charged down the hill, shouting and singing in the most gallant
fashion, the Colonel at their head; and the others who were coming
up behind quickened their pace and followed them. They spread out as
they got into the open, so as to charge the whole front of the wooden
infantry. Colonel Jim held his own little troop back, partly out of
politeness to the Colonel of Lancers, partly because their horses were
blown.
It had all happened so quickly that Peggy had not had time to be
frightened yet. But the noise of the horses galloping and the men
shouting got louder and louder, and the wooden soldiers had now got so
near that their shouts could be heard too, as they stood to receive the
shock of the cavalry. She suddenly shrieked, and clung to Wooden. “Oh,
they’re not going to kill each other, are they?” she cried. “Do let’s
go away!”
Wooden soothed her. “Of course they’re not going to kill each other,
dear,” she said. “Soldiers don’t do that in Toyland. They only knock
each other down; and whichever side knocks most down wins.”
This relieved Peggy’s fears a little, and in any case she was in the
thick of it now, and had to see it through. She was really a plucky
little girl, and by the time the cavalry got to the bottom of the hill
she had partly recovered from her fright, and did not shut her eyes.
The cavalry rode gallantly at the thick mass of soldiers, with their
lances levelled, and whenever they hit a wooden soldier, down he went.
The wooden soldiers fired their rifles at them as they came down the
hill, and knocked over a few. But the bullets, which were small peas,
of a kind grown specially for rifle ammunition, were not big enough
to do much damage against men and horses coming so fast. It was only
when several bullets hit the same soldier, or his horse, that they were
knocked over. But the foot-soldiers left off firing and began to use
their bayonets when the cavalry got amongst them, and then they did
knock over a large number of men and horses, though not nearly so many
as the Lancers knocked over of them.
It was most fascinating to watch. The Lancers went on and on through
the masses of infantry, and wherever they went, down fell heaps of
wooden soldiers. And when they were knocked down they lay quite still
on the ground, and took no further interest in the proceedings. But the
farther in the Lancers went the less they became, as men and horses
were bowled over in their turn. It was just as if they were being
swallowed up in the great mass of red and white, and there were so many
of the wooden soldiers that it soon became plain that in a short time
the Lancers would all disappear.
Peggy watched the Colonel, who was always in front, fight his way
steadily on, dealing lightning blows to right and left of him. But at
last he went down, and the red coats were almost as thick as before,
and still more were always coming up from the fort.
It was then that Colonel Jim rallied his little troop for a last
gallant charge. Teddy had galloped back through the wood, while the
Lancers were charging, to hurry up the guns. He now came tearing back,
and said to Colonel Jim in a hurried voice, “The guns will be here in
a couple of minutes. If you can keep them back till then we shall have
them beaten.”
“I’ll try,” said Colonel Jim, looking at his little troop, which seemed
almost nothing at all compared to the masses of soldiers advancing on
them; and then he gave the word to charge.
It was a desperate effort. The shock of the Lancers’ charge had now
spent itself. The wooden soldiers, who had been kept back by it for a
time which was short measured by minutes, but of inestimable value to
the defenders of the wood, were now forming at the foot of the hill.
If they succeeded in getting to the top of it, the little party in
the wood would be surrounded and taken prisoners. Could Colonel Jim’s
handful of men save them?
The troopers were given instructions to form themselves into a line at
the edge of the wood, and then to charge down the hill all together.
They rode out of the shelter of the trees, and formed their line with
as much coolness as if they were on parade. The foot-soldiers began
firing again, and the bullets pattered on their cuirasses like hail,
but had no effect upon these heroes, except to sting them up when they
caught them in their faces, and to make their horses restive. Peggy
could hear the bullets whistling and pattering amongst the leaves of
the trees over her head, but she and the dolls had been withdrawn a
little into the wood. Owing to the angle at which the wooden soldiers
fired, there was no danger for them as long as the firing was from the
bottom of the hill.
It took the life-guardsmen a very short time to form into line, and,
as the wooden soldiers had halted to fire at them, the time was not
wasted. The moment they were in line, Colonel Jim, who was in the
middle, slightly in advance of the rest, gave the word to charge.
