An Exploring-party
"And now, supposing we lay to a little and think about some breakfast?
Not a bad idea that, eh?" exclaimed a cheery individual, upon whose
brawny figure Geoff's eyes had many a time been fixed during the
half-hour or more which had elapsed since the motor-boat had stolen so
silently and secretly from the main channel of the Shatt-el-Arab into
the wastes bordering the River Euphrates, and who seemed to be in
command of the expedition.
He was a moderately tall, broad-shouldered, heavily-built, red-faced,
and exceedingly--not to say delightfully--healthy-looking specimen of
sailor humanity. His thin khaki-twill garments hung loosely about
him--for if young subalterns, like Philip and Geoff, must needs have
their clothes for active service cut almost as smartly as for residence
in London, there were others, older than they--wiser, let us dare to
venture--who, with much experience behind them, preferred comfort to
elegance, and ease to any degree of smartness. Underneath the helmet
which clothed the head of this naval officer was a broad and very
rubicund face--as we have already mentioned--a strong, open, and
peculiarly prepossessing figure-head, which was seamed and lined, partly
by the action of the sun, but more by the almost constant smiles of the
owner.
"Just shut down that throttle, Marsden," he called cheerily to the man
operating the engine; and then to one of the sailors right for'ard: "You
can let go that anchor, Clark. Now, boys, we'll pipe down to a meal and
a smoke of tobacco, for there's no violent hurry. Glad to meet you two
young officers. I'm Commander Houston, lately of H.M.S. ----, the ship
the Admiralty authorities in Whitehall insisted on keeping in the
Persian Gulf--a nasty sort of a place that Persian Gulf, I can tell you.
Aboard-ship life in those parts is worse than any 'hole in Calcutta',
and when the hot weather comes, phew! it's a wonder that a white man
survives, and to me it's a miracle that I remain so robust and stout,
when you'd expect me to get as thin as a lath, and waste away rapidly."
Waste away indeed! No one who cared to look at the jovial Commander
Houston would ever imagine that to be possible, to have been probable
even at any stage in his career. For the man was heavily built, as we
have said, his bones well covered with muscle, and the latter clad with
an amount of fat which made his figure rather rounder than was
desirable. Geoff smiled back at him, while Philip unbent and let himself
go in a moment. They couldn't help themselves, for the Commander made
them feel at ease almost immediately. His smiling crew, the oil-stained
individual who worked his engine, the Cox who sat right aft with the
tiller, every one of them smiled, as if happy to be in his company.
"Looks jolly promising," Philip told his chum _sotto voce_, "It never
occurred to me before that in joining this expedition we might have
found ourselves under a high and mighty sort of fellow, who would order
us about like dirt, just because we're junior subalterns. Ahem!
Breakfast? Rather!"
"And to think that we had a meal just before we left our side of the
river," said Geoff; "but I'm hungry enough, and ready for anything."
By now the Cox had gone for'ard, where the tall, raw-boned, grey-bearded
native--whom Geoff had interviewed on the previous day, and who was said
to have an intimate knowledge of the marshes--had now joined them. The
Commander himself came aft from the central cabin, in which he had been
stationed, and sat himself down near the two young infantry officers,
and, opening a locker, pulled out a basket of provisions.
"The man who wants to get on in the world, and carry out a job
successfully, must look after his health whatever happens," he smiled at
them. "So, having started this expedition successfully, and slipped into
the marshes with, I feel sure, no one being the wiser, we can look after
the inner man before proceeding farther. Which one of you young officers
happens to be known as Geoffrey Keith?"
"Guilty, sir!" Geoff told him, with a laugh. "I am the individual."
"Oh!"
At once our hero felt himself being surveyed with that same sort of
polite, yet searching scrutiny which the General and his Staff Officers
had directed upon him. Perhaps it is a habit of the Services; more
likely it is a habit engendered in men placed in a position of command,
who wish, in the space of a few seconds--seeing that often enough there
is no longer for the purpose--to sum up those who are to serve with
them, those upon whom they may have to call for action, and to assure
themselves at the very commencement that they are to be fully relied
upon.
