CHAPTER VIII
The Motor-boat in Action
There was a deathly silence about the reed-clad island which separatedthe motor-boat, with its British crew, which was stealing along one sideof it, and the wide-stretching marshes on the farther side, where theTurkish launch forged her way slowly, steering for the far end of theisland. There was just the gentle purr of the petrol motor aboard theBritish boat as it slowly turned over--that and the occasional click ofa rifle-lock, as one of the men saw to his weapon. From the far side,however, there came voices on occasion, smothered every now and again bythe burr and hiss of steam as it escaped from the safety-valve above theboiler. Geoff looked over the side and peered into the water; then hetook a boathook and thrust it downward till it struck the bottom of theswamp close beside them. An instant later he had plucked the Commanderby the sleeve, and was whispering to him.
"Look, sir," he said; "not much more than two-feet-six of water; you cansee the mark on this boathook; and it's hard ground down below--listen!"He sent the boathook down through the water again till the end struckheavily on the bottom, and sent forth a dull, ringing sound.
As for the Commander, he drew the inevitable pipe from between his lipsand looked inquisitively at Geoff and then at the boathook.
"Yes?" he asked. "What then?"
"Might be useful," Geoff ventured. "A couple of men dropped overboardcould take cover at the edge of the island in amongst the reeds, andmight help us immensely."
Commander Houston smiled an indulgent smile at him, and gripped him bythe shoulder.
"Well done, Keith!" he said in that sharp, commanding tone of his. "Takea man with you, and get a rifle. Quick with it! for those Turks will beclear of the island within a few minutes. Here, Smith! You're one of mybest shots. Overboard with you!"
There were spare rifles lying in the open cabin of the motor-boat, andbeside them clips of cartridges. Geoff instantly seized one of theweapons, and filled a pocket with ammunition; then he dropped overboard,while the man who had been called joined him within half a minute with agrin of expectation, while on the faces of his comrades there was a lookalmost of envy.
"Come!" said Geoff, wading through the water and finding the ground atthe bottom as he had expected--hard, and giving firm foothold.
Indeed, it would appear that the wide swamps they were now traversing,and which seemed to be composed of practically stagnant water, werestirred and swept now and again by eddies from the main stream. Perhapsin those violent gales, which every now and again sweep acrossMesopotamia, the waters from the Euphrates are driven into the marshlands, and, instead of flowing slowly and almost imperceptibly acrossthem, filtering through them, as it were, they rush and sweep throughevery channel, heaping islands of mud here and there where there happento be eddies, and carrying on vast accumulations of ooze and slime toother quarters. No doubt, too, in dry seasons, when the Shatt-el-Arabhas fallen considerably, and the depth of the water in the main streamis much reduced, the waste of water lying at such a time across thesemarsh lands drains away, leaving a glistening, sandy desert. In anycase, there was good going at this spot, and Geoff and his comrade madethe most of it.
Wading up beside the island, they advanced, within a couple of minutes,some yards towards the upper end, to which the Turkish launch was fastapproaching.
"In here," said Geoff, seeing an opening between some reeds where thebank jutted out a little and formed an angle or depression. "Now cutsome of the reeds away with your knife, so as to give you a good fieldof fire and clear vision."
"Make ready!" they heard the Commander call to them gently, just afterthey had got into position, and, turning to look at the motor-boat, theysaw that she had moved farther out from the island, and was now lyingend-on, her bows presented to the spot where the enemy was to beexpected.
Almost at the same instant, the shriek of a steam siren came from thefar distance--from that big Turkish steamer which had so unexpectedlyopposed the advance of this British party on the River Euphrates, and,following it, an answering shriek, more piercing in its intensity, fromthe steam-launch drifting but a few yards away from them. Then her bowsappeared, to be followed in a little while by her funnel, and then bythe whole length of her. There was foam at her stern, while smoke wasblowing out from the top of her funnel, for she was under way again,and, indeed, was steering a course towards another island which dottedthe marshes in the distance. Perched on a raised portion of the deck,just in front of her funnel, was a Turkish officer, shouting loudcommands; while on the deck for'ard of him were gathered some twenty ormore soldiers, all eager and expectant; yet, as it happened, their gazewas fixed on the distant island, and not upon the water beyond that frombehind which they were just emerging. Thus it followed that more than aminute passed before one of them noticed the motor-boat stealing gently,bow on, towards them. The man started and shouted, lifting his riflehigh over his head.