Down swept the splendid little band, in an irresistible charge. It
was no good firing at them any longer, and the wooden soldiers stood
with bayonets fixed to receive the shock. Wooden’s aunt, who had been
getting more and more excited at what was happening, ran forward to the
edge of the wood to watch, and Peggy and the others went with her.
The sudden leaving off of the firing made a lull, in which the noise of
the horses’ hoofs could be heard thundering down the hill. When they
reached the bottom, the shock of the encounter was just like hammer
blows, as wood met metal.
The front line of wooden soldiers seemed to waver a little as the
horsemen approached them. And no wonder! The wooden soldiers were brave
enough, and they did not yet know that they were fighting in a bad
cause, so there was nothing to make them cowards. But the first line
of them, at least, must have known that they would all go down before
the irresistible charge, and it spoke well for them that they stood and
waited for it, instead of running away.
It was not only the front line that went down under the weight, but the
second and third. It really looked for a moment as if that single line
of heavy cavalry would push the opposing host back all by itself. And,
so far, not a single man or horse of them had fallen.
But the impetus of the furious charge was bound to spend itself. A
life-guardsman went down, and then another. But still they struggled
on, Colonel Jim in front of them fighting desperately, as the Colonel
of the Lancers had done. It was no longer a line of steel destroying
everything in front of it as it swept on, but a few scattered horsemen,
fighting gloriously against overwhelming odds.
But still they did advance, and for every horse and rider that went
down a score or more of foot soldiers bit the dust.
“They’ll do it! They’ll do it!” yelled Wooden’s aunt, dancing about in
a state of tremendous excitement.
Teddy, sitting on his horse, was no less excited. “They’re giving way!”
he cried. And Peggy distinctly saw a quiver run through the mass of
wooden soldiers, like wind passing over a field of corn.
At this very moment there was a roar and a rumble from the wood behind,
and the artillery came galloping up, just in the nick of time. A great
shout was raised, which struck terror into the hearts of the wooden
soldiers down below. Before the first gun could be unlimbered and
pointed at them, the great mass of red coats turned and broke. Colonel
Jim, and all that was left of his little troop, took up the shout, and
redoubled their efforts. They had it all their own way now. The enemy
was flying, and not one wooden soldier tried to knock them down any
more, but only to escape their blows, and get back in safety to the
fort.
The big guns got to work. One of them was quite near to where Peggy and
the Woodens were standing. It was quickly loaded with gunpowder and an
enormous pea. She stopped her ears as it was fired, but the noise was
not so bad as if it had been a real gun. She distinctly saw the great
pea fall in the middle of the fleeing army, and then go bowling along,
knocking over lots of soldiers before its force had spent itself.
[Illustration: The big guns got to work]
Orders soon came, however, for the artillery to cease firing. More
regiments of cavalry were coming up through the wood. As they arrived
they were sent down to pursue the wooden soldiers, and also to ride
round them, and cut them off from the fort. There was no necessity to
knock down any more of them. If they were surrounded they would be
obliged to surrender, and this would come to the same thing. The guns
would be wanted to reduce the fort, and, until further supplies of
ammunition came up, they did not want to waste it.
It was a pretty sight to see the cavalry galloping over the downs,
outflanking the flying red coats, and presently getting between them
and the fort. But a good many wooden soldiers who had only got a little
way out when the rout began had already succeeded in making their way
back. There would be plenty to defend the fort, if Selim should decide
to try to hold it.
[Illustration]
XVIII
THE SIEGE
The great contest that would be known in the history of Toyland as the
Battle of the Downs had been fought and won. But Queen Rosebud was not
yet set free, and Selim was not yet captured. There was still stern
work to be done. Dollfort must be taken at all costs, and as it was one
of the strongest forts in the country that would be no light matter.
