CHAPTER XIII
The Moslem Host
INSTANTLY the city was in a state of orderly commotion. Men rushedhither and thither, each with a set purpose--the knights to don theirarmour, the commoners to arm themselves and run to their appointedstations on the walls, while the serfs issued through the gates togather in the corn, which was now fit for the sickle. The latter,although having barely three hours to perform their task, worked sorapidly that when the advance guard of the Moslems appeared in thevalley most of the corn had been gathered in. The rest was set onfire, and the serfs retired behind the walls. The five drawbridgeswere raised and the ponderous gates shut and securely barred, whilebehind the battlements the citizen army of Croixilia waited inorderly silence the advance of their hereditary foes.
On came the Moslem vanguard--mounted men, armed with long guns andspears, resplendent in the barbaric finery of the East. Cymbals anddrums crashed in defiance, while under the waving green banners ofIslam the fanatical warriors shouted death to the silent soldiers onthe walls. Some of the Arabs, in pure bravado, galloped up to theedge of the moat and daringly discharged their weapons at their foes,till a well-directed shower of arrows struck down several and leftthe rest to ride back with loose rein, still shouting defiance at theChristian warriors.
Meanwhile their vanguard dismounted at slightly more than an arrow'sflight from the walls, and awaited the rest of the Mohammedan host.
To the two lads the spectacle was fascinating, in spite of thepossible peril that might ensue. It seemed as if there was no end tothe number of the fierce besiegers. Bedouins mounted on horses or oncamels, half-naked Baggaras armed with spears and circular hideshields, levies from the wilds of Kordofan and the hilly deserts ofthe Ahaggar, and negroes from the unconquered deserts of the WesternSudan--men representing all the tribes and nations of northern Africahad forgathered to crush the little, isolated State over which thehated cross of the Christians still floated proudly in the breeze.
Meanwhile Reeves had not been idle. Although several cannons had beenplaced on the walls on all sides, their positions carefully screenedfrom outside observation, he had kept ten pieces in reserve, mountedon travelling carriages. These he had brought round to the probablepoint of attack, but strict orders had been given that no shot was tobe fired until the Englishman himself gave the signal by discharginga cannon with his own hands.
True to their traditions to close with the enemy, the Arabs did notwait until their long baggage trains had arrived, but, forming incompact masses, began the attack.
Supported by the fire of nearly two thousand muskets, the spearmenadvanced with the greatest intrepidity. Many of them boreroughly-constructed ladders, trunks of palm trees, and bundles ofstraw, for the purpose of bridging the moat and scaling the loftywalls--to conquer or die.
As the bullets whizzed overhead, or flattened themselves harmlesslyagainst the stonework, the Croixilians lay behind the shelter oftheir battlements--the archers with their bows strung and theirarrows lying close to hand, the crossbowmen with their powerfulweapons bent almost to breaking-point, and the knights ready, withsword, axe, or mace, to sweep the invaders from off the parapet.Heaps of stone, bundles of flaming straw, great balks ofspike-studded timber, and bowls of melted 'lead and hot pitch were inreadiness to be hurled upon the heads of the reckless attackers.
Reeves felt that he could leave the defence of the walls solely tothe knights and archers, while he gave orders for the artillery to betrained upon the still unsuspecting supports, who, firing from beyondbowshot, imagined that they could gall the defenders with impunity.
On and on came the storming-party, till the place seemed black withhuman beings. Still no shaft sped from the battlements. In anunswerving belief in their own power, the Baggaras, thinking thattheir foes were already demoralized, rushed with loud cries towardsthe walls. Already they were bridging the moat, and the fire of thecovering force was compelled to cease, lest the bullets should domore harm to their friends than to their foes.
Calmly Reeves applied the linstock to his gun, the Croixilian gunnersdid likewise to theirs, and the roar of defiant voices was drowned bythe thunder of the ordnance.
Before the smoke had drifted away, the artillerymen sprang to theirpieces with sponge and rammer, as if brought up to it from infancy,loading with bags of grape shot so as to direct their fire upon thestormers.
Reeves gave a hasty glance to see the result of the first volley. Theshells, magnificently aimed and timed, had burst well over the densemasses of the main Arab army.
