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Gil the Gunner; or, The Youngest Officer in the East, a novel by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 26 |
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_ CHAPTER TWENTY SIX. Brace and the infantry officers passed between the guns, and took a few steps forward to meet the bearer of the flag of truce, who came forward alone and saluted them, but with a haughty, contemptuous look. "Well, sir," said the colonel, "have you a despatch or message?" As the colonel spoke, I saw that a larger party of cavalry had collected behind the little group which accompanied the officer, and one of the infantry men at a window above my head whispered down to me that there were more behind. This put me on the watch; and I spoke to my men not to make the slightest movement, but to be ready. All this was almost momentary, and the next instant, as I kept a keen eye on the enemy, I was listening to the sowar officer speaking. "His Highness the Maharajah Ny Deen, who has with him now an army, many as the sands of the holy river, surrounding you on all sides, bids you lay down your arms and surrender." "Yes; and what then?" "His highness will treat you as prisoners, but kindly; and your lives will be spared. But you must lay down your arms at once, and march out." "For his bloodthirsty band of cut-throats to fall upon us, and treat us as they do all unarmed men." "His Highness the Maharajah gives you his word that your lives will be spared." "And if we refuse to surrender, what then?" "Your bodies will be given to the crows and vultures," said the officer. "For by sundown nothing of you will be left alive." "Look here, sir," said the colonel; "have you ever read the Bible?" "No; I read the Koran," said the native officer, whose haughty, overbearing way seemed to be humbled before the stern Englishman who addressed him. "Read in the Bible, too, and you will find there about how one Rabshakeh came summoning a people to surrender. He boasted, and so do you." "Do you surrender?" said the officer, with an attempt to resume his haughty tone of supremacy. "No. Go and tell your mutinous master that we are ready to meet and punish him and his treacherous following of traitors, who are false to the queen they swore to serve. Tell him that if he will lay down his arms, and surrender to her Majesty's and the great Company's troops, he will have justice done, and to send no more messages here. They are insults to honourable gentlemen and their followers." "Then you refuse his highness's mercy?" said the officer, haughtily. "Back, sir, and deliver your message," cried the colonel; "and tell his highness that if he dares to send any of his insolent mutinous scoundrels here again, I shall fire upon them. A flag of truce is not to protect traitors." The man scowled, and seemed to writhe at the contemptuous manner in which he had been treated. Then, in obedience to long habit, he saluted and rode back with his men. "Yes, we must act at once," said the colonel; "and take the initiative." "In, quick!" I shouted, as I caught sight of a movement in front; and so cleverly and quickly was the manoeuvre carried out, that as the three officers passed between the guns, a column of mounted men came tearing along the street. But I was ready, and one gun thundered out its defiance, the shot sending the column into confusion; but they dashed on, and were within forty yards of us when the second gun bellowed with such dire effect that the foremost men turned and fled, throwing those who still advanced into confusion, and giving our men time to reload; while the infantry commenced firing from the windows on either side, and a company waiting a hundred yards away in reserve came up at the double, and, with fixed bayonets, took up their position, ready to protect the guns. It was my first responsible piece of action, in charge of the guns alone, and as I saw the dire havoc my orders had caused, a curious sickening sensation attacked me, and for a few moments all seemed dim. Just then our Irish gunner Brian exclaimed, forgetful of discipline in his excitement-- "Look at that now! Murther! what would my poor ould mother say, if she saw what I've done?" He had fired the second gun, and he stood scratching his ear with a curiously perplexed look on his droll countenance. Then he brightened up, and shook his head at the poor wretches who were crawling from among the injured horses to get into shelter of the houses to right and left. "Bedad!" he cried, fiercely, "I don't moind a bit. Come on, and I'll do it again. I'd forgotten about the summer-house and the fire." "'Tention!" "Yis, sor. I beg pardon. It was me excitement." But the enemy did not come on again; the lesson had been too terrible, and we all stood there, hot with excitement and fretting against the inaction; while preparations were being rapidly made behind us for evacuating the residency, the infantry now manned the roof, keeping down observations by a shot or two now and then at any of the enemy who appeared at the windows of the houses near. But I knew that before long they must know of our intention to retreat, and I stood there with my men on the strain, and watching the people who came to the help of the wounded and carried them away. "Oh, murther!" muttered Brian, at last, as if his tongue would not rest without speaking; "if Oi were a fut-artilleryman, I should desart. I couldn't stand much of this." "Will you be silent, sir!" I cried sternly. "Sure, sor, it isn't me; it's me tongue, bad luck to it. But, beggin' your hanner's pardon, would ye order one of the naygers to bring round a dhrink o' wather." I ordered a bucketful to be fetched, for we were all suffering from thirst and from the unnecessary heat produced by our clothes, which, like those provided for the British soldier, were utterly unsuited for our work, everything being sacrificed for show. The men drank the cool water with avidity, Brian looking at me with twinkling eyes as he helped himself to a second pannikin. "Talk about yer port wines and champagnes, sor," he said; "there's ownly two things fit to dhrink, and one's whiskey, and the other's wather." "Why, you