"Oh!" he said at last, as he dived into his basket and produced a
Thermos bottle, some cups, and a paper parcel. "Young enough, at any
rate, Keith, but they tell me not too young to stand fire. Ah! Ah! Tales
do spread, don't they? Never saw such people as the army for gossiping!
I give you my word that, long before this expedition was mooted, I knew
all about a fellow with a thundering fine Arab who had gone out and
captured an Arab chief. That's you, eh, Keith?"
It was hopeless for Geoff to attempt to hide his modesty, for the very
flush which rose to his cheeks seemed to raise the mirth of this naval
officer. He glanced sideways at Geoff as he chuckled loudly, and then
handed him a ponderous sandwich and a cup of steaming coffee.
"And the other young officer?" he asked between his own mouthfuls.
"Philip Denman, at your service," laughed the owner of that name,
entering into the fun of the moment. "You don't happen to have heard any
sort of report about that officer, do you, sir? That is to say, anything
against his character, I hope."
"Well, not at present," the Commander laughed back at him, enjoying the
joke immensely. "Nothing at present. But you never know! For before we
are out of this business there may be lots of opportunities for reports,
good and bad and indifferent. But just listen to this: I feel like a
schoolboy, for I'm off on a jaunt, after being tied up aboard ship for
two months and more. This expedition ought to be like a holiday; and,
of course, if we happen to run into the Turks and have a little affair
of our own, why, who knows? a poor chap who has been condemned for more
than a year past to steam up and down the Persian Gulf may be promoted
to something better. Now, Keith, another sandwich. No? Well, well, save
it up till later. A pipe then? Oh, you don't smoke pipes! Then turn on
your own particular brand of cigarettes while I light my pipe. And now
let's have a sort of council of war. I ought to explain that I know
precious little about this business. I have been told that these marshes
extend for perhaps fifty miles, and even more, due west from the
Shatt-el-Arab, and running a little north as they go westward; in fact,
following and embracing the course of the River Euphrates. Turks are
said to be hiding somewhere about in the marshes, and our job is to find
'em and rout 'em out if we can, and, if not, to bring back information."
He looked at Geoff inquisitively, and the latter nodded with energy.
"Quite so, sir!" he said. "We have brought a native along with us who
knows the marshes."
"And a precious-looking old scoundrel he is too," laughed the Commander,
turning his eyes towards the bows of the boat, where the native sat on
his haunches amongst the sailors, consuming their rations with such
energy that there was little doubt that they met entirely with his
approval. "A precious-looking old scoundrel too," the Commander
repeated; "but no doubt under that dusky skin of his there lies hidden
something admirable. It seems to me, Keith, that the first thing for us
to do, now that we have looked to the inner man, and have commenced to
soothe our nerves with tobacco, is to cross-examine that old scarecrow,
and find out something of what he knows about the marshes. I understand
that that is your particular job, seeing that you are something of a
linguist."
Geoff flushed. It made him quite nervous when people referred to his
linguistic accomplishments, and more particularly so when the one who
spoke was a merry naval officer who smiled quizzically at him as he
asked his question. But a moment later Commander Houston was as serious
as he could be, and, stretching out a friendly hand, gripped Geoff's
shoulder.
"Only my fun!" he said. "Look here, Keith, there's nothing for you to be
ashamed of in the fact that you can talk these Eastern languages. My
word! I wish I could! For it would be worth quite a handsome little
addition to my daily pay--and that to a Commander in the Royal Navy is
something always worth considering. Besides, think of the added interest
it gives you in a campaign such as this is! How free it makes you! And
what possibility it presents of splendid adventure! Now I wouldn't mind
guessing that if you were surrounded by the enemy, and were, as it were,
blockaded in one of their towns, you would be quite capable of turning
out as a Turk, provided you could get the disguise, and of giving them
the slip. How's that, eh?"
