"God bless you, Ike," he said; "and God bless her. I'm going, old mate;
kiss her for me, and tell her that if she hadn't been made for you, I
could have loved her very dearly."
What could I do or say, when the next minute Lizzy was kneeling on his
other side, holding his hand?
"God bless you both," he whispered. "You'll get out of the trouble
after all; and don't forget me."
We promised him we would not, as well as we could, for we were both
choked with sorrow; and then he said, talking quickly:
"Give poor old Sam Measles my 'bacco-box, Ike, the brass one, and shake
hands with him for me; and now I want Mother Bantem."
She was by his side directly, to lift him gently in her arms, calling
him her poor gallant boy, her brave lad, and no end of fond expressions.
"I never had a bairn, Harry," she sobbed; "but if I could have had one,
I'd have liked him to be like you, my own gallant, light-hearted,
soldier boy; and you were always to me as a son."
"Was I?" says Harry softly. "I'm glad of it, for I never knew what it
was to have a mother."
He seemed to fall off to sleep after that, when, no one noticing them,
those two children came up, and the first I heard of it was little Clive
crying:
"Ally Lant, Ally Lant, open eyes, and come and play wis elfant."
I started, and looked up to see one of those little innocents, his face
smeared, and his little hands all dabbled with blood, trying to open
poor Harry Lant's eyes with his tiny fingers.
"Why don't Ally Lant come and play with us?" says the other; and just
then he opened his eyes, and looked at them with a smile, when in a
moment I saw what was happening, for that poor fellow's last act was to
get those two children's hands in his, as if he felt that he should like
to let his last grasp in this world be upon something innocent; and then
there was a deepening of that smile into a stern look, his lips moved,
and all was over; while I was too far off to hear his last words.
But there was one there who did hear them, and she told me afterwards,
sobbing as though her heart would break.
"Poor Harry, poor light-hearted Harry," Mother Bantem said. "And did
you see the happy smile upon his face as he passed away, clasping those
two poor children's hands--so peaceful, so quiet, after all his
suffering; forgetting all then, but what seemed like two angels' faces
by his dying pillow, for he said, Ike, he said--"
Poor Mother Bantem broke down here, and I thought about what Harry's
dying pillow had been--her faithful, old, motherly breast. But she
forced back her sobs, and wiped the tears from her rough, plain face, as
she said in low, reverent tones: "Poor Harry! His last words: `Of such
is the kingdom of heaven.'"
Death was very busy amongst our poor company, and one--two--three more
passed away there, for they were riddled with wounds; and then I saw
that, in spite of all that could be done, Lieutenant Leigh would be the
next. He had received his death wound, and he knew it too; and now he
lay very still, holding tightly by Miss Ross's hand, while she knelt
beside him.
Captain Dyer, with his eight men, all left, were still keeping the door;
but of late they had not been interfered with, and the poor fellows were
able to do one another a good turn in binding up wounds. But what all
were now suffering for want of was water; and beyond a few drops in one
or two of the bottles carried by the women, there was none to be had.
As for me, I could only lie there helpless, and in a half-dreamy way see
and listen to all that was going on. The spirit in me was good to help;
but think of my state--going for days with that cut on the face, and a
broken arm, and in that climate. I was puzzling myself about this time
as to what was going to happen next, for I could not understand why the
rebels were so quiet; but the next minute I was watching Lieutenant
Leigh, and thinking about the morning when we saw Captain Dyer bound to
the muzzle of the nine-pounder.
Could he have been thinking about the same thing? I say _yes_, for all
at once he sat right up, looking wild and excited. He had hold of Miss
Ross's hand; but he threw it from him, as he called out, "Now, my lads,
a bold race, and a short one. We must bring them in. Spike the guns,
out the cords! Now, then--Elsie or death! Are you ready there?
Forward!"
That last word rang through the vault we were in, and Captain Dyer ran
down the steps, his hacked sword hanging from his wrist by the knot.
But he was too late to take his messmate's hand in his, and say
_farewell_, if that had been his intention, for Lieutenant Leigh had
fallen back; and that senseless figure by his side was to all appearance
as dead, when, with a quivering lip, Captain Dyer gently lifted her, and
bore her to where, half stupefied, Mrs Colonel Maine was sitting.
------------------------------------------------------------------------