CHAPTER THE EIGHTEENTH
THE TOWER IN THE HILLS
There was between four and five hours for making the necessaryarrangements. Bob soon had different sets of men working at differentjobs. Some he ordered to prepare baskets of food and to fill severalwater-skins--the want of good water was perhaps Major Endicott'sgreatest peril. Others he instructed to fill more tins with stones andcaps, in readiness for the final charge of dynamite, which he wouldhimself place. While all this was in hand, he had a long talk with GurBuksh and Ganda Singh, who turned out to be old comrades in arms. Theyboth agreed that if the chota sahib should succeed in dispersing thetribesmen now besieging the tower, and in conveying food and water tothe defenders, Endicott Sahib might be trusted to extricate himself andhis men from their awkward position. That the dispersal was possibleBob had never doubted; no body of men could hold together under thestaggering effect of bombs exploding in their midst. And after his talkwith the Sikhs he felt reassured as to the further success of thescheme. Major Endicott was a cool-headed veteran, who would take thingsinto his own hands on Lawrence's arrival, so that the plan would notmiscarry through Lawrence's lack of military experience.
On leaving the Sikhs, Bob went along the pathway to the aeroplaneplatform. He could not trust any one but himself to prepare the machinefor the morrow's flight. He spent a couple of hours in thoroughlyoverhauling it: cleaning the engine, examining every inch of theframework and the stays, oiling all the moving parts. Satisfied thatall was in good order, he returned to the house. At this hour it washardly worth while to go to bed, so he bathed, shaved, and dressed, andthen sent for Fazl, to give him instructions.
Lawrence joined him at dawn. They went together to the hut where GandaSingh lay, and the wounded man, refreshed with food and sleep, was ableto explain more clearly now the whereabouts of Major Endicott and theoperations of his besiegers.
"You'll tell him, of course, how we are situated here," said Bob, asthey walked away together. "All being well I shall expect to see him intwo or three days. You'll fly back in advance and tell me?"
"I dare say, but I shan't come until I see him safe on the march. Ionly hope I shan't be too late."
"I don't think you will be. I gather from what Ganda Singh said thatstarvation is the greatest danger, but they've got their horses in thelast resort. There's no wind luckily; you couldn't have a finer day.By the way, keep a look-out for the Kalmucks who got by last night.Don't drop within range of them."
Rumours of what was afoot had run round the camp. Miners and servantswere gathering in the compound to witness the departure of theaeroplane. As the boys walked towards the pathway Ditta Lal joinedthem. He wore his wonted air of cheerfulness.
"On behalf of establishment, sir, I bid you good luck and au revoir," hesaid. "Clouds have silver lining, sir. If report is true, we shallsoon have felicity to see famous warrior in person; with due respect,and no derogation to present company, full-fledged British officer, whenhe takes command, will put rosy complexion on deplorable situation."
"Paint everything red, you mean?" said Bob gravely.
"Ruddy hue of health, sir," said the Babu, missing the point."Representative of august king-emperor, British flag, standard offreedom and all that----"
"Good-bye," said Lawrence, cutting him short. "Don't trouble to come anyfarther."
Bob went with him to the aeroplane platform.
"Good luck, old chap," he said, gripping Lawrence hard by the hand. Hewaited until the aeroplane had run off and soared out of sight, thenreturned in mingled hope and fear to the mine.
About a dozen miles up the valley Fazl caught sight of a number of menscuttling to cover among the rocks above the track. There was littledoubt that these were the Kalmucks, who, finding themselves effectuallycut off from their friends to the north, were probably hasteningsouthward in search of provisions. Except for a few wild animals, theneighbourhood of the valley furnished no means of subsistence. Therewas a small hill-village about thirty miles from the mine, lying backsome distance from the right bank. Perhaps the Kalmucks might findhospitality there.
Lawrence hoped that in the course of forty minutes he would come insight of the hill-tower in which Major Endicott was besieged. FromGanda Singh's description he thought it must be identical with a towerwhich he had seen in the distance on one of his early trips with Bob upthe river. It was a conspicuous object in the hilly landscape, and hehad no fear of missing it, considering the immense expanse of countrywhich lay open to observation from the aeroplane.
In spite of the particulars given by Ganda Singh, Lawrence felt that inapproaching the tower his first care must be to reconnoitre the positionthoroughly. Everything depended on his finding a convenient spot forlanding, and this might be very difficult in such hilly country. Theappearance of the aeroplane would of course put the enemy on theirguard; but they would not know what to expect, and would probably berather alarmed and mystified than informed. At the same time it would bea herald of hope to Major Endicott, and prepare him to take instantadvantage of any diversion which it might effect in his favour.