Geoff admitted the possibility with a cheery laugh, for no one could be
serious when Commander Houston was addressing him.
"I've done it already, sir," he told him, with a grin. "You see, Major
Douglas--who's an Indian 'political', and who happens to be my
guardian--brought me to Mesopotamia some while ago, and we went right
into the heart of the country. The Major knows all sorts of Arabs and
other people, and it's part of his job--or was, at any rate, in peace
times--to find out everything that was going on; what the Turks were
doing, what the Arabs thought of them, and how the various nationalities
lived."
"Half a minute!" smiled the Commander. "What about the Germans?"
"Germans! Of course," admitted Geoff, "they were to be met with in all
sorts of odd corners, and conducting every sort of extraordinary
business. My suspicion is that their businesses, on many occasions, were
absolutely fictitious; in fact, they had no real business in many cases,
and were simply agents of the German Government sent into the country to
worm out the secrets of the Turks, and more particularly to find out
precisely what opportunities there were for trade, and what portion of
it the British had secured."
"Hear! Hear!" echoed the Commander. "You can quite understand that being
ordered to the Persian Gulf, and having to steam up and down that
extremely uninteresting, not to say unhealthy part, left a man plenty of
time for ruminating, for discussing matters in general, and for learning
in particular something of what was happening in this portion of Turkey
and in Persia. A fellow couldn't steam up to Basra--as we did now and
again in one of our pinnaces--without knocking up against Germans--fat
Germans, thin Germans, ugly Germans (lots of ugly ones, my boy)--Germans
who were conducting some sort of trade, and who appeared at first sight
to be the most harmless and almost the most helpless people under the
sun. But that's your wily German all over!
"I remember one particular individual--a big, fat, jovial fellow--Von
something or other, I've forgotten his name, except that it was a
regular 'jaw-cracker'. Von Schmidt let's call him for the moment. A
nicer chap to meet you couldn't wish for, that is, just at the
beginning. I remember that he was trying to get together a business in
dates. His sole object in life seemed to be that of bribing Arabs to
bring in camel-loads of dates, and to deposit them in an old hut which
he had hired just on the outskirts of Basra; and now and again he sent
off a barge full of these same dates, consigning them to some place in
Europe. But it was not his real business, my boy! And I found that out
quite by accident. For, happening to get stranded one evening when
darkness had fallen, and in the midst of a violent rain-storm, I claimed
shelter from him--for there was a light in the window of his house. It
was blowing big guns just then, and I suppose he didn't hear the rap I
gave on the door. As a matter of fact, he was in his bedroom, which was
at the back of the building. It wasn't the sort of time when one waits
for a summons, for the rain was pouring down in torrents, as I told you,
so I just pushed the door open and went into the main room of the
building, and, shutting the door, shouted for him. Even then he didn't
hear, so that I had time to take a good look round, and couldn't help
seeing that the table in the centre of the room was piled with papers,
and that maps--maps of Mesopotamia, maps of the Persian Gulf--diagrams
showing the 'pipe-line', which brings our oil from Persia, and lists of
Arab tribes, against which was placed a note in German, which showed
that they were to be considered friendly, were spread out over the
remaining portion of the table. You see," he added, with a chuckle, "I
know a little German. Not much, you know, but just sufficient to read
it. I can't tell you now all about those papers, and of course it isn't
quite the thing for a man to enter the house of an acquaintance and read
his private correspondence. It isn't 'cricket', of course, you know, and
no Britisher does it; but accidents will happen, and that night it so
fell out that my eyes were unwittingly opened: the fat, pleasant, jovial
Von what's-his-name was undoubtedly a German Government agent."
Geoff nodded briskly, for he and Major Douglas had had many an
experience with German agents in Mesopotamia.