said the other day there was nothing like _tay_," cried one of the men. "Sure an' I did, for ould women," retorted Brian; "but even they put a dhrop o' whiskey in it sometimes." "Silence!" I cried, very much against my will; and the men were back in their places as stiff as if on parade, till I heard orders given. There was the clattering of hoofs; the horses came up, the guns were hooked on to the limbers, and the next minute we were mounted, leaving the company of foot holding the street. I was not long kept in doubt as to the arrangements, for, as we were moved into the square, there was the rest of our troop with the four guns, and I saw that the ammunition and baggage-waggons, water-tubs, and provender, were, along with the elephants, ready to come out with the foot regiment, leaving us free to dash out and clear the way, acting as cavalry or artillery as the need arose. When all was quite ready, it had been arranged that we should make for the open country down the street which Haynes had been holding, and where a company of foot were now stationed to replace the two guns. As I glanced up at the residency, I could see that about half a dozen soldiers were still on the roof, otherwise the place was completely evacuated, and the men waiting eagerly for the advance. Then I heard the final arrangements made with the colonel, who was to put his column in motion directly, and follow us with the elephants and waggons, it being left to Brace to occupy the best position he could. At this time a shot or two from a distance was being aimed by the enemy's matchlock men, at the sentries on the residency roof, but no harm was done, and, saving the dull distant hum of many people swarming in the town, all was so still that our evacuation of the place promised to be a very simple and easy affair. And there we sat watching the various companies of the foot regiment ranged up; that occupying the street Haynes had held being the advance; that by us was the main body and baggage-guard; whilst the company who had been with us was to form the rear. Then orders were given, and a message brought back that the road we were to take seemed clear; and we waited a few minutes more, while Brace sent out an advance-guard of three of our mounted men, to go on by the infantry picket straight for the plain. These were anxious moments. There was a pause, and then we waited for the order to advance. How vividly it all comes back; the dazzling sunshine flashing from arms and accoutrements; the stern, sun-browned, determined faces of the men; and, with their shadows looking dwarfed and strange, there were the three huge elephants nodding their heads and swinging them from side to side, as they writhed and curled their trunks, lifting first one foot and then the other, impatient to be on the move. At last the word was given, and as the foot regiment stepped out toward the opening in the main street, along which we were to pass, our advance was on the way, in a quick walk, which, as we entered the street held by the foot company, which opened and stood back on either side to let us pass, became a trot with the horses' hoofs clattering and the guns and limber wheels rattling loudly. There was a disposition on the part of the men to give us a cheer as we passed, but a stern command stayed them; and on we went, feeling that we had, after all, an easy task to perform, for everything was so still. I was with the two centre guns, and I glanced back to see that, as our last man passed, the company of foot marched after us. Then Brace gave a sharp order, the trumpet rang out, and we thundered on at a gallop, for he had seen the meaning of the silence; the enemy had either received a hint from one of the native followers, who must have deserted, or have divined our probable course of action, for suddenly men appeared on the tops of the houses on either side of the road, and began firing, while right in front a body of sepoys, followed by a squadron of horse, occupied the street from side turnings to block our way. I expected to hear the halt called for the guns to be unlimbered, so as to clear the road before us, but Brace kept to the plans laid down for his guidance. Passing almost unscathed among the bullets which pattered around, we increased our pace, dashing straight at the natives in front with such a roar of horse hoof and wheel, accompanied by so fierce a cheer, that before we reached them the mutineers broke and fled into the shelter of the side streets, and we thundered by, our advance cutting up the stragglers who could not escape, and soon reaching the suburbs, and then the open plain. Here Brace halted upon a mound, from which there was a good view of the road by which we had come, while just behind was a dense tope or patch of forest that would give our infantry a tremendously strong position, and from which they were not easily to be dislodged by an enemy not provided with guns. The fight had begun, for, as we unlimbered, we could see quite a mob of the enemy closing in from right and left to check the advance of the foot regiment, which they knew could only come on slowly, while probably they looked upon us as out of the engagement, having made good our retreat. As we loaded, the steady rattle of musketry began to increase, telling us that our friends were having to fight their way, and ours was the task to help them, and to undeceive the enemy, whose ranks thickened, and about whom had hovered two large bodies of sowars, waiting their turn to attack as soon as the foot regiment began to file into the open. "Now is our time," said Brace, excitedly; and then, suddenly growing calm, "Don't waste a shot, my lads. Good careful aim." There was a few moments' pause while Brace examined the gathering groups with his glass, and gave us a few final instructions. Then the guns came into action with a steady, regular fire from right to left, shot following shot, so that at the second round the effect had been almost magical. One minute body after body of men were crowding up toward the road, the next they were scattering and seeking the shelter of the houses, while our attention was now directed toward the two columns of cavalry. Meanwhile