Totally unexpected, the sudden storm of shot wrought havoc upon theastonished foe, and in a disorderly rabble they fled, leavinghundreds of their comrades lying dead or wounded on the field. Nordid they halt until they had placed a good two miles between them andthe walls, taking shelter in a deep and wide khor or valley on theeastern side of the plain.
But the fierce Baggaras, although they heard the crash of theartillery, were made of sterner stuff. In spite of volleys of arrowsthey succeeded in raising their ladders, some perishing miserably byfire in the ditch, while those whose heads appeared above thebattlements were struck down by cold steel. Still they persevered,the shouts of "Allah" rising above the din of the combatants, until asecond volley of artillery, coming from a dozen well-depressedmuzzles, tore lanes through their crowded and disorderly ranks. Thatwas more than the most fanatical Arab could stand, and in a fewmoments the panic-stricken survivors were fleeing to rejoin theiralready scattered main body.
"They'll clear out after this," exclaimed Hugh; "they had more thanthey bargained for."
"I quite agree with the latter part of your words, Rags," saidReeves, who was black from head to foot with burnt powder; "but Idon't think they'll leave us in peace so tamely. They've learnt alesson, and will no doubt profit by it."
The correspondent was right. Before night other large bodies of Arabsappeared, and, keeping at a respectful distance, began to form campson all sides of the city.
"If they mean to starve us out they will have to wait a long time,"said Sir Jehan, as he passed along the walls.
"For how long will the provisions last?" asked the correspondent.
"At least a twelvemonth, I hope, not taking into account the grain wecan grow within the city."
"And water?"
"Enough to spare, unless----" Sir Jehan paused, then in a lower tonehe continued: "Unless they discover the underground aqueduct from thehills."
Reeves gave a low whistle.
"I hope they won't," he replied bluntly.
"I'd give anything to have my binoculars here," he exclaimed, afterSir Jehan had passed on. "Those fellows are up to some mischief," andhe pointed to the Arab encampment.
"What do you think they are up to?" asked Gerald.
"Something I've never known the true Arabs do before. They areactually entrenching themselves I believe."
"Well, what does that mean?"
"That they've someone with them who has been trained in a Europeanarmy. Usually the Arabs are content to make a zariba of thorns, whenthey go to the trouble of making defensive works at all; but I wouldbet my bottom dollar that they are digging like fury over there."
Just before sundown a fierce musketry fire was opened upon the cityon all sides, and by the relative positions of the puffs of smoke thecorrespondent knew that the enemy were firing in extended order.Nearer and nearer they came, and, although the fire slackenedsomewhat, it continued throughout the night, so that the defendershad but little chance of rest. Occasionally they would return thecompliment with a round from one of the guns; but since the damagedone upon the scattered line of riflemen would hardly justify theexpenditure of powder, Reeves ordered the other gunners to stand bybut not to reply.
"We must watch those rascals," he remarked to his young comrades."Sir Jehan told me that on the last occasion when they appearedbefore the walls they succeeded in blowing in the north gate bydumping a bag of powder against it. To make sure that the stuff wouldgo up, one of those cheerf
ul Baggaras calmly stood over it and lit itwith a torch. It shows what desperate fellows we have to deal with."
During the assault on the preceding night the Croixilians had notcome off unharmed. Seven had fallen by spears flung by the stormers,while nearly twenty had been killed or wounded by dropping shots fromthe Arab sharpshooters; but up to the present the tide of battle wasgreatly in favour of the besieged. Nevertheless, Reeves did not feelparticularly comfortable. His instinct told him that something wasbehind the unaccountable entrenching tactics of the enemy. Perhaps,also, they might, in the course of their excavations, come across theburied aqueduct. If that were the case, it would mean either amiserable death from thirst within the walls, or extermination in adesperate sortie from the doomed city.
At sunrise the correspondent ascended the Mound of Pharamond, and,climbing to the top of the highest tower, gazed in the direction ofthe largest hostile camp.
A confused babel of voices borne on the faint breeze told him thatthe Moslems were performing their morning devotions. As he waited andwatched, a hush seemed to fall upon the invading host. Suddenly awhite cloud of smoke burst from a sandhill, and a shell, shriekingwell over the walls, exploded in one of the houses adjoining themarketplace.
Reeves ground his teeth. The Arabs were using a modern rifled gun!The situation was indeed serious.
Captured at Tripoli: A Tale of Adventure Page 13