"I don't profess to know all about it, sir," he told the Commander, "but
the Major was very chary of the Germans he met, and often told me that
Germany undoubtedly had her eyes on Asiatic Turkey, and was preparing
the ground for some future occasion. But you were saying that I could
dress up as a Turk and move about amongst them. I've done it, sir! You
must understand that the Germans in Mesopotamia were very jealous of the
Major, they not only suspected him to be a British agent, but knew what
his mission was in the country, and for that reason set a watch on him.
They bribed men to follow us, and put the Turks on our tracks, so that
had we not been very quick and very wide awake we should have learned
nothing--that is to say, the Major would have learned nothing--for the
British Government. We had to give the Germans and the Turks the slip,
and we did it, time and again, by adopting a disguise and moving off
amongst the people. But about this native, sir; you suggested that he
should be cross-examined."
"That's it!" cried the Commander, filling his pipe again. "Call the old
boy up! 'Pon my word, now that one looks at him, he's quite a handsome
scoundrel!"
By then the men for'ard, and the native whom they had been entertaining,
had finished their meal, and, like their officer, were enjoying a quiet
smoke before pushing onward. Sailor-like, too, they were endeavouring to
their utmost to make themselves pleasant to their passenger. It was
quite amusing to watch a big, burly sailor discoursing eloquently to the
native and listening intently; Geoff and Philip and their Commanding
Officer overheard some of this conversation.
"Look 'ere, old soul," they heard the A.B. exclaim in the most friendly
fashion, while he tapped the native on his bare chest, "what's the use
of this 'ere place at all? This 'ere Mesopotamia? What's the good of a
country that's all sand and grit, with no good and decent water about
it? Now, I could tell you of a country that's worth seeing! Know
England, my lad?"
You would have thought the native was perfectly acquainted with every
portion of Great Britain, for he positively shook with merriment, and
grinned a ghastly grin at the sailor. Then, as if to make the point
quite certain, he gave vent to a volume of guttural sounds, snapping
his fingers, grinning and grimacing, till the sailor brought him to a
sudden stop by tapping his chest again with one of his ponderous
fingers.
"Just so, mate," he said as he puffed a cloud of smoke above the
native's head. "Just so, old soul. But 'arf-a-mo'!"
The burly sailor extracted from his mouth a short black "clay" with a
hand which was so big and horny that it instantly attracted attention,
and having puffed another huge cloud of smoke just past the ear of the
giggling native, he tapped him on the chest again, with a peremptory and
extremely firm finger, while he wagged his head sideways.
"'Arf--a--mo', my beauty!" he said, while his comrades grinned their
appreciation of him. "What's this 'ere you're a-sayin'? Sounds to me
like so much gibberish, as if you was just a-cussin', and a-cussin' 'ard
too. What's it all about, old soul? Why not speak good, decent, honest
English?"
No doubt the native had as little idea of what the sailor was saying to
him as that latter had of the dusky native's own remarks, yet the
smiling faces round him, the friendly attitude of all, and that
particularly friendly tap he was still receiving on his chest seemed to
fill him with the utmost merriment. He positively bubbled over and
gurgled with amusement, and grimaced till the honest sailor turned a
face of good-humoured disgust towards his comrades.
"Lor'," he exclaimed, "if one had to live alongside a chap like this all
one's born days! But he can't help it! He means well, you can see that,
can't you? 'Ere, Jim, flick out that packet of fakes you had this
mornin' and let the chap try a whiff. Perhaps he ain't used to
cigarettes, but we'll soon larn 'im!"
And "larn" him they did! For in a very little while the native was
purring away in the most contented manner possible, grimacing and
gesticulating towards the group of sailors who clustered about him in
the bows of the tiny motor-driven vessel.
Meanwhile the Commander, and Geoff, and Philip were interested, if not
highly amused, spectators; and it was only when the native had his
cigarette fairly well going that the Commander coughed loudly so as to
attract the attention of his men, and called to them.
"Now, my lads!" he said cheerily, for that was his habit with the men,
and they loved him for it. "Now, my lads, pass along that old
scarecrow!"
You should have seen the grin on the faces of his men as they heard him,
and hastened to obey his orders; and it seemed natural enough that their
spokesman of a few moments earlier should be the one to pass the request
on to the native.