The affair, however, was set in hand at once. The artillery limbered
up and galloped down the hill and trotted across the downs, making a
fine show. There were about twenty guns--quite enough to make a breach
in the walls. But when they had done so, infantry would be required
to pour in through the breach and complete the work that the guns had
begun. The cavalry had already done their share, and would not be of
much use for this task For in the valiant army of Toyland it was not
customary to use horse-soldiers apart from their horses.
But Teddy, who seemed to have thought of everything, had asked for
infantry to be sent from Dolltown, as well as cavalry and artillery,
and almost as soon as the guns had thundered off down the hill the
first detachment of foot-soldiers came up through the wood.
If they had had to march from Dolltown they could not have been there
in time; but all the available conveyances had been used to bring
them up. The first lot arrived in toy motor-cars, and then followed
carriages and cabs and carts in quick succession, until quite enough
men were there to overcome any resistance the fort might make.
Peggy, and the little group of civilian dolls watched the first
regiment form up and march away towards their task at Dollfort. It was
a regiment of wooden soldiers, and the Lord Chancellor said he thought
that was a mistake, as they would not like fighting against their
own sort. But Teddy, who came up to say a word to them now and then,
laughed at this. “They are all loyal,” he said. “So will the soldiers
at Dollfort be, when they know the truth.”
There was certainly no lack of eagerness shown by this fine regiment,
as it marched down the hill with its flag at its head. Peggy was
interested to see Captain Louisa marching with one of the companies. He
had said that his men would follow him anywhere, and she was glad to
see that he was prepared to fight on the side of the right.
When the first regiment had marched off, Teddy came up to them and
said, “I think we might go now. You’d like to see the guns knock the
fort down, wouldn’t you?”
Peggy said she should like it very much. She had always liked playing
with her boy cousin with his soldiers, and this was just like one of
the battles and sieges that they had arranged, only on an enormous,
glorious scale. Since she had seen that there was no horrible
bloodshed, but only fair and square knocking down, from which none of
the soldiers would be much the worse afterwards, she had ceased to feel
any alarm at the fighting, and was quite ready to see some more of it.
They rode across the downs towards Dollfort, and now Teddy had time to
tell them how he had so luckily been able to bring up the troops, and
spoil Selim’s little game.
He had been galloping along the road after the two carriages and must
have nearly caught them up, when he had met Japhet, Mr. Noah’s third
son. He had been just about to pass him with a wave of the paw, when
Japhet had stopped him, and told him some most important news.
[Illustration]
Now Japhet was a mild-mannered, studious young man, whose great hobby
was the collection of wildflowers, which he pressed in a book. Whenever
he was off duty on the royal Ark, he used to wander about the country
picking flowers. Sometimes he went alone, and sometimes with a friend,
who shared the same tastes. This friend was also in the royal service.
In fact, he was none other than the driver of the carriage in which
Selim had run away with Queen Rosebud. Japhet had made arrangements to
meet him that very evening on the road between Dolltown and Dollfort,
and have a good long ramble with him.
It was fortunate that it was just on this road that Japhet had arranged
to meet his friend. Of course, if he had not come, Japhet would have
known that it was because he was on duty; but he would not have known
where he was going.
As the carriage passed, Japhet waved to his friend, and asked him where
he was going. His friend said “Dollfort.” They both spoke under their
breaths, making great movement with their mouths, and the driver also
made a movement with his head towards the carriage behind him, and said
in the same way, “I’ve got the old man with me.” This was how these two
talked to each other about Selim, and was not meant for disrespect, as
they would not have done it in public.
Teddy said, “Are you sure he said Dollfort and not Dollport?”
Japhet said he was quite sure, because he had jerked his thumb to the
right, where Dollfort was. If he had meant Dollport, he would have
pointed straight ahead.
Then Teddy had seen it all. Selim was not going to try to escape by
sea, with Queen Rosebud, but was going to rouse the wooden soldiers
of Dollfort, and perhaps try to get the kingdom back with their help.
So Teddy turned sharp round, and rode back to Dolltown--but not along
the road by which he had come--leaving Japhet standing there in
considerable surprise.