When Lawrence had been flying for about twenty minutes he becamesomewhat uneasy at a sudden freshening of the wind, which blew inuncertain gusts from the mountains on his right. Since passing theKalmucks he had kept fairly close to the river, but when the machinebegan to rock under these invisible eddies he thought it the safercourse to rise to a considerable height. The morning air was soexhilarating, and the view of endless snow-capped heights and pine-cladravines so superb, that only the intense cold, of which he was nowconscious in spite of the summer sun, checked his ascension. On the leftstretched the Pamirs, backed by peak after peak of some of the loftiestand most majestic mountains in the world. In front and on the right theHimalaya range merged into the Hindu Kush. Huge masses of cloud rolledup and down the rugged faces of the mountains, causing moment by momentwonderful changes in their aspect. Some of the peaks seemed to havecovered themselves with an umbrella of fleecy billowy wool as a shieldagainst the kindling sunbeams.
The enormous scale of this panorama defied perspective and gave a falseidea of distance. Lawrence knew that peaks which, clearly limned againstthe sky, might be thought to be ten or fifteen miles away, were inreality more than a hundred. But for the urgency of his mission, hefelt that he would have liked to sail on and on in this empyrean height,exploring regions never trodden by the foot of man.
All the time, Fazl kept a keen eye on the track and the river, windingalong hundreds, even thousands, of feet below. The hill-tower laysomewhat to the west of the road which the Appletons had travelled withMajor Endicott several months before, and from this road the trackleading to the mine branched. The Gurkha knew the country pretty well.Fast as the aeroplane flew, he distinguished without hesitation thejunction of the roads, and at his word Lawrence altered his course and,leaving the valley, steered over the hills on his right hand.
Very soon Fazl was able to descry the hill-tower in the far distance.The aeroplane was flying at the rate of at least a mile a minute; butminute after minute passed, and yet the tower seemed little nearer.When at last Lawrence had come close enough to it to be able todistinguish its general features, he saw that it was a singlesquare-built tower of the usual Afghan type, perched on a small hillthat rose sharply from the surrounding country. The side nearest himoverhung an almost perpendicular declivity. Though solidly constructedin appearance, it was little more than a ruin. The top had partiallyfallen away, and in the wall facing him there was a long jagged fissure.
While still at some distance, Lawrence heard rifle-shots, though neitherhe nor Fazl could as yet see any signs of the enemy. He felt his heartthumping. He was still in time, then; for if all was over the firingwould have ceased. Planing down in a long glide, he passed over thetower, still at a considerable altitude, and then suddenly caught sightof an encampment in a nullah on the farther side. In the brief momentof his cross
ing he was not able to get more than a glimpse of it; thenullah was so deep, and the encampment encompassed so closely by shrubs,dwarf pines, and other trees, that he might have missed it altogetherbut for a thin column of smoke arising from a fire in the bottom. Buthis rapid glance was enough for reassurance; the camp would have beenstruck if the tower was captured; it was clear that the Major was stillholding out.
Dropping still lower, he began to sweep round in a circle. Before hereached the nullah again Fazl pointed out to him a number of isolateddots on the rugged surface below, spread over an extensive patch ofground. Some were small, others larger, and as he flew by Fazlexplained that they were groups of the enemy, who had posted themselveswherever the nature of the ground gave them cover from the fire of theoccupants of the tower. They were disposed in a rough semicircle aboutthe western wall, in which there was a door. The approach on this sidewas by a steep slope; on the other side the tower was apparentlyinaccessible.
Between the wall and this semicircle of besiegers were scattered atirregular intervals a number of dark forms.
"Dead!" ejaculated Fazl.
They were evidently the bodies of men who had fallen in attempting torush the place. Ganda Singh had mentioned that on the day he left theAfghans had made a vigorous assault, but were beaten back with heavyloss.
Bringing the aeroplane round so as to pass again over the encampment,Lawrence noticed a number of horses picketed near the rough huts. TheGurkha cried excitedly that the animals were kicking and straining attheir ropes, and men were rushing to hold them. The noise of the enginehad thrown them into a state of blind terror. Two or three broke away,and galloped madly up the nullah.
Several shots were fired at the aeroplane. Lawrence was somewhatsurprised that the men were not struck with panic, like their horses, atthe appearance of this strange booming monster of the air. It did notoccur to him until afterwards that rumours of it must have been carriedfar and wide through the country for months past. Men who had seen itin its flights had described it to their neighbours or to wanderers whomthey met in the hills; and although few, perhaps, of these tribesmen nowpresent had actually seen it before, doubtless many of them had heardmore or less veracious accounts of it. The frantic terror of the poniessuggested to Lawrence an idea on which he acted immediately. Heabandoned his original purpose of making a preliminary reconnaissance ofthe whole position and then retiring to a distance to work out a plan.To a mounted force there is nothing so demoralizing as the loss of theirhorses. Lawrence knew this, and in a flash saw also that the Major, ifhe should escape from the tower, would have little to fear from an enemypursuing on foot. He resolved therefore to attempt to stampede all thehorses, and take advantage of the resulting confusion.