"'Ere, old soul!" he said to him, pleasantly enough, and yet with a ring
of authority which the native noticed instantly, and with perhaps a
rather firmer tap of the finger upon his naked chest. "'Ere, old soul,
you're under orders! And just you pass yoursel aft, and no 'ankin' mind
you, with the Commander! You'll just answer all his questions straight
out, and tell him the truth, and nothing but the truth, s'welp me!"
If it had been left to the native to gather the meaning of these words
he might have been still in the for'ard part of that motor-vessel, for,
as the reader will have gathered already, not one single letter of the
British alphabet, and not one single word of good, honest English did
he understand. But sundry significant nods of the head, and winks, and
pointings in the direction of the Commander told him what was wanted,
and presently he came climbing over, passing round the edge of the
cabin, his long, lanky legs bare, his feet unshod, the scantiest of
native wrappings around him. Yet for all his semi-nakedness the man was
one to look at twice; one rather to admire than to despise; a child, and
a handsome child withal, of this curious desert country. Like the Arab
chief whom Geoff had captured, he was a fine specimen of humanity, fully
grown, big and expansive, yet with refined features, and possessed of
small hands and feet which gave him rather an air of breeding. A
closely-cropped beard, getting a little grey at the point of the chin,
set off a face which was honest, firm and intelligent. Yet he was only a
humble fisherman, this man, and although possessed of fine physique, and
of handsome appearance, yet had reserved the utmost respect for his
superiors. He bowed low as he reached the aft part of the tiny vessel,
and, at a word from Geoff, crouched native-fashion at the feet of the
three officers.
"Not such a scarecrow as I thought, after all," said the Commander.
"Keith, tell him he can go on smoking, and let us cross-examine him. Ask
him where he thinks the Turks are hiding?"
"Who knows, Excellency?" came the answer in a voice which was even and
musical; "who can speak of anything for certain in these parts, where
the waste of waters changes its outline every day and constantly. But
there is a rumour that there are many of these proud and stiff-necked
Turks hidden somewhere away in these marshes, and, if that be so--as
indeed it may be, for though rumour was ever a lying jade, yet often
enough there is some truth in her--then the Turks will not be in these
parts, but farther up the river, where the waste of waters breaks away
from patches of rising ground, and where camps may be located."
"Ask him how many days' journey from here?" asked the Commander, when
Geoff had interpreted what the native had said. "We've enough fuel on
board to take us, say, 200 miles, and if the marsh throughout is as it
is here, with beds of reeds and mud sticking up in many places, and no
doubt shoals where you least expect them, then progress will not be
rapid, and we may be able to cover only ten miles a day. How many days,
travelling at that rate, does he think it will require to bring us into
the neighbourhood of the Turkish camp?"
The native wagged his head sagely when Geoff had asked him the question,
and sat for a while staring out across the water at the nearest bank of
reeds, now lit up and glistening in the glancing rays of the rising sun.
"Excellency," he said at last, "that is a question to ask a wizard; it
is of a truth a riddle, a riddle which none but this waste of waters can
answer at the moment. But it may be that the journey will not be such a
long one, for though these marshes change so constantly there is yet a
line, down which the River Euphrates pours its waters, which may be
followed at speed without fear of drowning, and without meeting with
these islands of mud and reeds which fill the marshes in other
directions. If the Excellency desires, I will direct the boat to that
line and convoy it westward. But there will come a time when we must
depart from the course, for to adhere to it would mean the danger of
running into the centre of the enemy, and so of becoming prisoners."
For a little while the Commander and his two young officers discussed
the situation, and then the former signalled to the man in charge of the
engine to start it up.
