I suppose it was my wound made me do things in a sluggish dreamy way,
and made me feel ready to stop and look at any little thing which took
my attention. Anyhow, that's the way I acted; and going inside that
room, I stopped short just within the place, for there were those two
little children of the colonel's sitting on the floor, with a whole heap
of those numbers of the Bible--those that people take in shilling
parts--and with two or three large pictures in each. Some one had given
them the parts to amuse themselves with; and, as grand and old-fashioned
as could be, they were showing these pictures to the soldiers' children.
As I went in, they'd got a picture open of Jacob lying asleep, with his
dream spread before you, of the great flight of steps leading up into
heaven, and the angels going up and down.
"There," says little Jenny Wren to a boy half as old again as herself;
"those are angels, and they're coming down from heaven, and they've got
beautiful wings like birds."
"O," says little Cock Robin thoughtfully, and he leaned over the
picture. Then he says quite seriously: "If they've dot wings, why don't
they fly down?"
That was a poser; but Jenny Wren was ready with her answer,
old-fashioned as could be, and she says:
"I should think it's toz they were moulting."
I remember wishing that the poor little innocents had wings of their
own, for it seemed to me that they would be a sad trouble to us to get
away that night, just at the time when a child's most likely to be cross
and fretful.
Night at last, dark as dark, save only a light twinkling here and there,
in different parts where the enemy had made their quarters. There was a
buzzing in the camp where the guns were, and as we looked over, once
there came the grinding noise of a wheel, but only once.
We made sure that the gate and the broken window opening were well
watched, for there was the white calico of the sentries to be seen; but
soon the darkness hid them, and we should not have known that they were
there but for the faint spark now and then which showed that they were
smoking, and once I heard, quite plain in the dead stillness, the sound
made by a "hubble-bubble" pipe.
We waited one hour, and then, with six of as on the roof, the plan I
made began to be put into operation.
My idea was that if we could manage to cross the north alley, which as I
told you was about ten feet wide, we might then go over the roof of the
quarters where the mutineers were; then on to the next roof, which was a
few feet lower; and from there get down on to some sheds, from which it
would be easy to reach the ground, when the way would be open to us to
escape, with perhaps some hours before we were missed.
The plan was, I know, desperate, but it seemed our only chance, and, as
you well know, desperate ventures will sometimes succeed when the most
carefully arranged plots fail. At all events, Captain Dyer took it up,
and then, under my directions, a couple of muskets were taken at a time,
and putting them muzzle to muzzle, the bayonet of each was thrust down
the other's barrel, which saved lashing them together, and gave us a
sort of spar about ten feet long, and this was done with about fifty.
I told you that there was a tree grew up in the centre of the alley,--a
stunty, short-boughed tree, and to this Measles laid one of the double
muskets, feeling for a bough to rest it on in the darkness, after
listening whether there was any one below; then he laid more and more,
till, with a mattress laid upon them, he formed a bridge, over which he
boldly crept to the tree, where, with the lashings he had taken, he
bound a couple more muskets horizontal, and then shifted the others. He
arranged them all so that the butts of one end rested on the roof of the
palace; the butts at the other end were across those he had bound pretty
level in the tree. Then more and more were laid across, and a couple of
thin straw mattresses on them; and though it took a tremendously long
time through Measles fumbling in the dark, it was surprising what a firm
bridge that made as far as the tree.
The other half was made in just the same fashion, and much more easily.
Mattresses were laid on it; and there, thirty feet above the ground, we
had a tolerably firm bridge, one that, though very irregular, a man
could cross with ease, creeping on his hands and knees; but then there
were the women, children, and poor Harry Lant.
Captain Dyer thought it would be better to say nothing to them about it,
but to bring them all quietly up at the last minute, so as to give them
no time for thought and fear; and then, the last preparation being made,
and a rough short ladder, eight feet long, Measles and I had contrived,
being carried over and planted at the end of the other quarters,
reaching well down to the next roof, we prepared for a start.
Measles and Captain Dyer went over with the ladder, and reported no
sentries visible, the bridge pretty firm, and nothing apparently to
fear, when it was decided that Harry Lant should be taken over first--
Measles volunteering to take him on his back and crawl over--then the
women and children were to be got over, and we were to follow.
I know it was hard work for him, but Harry Lant never gave a groan, but
let them lash his hands together with a handkerchief, so that Measles
put his head through the poor fellow's arms, for there was no trusting
to Harry's feeble hold.
"Now then, in silence," says Captain Dyer; "and you, Lieutenant Leigh,
get up the women and children. But each child is to be taken by a man,
who is to be ready to gag the little thing if it utters a sound.
Recollect, the lives of all depend on silence. Now, Bigley, forward!"
"Wait till I spit in my hands, captain," says Measles, though what he
wanted to spit in his hands for, I don't know, without it was from use,
being such a spitting man.
