DOOMING THE DATTO
"Noll, you remember the first sentry inside the gully at this end?"
"Yes."
"Have you the nerve to stay near him while I try to get back to camp
alone?"
"I have nerve enough to do anything that a soldier may be called upon to
do."
"I was sure of it," Hal replied.
"But what's the game?"
"You are to keep close to that sentry until just before daylight,"
continued Hal. "Then, if nothing happens, slip out and make your way
back to camp as best you can. But if Captain Freeman allows me to lead
the expedition through that gully, you are to be on hand to silence that
sentry at the first sound of our coming."
"I think I can do that," Sergeant Terry replied thoughtfully. "I'll
either win out or give up my life without a murmur."
"Noll, if you prefer it, you can try to reach camp, and I'll stay by
that first sentry inside the gully."
"No, Hal; I think you are far more apt to succeed in reaching camp than
I. I'm satisfied with the second part in the game. Both parts are big
enough."
"Very well! Good-bye, chum. Take care of yourself!"
They had yet a little distance to go before they came upon the Moro
sentry beyond the inner mouth of the gully. As they approached him they
strolled along in leisurely fashion.
The sentry, who appeared to be a good-natured, rather stupid fellow,
surveyed the chums with a grin. He pointed to the sky, then made a
motion of shivering. Clearly this native believed the pretended brown
men to be foolish fellows for remaining out in such a downpour.
"Hastu maki not," observed Hal.
"No beni," replied Noll, and Hal stepped away in the darkness. He did
not appear to be headed for the gully, but Noll distracted the attention
of the sentry for a few moments, and out of the corner of his eye Terry
caught a glimpse of Hal's body moving into the mouth of the gully.
A moment later Hal was out of sight and sound. Noll and the sentry stood
side by side. Presently, as neither could understand the other's speech,
Noll and the Moro fell to "conversing" by means of signs. Yet, in this
line, they could go little beyond the weather. Noll presently made a
hit with the real brown man by shaking his fist in the direction of the
American camp, then drawing his hand across his throat with an eloquent
gesture of throat-cutting.
Sergeant Hal Overton not only got out of the gully, but also satisfied
himself that the slopes were not guarded.
"As the gully looks like a natural trap, and the datto has at least four
hundred men between himself and the gully, I suppose old Hakkut is not
worrying a great deal," reflected Overton.
Hal did not now trouble himself to move so stealthily, until he neared
the American encampment. With noiseless step he approached and called
out in the darkness:
"Officer of the day!"
"Halt! Who goes there?" called an alert soldier.
"Sergeant Overton, in scout disguise," Hal returned. "I wish to return
to camp."
"Advance, Sergeant Overton, to be recognized."
Thus assured that he would not be shot down by mistake, Hal walked
slowly but openly in the direction of the voice from the trench.
"If you can recognize me, Galbraith, you're a wonder," laughed Hal, as
he came within the soldier's range of vision.
"_You_, Sergeant Overton. Great Scott, I don't recognize anything but
the voice. I know that, however; pass on, Sergeant."
Hal went at once to Captain Freeman, whom, however, he had to awaken.
Lieutenants Prescott and Holmes were quickly added to the lightning
conference that followed.
The officers listened almost in amazement to the yarn that Sergeant
Overton rapidly spun for them.
"We made no mistake in detailing you two sergeants to investigate the
position of the enemy," remarked Captain Freeman warmly. "Now our course
is clear. You understand my plan, gentlemen?"
The two young lieutenants quickly assented.
"We shall have to abandon our transport wagons, though I think we shall
have no difficulty in recovering them later," went on the commanding
officer. "Waken all the men, and have each man carry as much ammunition
as he can pack. The Gatling gun goes with us, of course."
"And the wounded men, sir?" asked Lieutenant Prescott.
"Those still unable to walk will have to be carried on the same blanket
stretchers. Caution these wounded men that, no matter what discomfort
they may suffer on the trip, not one is to make a sound. Our lives are
at stake. Now hustle, gentlemen! We must march from this position in
less than twenty minutes."
"And the prisoners, sir?" asked Lieutenant Greg Holmes.
"Bind the prisoners and gag them, and do it effectively. We can't trust
a prisoner on a dash like this. Leave them behind, but be sure that they
can't effect their own escape. Gentlemen, I look to your effective aid
in playing a most brilliant trick on the enemy."
Twelve minutes later the column started. They moved in three bodies. In
advance were twelve picked men of B Company, under Sergeant Overton.
Captain Freeman accompanied this little advance guard.
At a suitable interval behind marched fifty men under Lieutenant
Prescott.
Last of all Lieutenant Holmes headed the remainder of the expedition.
With this rear guard marched such of the wounded men as were able to
walk. The others of the wounded were carried on blanket stretchers.
Silently, like a procession of ghosts, moved the American troops. The
rain had moderated to a drizzle, but there was no star in sight to throw
the least ray of light over the tropical scene.
Almost as straight as a bullet could have been fired Sergeant Hal led
the advance guard to the mouth of the gully. There was no challenge, no
shot fired by the enemy. A minute's halt; then the advance guard quickly
followed Sergeant Overton into the gully, Captain Freeman stepping just
behind the leader.