By the time he had come to this determination he was some distance pastthe nullah. Telling Fazl to drop a bomb among the horses when he againcrossed it, he rose rapidly to a height of about a thousand feet,wheeled round, and swooped down in a long incline towards the camp. Hescarcely realized that he was taking his life in his hands as he flewalmost within point-blank range. Nor had he calculated on the possibleeffect of the coming explosion on the aeroplane. When he arrested hisdownward flight he was so near the ground that the bursting of the bombset the machine rocking violently, and for a few moments he couldscarcely control it. Cool-headed marksmen could then have taken fatalaim at him; but the Afghans were fascinated and paralysed by hisheadlong descent, and while they were still wondering and dreading whatit might portend, the explosion of the bomb within a few yards of themstruck them with terror.
Lawrence swept round to observe the effect of this bolt from the blue.A great troop of horses was galloping wildly along the nullah to thewest. He caught sight of their forms, black, brown and grey, whereverthere were breaks among the trees. Farther up the nullah, where thesides were less steep, the frantic animals were dashing across thecountry in all directions. Beneath, a few lay motionless on the ground.Loth as he was to destroy or maim the unoffending beasts, he felt thatthis was not an occasion for half measures: there was too much at stake.In their panic flight it was inevitable that many of the horses mustdash themselves to pieces in the ravines and fissures with which thecountry was seamed. To prevent the rallying of the rest, he set off inpursuit. Sweeping the ground like a shepherd's dog after a flock ofsheep, he flew backwards and forwards and from side to side at the heelsof the terrified animals. No more bombs were necessary. The whirr ofthe propeller behind them drove them on at the same mad rush, and in aquarter of an hour there was not a living horse within several miles ofthe encampment.
On returning towards the tower, Lawrence was surprised to see that thegroups of Afghans had disappeared from around it. But as he crossed thenullah there were bursts of smoke from among the trees and theundergrowth, and above the hum of the propeller he heard thecharacteristic whistle of bullets. Later he discovered that severalholes had been drilled in the planes. The firing ceased as suddenly asit had begun. Crossing the nullah almost at right angles, the aeroplanewas visible for only a few seconds to the men hidden in the bottom.
From an embrasure high up in the tower a white handkerchief wasfluttering in the breeze. Lawrence wished that he had some means ofcommunicating instantly with the Major; but the attack from which he hadjust escaped proved that he could not venture to alight, nor could he beof any further service to the little garrison until the nullah had beencleared. It was necessary to drive the men up the ravine in the samedirection as he had already driven the horses. There might be moredifficulty in this, for the enemy were completely concealed by the treesand undergrowth, so that he could not tell exactly where they were. Theonly plan that promised complete success was to fly some distance downthe ravine, and then work up it, dropping bombs when he approached thespot where the firing had broken out.
In a few brief sentences he explained his purpose to Fazl. Making awide sweep he came back to the nullah half a mile to the east; then,reducing speed to the minimum, but keeping at a good altitude, hefollowed the winding course of the gully. The enemy played into hishands. Another burst of smoke revealed their whereabouts. Fazlinstantly dropped a bomb, and turning to watch the effect, cried outthat a dense cloud of smoke and dust had arisen from the scene of theexplosion. Lawrence wheeled round again, described a wide semicircle,passing immediately above the tower, and, regaining the nullah, repeatedthe manoeuvre.
This time Fazl reported that he saw men among the trees, running up theravine. The enemy could scarcely have chosen a less secure shelter.The explosion of a bomb in so constricted a space must be many timesmore destructive than in the open. But Lawrence had no inclinationtowards needless slaughter. His object would be achieved if he drove themen away as he had driven the horses. Knowing that they were on therun, he dropped another bomb to speed their flight; then swept roundagain, and pursued the same tactics as had already proved so effectual.When the enemy reached the less wooded part of the nullah, he found iteasy to hover about their rear, and, without the further use of bombs,to impel them to the most desperate exertions by the mere harryingpursuit of the aeroplane.
He was not content until he had driven them many miles up the nullah.Whenever they showed a disposition to break away into the open countryto right or left, a swoop of the aeroplane in that direction wassufficient to send them scurrying back. In their haste and panic theydid not halt to fire again, and Lawrence was at length satisfied thateven if they should recover their nerve and courage, they were too faraway to trouble the garrison of the tower for at least a couple ofhours.
On nearing the tower, he saw that several figures had emerged from thedoor at the foot. He glided down to within a few yards of it, andshouted a greeting to Major Endicott, who waved his hand in response.Then he sought for a landing-place. The ground in the immediatevicinity was too broken to allow of a safe descent; but after circlinground once or twice, he discovered a space sufficiently flat and openfor his purpose about a quarter of a mile away. Alighting there, heleft th
e aeroplane in Fazl's charge, and, feeling very shaky on his legsafter the exhausting and nervous work of the past two hours, he walkedback to meet the British officer.
The Air Patrol: A Story of the North-west Frontier Page 20