When he had told his story, the Lord Chancellor asked him why he had
not come back and told them what he had found out. He was annoyed about
it. “If it had not been for our own extreme cleverness,” he said, “we
might have gone off on a false scent to Dollport, and not known where
they had gone to at all.”
Teddy grinned up at him rather impudently. “You wouldn’t have been much
loss,” he said. “I knew it would take you about a month to start, if
you started at all; and I wanted to take the short cut to the barracks.
There was no time to be lost.”
“It’s as well you did,” said Mr. Noah. “The troops only came up just
in the nick of time. Five minutes more, and the enemy would have been
entrenched in the wood.”
As they rode across the downs, they passed heaps of soldiers lying on
the ground, most of which were wooden soldiers of the attacking party;
but some were men and horses of the Lifeguards and the Lancers. None of
them were much damaged, but they hated lying there and doing nothing,
and implored to be picked up.
But they were told that there wasn’t time for that. The ambulance corps
would be sent out as soon as possible, and they must wait for that.
The only soldier they did pick up was the Colonel of Lancers, who rode
along with them, very glad for his horse to be on its feet again. He
was proud of the charge that his regiment had made, but would not take
any credit for his own share of it. He said that he had only done his
duty as a soldier should.
When they arrived at the houses in front of the fort, the guns had
already got to work. The cavalry had gone into the streets, and told
all the inhabitants to come away, as in five minutes their houses were
going to be knocked down. It was necessary to destroy them, in order to
have a clear range at the walls of the fort, and as our little party
came up the dolls’ houses of the town were toppling down in dozens as
the guns fired at them. All the poor dolls who had been told to leave
them were gathered in a body on a low hill to the right, watching
the destruction of their homes, and it was sad to hear the wails and
lamentations that arose from them; for they had not had time to bring
anything away. Perhaps their possessions were not worth very much, but
still, a home is a home to those who live in it. Be it ever so humble,
there is no place like it, as the song says, and it was not nice for
these poor people to see their homes knocked down by great peas as big
as wardrobes. However, the houses would all be put up again as soon as
the siege was over, and the poor dolls would not be any the worse off.
[Illustration: All the poor dolls were gathered in a body]
The hill on which the refugees were crowded was out of the line of
fire, and our party went there to watch what was going on.
It was not quite such an easy matter to reduce the fort as it first
appeared. For one thing, the walls had been built to resist such
attacks, and would be more difficult to demolish than the houses
outside them. And for another thing, the artillery did not have it all
its own way. There were, of course, guns in the fort itself, and they
were already doing great damage to the attacking forces. The shooting
was not quite so good as it might have been, and the artillery-men in
the field were very clever in moving their guns about quickly, so that
whenever they had fired they would move away to a new position, and
the guns in the fort always had to be finding new ranges.
Still, one field-gun after another was put out of action, and now there
were only about half of them left to do the work.
The situation was as follows. The houses in the way had all been
knocked down, leaving the battlements of the fort open to attack, but
it had cost half the artillery to do it. Would the other half be enough
to make a breach in the walls, through which the infantry could pour
in and do their work, before they were put out of action, too? And
supposing they did, would enough infantry arrive in time to do the
pouring in? It was touch and go, as all the episodes of this great
battle had been.
As for the infantry, the wooden regiment in which Captain Louisa served
had already come up, and was resting under cover waiting till the time
came for it to make its attack. And across the downs were marching more
regiments, all of lead soldiers. Yes, the infantry would be ready, if
the guns could do their work in time.
The artillery now changed its tactics. The time had gone by for moving
about and firing guns singly. They would never make a hole in those
stout walls, unless all of them fired at one place together. This then
was what they had to do. It was costly, because when once the guns of
the fort had found the range, they could knock them all out pretty
quickly. But it was the only way.
The Colonel of Lancers explained all this very politely to Peggy, and
she watched with breathless interest this exceedingly important phase
of the battle.
There was silence from the field artillery while the guns were all
being trained on to one place in the walls. But the guns from the fort
redoubled their efforts. One of them had the good luck to find the
range immediately. The moment the field-guns had galloped up to the
position that had been decided on, a great bullet came bounding along
and knocked one of the batteries down. Then the others found the range.