the rattle of the musketry came fiercer and louder, telling that our friends had not been checked, but were steadily advancing through a terrible fire; but I knew that the heavy boom of our guns must encourage them, and I looked on with a strange eagerness as my two guns were sponged and loaded, giving directions to the men for their next aims. These were, as I have said, at the white squadron of native cavalry, the men whom our people had so carefully trained, with the result that their English officers were slain, and the native officers in command. I could see for myself that there was very little of the guiding spirit of our generals at work, each commander of a regiment acting according to his own ideas, and I was thinking, young soldier as I was, that if I had had command, I should have sent forward one of the native regiments in skirmishing order to attack us while the two sowar regiments had been sent off right and left to try and cut us off, the result being, I thought, the almost certain routing and capture of our own troops. But nothing of the kind was done; the officers in command of the cavalry sat watching the sepoy ranks being ploughed up by our grape and canister, till they scattered to shelter, and commenced a useless fire upon us, and then seemed utterly astounded as round shot after round shot plunged in among their squadrons, making terrible gaps, and throwing them into utter confusion. But they closed up again as well as they could, and sat fast in spite of dozens of the men taking fright and galloping off with riderless horses over the plain; but half a dozen more shots scattered them again, and now for the first time the idea seemed to enter the brains of their leaders that they must act in concert, and after a trooper had dashed across the road from one side to the other, the new columns advanced, and we directed our fire right at the thick masses in which they were formed. To my mind we had time for one shot, and then I expected the call to limber up and gallop off, but it did not come; and as we loaded again, then, with a roar like that of a tempest, the sowars came on till, as we fired again, we could see their gleaming eyes and the savage rage and hate in their countenances. I knew that we should have no time to retreat after those six shots, and felt that in a few seconds I should be in the midst of a terrible _melee_. But our men fired grape and canister now, and as gun after gun sent out its puff of smoke, a perfect tempest of bullets surged through the columns, while as I sat fast, panting and awaiting their charge, I found that Brace knew the enemy better than I, for as the shot tore among them they broke off to right and left, scattering as they went back toward the spots from which they had started on their desperate charge, leaving scores of their men about upon the plain. "Risky," said Brace to me, as the men ceased firing, and waited for fresh orders; "but I knew our lads would be steady, and that the scoundrels would never hold together after those last charges of grape." "And if they had kept together?" "If," he said, smiling. "Well, then they would have cut us all down with their tulwars; but they could not keep together--no sowars could bear such a tempest as that. Some of them were sure to turn tail, and then force of example upsets more, and the rest followed them in such a retreat as you see." "Look! they are gathering again on each side of the road. Round shot." Two guns dispersed them this time, for they were evidently preparing to revenge themselves upon our friends, who had by this time reached the outskirts of the place, as we could see by the dotted puffs of smoke rising whitely here and there among the houses. Just then, though, we saw a fresh body of sepoys, many hundreds strong, debouching from a road some fifty yards from that by which we had issued from the place, evidently to intercept our friends. There was very little order among them in spite of their being, as their uniform showed, men of sepoy regiments, and their confusion was our opportunity. There was a slight alteration of the guns, so that their fire might be concentrated; and just as they were tearing along, and we saw the skirmishers of our party issuing from among the houses, we opened a terrible fire of grape. The effect was wonderful. At the first shot, the sepoys halted; at the second they wavered, and by the time the sixth had sent in its deadly storm, their survivors were in full flight, while, cheering loudly, our column marched out into sight, and now for the first time, and just as the waggons and elephants came full in view, we heard, instead of the rattle of scattered firing, the heavy roar of a volley in the rear. Then the order was given to double, and the column came on with a couple of companies in the rear now in sight, taking it in turns to halt, kneel, and fire a volley before turning and doubling past their comrades waiting to hold the enemy in check and fire a volley in turn. For the enemy were in force behind them, and came pouring out in pursuit till nearly a couple of thousand men must have rushed out of the wide road, and as they opened out to right and left, firing on the retreating regiment, the position of our friends was growing perilous in the extreme. Men were dropping fast, and it was evident that the two rear companies wanted support. The support was coming, for our guns were run off to our right, took up fresh position where we could fire clear of our own men, and rapidly as they could be served, and the heated vents would permit, a terrific fire was brought to bear upon the sepoys, crushing them so effectually that ten minutes after, and only followed by a scattered fire, the infantry regiment reached the patch of wood, the elephants, ammunition-waggons, and native followers were placed in safety, and the colonel found time to canter up to Brace and warmly wring his hand. "Splendid!" he cried. "We have lost wonderfully few." Then aloud to our troop, "Thank you, my lads, thank you." "Oh, it's all right, colonel dear," I heard Brian say in a loud voice; "we shall be wanting ye to hilp us before long." _ |
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