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The Kopje Garrison: A Story of the Boer War, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 24. The Sergeant In His Element |
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_ CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR. THE SERGEANT IN HIS ELEMENT Dickenson dashed off and climbed the low kopje, zigzagging among rough stone walls, rifle-pits, and other shelter, and noting that, if the Boers came upon them before they could retreat, there was a strong position for the men from which they could keep the enemy at bay; and, soldier-like, he began calculating as to whether it would not have been wiser to decide on holding the place instead of hurrying back to Groenfontein, with the certainty of having to defend themselves and fight desperately on the way, small body as they were, to escape being surrounded and cut off. To his great satisfaction, though, upon reaching the highest part of the mound and using his glass, there were only a few straggling parties of men dotting the open veldt, where everything stood out bright and clear in the light of the early morning. Some were mounted, others walking, and in two places there was a drove of horses, and all going in the direction of the next laager held by the Boers. He stood with his glass steadied against a big stone and looked long, searching the veldt to right and left and looking vainly for the main body of the enemy retreating; but they were out of reach of his vision, or hidden amongst the bushes farther on. But even if the foremost had readied their friends, these latter were not riding out as yet to make reprisals, and, as far as he could judge, there was no risk of an attack for some time to come. For a moment a feeling of satisfaction pervaded him, but the next his heart sank; and he lowered his glass to begin looking round the kopje where here and there lay the men who had fallen during the surprise. "Where can poor old Drew be?" he almost groaned. At that instant his eyes lit upon the figure of the major, waving his hand to him angrily as if to draw his attention; and raising his own to his lips, he shouted as loudly as he could, "Nothing in sight." The major's voice came to him clearly enough, in company with another wave of the hand in the other direction: "Ambulance?" Dickenson swung round his glass to direct it towards Groenfontein, and his spirits rose again, for right away beyond the long string of oxen and wagons, as if coming to meet them, he could make out three light wagons drawn by horses, and a knot of about twenty mounted men coming at a canter and fast leaving the wagons behind. "Ha!" sighed Dickenson; "that's good. The colonel must have started them to meet us the moment the firing was heard." He turned directly to shout his news to the watching major, who signed to him to come down; and he descended, meeting two men coming up, one of them carrying a field-glass. "To watch for the enemy, sir," said the latter as they met. "Which is the best place?" "Up yonder by that stone, my lad," replied Dickenson, pointing. "Any news of Mr Lennox?" "No, sir; I can't understand it. I think I saw him running down the side of the kopje just as we were getting on, but it was so dark then I couldn't be sure." "I can't understand his not being found," said Dickenson to himself, as he hurried down to where the major was posting the men in the best positions for resisting an attack, if one were made before the party could get away. Dickenson's attention was soon too much taken up with work waiting, for the wounded had to be seen to. Rightly considering that before long the enemy would advance to try and retake their old position, the major gave orders that the Boer wounded be rearranged so that they were in shelter and safety; and then, as there was still no sign of danger, the few injured of the attacking force were borne to the nearest spot where the ambulance party could meet them. Then the final work of destruction began. "Seems a thousand pities," said Captain Edwards, "badly as we want everything nearly here." "Yes," said the major; "but we can take no more, and we can't leave the stores for the enemy.--Here, Dickenson, take Sergeant James and play engineer. I have had the trains laid and fuses placed ready. You two must fire them as soon as we are a few hundred yards away." Dickenson shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. "Take care, and make sure the fuses are burning; then hurry away. Don't run any risks, and don't let Sergeant James be foolhardy." "I'll mind, sir," said Dickenson shortly. "The wagons will be fired before we start, so that the wind will keep them going." "What about the powder?" said Dickenson gruffly. "That is all together. There are three wagons wheeled down into the shelter of the rock, so that the blast will not reach the fire." "It'll blow it right up," growled Dickenson. "No," said the major; "the rocks will deflect it upwards. I've seen to that." "Couldn't we make the mules carry off the wagons? All three ambulances will not be wanted." "My dear boy, you mean well," said the major impatiently; "but pray be content with taking your orders. Edwards and I have thought all that out. The fire will not go near the wounded Boers, and the explosion will