The field-guns were pointed and loaded wonderfully quickly, but before
any of them could actually fire, five of them had been knocked out.
Just as the order to fire was given, two more were knocked out. So the
great blow was only delivered by three guns.
They might just have done it if the balls had all hit exactly the same
spot in the walls. Two of them hit it exactly, but the third went a
little wild. Peggy distinctly heard them hit the wall. There was a
little fall of masonry and a cloud of dust. When this cleared away,
she looked eagerly for a hole in the wall. But no hole was there. Those
frowning battlements stood as whole and nearly as strong as before.
Immediately afterwards the remaining field-guns were put out of action
by the guns of the fort. The artillery attack had failed, and a
tremendous cheer arose from the soldiers who were crowding the walls of
the fort watching the Homeric contest.
But their cheering soon died away, for this was not the end of it. What
followed happened so quickly that Peggy could not afterwards remember
exactly how it did happen. But almost before she could draw breath the
wooden regiment which had come up first was charging towards the fort
with lusty shouts. Shots from the guns in the fort mowed them down in
long lanes, but still they charged on. They swarmed over the ruins of
the houses, and reached the very walls of the fort; and when they got
there they began swarming up the walls themselves, just like flies.
It was a most gallant assault. They were under shelter from the guns
of the fort, but the soldiers on the battlements could reach them,
and made great havoc in their ranks. They climbed up on each other’s
shoulders, but directly one of them reached the top he was knocked
down, and then the next one was knocked down, and sometimes a whole
line of men was toppled over.
But there were always more to take the place of those who fell. A
regiment of lead soldiers came dashing up to help them, and then
another and then another still. The advantage of numbers was on the
attacking side now, but the advantage of position was very much with
the soldiers of the fort, and it seemed impossible that anybody should
ever succeed in climbing over the top of the wall.
But a lot of sharpshooters were told off to aim at the soldiers who
were manning the walls, and they did their work very cleverly, picking
them off one by one. The guns of the fort were trained on them, and
they went down in large numbers, but they imitated the tactics of the
artillery, and never fired twice from the same spot; and gradually they
made an impression. There came a moment when the soldiers on the top of
the wall did not seem quite so thick as before. And when that moment
came there was a great shout from the regiments below, and from the
onlookers. For at last a soldier attacking the wall scrambled on to the
top of it.
They saw him stand for a second laying about him at the defenders, and
then he went down. But not before two or three more had climbed over.
After that it was quickly finished. More and more soldiers reached
the top, until presently the defence almost ceased, and the defendant
forces were driven away from the top of the walls altogether.
Another shout went up when the great gate in front of the fort was seen
slowly to roll open. And then the gallant soldiers ceased climbing up
over the wall, and poured in through the gate, to finish the work that
had been so splendidly begun.
[Illustration]
XIX
SELIM IS CAPTURED
The final reduction of Dollfort would have taken longer than it
actually did if the citadel at the top of it had not been closed for
spring cleaning. Selim and Rose would certainly have taken refuge
there, and would have been defended by those that remained of the
wooden soldiers. The citadel was very strong, and it might not have
been possible to take it by assault at all. They might have had to
starve it into surrender, and that would have taken a long time.
However, by a lucky chance, the commander of the fort, who was rather
fussy, had said the day before that he couldn’t have the place
looking like a pig-sty, and it was to be thoroughly cleaned out and
white-washed. This was being done when Selim drove into the fort, and
the fighting had followed so soon that there had been no opportunity of
putting the citadel into any sort of shape to resist attack.
Soon after the fort was taken, Peggy and the others were allowed to
ride into it through the gateway that had been opened by the attacking
party. As they came into the first narrow street of the fort a wooden
officer was standing by the gate. It was none other than Captain
Louisa, who saluted his old friends, and said he was very glad to see
them there.
Another officer who was standing with him, patted him on the back, and
said, “You haven’t told them that it was you who was first over the
wall.”
“That was nothing,” said Captain Louisa modestly. “I was only doing my
duty as a soldier should.”