"We'll get ahead at once," he said; "but let us try to be cautious. We
have plenty of time before us, for the boat is well victualled, and
there is ample water all round us; of course it is not fit to drink, and
no one but a fool, or one utterly unused to these tropical climates,
would dare to drink it. A mouthful, even, would mean a fever, perhaps a
good deal worse. But some of those reeds cut from the islands and laid
on the deck would make excellent fuel, and we have a stove right
for'ard, and a boiler in which we can easily purify the water. You young
fellows will already have learned the importance of a pure
drinking-supply to troops on an expedition; the same applies to sailors,
of course. Give either of them absolutely pure water whenever you
possibly can, and prevent 'em both from drinking from the first pool
they come across; supply them with good rations in addition, and don't
march them about in a grilling sun unless it cannot be avoided, and you
will keep your men in good health and strength, and fit to meet the
enemy. It's the secret of campaigning--the great secret I ought to
add--for, after all, when you send troops into the field, or into a
place like Mesopotamia, you send 'em for one purpose only, and that to
meet the enemy. The men who fall sick weaken your forces, and encumber
your hospitals and your transport; and sick men are men who go under,
often enough, because of lack of pure water. Now, Keith, tell the old
boy to give us the line for the river. Denman, I am going to post you
right aft, to keep a watch in that direction. Keith, you'd best go
forward with the native right into the bows, so as to be able to
interpret anything he tells you. Now, lads, pick up your rifles, and let
one of you come right aft with this officer, two others will station
themselves for'ard, and two more will be on either side of me in the
cabin. We have got to remember that we may very well find ourselves not
the only inhabitants of this waste of waters. We have taken the
precaution to make a very early start, and got in amongst these reeds
during the darkness, so that I think I am right in feeling that no one
is aware of this expedition. But there may be natives about. Ask your
fellow, Keith."
For answer the native shook his head vigorously.
"Excellency," he told Geoff, as they stood up in the bows of the vessel,
"it may be, for all I know, but it is hardly probable; for in these
wastes there is nothing to be gathered--no fish and no game--and why
should a poor man come in this direction? Yet, listen a moment. There
may be scouts of the enemy. No doubt the Turks are provided with
_bellums_--the native boat we use in these parts--and it may well be
that they have sent off scouts to pass down the waters and spy upon your
brothers."
"Then we have got to keep our eyes open," the Commander sang out to his
men, when Geoff had interpreted. "If you see a boat, pass the word
along at once, but don't fire, for we shall be wise to make a capture,
and so learn something of the enemy."
By now the propeller of the little boat was thrashing the shallow waters
of the marshes, with a vigour which made itself felt throughout the
timbers of the tiny vessel. She throbbed from end to end, and vibrated
under the feet of those who manned her. Steered by the Cox, and directed
by Geoff--who took his line from the native--the vessel shot off at an
angle, and, pushing her way rapidly through a maze of reed-clad islands,
and hummocks of oozy mud, which cropped up in many parts, she finally
reached a spot where the waste of waters stretched uninterruptedly to
the west and north of them. Here, too, there was a distinct change in
the appearance of the water, for, while amongst the reedy islands of mud
the marshes consisted of stagnant and dark-coloured water, there was a
stream where they now were--a stream flowing gently past them--of
lightish-yellow colour, in which particles of sand and debris swirled as
one peered over the side of the motor vessel. The way of the boat, too,
was retarded just a little as she headed up against the stream, a
proof--if further proof was necessary--that they had now gained the
channel of the Euphrates River. For three hours they motored their way
steadily up this stream, seeing nothing to attract their attention, and
finding on either hand the same water waste, with its margin of muddy
islands, extending into the far distance. A haze hung over these
islands, as the heat of the sun drew the water upwards, while a faint,
sickly odour was wafted from them.
"Fever!" said the Commander, as he smoked another pipe. "A night spent
in amongst those islands of mud would be bad for a white man, let us
hope that we shall find some pleasanter place as the darkness draws in
upon us."
That night, as a matter of fact, they tied up beside a sandy shelf which
bordered the stream they had been following, and which ran upwards
towards the desert. It was a species of sandy hillock, perhaps a mile
across, which, being elevated, divided the waters. But who could say?
