"Not right, boy; but I suppose you could not help yourself. There, I
must go."
We went back into the other room, where Brace, and nearly all the
officers, had left.
"Father," I said, "Captain Brace will not have me back. Can I come with
you as a sort of aide-de-camp?"
"Of course. Yes, my boy; but try and keep out of danger."
The next minute we were following the column out over the bridge, the
head wing already raising a long cloud of dust, the horse artillery
rattling away in front, and the lancers off scouting in front, and
sending out flankers, to take care that no approach was made on either
side of the flying column.
By my father's orders, a magnificent horse had been brought from the
rajah's stables, and, mounted upon this, though I felt very sore about
the treatment I had received, I was getting into excellent spirits; and
as I was not to be a gunner, I was quite content to ride on in my
dashing uniform, though I saw the cavalry and infantry officers exchange
smiles.
It was very early yet, and the plain was quite deserted, while the hot
sun formed a haze that the eyes could only penetrate to a certain
distance.
Every one was on the look-out for the shimmering river and the patch of
forest beyond, where we knew, from our spies, that the rajah had halted
to gather his men together in as strong a position as he could find; and
here my father expected that he would hold out while efforts were made
to dislodge him from a place where our cavalry would be of no service.
They would have to wait until the ranks were driven from among the
trees, when the sharp charges of the lancers would scatter them in all
directions.
At last, river and green woods were in view, both welcome sights, with
their promises of shade and bathing, to men parched by the torrid
sunshine, and half choked by the dust turned up by elephant, camel,
horse, and men's trampling feet.
I watched my father's actions with all the interest of a young soldier,
and saw how he divided his little force of cavalry, sending them
forward, where they would be out of musket shot, but ready to slip like
greyhounds on their swift Arab troopers, as soon as the mutineers broke
out and tried to flee.
Then he sent forward the horse artillery--and how I longed to be with
them--and company after company of foot, to act as supports to save the
guns from capture; and as soon as the troop had taken up position, we
waited for the order to fire to be sent.
But it was not despatched, for scores of the lancers came riding in,
after galloping by the edge of the forest, to announce that the enemy
was not there.
The rajah seemed to have shrunk from fighting; and I wondered, as we
advanced once more, and saw how strong the position had been, and how
easily he could have beaten a force not a fourth of his number.
We were not long in finding out the direction he had taken. A
miserable-looking peasant announcing the way; and there it was plainly
enough. There could be no doubt of it, for the dust was trampled, and
plenty of traces lay about, showing that the little army must have been
in rather a demoralised state.
"Well, we must give him no rest," said my father; and, in spite of the
heat, the march was resumed, with halts wherever a village promised
water. But, fortunately, a great part of our way was near the river,
whose bends offered refreshment to the thirsty horses, camels, and
elephants.
Then on again till evening, when a halt was called at a good-sized
village, once evidently a place of some importance, but now utterly
desolate; the lands and gardens around trampled, and the traces of a
large body of men having passed quite plain.
Here there was nothing for it but to bivouac, and after the customary
precautions had been taken, the men were ordered to eat their food
quickly, and then lie down and get all the rest they could.
The officers off duty followed their example, and I was asleep, too,
when the bugle-call roused us in the middle of the cool moonlit night,
and about half an hour after, we were all on the march again, a couple
of natives having undertaken to act as guides as far as following the
trail of the rajah's army was concerned. The consequence was, that by
the time the sun began to make its presence felt, we were many miles on
our road.
"How far shall you follow them?" I heard Brace ask the colonel.
"Till I overtake them," said my father, rather coldly. And I could see
a determined look in his eyes which made me think of Ny Deen, and
something like a hope that he might escape would come into my mind.
On again, after a brief halt for refreshment, and about an hour before
midday advantage was taken of a great mango tope for another halt; but
as soon as the sun began to decline we were off again, with the track
plain before us.
Ah, it is slow work marching under a hot Indian sun; but no one
complained, tramping steadily on with scouts well out in front, till it
was dark, when there was another rest till midnight; and on again in the
cool moonlight, with the men on the gun-limbers asleep, and those
mounted nodding and swaying in their saddles, as if ready to come down.
But no one fell, and the march seemed to me part of some strange dream,
till the stars paled, and the orange sun came up, growing hotter and
hotter, till we were all anxiously looking out for our next
halting-place, and wondering how many more days must elapse before we
should overtake Ny Deen.
It was sooner than we expected, for somewhere about nine o'clock there
was a little excitement on in front. There was a cloud of dust, and
another, and a few minutes after we could see a native horseman, sword
in hand, and with his round shield banging against his shoulders, where
it was hung from his neck. He was splendidly mounted, and appeared to
be galloping for his life to escape from half a dozen of our lancers,
the scouts, who had evidently cut him off and turned him in our
direction.
He came straight for us, turning neither to the right nor the left,
though there was plenty of room; and as he came nearer, we could see
that his horse was sadly blown, so that it appeared as if the rider
would be overtaken, and run through by the men in chase.
"The fools! They must make him a prisoner. You, Gil, you are
well-mounted, gallop out, and call to him to surrender. We may gain
valuable information. Take care, and--"
So spoke my father, and before he had finished, I was off at a gallop,
glad of the excitement.
I was only just in time, for one too-enthusiastic lancer was closing up,
and would have given point had I not struck his lance aside and seized
the sowar's rein.
"Surrender!" I shouted in Hindustani, and I pointed my sword at the
blackened, dust-grimed fellow's throat.
"Surrender! Yes, of course," he panted. "Take me to an English
officer. I am an Englishman."
"Don't you believe the treacherous dog, sir," cried the foremost lancer.
"He tried that on with us."
"Yes, you thick-headed idiot," panted my prisoner angrily. "This is
only a disguise. I know where the niggers are, if you want to kill some
one."