The position of the beleaguered occupants of the Residency grew worse
and worse. There had been three different brief despatches from the
detachments, but the information conveyed was very small. In each case
the commander announced that he was in full pursuit of the Rajah, who
had thrown off the mask and taken to the jungle; and after reading the
despatches over to the Resident the Major had uttered a grunt and said:
"One would think there were three Rajahs instead of one."
He had sent replies by native runners, urging upon his subordinates the
necessity for an immediate return, so as to strengthen the position of
the Residency, and stating that, from news that had come in, it was
evident that Rajah Hamet had also thrown off the mask and was waiting,
undoubtedly to make an attack in conjunction with Rajah Suleiman.
"We shall be hard pressed," he said emphatically, "and I must call upon
you to rally at once. Sir Charles is sending a despatch to Singapore,
telling of the uneasy state of the native princes, and the sore straits
in which we find ourselves; but it will be some time before a messenger
can reach the Governor, and Suleiman's men are pressing me hard. As you
well know, it must be many days before a gunboat can reach us here."
No reply reached headquarters, for, however wanting in generalship
Suleiman might have been, he took care that no messengers should pass
his people in either direction, and, in fact, the Major's appeal to his
officers never reached their hands, and the cunning Malays kept up the
appearance of being in full retreat, leading the detachments farther and
farther into the intricate mazes of the jungle.
Meanwhile it was not only the ammunition that was running out but the
provisions. But there was an ample supply in the various stores of the
settlement, and these under ordinary circumstances would have been
largely supplemented at the little market held by the people of the
neighbouring campongs. But after the attack by Suleiman's men not a
single native made his appearance, and, as was afterwards proved, no
Malay, save at the risk of losing his life, dared to approach the
military quarters.
"It seems so hard," said the Resident, "that after Dr Morley and I had
gone over the matter as we did respecting provisioning the place, we
should not have made other arrangements for warehousing our permanent
supplies. I felt that, with a strong military force for the protection
of the storehouses, nothing more could be done."
"No; nobody blames you, Sir Charles, for no foresight could have seen
that the place would be denuded of troops, and that the enemy would
close us in so completely that no man could approach a ware or store
house without risking having a spear in his back."
"Ah," said the Doctor, "it's lucky for us all that I beat you, Major,
and got my well dug."
"Yes, Morley," said the Major sharply; "and no one's more glad than I
am. But you needn't tell us all about it quite so often."
The Doctor chuckled, for in spite of the terrible demands that were made
upon him he was generally in pretty good spirits.
"Well, I won't say any more about it, but you military men, who get all
the honour and glory, might let your poor doctor have a little bit of
praise."
"Well, what's to be done? We must have a couple or more sacks of that
Indian meal from the store to-day. We cannot sit here and starve. And
at the same time more of the necessaries of life, or what we have in
time come to consider necessaries, must be obtained for the women and
children."
"Yes," said the Doctor. "My hands are full with dealing with the
wounded. I can't have the poor, starving women coming into hospital to
be treated for exhaustion, and the children upon my hands dying like
flies."
"No," said the Major; "we must call for volunteers, Sir Charles, to cut
our way through the enemy to the store."
"No, no," said the Doctor; "I forbid that."
"Why?" said the Major angrily.
"Because it means half-a-dozen or a dozen more wounded men to crowd my
hospital."
"Hah!" ejaculated the Major. "And I can't spare one."
"Then look here," said the Doctor; "call for your volunteers--or for one
volunteer at a time. You see, with their cunning and subtlety they know
beforehand that we must be ready to do anything to get at the stores,
and consequently they keep the strictest watch, with spearmen ready to
let fly at any poor wretch who approaches either of the buildings."
"Yes, yes, we know that, Doctor," said the Resident peevishly.
"Then why don't you meet cunning with cunning?" replied the Doctor.
"Surely the Major can pick up some clever, sharp fellow who will crawl
in the darkness past the enemy's pickets and bring back something, if
it's only one sack of meal."
"That would be better than nothing, Doctor.--We'll try; eh, Major?"
"Of course; of course."
The little council of war was being held in the hottest part of the day,
when the attacking enemy seemed to have drawn off for a while amongst
the trees, and most of the beleaguered were grouped around in the shadow
of veranda and tree to listen to the discussion.
"Well," said the Resident, "I can't ask either of my native servants who
have been true to us to risk his life for us. We should never see them
again, for the enemy would be sure to make an extra effort to spear
them."
"Quite out of the question, Sir Charles," said the Doctor.--"Now, Major,
we must look to you again.--What's that, Mrs Smithers?"
"I was only going to say, sir, that my Joe is a big, strong fellow, and
he'll volunteer to try and get a sack of flour to-night."
"Eh? What's that?" cried the private.
"You heard what was said, Joe. What do you mean by shaking your head
like that?"
"Oh, I'm not the right man," he said. "I can carry my rifle, but I'm an
out-and-out bad one at carrying sacks."
"Nonsense, Joe," said his wife. "You can do anything that a British
soldier can."
"Nay, missus," said Smithers; "'tain't in my way at all. If it was my
officers wanted a stone jar of rack or a dozen of bottled ale, I might
manage 'em, but I'm nowhere with sacks."
"Never mind, then," said Mrs Smithers tartly; "I'll go myself."
"Nay, you won't," said Joe, shaking his head more hard than ever.--"I'll
go, gen'lemen. She wants to be a widow, but I look to you, Doctor, not
to let her be if I come to quarters with a sack of meal pinned on to my
back with a spear."
