon me, and prayed me to assist you for your father's
sake."
"I shall never forget that, Gholam Singh, and shall always feel
deeply indebted to you."
When the risaldar had left, Lisle called Robah in.
"All is arranged, Robah; and now it remains only to carry out the
details. In the first place, you must get me the stain; in the
second, you must go into the bazaar and buy me a loincloth and
light jacket, such as the soldiers wear when they lay aside their
uniforms. As to the uniform, that is already arranged for; and I
shall, of course, have one of the sheepskin greatcoats that have
just been served out, and which I expect I shall find indispensable.
Put in my kit bag one pair of my thickest woollen vests and drawers.
I cannot carry more, for I mean to take one suit of my own clothes
to put on in case, by any accident, I should be discovered and sent
back. I can get that carried on the baggage waggon.
"Tomorrow we shall start at five o'clock in the morning and, at the
first halt, I shall leave the party quietly. I have no doubt that
Gholam Singh will give orders, to the native officer in charge,
that I am to be permitted to do so without remark. As soon as I
leave the convoy you must join me with my uniform and, above all,
with the stain. You can bring out a bag with some provisions for
the day, for I shall not return to camp until after dark."
When Robah went away to make the necessary purchases, Lisle packed
up his baggage and labelled it. His father's effects had all been
sold, a few days after his death; as it would not have paid to send
them home. They had fetched good prices, and had been gladly bought
up by the other officers; some as mementoes of their late comrade,
and some because they were useful.
Several of the officers came in and chatted with him while he was
packing, all expressing regret that he was leaving. At mess that
evening they drank his health, and a pleasant journey; and he
gravely returned thanks. When the mess broke up he returned to the
bungalow, and packed a small canvas bag with the suit he was going
to take with him.
Then he examined and tried on the uniform of the dead sepoy; which
Robah had, that evening, received from the risaldar. It fitted him
fairly well. In addition to the regular uniform there was a
posteen, or sheepskin coat; loose boots made of soft skin, so that
the feet could be wrapped up in cloth before they were put on; and
putties, or leggings, consisting of a very long strip of cloth
terminating with a shorter strip of leather. These things had been
served out that day to the troops, and were to be put on over the
usual leg wrappings when they came to snow-covered country. They
were to be carried with the men's kits till required. For ordinary
wear there were the regular boots, which were strapped on like
sandals.
"Well, I think I ought to be able to stand anything in the way of
cold, with this sheepskin coat and the leggings, together with my
own warm underclothing."
"You are sure," Robah said, "that you understand the proper folding
of your turban?"
"I think so, Robah. I have seen them done up hundreds of times but,
nevertheless, you shall give me a lesson when you join me tomorrow.
We shall have plenty of time for it.
"Now, can you think of anything else that would be useful? If so,
you can buy it tomorrow before you come out to meet me."
"No, sahib. There are the warm mittens that have been served out
for mountain work; and you might take a pair of your own gloves to
wear under them for, from all I hear, you will want them when you
are standing out all night on picket work, among the hills."
"No, I won't take the gloves, Robah. With two pairs on, my fingers
would be so muffled that I should not be able to do good shooting."
"Well, it will be cold work, for it is very late in the season and,
you know, goggles have been served out to all the men to save them
from snow blindness, from which they would otherwise suffer
severely. I have been on expeditions in which a third of the men
were quite blind, when they returned to camp."
"It must look very rum to see a whole regiment marching in
goggles," Lisle laughed; "still, anything is better than being
blinded."
"I shall see you sometimes, sahib; for the major engaged me, this
morning, to go with him as his personal servant, as his own man is
in feeble health and, though I am now getting on in years, I am
still strong enough to travel with the regiment."
"I am delighted, indeed, to hear that, Robah. I shall be very glad
to steal away sometimes, and have a chat with you. It will be a
great pleasure to have someone I can talk to, who knows me. Of
course, the native officer in command of my company will not be
able to show me any favour, nor should I wish him to do so. It
seems like keeping one friend, while I am cut off from all others;
though I dare say I shall make some new ones among the sepoys. I
have no doubt you will be very comfortable with the major."
"Yes, sahib, I am sure that he is a kind master. I shall be able, I
hope, sometimes to give you a small quantity of whisky, to mix with
the water in your bottle."
"No, no, Robah, when the baggage is cut down there will be very
little of that taken and, however much there might be, I could not
accept any that you had taken from the major's store. I must fare
just the same as the others."
"Well, sahib, I hope that, at any rate, you will carry a small
flask of it under your uniform. You may not want it but, if you
were wounded and lying in the snow, it would be very valuable to
you for, mixed with the water in your bottle, and taken from time
to time, it would sustain you until you could be carried down to
camp."
"That is a very good idea, Robah, and I will certainly adopt it. I
will carry half a pint about with me, for emergencies such as you
describe. If I do not want it, myself, it may turn out useful to
keep up some wounded comrade. It will not add much to the load that
I shall have to carry, and which I expect I shall feel, when we
first march. As I am now, I think I could keep up with the best
marcher in the regiment but, with the weight of the clothes and
pouches, a hundred and twenty rounds of ammunition, and my rifle,
it will be a very different thing; and I shall be desperately
tired, by the time we get to the end of the day's march.
"Now it is twelve o'clock, and time to turn in, for we march at
five."
The next morning, when the sick convoy started, the white officers
came up to say goodbye to Lisle; and all expressed their regret
that he could not accompany the regiment. The butler had gone on
ahead and, as soon as Lisle slipped away, he came up to him and
assisted him to make his toilet. He stained him from head to foot,
dyed his hair, and fastened in it some long bunches of black horse
hair, which he would wear in the Punjabi fashion on the top of his
head. With the same dye he darkened his eyelashes and, when he had
put on his uniform, he said:
"As far as looks go, sahib, it is certain that no one would suspect
that you were not a native. There is a large bottle of stain. You
will only have to do yourself over, afresh, about once in ten days.
A little of this mixed with three times the amount of water will be
sufficient for, if you were to put it on by itself, it would make
you a great deal too dark."
They spent the day in a grove and, when evening approached,
returned to camp.
"And now, goodbye, sahib! The regiment will march tomorrow morning,
at daybreak. I may not have an opportunity of seeing you again,
before we start. I hope I have done right, in aiding you in your
desire to accompany the expedition; but I have done it for the
best, and you must not blame me if harm comes of it."
"That you may be sure I will not, and I am greatly obliged to you.
Now, for the present, goodbye!"