A DESPERATE VENTURE
It was an exciting tramp, but those most concerned in the success
marched on with such a display of eagerness as sent a thrill of
confidence through Harry, who, for the first part of their little
journey, walked beside Phra, the boys talking in whispers about what
would probably be done.
"It seems very horrid," whispered Harry. "Why, when we go up to the
attack, we shall be longing to stick our spears into the wretches who
are about us, and all the time we shall have to seem like friends."
"You will not be able to do anything but carry your spear over your
shoulder," replied Phra.
"Shan't I? You'll see. My arm doesn't hurt much now; and if we get
fighting, I believe that I shall not feel it at all. Oh, Phra, how I
do long to begin! It's the thinking about it all and the waiting that
is the worst."
"Talk in a lower tone," said Mr. Kenyon in a whisper; "and as soon as
we hear the enemy be silent."
Phra kept by his comrade's side, and twice over, when voices were
heard in front, Sree halted his party, a low, snake-like hiss being
the agreed signal.
To the great satisfaction of all, the voices came from a couple of
parties, apparently, as far as could be made out in the darkness,
similar in numbers to their own, and moving in the direction of the
palace.
Encouraged by this, Sree went on more boldly, and they soon found that
the very daring of their enterprise would prove their safety, the
attacking force being made up of groups all strange to one another,
their only bond being that they were bent on the same errand--the
destruction of the palace and overthrow of the King's power, with the
massacre of the whites.
In fact, as during one halt Sree told Mr. Kenyon, it would be quite
possible to join on to any party they liked, their presence showing to
the strangers that they were on the same side, and consequently, for
the time being, friends.
"We can go where we like now, sahibs," said Sree; "and all you have to
do is to keep away from any of the lights."
Consequently the need for caution was at an end, and, after a short
consultation with Phra, Sree determined to go right round to the back
of the palace, where he proposed that they should scale the outer
wall, cross the garden, and then make for the inner wall near the
elephant house, where the great gates were with their sculptured
figures.
Increasing their pace now, they passed through several groups
numbering hundreds; the people, who were non-combatants, gathered in
the hope of plunder, giving way at once at the bold advance of the
little band of spearmen, and following at a distance for some hundreds
of yards before halting, for there in front were the outer walls.
Before they reached these, as they loomed up in the darkness, the
gloom was cut in many directions by flashes of light, and there was
once more the loud, sputtering fire of the defenders, who were still
safe and keeping their enemies at bay.
The firing seemed to inspire the little party with renewed eagerness,
and at a word from Sree they broke into a trot, following an avenue of
palms which led right up to the wall, where there was a little,
strongly-made gate.
Before reaching it, Sree called a halt, and there was a short debate.
"The enemy must have broken open the gate," Phra whispered; "and they
are in the gardens."
"Never mind," said Sree; "we must go on and try to get to the Great
Elephant gates."
The next minute they found that they were wrong, for the little
doorway in the stone wall was fast, but directly after they found that
a couple of roughly-made bamboo ladders had been tied and placed
against the wall, up one of which Sree crept, Phra mounting the other,
followed by Harry, while Mr. Kenyon and the doctor followed Sree.
Then the first check came. There was a sharp movement, the staves of
spears rattled on the other side, and a voice challenged them with the
question where they were going.
"To help take the palace, of course," said Sree sharply.
There was a laugh.
"Over with you, then," said the man who challenged; "but you will not
all come back."
Sree made a show of hesitating.
"What, is it a hard fight?" he said.
"Yes; hundreds have been shot down as fast as they tried to climb the
gates. What! Are you afraid?"
"Afraid? No," said Sree, seating himself on the top of the wall.
The man laughed again, and his laugh was echoed by what sounded like a
score of companions.
"There, don't shirk it," said the man in command. "You must take your
chance, and there'll be plenty of loot for those who are first in."
"Then why don't you go?" growled Sree.
"Because we're ordered to stop here by our leader. Come, over with
you."
Sree hesitated for a moment or two.
"They can't see to shoot in the dark," he said; and calling on his
party to follow, he hurried down the ladder on the other side,
followed by the rest, and receiving an encouraging cheer from the
enemy. Phra stepped to Sree's side and guided the party by the most
direct path towards the gates they sought.
Naturally it was familiar enough to Harry, but it seemed strange and
terrible as they approached the great bronze gates behind which a
little party of their friends had evidently entrenched themselves and
kept up a fire whenever a party of the enemy dashed up to thrust with
their spears through the open work of the barrier.
Harry had instant warning of the danger of their position in the
bullets which came whistling by, but a word of warning from Sree made
the new-comers strike off to the left, where they were out of the line
of fire; while now the boy made out, more by the murmuring of voices
than by the eye, that the rebels, in two strong bodies, had grouped
themselves on either side of the opening for safety, and from one or
the other of these a little party kept on dashing up to the front,
shouting defiance and trying to alarm the defenders in the hope of
driving them back, so that the gates might be climbed.
