THE REFUGEES
The credit of the arrangements made during the next two days must be
divided between Mackenzie and Sher Jang. The former showed a capacity
for organisation which his friends had not suspected.
"Just ye listen to me," he said, when they were discussing the proposal
he had sprung upon them. "If I tell ye nothing, ye'll no have to tell
fibs, d'ye ken? The least wee bit suspicion, and our leave will be
stopped. All ye need to know is that before we start for our holiday in
earnest we're going on a private hunting expedition, which will be
perfectly true. Sher Jang and I between us will make things ready."
"That's the longest speech I've ever heard from your lips, Mac," said
Forrester with a laugh.
"Maybe," Mackenzie replied.
He was not the man to let grass grow under his feet. Within an hour
Sher Jang set off to interview certain Nagas of his acquaintance--active
forest-bred natives who had served from time to time as beaters in
hunting expeditions, and were to be depended on for nerve and
steadiness. The shikari's mission was to engage half a dozen as
carriers for such stores as it would be necessary to take. They would
be armed in case of difficulties with the natives they might encounter
on the way, though Mackenzie hoped that no hostility would be aroused by
the passage of what was ostensibly a hunting party.
Meanwhile, Mackenzie himself sought out in Dibrugarh a local native
contractor, whom he engaged to deliver a carefully calculated quantity
of food within two days at a village about twelve miles north of the
Brahmaputra. He went about among his acquaintances, trying discreetly to
pick up any information they might possess about the country northward;
but none of them had travelled more than a score of miles in that
direction, so that his cautious inquiries had little result. As Captain
Redfern was still in the delirium of fever, it became clear that the
leaders of the expedition would have to rely on themselves to discover
the place of Beresford's captivity. They anticipated little difficulty
in locating the spots Redfern had marked as "Camel's Hump" and "Monkey
Face," because in the country through which they were going the
mountains rose to a height of many thousands of feet, and eminences so
distinctive as to invite special names would no doubt be conspicuous at
a very great distance.
On the appointed day the three young fellows set off with Sher Jang and
Hamid Gul. Their departure awakened no suspicion, but only a mild envy
among those whose holidays were still to come. Arriving at the
rendezvous, they found the half-dozen Nagas awaiting them, and the
Assamese contractor with the supplies. On entering the village, Jackson
turned round with a start.
"What's up, Bob?" Forrester asked, noticing a strange look of
bewilderment in his friend's eyes.
"Nothing. I don't know," Jackson replied, slowly. "I had the rummiest
feeling--just as if some one were calling me."
Forrester laughed.
"Nerves, old chap," he said.
They went on together, thinking no more of the matter. The Nagas soon
shouldered their loads, which consisted of a light camp equipment and a
quantity of food. Forrester was about to give the order to start when
there came from a hut on the far side of the village the two Chinamen
with whom they were already acquainted, followed by two Nagas carrying
packages. The men approached in the same order as on the occasion of
their first meeting, and the younger man looked more miserable than
ever. Coming up to the Englishmen, he addressed them haltingly, in the
manner of one performing a distasteful duty against his will.
"I make humble excuses, gentlemen," he said, "but I beg a favour.
Learning that you were travelling in this direction, we ask that you
will permit us to accompany you and enjoy the benefit of your protection
until our ways part."
"I wish to goodness the fellow wouldn't look as if he were going to
snivel," Jackson whispered to Mackenzie.
"All right; don't apologise," said Forrester. "We're in rather a hurry;
I hope we shan't walk you off your legs."
The Chinaman thanked him, and fell back with his one-armed friend, whose
eyes had been bent steadily upon his face. Mackenzie went up to the
Assamese contractor.
"Ye blethering idiot!" he said. "Didn't I tell you to hold your
tongue?"
The Assamese cringed and rubbed his hands together deprecatingly. He
explained that the Chinese gentlemen had lodged in his house, and he had
only mentioned casually that he was providing stores for a hunting
party. It was an honour he much appreciated.