"Look!" he shouted, so suddenly, and in such a voice of alarm, that theofficer was startled. Swinging round, he too saw the motor-boat, andhimself took up the shout with a vengeance.
"The enemy! Swing the ship round! Fire into them!" he bellowed.
"Steady lads!" cried Commander Houston, standing erect in his cabin."Marsden, stop her! Now, boys, let 'em have it!"
A volley burst from the weapons of the sailors in the motor-boat, andseveral of the Turks fell from the steam-launch and splashed into thewater. By that time bullets were sweeping about the head of theCommander, while not a few struck the sides of the motor-boat or thesurface of the water near at hand, throwing up spray which swept overthe heads of those who manned her. But not a man flinched; whileCommander Houston, snatching his pipe from between his teeth, roaredencouragement at the sailors.
"Let 'em have it!" he cried. "Now, Keith," he bellowed, swinging roundto our hero, "put in your bullets as fast as you are able. Ah! That hasdropped their officer. Just keep your eye on the man at the wheel, andthe man who's running the engine, for we can't afford to allow that boatto get away from us."
His teeth had gritted on the stem of his pipe a few seconds earlier,and, unseen by his men, the Commander clapped a hand to one shoulder.Perhaps it was a minute later that he wiped blood from his lips with hishandkerchief, and then, like the old "sea-dog" he was, thrust his pipeback into his mouth and went on smoking, still careless of the bulletshumming about him, his eyes fixed all the while upon the enemy.
As for Geoff and the man with him, they were able to make excellentshooting from the point of advantage where they had taken cover. Seeingthe Turkish officer level his revolver at the Commander, and pull histrigger--a shot which caused the Commander to act as alreadynarrated--Geoff levelled his own piece on him, and gently pressed thetrigger, sending the Turkish officer in amongst his soldiers. ThenSmith, the watchful sailor beside him, grim and silent and stern now,picked off the man at the wheel of the steam-launch, while Geofftransferred his attention to the Turk whose head bobbed up and downabove the engine.
"GEOFF LEVELLED HIS OWN PIECE ON HIM"]
Perhaps two minutes had passed since the first exchange of shots, twobusy minutes, during which more than half of the crew of the Turkishlaunch had been killed or wounded, while as yet, but for a slight woundhere and there, not one of the British sailors had been damaged. And nowa figure suddenly took the place of the Turkish officer.
"An under officer," shouted the Commander, "look out for him!"
"He is giving orders for the steam-launch to get under way again," criedGeoff--for at the first discharge the engine aboard the enemy vessel hadbeen stopped. "Come along, Smith, we'll wade out to her and stop anysort of movement."
Floundering out from behind the cover he had selected, and with hisrifle held well above the water, Geoff led the way direct to the enemyvessel, while a well-timed shot from the motor-boat sent theunder-officer in amongst his fallen comrades. Then the engine aboardCommander Houston's little vessel began to thud, while the water behindher was churned, and as the screw got into operat
ion she darted forwardtowards the steam-launch, the rifles of her crew spitting bullets stillat the Turks who remained in evidence. Then, at a shout from theCommander, the fusillade ceased absolutely, though the motor-boat stillpushed on towards the enemy.
"Cease fire!" bellowed the Commander; "they have surrendered; see thatman holding his hands up towards us."
Taken by surprise as the Turks were, and broken indeed by the firstvolley, it was not extraordinary that this little British force had atthe very commencement the best of the argument. The raking volley whichthey had poured into the enemy had thrown them into instant confusion,while the shots which Geoff and the man Smith, who went with him, hadfired, had contributed not a little to the success of the operation; andnow, with her deck covered with wounded or dead, the launch surrendered;a soldier, a huge, well-grown Turk, standing there amongst his comrades,with both arms held over head, and calling to the British to spare them.By then Geoff was within a few yards of the launch, and, staggering on,clambered aboard her. A glance into the open engine-room showed him aman cowering there, the one whose head he had seen bobbing above theside of the vessel a few moments earlier.
"Come out!" he commanded briskly. "No, you won't be shot, and don't fearit, for you've been captured by British sailors. Smith, get hold of thatwheel. Now let every man who has escaped injury 'fall in' on the deck,so that you may be counted."
A hail reached him a moment later from the motor-boat, and, turning fora second, and so taking his eyes from the Turks now mustering on thedeck quite close to him, he saw Philip waving frantically to him; but ofthe Commander there was not a sign, for indeed that gallant individualwas reclining in the depths of his cabin.