This was evidently the principle upon which the attack had been
carried on--a desultory, useless plan so long as the defenders stood
firm. In fact, there was no discipline, no cohesion in the attacking
force, no mutual dependence; merely the hand-to-hand fighting of a
barbarous people, and the result could be heard in the many sighs and
groans which came from where the wounded had been carried or had
dragged themselves out of the line of fire.
There was the humming crowd in the darkness just in front, and a few
steps would have taken Mr. Kenyon's party right amongst them; but no
one heeded the new-comers, and once more the leaders drew together to
consult.
"We can do nothing here," whispered Phra. "If we were not shot down by
our friends, we could not sham dead. Look there, we should be seen."
For now there was a flash of light, and a blazing mass of fire,
somewhat after the fashion of a blue light, came flying over the gate,
to fall twenty yards outside, and throw up the swarthy bodies of the
enemy like so many dark silhouettes, while a rapid burst of shots told
the reason for the light, several men having afforded good aim to the
defenders, and half a dozen dropping amidst groans and howls of rage.
"Yes, it is impossible," whispered Mr. Kenyon in Siamese. "Is there no
place where we could climb this wall?"
There was no reply for some moments, during which the blue light began
to burn out, and a man darted forward to trample upon it, but to his
cost, for two shots were fired, and in the expiring, pallid glare the
man was seen to stagger a few paces and then fall.
A roar of rage followed this proof of the defenders' marksmanship, and
another rush was made at the gate by the maddened enemy, not in
obedience to any order, but every man acting upon his own impulse; and
amidst the roar of voices, the clattering of spears against the bronze
ornamentation, and the firing of the defenders, Sree uttered his low
hiss, and led the way with Phra away to the left, the latter plunging
directly after into a secluded walk close to the wall, where all was
completely deserted, and Harry felt that if they only had one of the
bamboo ladders they had so lately used, it would be perfectly easy to
climb up and drop within the palace courts.
Their evasion was either not heeded, or merely looked upon as part of
an attempt to turn the defenders by means of a fresh attack; so the
little party crept silently along through the bushes which acted as a
blind to this part of the wall, above which a portion of the palace
rose.
A sudden thought struck Harry, and, with his spear sloped back over
his shoulder, he pressed on quickly to the front.
"Phra," he whispered, as he reached his friend, "the big tree."
"Hist! Yes."
In another minute they were all halted in the intense darkness close
up to the trunk of a huge tree whose boughs spread horizontally in
every direction, some overhanging the walls, a place familiar to
Harry; but as soon as he had realized Phra's intent he felt convinced
that the defenders would have taken steps to do away with so
vulnerable a part of their defence.
For here it was quite possible to climb up the dwarfed trunk, crawl
along one of the enormous horizontal boughs, and drop down into the
open space between the wall and the palace.
Phra had evidently the same idea; but upon searching round a little,
the bushes beneath rustling as he and Sree passed here and there, it
was evident that no saw had been at work, and in a whisper Sree
announced that he was going first to show the way.
"The bough will bend down at the far end," whispered Phra, "and it
will not be so far to drop. Here, I will go first; I can climb."
Amidst the almost breathless silence beneath the tree, Phra began to
mount, and Harry whispered that he would come next, just as a fresh
burst of firing, which sounded distant, arose.
"You cannot climb, Sahib," whispered Sree; "your arm."
"I _will_ climb," whispered back Harry. "Hold my spear."
He passed the weapon to the old hunter, and followed Phra right up to
the fork, level with the top of the wall; and by that time his comrade
had nearly reached the wall, which was a couple of feet below the
great bough, when there was a bright flash from a window, the crashing
of a bullet through the branches of the tree, and almost
simultaneously a loud report.
"Don't fire--don't fire! Friends!" cried Mr. Kenyon; but before the
words had passed his lips there was another report.
"Who is it?" came now.
"Kenyon, Cameron, and men to help," cried the doctor.
"How are we to know that? Speak again."
"Up with you, and over!" cried Mr. Kenyon angrily. "We shall have the
wretches round here directly. Quick, boys; get on, and drop!"
There was no further opposition; the English was unmistakable, and the
two who had been at the window guarding the well-known weak spot,
descended from the barricaded window to help the new-comers, welcoming
each warmly as he descended.
It was close work though, for, hearing the firing, a party of the
watchful enemy was attracted to the spot before all were over, the
last man and Sree--who had stayed to see all in safety before he
crossed the natural bridge--having to halt and engage in a sort of
duel with spears in the darkness, when from their crippled position in
the tree, matters would have gone ill with them but for the diversion
made by the defenders, who fired a little volley from the window,
which held the enemy in check till Sree was safe.
"What an escape!" whispered Harry, as he caught the old hunter's arm
when he dropped into the narrow court.
"Yes, Sahib; they came very near to stopping me from joining you; but
there, I'm used to such escapes. It is many times that I have been
nearly killed. But now some of us must stop here to keep the enemies
of the King away, for where we got over they will try to do the same."
It was felt that no better way of defending the spot could be adopted
than that already in practice, and the two colonists, after warm
congratulations had passed between them and their friends, returned to
their position at the window, while Phra eagerly led his tiny
reinforcement round to the little court by the Elephant Gates, where
the small wing of the palace had been fortified as much as was
possible, and was being held by the King.