"Eh! Get out!" Mackenzie exclaimed in disgust. "A man that cannot hold
his tongue is a very pitiful body. We must get away at once," he added,
addressing his friends. "If this wretched creature has been talking,
the authorities have maybe got wind of it, and they'll be sending after
us."
To avoid the risk of being stopped, they wasted not a minute. The
company formed up in marching order and set off. Forrester and
Mackenzie led the way with Sher Jang; the Nagas followed: then Hamid Gul
and the Chinamen with their retainers, Jackson bringing up the rear.
The Nagas, sturdy little fellows about five feet high, brown of skin,
with bright eyes tinged with smoke, stepped out cheerfully under their
loads. These were carried in conical-shaped baskets slung from their
shoulders, and kept in position by a band of plaited cane round the
forehead.
The way led through open grass land amid trailing creepers and patches
of bog. Insects buzzed around, darting in to sting, and leeches clung
to the clothes of the white men and the bare bodies of the natives, and
could only be dislodged by the lighted tip of a cigarette. Streams had
to be forded, through beds of rushes and bamboo rising to a height of
eight or nine feet. The air was hot and moist, and the white men,
lightly clad though they were, were soon dripping with perspiration; but
they held gamely on until near mid-day, when they took a light meal,
resting afterwards for a couple of hours.
During the afternoon, Mackenzie noticed that the Chinamen had pushed
forward beyond their allotted position, and, outstripping the Nagas, had
closed up within a few yards of the leaders.
"Get back to your place," he said.
The men at once fell back, and for the rest of the day the order was
unbroken.
"You spoke rather sharply, Mac," said Forrester.
"Ay. The beggars wanted to hear our talk."
"D'you think so? They carry no loads, and, of course, walk faster than
the Nagas."
"That's true, but I don't trust 'em."
"They only want company, I fancy. The poor wretches won't feel safe
until they reach Tibet. I've read of Chinese torture, and if they're
political refugees they'll be in mortal terror of falling into the hands
of their enemies."
"Maybe," Mackenzie replied. "They've a long road to go."
"Look here, you're suspicious," said Forrester. "What's in your mind?"
"Nothing in particular. But I don't like 'em too near."
Towards nightfall they encamped in a fairly open space, and Mackenzie
assigned to the Chinamen a position well out of hearing.
On the following day they found marching more difficult. The country
rose gradually, presenting many sharp ascents and declivities, jungle
alternating with stretches of bare stony ground. As they pursued their
toilsome way they realised the stupendous exertions that Captain Redfern
must have made in travelling alone, unarmed, and without provisions
except such edible plants as he could find in this trackless country.
They met no men; Sher Jang turned aside whenever he saw human tracks.
But they sighted elephants, wild boars, and other game which appealed to
their sporting instincts. They would not delay, however, to try their
skill: on the way back, perhaps, when their errand was completed, they
might secure trophies of the chase.
Late in the afternoon of the second day they made their camp on a rocky
hillside within a few hundred yards of a small mountain stream, which
swirled its impetuous way between grassy banks. One of the Nagas
descended the slope to fetch water for cooking; the white men, weary
with the day's march, were reclining near their tent, smoking in
silence.
They were suddenly disturbed by a shout from below, an agonised cry for
help. It was followed by a shrill sound which the white men had never
heard before, but which caused the shikari to spring to his feet in
excitement.
"Elephant, sahib!" he cried.
Almost at the same moment the Naga, his eyes distended with terror,
broke out of the long grass at the edge of the stream, and ran up the
slope towards the camp. A few yards behind him came a huge elephant,
its trunk uplifted, filling the air with its squeals of rage.
The white men seized their guns. But between them and the elephant were
the Nagas, who, on the first alarm, rushed helter-skelter towards the
tent. It was impossible to fire without hitting them. Heedless of the
white men's shouts, they did not turn aside and so allow a clear space
for shooting.