Perhaps some years ago it had formed actually the bed of the Euphrates
River, which had then flowed over and through it. But in the course of
time the debris and sand borne along in the water had silted up, and
formed a bank at this precise position; and succeeding layers of sand
deposited by the water had finally raised the bank, till, gathering
firmness and dimensions as the days passed, it finally defied and
defeated the river which had been the source of its existence. Then the
channel of the Euphrates had been changed, and what had once been its
bed, swept by the ever-descending flood of water coming from the centre
of Mesopotamia, from Asiatic Turkey, had become now a glistening heap of
firm, dry sand, which gave the expedition a splendid bivouac.
"An excellent place!" the Commander told Geoff, as the anchor was
dropped, and the boat was paddled in close to the bank. "We'll make our
boat fast by driving pegs into the sand itself, and then we'll get
ashore. A couple of men in the boat will be all that will be required,
and the rest can accompany us."
In half an hour they had their fire going, and that evening Philip and
Geoff enjoyed the experience of an open-air camp under the starlight.
Yet it was not always to be so pleasant, as they were to find, for, on
the morrow, having set off soon after the first streak of dawn, and
having pushed their way rapidly up the winding and almost invisible
channel of the river, they suddenly came upon a sight which caused them
to halt instantly.
"Stop that engine!" ordered the Commander suddenly, "'Bout ship! If
that's not a Turkish flat-bottomed vessel I'm a Dutchman."
A long, low-built steamer had suddenly hove into sight far up the
winding river, and, looking at her swiftly, Geoff realized in a moment
that her decks were crowded with men dressed in khaki-coloured clothing.
Swinging his glasses to his eyes, he fixed them on the vessel, and then
called back at the Commander.
"Turks, without a doubt, sir," he said, "I can recognize them easily.
There's a man standing on a low bridge just above their heads who is
wearing a fez, while opposite him there is an officer whom I should take
to be German. There are fifty or more on the boat, and it is likely
enough that they are an exploring-party."
An instant later a shrill shriek was heard from the approaching vessel,
as her steam whistle was put into operation; then there was a flash from
her side, and perhaps a quarter of a minute later a shot hit the water
just behind the motor-boat, and, throwing up a huge cascade, almost
drenched Geoff and his comrades. When they had shaken the water out of
their eyes, and looked again at the approaching vessel, they saw a
string of boats which were towing after her being pulled for'ard. Then
men tumbled over the low sides of the vessel into the boats, while
others ran into her bows, and, seizing their rifles, opened fire upon
the occupants of the tiny vessel lying down below them.
"Go ahead!" said the Commander, as bullets spluttered into the water all
round the vessel. "Keith, come along aft here, so that we can talk the
matter over. What do you think, lad?" he asked, as Geoff joined him. "I
don't like to put my helm about, and show my stern to that Turkish
fellow."
"Nor I!" Geoff agreed with him; "and besides, we shan't have
accomplished that for which we came into the marshes. It's bad luck, of
course, sir, running into an exploring-party of the enemy so soon after
coming this way, but there are sure to be more coming behind them, and
those are the fellows whose positions we have to make out. Why not try
to dodge them? By running right off to our left into the marshes we
should soon be hidden by the islands of mud and reeds, and then we could
steal westwards till we were above those fellows!"
"Wait! What's that? Another vessel, eh?" exclaimed the Commander,
pointing to a spot higher up the river than that occupied by the Turkish
vessel. "Ah!"
Geoff looked, and took in the situation in an instant, for, beyond the
low-built Turkish steamer which they had so unexpectedly sighted round a
sharp bend of the river, he saw another steamer--a small pinnace--low,
like themselves, and speedy, and making towards them now on the stream,
at a pace which heaped a mass of water up in front of her. Once more his
glasses went to his eyes, and for a while he remained silent. Then he
slowly dropped them into their case, lit a cigarette, and turned to his
Commanding Officer.
"A fast steam-launch, sir," he said; "twenty men aboard her. It looks as
though we should have quite a brisk little action."
