Now, after giving my word of honour to hold all that sacred, some people
may think I'm breaking faith in telling what I saw; but I made that
right by asking the colonel's leave--he is a colonel now--and he smiled,
and said that I ought to change the names, and then it would not matter.
I left off my last chapter saying how I felt being tied down to one
spot, as I kept guard there; and perhaps everybody don't know that a
sentry's duty is to stay in the spot where he has been posted, and that
leaving it lightly might, in time of war, mean death.
I should think I watched quite an hour, wondering whether I ought to
give any alarm; but I was afraid it might look foolish, for perhaps
after all it might only mean a bit of a quarrel, and I could not call to
mind any quarrel between officers ending in a duel.
I was glad, too, that I did not say anything, for at last I saw them
coming back in the clear moonlight--clear-like as day; and then in the
distance they stopped, and in a moment one figure seemed to strike the
other a sharp blow, which sent him staggering back, and I could not then
see who it was that was hit, till they came nearer, and I made out that
it was Captain Dyer; while, if I had any doubts at first, I could have
none as they came nearer and nearer, with Lieutenant Leigh talking in a
big insolent way at Captain Dyer, who was very quiet, holding his
handkerchief to his cheek.
So as to be as near as possible to where they were going to pass, I
walked to the end of my tether, and, as they came up, Lieutenant Leigh
says, in a nasty spiteful whisper: "I should have thought you would have
come into the tent to display the wound received in the lady's cause."
"Leigh," said Captain Dyer, taking down his white handkerchief--and in
the bright moonlight I could see that his cheek was cut, and the
handkerchief all bloody--"Leigh, that was an unmanly blow. You called
me a coward; you struck me; and now you try to poison the wound with
your bitter words. I never lift hand against the man who has taken that
hand in his as my friend, but the day may come when I can prove to you
that you are a liar."
Lieutenant Leigh turned upon him fiercely, as though he would have
struck him again; but Captain Dyer paid no heed to him, only walked
quietly off to his quarters; while, with a sneering, scornful sort of
laugh, the lieutenant went into the colonel's tent; though, if he
expected to see Miss Ross, he was disappointed, for so long as I was on
guard, she did not show that night.
Off again the next morning, and over a hotter and dustier road than
ever; and I must say that I began to wish we were settled down in
barracks once more, for everything seemed to grow more and more crooked,
and people more and more unpleasant. Why, even Mrs Bantem that morning
before starting must show her teeth, and snub Bantem, and then begin
going on about the colonel's wife, and the fine madam, her sister,
having all sorts of luxuries, while poor hardworking soldiers' wives had
to bear all the burden and heat of the day. Then, by way of winding up,
she goes to Harry Lant and Measles, who were, as usual, squabbling about
something, and boxes both their ears, as if they had been bad boys. I
saw them both colour up fierce; but the next minute Harry Lant burst out
laughing, and Measles does the same, and then they two did what I should
think they never did before--they shook hands; but Mrs Bantem had no
sooner turned away with tears in her eyes, because she felt so cross,
than the two chaps fell out again about some stupid thing or another,
and kept on snarling and snapping at each other all along the march.
But there, bless you! that wasn't all: I saw Mrs Maine talking to her
sister in a quick earnest sort of way, and they both seemed out of
sorts; and the colonel swore at the tent-men, and bullied the adjutant,
and he came round and dropped on to us, finding fault with the men's
belts, and that upset the sergeants. Then some of the baggage didn't
start right, and Lieutenant Leigh had to be taken to task by Captain
Dyer, as in duty bound; while, when at last we were starting, if there
wasn't a tremendous outcry, and the young colonel--little Cock Robin,
you know--kicking and screaming, and fighting the old black nurse,
because he mightn't draw his little sword, and march alongside of Harry
Lant!
Now, I'm very particular about putting all this down, because I want you
to see how we all were one with the other, and how right through the
battalion little things made us out of sorts with one another, and
hardly friendly enough to speak, so that the difference may strike you,
and you may see in a stronger light the alteration and the behaviour of
people when trouble came.