"We must cut and run," cried Forrester.
The three turned among the terrified natives, and the whole party
scattered in all directions up the hill. The elephant charged on,
crashed into the tent and levelled it with the ground, and rushed with
infuriated bellowings in pursuit of the fugitives.
In the haste and excitement of the moment, Forrester had taken no heed
of the rest of the party. The appearance of the monstrous beast was so
sudden and unexpected, the fury of its thunderous onset so alarming,
that dismay and confusion might have been forgiven to the most
experienced of hunters. But he became aware that in the dispersion of
the party, the young Chinaman, whether by accident or design, was within
a few feet of him, making, like himself, for the shelter of a belt of
trees a little above them. They entered it almost side by side, and
Forrester, gathering his wits, began to dodge in and out among the
trees, knowing that the elephant would be at a great disadvantage in
following him by reason of its unwieldy bulk.
For a few moments he was too much preoccupied to think of the Chinaman.
But the thuds of the great hoofs growing fainter, he stood still and
looked to see what had become of the young man. To his horror he saw
that the youth had run straight through the copse to a clear rocky space
beyond, where the elephant, with a speed which its lumbering frame
little promised, was rapidly overtaking him. Divided between alarm for
the Chinaman's safety and annoyance at his stupidity, Forrester sprinted
through the copse, hoping at least to divert the beast and give the
fugitive a chance.
The Chinaman's luck was against him. Ignorant of the fact that elephants
have difficulty in running obliquely up a slope, he was racing straight
up hill, the animal, screaming shrilly, only a dozen yards behind.
Forrester perceived that in a very few moments the hapless youth must
inevitably be run down and trampled to death unless the elephant were
checked at once. He stopped short, threw up his rifle and fired. The
bullet had as little effect on the tough hide as a pea might have had.
Neither the report nor the impact caused the elephant to swerve.
[Illustration: The terrified Chinaman raced up the hill, the elephant,
screaming shrilly, close behind him. Forrester threw up his rifle and
fired, but on that tough hide the bullet had no effect.]
"Behind the ear!" Forrester said to himself, as he lifted the rifle for
a second shot, and steadied himself to take a careful aim. He fired, and
could scarcely believe his eyes when the huge creature stumbled forward,
recovered itself, then rolled over sideways and lay stretched upon the
ground.
Breathless, quivering from his exertions, Forrester stood gazing upon
the inert lump. He was barely conscious of the shouts of his party
beyond the copse and higher up the hill. But in a moment he was roused
from his brief abstraction. The young Chinaman, seeing that there was
nothing more to fear, had hastened back. He came eagerly up to his
rescuer, and began to speak in a low, agitated voice.
"Sir--sir," he gulped, trying to regain his breath; and Forrester was
amazed at the change that had come over him. Gone was the languid
droop, the timid mien, the furtive cringing expression of the eye. The
lad stood erect; his eyes shone; words flowed from his lips, not in the
sing-song of one repeating a lesson, but with the modulations of
spontaneous energy and a full heart.
"Sir, sir," he said, "twice you have saved my life. Will you not help
me again? Save me from I know not what. I am not what I seem, the
servant of that horrible man. We are not refugees. My father is a
mandarin, the governor of Szechuan; I am his eldest son. Six months ago
that man, Wen Shih, entered my father's service; he was a diligent
servant, and was trusted by all. He gained my confidence; we were much
together. One day he bade me come with him a journey, and I came, and I
cannot get away. Where we go I know not, but I fear, I fear! He holds
me, he commands me, he--he is calling me!"
At these last words his tone fell to a murmur, his jaw dropped, and a
look of terror came into his eyes.
"Go on; tell me more," said Forrester, taking the Chinaman by the arm.
"He is calling me," the youth murmured again, though his elder companion
was not within sight, nor could his voice be heard. He turned slowly
about, and with head hung forward and arms outstretched before him, in
the attitude of a man groping in the dark, he staggered rather than
walked back towards the camp.