For perhaps a minute the Commander turned his gaze upon the pursuing
vessel, whilst his own craft sped down the river; then he smiled grimly,
and Geoff heard him chuckle.
"Right!" he said. "A pretty little action! I believe you, Keith.
Starboard your helm, Cox, and edge the boat off gradually towards the
marshes. We'll induce that fellow to follow us till we are well away
from the other vessel, so that she cannot support the launch with her
gun; then we'll see what sailors can do at carrying out an ambush. Lie
down, men, it's only fools who won't take cover; keep as low as you can,
and don't give 'em anything to fire at."
Bullets, meanwhile, had been sweeping above the boat, and streaming
their way past the ears of its occupants. Spurts of water rose on every
hand, while now and again a cascade--a mere child to that thrown up by
the shell which had been fired at them at the commencement of this
encounter--would splash over the sides of the motor-vessel. Obedient to
the order given them, yet grudgingly, for your sailor is a gallant
fellow, the crew crouched low behind the sides of the vessel, leaving
the Cox fully exposed, and the Commander still standing to his full
height in the open cabin, and beside him Geoff, holding his ground--not
wincing, not even dodging or bobbing his head, as bullets flicked past
him.
"Nervous?" asked the Commander, as he stuffed tobacco into his pipe and
calmly set the weed alight. "Not you, Keith! Nor Denman either! That's
good to see, though it is only what I expected. Now set her going at
full speed, and we'll see what we can do to dodge those fellows."
A long island of mud, clad with reeds, stood up before the motor-vessel,
and it looked for a while as though the Commander had every intention of
running her upon it; but at a signal from him--a signal made with a jerk
of the hand which gripped his pipe--the Cox pushed his helm over, and
the motor-boat shot past the end of the island, and, turning again, sped
up behind it. A further jerk, and she turned off at a tangent, and,
speeding across a waste of stagnant water, thrust her nose in between
two reedy islands, following a channel which hardly seemed wide enough
to accommodate her. Turning and twisting, and dodging to right and left,
and once grounding with a dull and gentle thud upon the tail of an
island, and breaking loose again because of her momentum, the vessel
shot across another waste, and, rounding the end of a second stretch of
oozy mud, was rapidly brought to a halt.
"Ask your old gentleman whether the mud would bear a man," the Commander
told Geoff abruptly.
"Truly, Excellency," came the immediate answer. "These banks, though
they quiver as one walks upon them, are yet solid, for the roots of the
reeds have bound the mud together. Excellency, if I may ask a favour,
let me land here, so that I may convey a warning to you."
A moment later the man was ashore, and, at a nod from the Commander,
Geoff accompanied him. Then, pushing their way through the reeds, they
gained the farther side, and, cautiously making an opening through which
they could watch, waited for the coming of their pursuers. It was
perhaps five minutes later when the rattle of machinery came to their
ears, and within a few seconds the Turkish vessel hove into sight as she
thrashed her way through the waste of waters. That she had lost the
direction of the motor-boat seemed certain, though the Turks aboard her
must have known that they were not far behind their quarry. A loud order
reached Geoff's ears, while the clank of machinery died down of a
sudden; then he saw the launch drift on towards the end of the island
behind which the motor-vessel was hiding. Creeping back towards the
Commander, he waved to him to attract his attention, and then called
softly to him.
"In five minutes they will be crossing the far end of this island, sir,"
he said; "it ought to give us an opportunity."
"Come aboard, and bring the old gentleman with you," the Commander cried
on the instant. "Now, boys, line the gun'l there, and hold your fire
till I give the order. I've a little scheme on foot, and I'll be
particularly grateful to you if you don't sink her. Shoot some of the
crew, and capture the rest of them if need be. Now, my man, set her
going!"
The engine revolved again, and in a trice the propeller was thrashing
the water; then, ever so gently and quietly, they stole up beside the
island, while on the far side the Turkish launch drifted ever closer to
them.