"Geoff, ahoy!" he heard. "I'm coming up close to you. CommanderHouston's wounded."
"Stop!" Geoff shouted back at him. "Back your boat in behind the island,where I'll join you. Smith, can you see any sign of that Turkish boatwe met in the river?"
There was half a minute's pause before he received an answer, and thenthe fine fellow he had posted at the wheel called gently to him.
"Not a sign, sir," he said; "those islands yonder, through which we cameon our way here, hide the channel of the river. She's out of sight, andcan't see us either, though there's no doubt that she's within fairlyclose distance."
"Which means that she will have heard the firing. Hum!" thought Geoff,as he swept his eyes round the waste of waters and wondered what wouldhappen. Then he called to the Turk who had been manning the launchengine.
"Get down to your engine again," he commanded, "and give her a littlesteam. Smith, swing her round behind the island. We'll lie up there withthe motor-boat for a while, and see to the Commander, and repairdamages."
The minutes which followed were busy ones indeed, for, as may beimagined, there was much to be done after such a brisk little encounter.Swinging the launch round, while the Turk gave the engine steam, Smithsteered her in till she was quite close to the island; then themotor-boat came alongside her, and the two vessels were moored there,the crew of the British vessel taking ropes ashore, and their own andthe launch's anchor.
"I'm not a sailor," Geoff told the men aboard the motor-boat, when atlast they were secured to the island, "so I'll leave it to the senioramongst you to look to your damages. You've got some shot-holes aboutyour hull, I'm sure, for I heard the bullets strike, and I can see waterspurting in in more than one direction. Just post four men up on to thedeck of the launch to look after our prisoners, and let one man make hisway through the reeds of the island to the far side to keep watch forthe arrival of more enemies. Now, Philip, give a hand and let us look tothe Commander."
Leaping down into the cabin, they found Commander Houston lying fulllength upon the floor, his face wonderfully changed from that to whichthey had become accustomed. Instead of displaying a ruddy countenance,and cheeks which glowed with health and vigour, there was now a deathlypallor upon the merry face of their friend, which seemed to haveshrunken and grown smaller. But if the gallant sailor had suffered aninjury, as indeed he had without a doubt, and if he were placed _hors decombat_ by it, there was yet no loss of spirit, no lack of joviality;indeed the same happy smile wreathed the pallid face of this mostgallant fellow, while he was still actually making a pretence ofsmoking.
"A nice brisk little affair; eh, boys?" he said weakly, in tones whichevidently astonished and disgusted himself, for he apologized for them."Don't take any notice of my voice," he told them; "it's nothing,believe me; merely a shot through my chest, for which I have to thankthat Turkish Commander. A mere trifle, I assure you," he went on, andthen coughed violently, while blood dribbled from the corner of hismouth.
He shut his eyes, and, in the midst of calling to them again, fellbackwards heavily, leaving both Geoff and Philip dismayed at hisappearance. Springing forward, Phil lifted his head and supported theCommander against his knee, while Geoff rapidly undid his tunic, and,seeing clearly from the stain upon it where the wound must be, tore theshirt open. But what to do further was the question with him, for,though our hero may have had some experience already of travelling, andhad undoubtedly seen rather more of foreign places than is the lot ofmost young fellows, yet he was singularly ignorant of wounds, had seenfew indeed, and had practically no training in minor surgery. Butamongst the crew there was one who was quite an experienced old sailor,who, had he cared to tell his tale, no doubt could have yarned to themof many a naval scrap in out-of-the-way places. It was the Cox whojoined them now--a short, broad-shouldered, rather wizened fellow, witha cheerful smile always on his face, and with that brisk, respectful,helpful way about him so common to his counterpart, the non-commissionedofficer, in the army.
"You just hold on to him like that," he told Philip, who was supportingthe Commander's head and shoulders. "No," he added in a warning voice,"no, I wouldn't let him lie down flat, sir, if I was you, 'cause, yousee, sir, he's hit through the lung, and he's bleeding internally. Ifyou just think for a moment, sir, you'll see that that sort of thing islikely to drown a man, to swamp his lungs, as it were, and the more youcan sit him up for a while the better. Hi, Marsden," he called, "let'shave that surgical pannier!"
If Geoff and his chum were entirely ignorant of wounds beyond whatknowledge was required to place a first field dressing in position--andthat was a task which every officer and man learned as a matter ofcourse--the Cox was, on the other hand, quite a respectable surgeon.While Philip held the Commander's heavy frame up, the broad-shoulderedlittle sailor cut away his tunic and shirt, and, having exposed thewound both at the front and at the back--for the bullet had passed rightthrough the body--he swiftly dabbed each wound with his brush loadedwith iodine, and then clapped on a dressing.
