"Piffle!" he answered. "They can never take the ramp by frontal
attack! The right thing to do is hold the flanks, and wither 'em
as they cone!"
"Monty's orders!" I said, "and I've got to be going."
"Damn that fellow Didums!" he grumbled. "All right. But it's my
belief he's turning a classy little engagement into a bloody brawl!
Cut along! I'll pick my hundred and climb down there."
Cutting along was not so easy. My magnificent human mount was hit
by a bullet--a stray one, probably, shot at a hazard at long range.
He fell and threw me head-long; and the agony of that experience
pretty nearly rendered me unconscious. However, he was not hit badly,
and essayed to pick me up again. I refused that, but he held on
to me and, both of us being hurt in the leg on the same side, we
staggered together down the goat-track.
Down below we found the horse plunging in a frenzy of fear, and
he nearly succeeded in breaking away from both of us, dragging us
out into full view of the enemy, who volleyed us at long range.
Fortunately they made rotten shooting, and one ill-directed hail
of lead screamed on the far side, causing the horse to plunge toward
me. The Armenian took me by the uninjured foot and flung me into
the saddle, and I left up-pass with a parting volley scattering all
around, and both hands locked into the horse's mane. He needed
neither whip nor spur, but went for Zeitoon like the devil with his
tail on fire.
I suppose one never grows really used to pain, but from use it becomes
endurable. When Anna ran out to stop me by the great rock on which
the lowest Zeitoon houses stand, and seized me by the foot, partly
to show deference, partly in token that she was suppliant, and also
partly because she was utterly distracted, I was able to rein the
horse and listen to her without swearing.
"She is gone!" she shouted. "Gone, I tell you! Gloria is gone!
Six men, they come and take her! She is resisting, oh, so hard--and
they throw a sack over her--and she is gone, I tell you! She is gone!"
"Where is Maga?"
"Gone, too!"
"In which direction did they take Miss Gloria?"
"I do not know!"
I rode on. There were crowds of women near the bridge, all armed
with rifles, and I hurried toward them.
But they refused to believe that any one in Zeitoon would do such
a thing as kidnap Gloria, and while I waited for Anna to come and
convince them a man forced himself toward me through the crowd.
He was out of breath. One arm was in a bloody bandage, but in the
other hand he held a stained and crumpled letter.
It proved to be from Will, addressed to all or any of us.
"Kagig is a wonder!" it ran, "He has put new life into these
men and we've thrashed the Turk soundly. How's Gloria? Kagig
says, 'Can you send us reenforcements?' If so we can follow
up and do some real damage. Send 'em quick! Make Gloria
keep cover! WILL.
Chapter Twenty
"So few against so many! I see death, and I am not sorry!"