When they were two thirds of the way through, Sergeant Hal, who was
still in his native costume, held up his hand as a signal to halt. The
signal was passed back through the advance.
"I think you'd better wait here a few minutes, sir," whispered Hal to
the commanding officer. "I'll hand my rifle to one of the men and then
stroll forward to see if the coast is clear."
"A good plan, Sergeant; but take mighty good care of yourself!"
"Yes, sir. If you hear sounds of trouble up ahead then I suppose you'll
push right on through."
"If there's any sound of trouble, whatever, Sergeant, you can depend
upon our rushing through."
Saluting, Overton turned and slowly vanished into the darkness ahead.
Just as he came out of the gully Hal heard a cautious, warning:
"Sh-sh!"
The muzzle of a rifle was thrust to his breast.
"Noll?" whispered Hal.
"Yes," whispered Terry.
"Where's the real sentry at this point?" breathed Hal.
"The poor fellow was chilled through. I got chummy with him, talking
sign language, and then volunteered to stand duty for him. The Moro has
gone off to take a sleep where it's drier."
"Bully, old Noll!"
"The troops are behind you, Hal?"
"Yes."
"Then march them ahead straight on for a hundred yards due west. You
won't run into any of the enemy there. I've made it my business to
know."
Hal flew back to the advance guard.
"Fine!" glowed Captain Freeman, when he had heard the report.
The advance was quickly in motion. Captain Freeman was soon up with
Noll, who, after whispering, led the advance to the point he had
mentioned to his chum. Hal, in the meantime, remained to receive and
pilot Lieutenant Prescott's command.
"How on earth did you do this?" demanded Prescott in a whisper.
"Some of Sergeant Terry's work, sir," whispered Hal. "When you're ready,
sir, just keep on straight ahead until you come upon the advance. I'll
remain here, sir, if you permit, to warn the men behind you that they're
marching inside the Moros' lines."
"Do so, Sergeant," directed Lieutenant Prescott, at the same time making
the motion for his men to move ahead. On came the rest of the command in
single file.
"Softly," warned Hal, as the men passed by him. "You're inside the
enemy's lines."
Then, as the last man passed him, Hal whispered:
"Fall out, Gleason. Remain here to warn the rear guard when it arrives."
"All right, Sergeant. But this kind of work in the dark makes one
creepy. I feel as though I were robbing a judge's chicken-roost."
Hal laughed softly and hurried after the vanishing troops. Within a few
minutes more the rear guard had arrived.
By this time the rain had begun to come down again in torrents, but this
favored the work of the American troops.
Led by the two young scouts, the entire command managed to advance,
undetected, to a point from which Captain Freeman could dimly make out
the mud walls of the datto's fort.
"Take the same twelve men of the advance guard, Sergeant Overton,"
whispered Captain Freeman, after he had given directions regarding the
carrying of the wounded so that they would be as well protected as
possible from slashing by Moro swords or creeses during the attack about
to be made. "With your men, Sergeant, gain the gate of the fort.
Remember, at no matter what cost, you must get your party inside and
hold the gate. We'll be on the spot the moment we hear the first sound
of your attack."
"Now, then, men," Hal instructed his own detachment, "we won't march
forward, and we won't skulk, either. We'll simply stroll along. The
instant that I hear any sound showing that we're discovered, I'll give
the order to charge. When that order comes--remember that we simply must
fight our way through the gate of the fort."
Then he gave the order for the forward movement. Hal placed himself at
the head of his detachment, the post of greatest danger.
It was raining so heavily that even the guards at the datto's gate had
relaxed their vigilance.
So Sergeant Hal Overton was within thirty feet of the gate when one of
the six sentries, peering outside, caught sight of him, yelled and held
his rifle at aim.
"Detachment charge!" yelled Sergeant Hal Overton.
With a low-uttered yet enthusiastic yell the twelve regulars piled in
after their sergeant.
There was short, sharp firing at the gate. Then the Americans drove that
guard in, killing four of them and holding the gate.
Now there was wild yelling inside the fort. Lights flashed from the
principal building in the enclosure. Sergeant Hal waited only long
enough to realize that Lieutenant Prescott's command had come up when he
shouted to his own men:
"Follow me to the datto's house! He's the fellow we want."
Fifty natives howling wildly had thrown themselves around the house of
the Datto Hakkut and had opened fire on the soldiers by the time that
Hal and his few men reached the spot.
"Fight your way through 'em, men!" commanded Hal.
"Bring your men back, Sergeant!" shouted Captain Freeman in Hal's ear.
"We've got the Gatling ready. I'll show you something better."
Swiftly the regulars dodged back. Sergeant Noll was at the breech of the
Gatling.
R-r-r-r-rip! rattled out that rapid-fire machine, and the fire swept
mercilessly into the ranks of those who defended the datto.
Lieutenant Holmes had gotten the wounded inside the walls. Now, with
his efficient men he had turned to guard the gate, for outside, hundreds
of frantically-yelling Moro fanatics had gathered for the attack on the
invaders.
Into the closely packed ranks of the brown men who sought to defend the
datto's house the Gatling poured its raking fire with fearful effect.
Whatever the issue of this madly fought battle, it began to look as
though the Datto Hakkut were doomed.