But spit in his hands he did, and then, with Harry on his back, he was
down on his hands and knees, crawling on to the mattress very slowly,
and you could hear the bayonets creaking and gritting, as they played in
and out of the musket-barrels; but they held firm, and the next minute
Measles was as far as the tree, but only to get his load hitched somehow
in a ragged branch, when there was a loud crack as of dead wood
snapping, a struggle, and Measles growled out an oath--he would swear,
that fellow would, in spite of all Mrs Bantem said, so you mustn't be
surprised at his doing it then.
We all stopped and crouched there, with our hearts beating horribly; for
it seemed that the next moment we should hear a dull, heavy crash; but
instead, there came the sharp fall of a dead branch, and at the same
moment there were voices at the end of the alley.
If Captain Dyer dared to have spoken, he would have called "Halt!" but
he was silent; but Measles must have heard the voices, for he never
moved, while we listened minute after minute, our necks just over the
edge of the roof, till what appeared to be three of the enemy crept
cautiously along through the alley, till one tripped and fell over the
dead bough that must have been lying right in their way.
Then there was a horrible silence, during which we felt that it was all
over with the plan--that the enemy must look up and see the bridge, and
bring down those who would attack us with renewed fury.
But the next minute there came a soft whisper or two, a light rustling,
and, directly after, we knew that the alley was empty.
It seemed useless to go on now; but after five minutes' interval,
Captain Dyer determined to pursue the plan, just as Measles came back
panting to announce Harry Lant as lying on the roof beyond the officers'
quarters.
"And you've no idea what a weight the little chap is," says Measles to
me. "Now, who's next?"
No one answered; and Lieutenant Leigh stepped forward leading Miss Ross.
He was about to carry her over; but she thrust him back, and after
scanning the bridge for a few moments, she asked for one of the
children, and so as to have no time lost, the little boy, fast asleep,
bless him! was put in her arms, when brave as brave, if she did not step
boldly on to the trembling way, and walk slowly across.
Then Joe Bantem was sent--though he hung back for his wife, till she
ordered him on--to go over with a soldier's child on his back; and he
was followed by a couple more.
Next came Mrs Bantem, with Mrs Colonel Maine, and the stout-hearted
woman stood as if hesitating for a minute as to how to go, when catching
up the colonel's wife, as if she had been a child, she stepped on to the
bridge, and two or three men held the butts of the muskets, for it
seemed as if they could not bear the strain.
But though my heart seemed in my mouth, and the creaking was terrible,
she passed safely over, and it was wonderful what an effect that had on
the rest.
"If it'll bear that, it'll bear anything," says some one close to me;
and they went on, one after the other, for the most part crawling, till
it came to me and Lizzy Green.
"You'll go now," I said; but she would not leave me, and we crept on
together, till a bough of the tree hindered us, when I made her go
first, and a minute after we were hand-in-hand upon the roof of the
officers' quarters.
The others followed, Captain Dyer coming last, when, seeing me, he
whispered: "Where's Bigley?" of course meaning Measles.
I looked round, but it was too dark to distinguish one face from
another. I had not seen him for the last quarter of an hour--not since
he had asked me if I had any matches, and I had passed him half-a-dozen
from my tobacco-pouch.
I asked first one, and then another, but nobody had seen Measles; and
under the impression that he must have joined Harry Lant, we cautiously
walked along the roof, right over the heads of our enemies; for from
time to time we could hear beneath our feet the low buzzing sound of
voices, and more than once came a terrible catching of the breath, as
one of the children whispered or spoke.
It seemed impossible, even now, that we could escape, and I was for
proposing to Captain Dyer to risk the noise, and have the bridge taken
down, so as to hold the top of the building we were on as a last
retreat; but I was stopped from that by Measles coming up to me, when I
told him Captain Dyer wanted him, and he crept away once more.
We got down the short ladder in safety, and then crossed a low building,
to pass down the ladder on to another, which fortunately for us was
empty; and then, with a little contriving and climbing, we dropped into
a deserted street of the place, and all stood huddled together, while
Captain Dyer and Lieutenant Leigh arranged the order of march.
And that was no light matter; but a litter was made of the short ladder,
and Harry Lant laid upon it; the women and children placed in the
middle; the men were divided; and the order was given in a low tone to
march, and we began to walk right away into the darkness, down the
straggling street; but only for the advance guard to come back directly,
and announce that they had stumbled upon an elephant picketed with a
couple of camels.
"Any one with them?" said Captain Dyer.
"Could not see a soul, sir," said Joe Bantem, for he was one of the men.
"Grenadiers, half-left," said Captain Dyer; "forward!" and once more we
were in motion, tramp, tramp, tramp, but quite softly; Lieutenant Leigh
at the rear of the first party, so as to be with Miss Ross, and Captain
Dyer in the rear of all, hiding, poor fellow, all he must have felt, and
seeming to give up every thought to the escape, and that only.
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