All the same, though, I don't think it's possible for anybody to make a
long march in India without getting out of temper. It's my belief that
the grit does it, for you do have that terribly, and what with the heat,
the dust, the thirst, the government boots, that always seem as if made
not to fit anybody, and the grit, I believe even a regiment all
chaplains would forget their trade.
Tramp, tramp, tramp, day after day, and nearly always over wide, dreary,
dusty plains. Now we'd pass a few muddy paddy-fields, or come upon a
river, but not often; and I many a time used to laugh grimly to myself,
as I thought what a very different place hot, dusty, dreary India was,
to the glorious country I used to picture, all beautiful trees and
flowers, and birds with dazzling plumage. There are bright places
there, no doubt, but I never came across one, and my recollections of
India are none of the most cheery.
But at last came the day when we were crossing a great widespread plain,
in the middle of which seemed to be a few houses, with something bright
here and there shining in the sun; and as we marched on, the cluster of
houses appeared to grow and grow, till we halted at last in a
market-square of a good-sized town; and that night we were once more in
barracks. But, for my part, I was more gritty than ever; for now we did
not see the colonel's lady or her sister, though I may as well own that
there was some one with them I wanted to see more than either.
They were all, of course, at the colonel's quarters, a fine old palace
of a place, with a courtyard, and a tank in the centre, and trees, and a
flat roof, by the side of the great square; while on one side was
another great rambling place, separated by a narrowish sort of alley,
used for stores and hospital purposes; and on the other side, still
going along by the side of the great market-square, was another
building, the very fellow to the colonel's quarters, but separated by a
narrow footway, some ten feet wide, and this place was occupied by the
officers.
Our barracks took up another side of the square; and on the others were
mosques and flat-roofed buildings, and a sort of bazaar; while all round
stretched away, in narrow streets, were the houses of what we men used
to call the niggers. Though, speaking for myself, I used to find them,
when well treated, a nice, clean, gentle sort of people. I used to look
upon them as a big sort of children, in their white muslin and calico,
and their simple ways of playing-like at living; and even now I haven't
altered my opinion of them in general, for the great burst of frenzied
passion that ran through so many of them was just like a child's
uncontrolled rage.
Things were not long in settling down to the regular life: there was a
little drill of a morning, and then, the rest of the day, the heat to
fight with, which seemed to take all the moisture out of our bodies, and
make us long for night.
I did not get put on as sentry once at the colonel's quarters, but I
heard a little now and then from Mrs Bantem, who used to wash some of
Mrs Maine's fine things, the black women doing everything else; and
she'd often have a good grumble about "her fine ladyship," as she called
her, and she'd pity her children. She used to pick up a good deal of
information, though; and, taking a deal of interest as I did in Miss
Ross, I got to know that it seemed to be quite a settled thing between
her and Captain Dyer; and Bantem, who got took on now as Lieutenant
Leigh's servant, used to tell his wife about how black those two seemed
one towards the other.
And so the time went on in a quiet sleepy way, the men getting lazier
every day. There was nothing to stir us, only now and then we'd have a
good laugh at Measles, who'd get one of his nasty fits on, and swear at
all the officers round, saying he was as good as any of them, and that
if he had his rights he would have been made an officer before them.
Harry Lant, too, used to do his bit to make time pass away a little less
dull, singing, telling stories, or getting up to some of his pranks with
old Nabob, the elephant, making Chunder, the mahout, more mad than ever;
for, no matter what he did or said, only let Harry make a sort of queer
noise of his, and, just like a great flesh-mountain, that elephant would
come. It didn't matter who was in the way: regiment at drill, officer,
rajah, anybody, old Nabob would come straight away to Harry, holding out
his trunk for fruit, or putting it in Harry's breast, where he'd find
some bread or biscuit; and then the great brute would smooth him all
over with his trunk, in a way that used to make Mrs Bantem say, that
perhaps, after all, the natives weren't such fools as they looked, and
that what they said about dead people going into animal's bodies might
be true; for, if that great overgrown beast hadn't a soul of its own,
and couldn't think, she didn't know nothing, so now then!
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