not touch the fire. As to carrying off these wagon-loads of cartridges that will not fit our rifles or guns, what is the use? Now, are you satisfied?" "Quite, sir," said Dickenson. "I was only thinking that--" "Don't think _that_, man; obey orders." "Right, sir," said Dickenson stiffly, and he went off to look up Sergeant James. "Hang him!" growled the young officer. "It doesn't seem to be my work. Making a confounded powder-monkey of a fellow!" He glanced up, and saw that the men were busy on high with the field-glass, but making no sign. Then he noted that the ambulance, with its escort, was coming on fast; and soon, after a little inquiry, he came upon the sergeant, busy with the men, every one with his rifle slung, linking wagons together with tent-cloth poles and wood boxes and barrels so that the conflagration might be sure to spread when once it was started, to which end the men worked with a will; but they did not hesitate to cram their wallets and pockets with eatables in any form they came across. "Make a pretty good bonfire when it's started, sir," said the sergeant. "Humph! Yes," said Dickenson. "But what are those two barrels?" "Paraffin, sir, for the beggars' lamps." "Well," said Dickenson grimly, "wouldn't it help the fire if you opened them, knocked in their heads, and bucketed out the spirit to fling it over the wagon-tilts?" The men who heard his words gave a cheer, and without orders seized the casks, rolled them right to the end where the fire was to be started, drove in the heads with an axe, and for the next quarter of an hour two of the corporals were busy ladling out the spirit and flinging it all over three of the wagons and everything else inflammable that was near. "Now pack the paraffin-casks full of that dry grass and hay," cried Dickenson, who had been superintending. "It will soak up the rest, and you can start the fire with them." The men cheered again, and in a very short time the two barrels stood under the tail-boards of two wagons, only awaiting the flashing-off of a box of matches to start a fire that no efforts could check. "Here is the ambulance party," cried Dickenson. "Come with me now, sergeant. Let your corporals finish what there is to do." "I don't see that there's any more to do, sir," said the sergeant, wiping his wet face. "Want me, sir?" "Yes; I've something to say. You will go down and see the wounded off. Oh dear! oh dear! I've been thinking of what we were doing, and not of poor Mr Lennox. You've heard nothing, I suppose?" "Neither heard nor seen, sir," replied the sergeant. "Seems to me that, in his plucky way, he must have dashed at the enemy, got mixed, and they somehow swept him off." "If they did," said Dickenson, "he'll be too sharp for them, and get away." "That he will, sir." "I was afraid the poor fellow was killed." "Not he, sir," cried the sergeant. "He'd take a deal of killing. Besides, we should have found him and brought him in. He'll turn up somewhere." "Ha! You make me feel better, James," said Dickenson. "It took all the spirit out of me. Now then, I've some bad news for you." "Let's have it, sir. I've had so much that it runs away now like water off a duck's back." "It has nothing to do with water, sergeant, but with fire." "That all, sir? I see; I'm to stop till the detachment's well out of the way, and then fire the laager?" "No," said Dickenson; "that will be done before the men have marched. You are to stop with me and light the fuses." "To blow up the ammunition, sir? Well, I was wondering who was to do that." "It's a risky job, sergeant." "Pooh, sir! Nothing like advancing against a lot of hiding Boers waiting to pot you with their Mausers. Beg pardon, sir; who was Mauser?" "I don't know, sergeant. I suppose he was the man who invented the Boer rifles." "And a nice thing to be proud of, sir! I'm not a vicious sort of fellow, but I do feel sometimes as if I should like to see him set up as a mark, and a couple of score o' Boers busy trying how his invention worked." "Come along," said the lieutenant.--"Then you don't mind the job?" "Not I, sir. I always loved powder from a boy. Used to make little cannons out of big keys, filing the bottoms to make a touch-hole. I was a don at squibs and crackers; and the games we used to have laying trains and making blue devils! Ha! It was nice to be a boy!" "Yes, sergeant; and now we've got something big to do. But there, you're used to it. Remember getting away the powder-bags with Mr Lennox?" "Remember it, sir? Ha! But I was in a fright then." "Of being blown up?" "Well, sir, if you'll believe me, I never thought of myself at all. I was all in a stew for fear the powder should catch from the lantern and make an end of Mr Lennox." "I believe you," said Dickenson; and they stopped at the spot where the ambulance-wagons had trotted up, and the leader of the mounted escort had dropped from his panting horse to speak to the major. "Then you've done it, sir?" "Yes, as you see. What message from the colonel?" "Covering party advancing, sir, to help you in. You are to get all the provisions and cattle you can, and retire. But that I see you have done. Enemy near, sir?" The major glanced at the top of the kopje before replying, and then said briefly, "Not yet." _ |
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