That night Joe Smithers managed to crawl right round the outskirts of
the settlement, got into the store from the other side, and returned by
the same circuitous way with a sack of meal and such instructions to his
messmates that two more men started at once and foraged with a like
success. But that was only a temporary alleviation of the troubles of
the beleaguered, and twice over, when off duty, Archie summoned Peter to
accompany him to the lower part of the river, where they succeeded, at
great risk, in wading off to a boat, fishing for three parts of the
night, and returning after very fair success.
Then came a day when the enemy had been more energetic than ever, and
three more of the Major's little force were carried into hospital
suffering badly from spear-wounds, and this just at a time when, in a
whisper, the announcement had gone round that there were very few
cartridges left.
The Doctor had just finished tending his men with the help of Mrs
Morley, for Joe Smithers's wife had broken down from being brought face
to face with her well-scolded husband, who was carried in by two
comrades and laid at her feet.
"Oh Joe," she cried, "how could you?"
"I didn't, missus. It was one of them ugly, flat-nosed chaps, who
managed to put a spear into me; but I give him the bayonet in return.
But ain't you going to tie me up?"
"Oh, yes, yes, Joe dear!" she cried, hurrying to fetch her lotah and
sponge; while the Doctor came up from the other side, frowning severely,
and then making a dash to catch the unhappy woman and save her from
falling, for poor Mrs Smithers, the strong and never-tiring, had
fainted dead away for the first time in her life. The consequence was
that the Doctor's wife stood by his side till the last dressing had been
applied, and then sat in the veranda to discuss with him a glass of his
favourite water and talk in a whisper about the perils of their
position.
"Yes," said the Doctor; "it's a very bad lookout, my dear. I have seen
some bad times, but this is the worst of all, and you have no business
here."
"Why not, dear?" she said softly.
"Because our poor fellows are doing the best they can to protect us, but
at any moment one of these savage beasts might make a dash and send his
lim-bing flying and hit you."
"Isn't it just as risky for you, dear?" said Mrs Morley quietly.
"Oh, but I am a doctor, and doctors don't count."
"Nor doctors' wives," said Mrs Morley quietly. "I shall stay. Now,
tell me, isn't it very strange that neither of the detachments have made
their way back?"
"No, my dear. They are right out in the jungle, and that explains
everything. Perhaps they are being lured farther and farther on by the
Rajah; or perhaps," he added to himself, "the poor fellows have been
surrounded and speared.--Oh," he added aloud, "we may hear a bugle at
any moment, and see the lads come in with a dash. Don't you bother your
head about military matters, but help me to bring the wounded round."
"I will, dear," said the poor woman quietly; "but tell me this--"
"Is it military?" said the Doctor.
"No, no, no, no. I was only going to say, have any of the men seen
anything of that big fellow, Dula's husband?"
"No," said the Doctor. "He and his wife disappeared during the attack,
didn't they?"
"Yes," said Mrs Morley. "I'm afraid they lost their lives."
"Humph! Maybe," said the Doctor. "It is quite enough for them to be
seen here with us to bring upon them the enemy's spears. But don't,
please, my dear--don't! I've never said a word, but you know that I
have felt it as cruelly as you, and I would have done anything to have
gone up the river with those two people to try to bring back our poor
child."
"Yes, yes, I know; and I have tried, dear, to keep my sorrow to
myself.--Hush, hush! Here's Archie Maine. Not a word before him."
Mrs Morley held out her hand to the young man as he came up, and the
Doctor nodded shortly as he saw the lad's contracted, anxious face.
"Anything fresh, boy?" said the Doctor.
"No; only the old bad news: we are coming down to the last cartridge for
the rifles, and we officers have only too few for our revolvers."
"Well," said the Doctor, "you know what the Major said. There are the
bayonets."
"Last cartridges," said Mrs Morley thoughtfully.
"Yes, my dear. It's no use to hide anything from you. The poor
fellows' pouches are pretty well empty."
"Oh, by the way," said Archie quickly, "those three poor fellows who
were just brought in--what about their pouches?"
"Oh, the bearers pretty well fought for them," said the Doctor bitterly,
"and divided the spoil. Two men got one apiece, the other a couple."
"But, Henry dear," said the Doctor's wife, laying her hand upon his arm,
"what about your double rifle at home?"
"Double gun, my dear, and one barrel rifled. I haven't done much
sporting with that lately. I was to have a tiger-shoot. But what do
you mean? Do you want me to begin potting at the enemy?"
"No, dear; I was thinking about the cartridges."
"Yes, Doctor," cried Archie excitedly. "You must have a lot of
cartridges."
"I had four boxes, my lad--two of shot, large and small, and two of
ball-cartridges for the tigers. But I haven't the least idea where they
are."
"But I know, dear--on the store-room floor. I put them there to be
dry."
"Good girl! But they're no use for our men's rifles."
"The powder would be, Doctor," said Archie; "and you might let us have
the rifle for one of the men."
"Yes, of course," said the Doctor bitterly. "But how are you going to
get them here?"
"Yes," said Archie thoughtfully; "how are we going to get them here?"
"Why, my lad," said the Doctor, "to reach the bungalow you would have to
go through a little forest of spears, and if our lads managed to cut you
out it would be only another patient for me to heal--if I could," he
added softly--"and the one we could least spare."
"Poor boy!" said Mrs Morley as Archie went slowly away. "I wish I
hadn't mentioned the cartridges. Surely he won't dream of trying to get
them?"
"Oh no; it's an impossibility. He would never be so mad."
"I don't know," said Mrs Morley. "After what has been done by the men
in volunteering to fetch in food, he will be offering to make some such
dreadful venture."
"Then he sha'n't," said the Doctor fiercely, "for I will make it my duty
to put the Major on his guard."