"Next thing is to bandage him up so as to leave the other side of hischest free to move, and keep this side just as still as possible," hetold Geoff; "that will give the damaged arteries and veins a chance toheal and stop bleeding. Beg pardon, sir, but if you'd hold the box ofdressings I can help myself easier."
With dexterous hands--hands which were as gentle as might be, in spiteof this sailor's rough calling--the Cox rapidly secured the dressingswith a roller bandage. Meanwhile, at a call from Geoff, the cabincushions had been laid on the boards at the bottom of the cabin, and onthis improvised bed the Commander was now laid, his head well propped upwith cushions.
"And we'll just roll him over on to his damaged side, like that," theCox told them. "That means that, as he breathes, that side won't move,and can't move overmuch, while the other one will be doing all the workfor him. He is opening his eyes, I do declare! Why!----"
Two penetrating and rather fierce optics were fixed on the trio in thecabin at that moment, while the Commander struggled to move. Then theeyes opened quite widely, the lips curved, and in a second or two hewas smiling serenely.
"So the Cox is practising on me all that I've taught him, eh?" he asked,and Geoff noted with relief that the voice was stronger and steadier. "Iknew it would come to that some day; I kind of guessed it. We
ll, Cox,what's the verdict? What's the diagnosis? Is it a cure this time, or hasthat Turkish officer put in a shot likely to deprive His BritannicMajesty of a somewhat valuable officer? Ahem!"
The gentle cough he gave brought another driblet of blood to the cornerof his lips, and caused Geoff to kneel down beside the Commander andexpostulate with him.
"Really, sir," he said, "you must keep quiet and stop talking. You----"
The eyes of the old sea-dog who had seized so greatly upon the fancy ofGeoff and his chum, opened widely again, and that same expansive,warm-hearted grin was turned upon them.
"Oh! oh!" he exclaimed; and, there was no doubt about it now, his voicewas growing steadily stronger. "So our young officers wait until theirsenior is knocked out, and then start bullying and ordering! Oh! Sothat's the game, is it, Keith? You are beginning to show up in your truecolours! Believe me, my lads, I'm not nearly so bad as you imagine, and,'pon my word, in a little while I shall be fit to get up and startsmoking."
Then he laughed, or, to speak the truth, cackled, for the effort of reallaughter was beyond him, while he glanced quizzically at Geoff as thatyoung officer coloured furiously. Yet, though he knew that theCommander was making fun of him, he was delighted at his progress, and amoment later was joining in the merriment.
"Come now," said the Commander, a little later, "tell me all about thething. You had just knocked that Turkish officer out, and a huge Turkwas lifting his hands in token of surrender. I don't seem to rememberanything after that; I must have tumbled backwards into this cabin. Andnow that you have laid me on the floor, there's no seeing anything butthe sky above me. Where are we? Where's the Turkish launch? Whathappened? And, of course, we captured the beggars!"
Very quickly Geoff told him precisely what had resulted from theirattack upon the Turkish launch, and how they had captured the vessel,and what remained of her crew.
"We are lying to, behind the island, at this moment, sir," he added,"for by doing so we are hidden from the enemy. I thought it best torepair damages."
"Yes, yes! Human and material," smiled the Commander, who was ever onthe look-out for some little joke. "But wait! I may not be the only onewounded. What's the report from my fellows?"
Philip had already obtained it, and at once communicated the facts toCommander Houston.
"One man hit through the fleshy part of his arm, and only slightlyincapacitated; another has lost the tip of one finger. That's all thehuman part about it, sir," he said, with a grin. "As for the material:there are half a dozen holes bored through your motor-launch, and Ibelieve the Cox has already made a cure by means of filching materialfrom the box containing surgical dressings."
"Good! We have come through that little business splendidly," said theCommander. "And now, what next?" he asked, fixing his eyes on Geoff andthen swinging them round to Philip. "What next? You have captured thelaunch----"
"We!" expostulated Geoff. "You were in command, sir, don't forget that!And by the time you fell their resistance was almost finished."
"Then 'we'--we have captured the launch, and that, you will remember,was a point I laid stress on. Then?" asked Commander Houston, peeringinto Geoff's face. "Did it occur to you, young Keith, that----"
Geoff smiled at the wounded Commander, and seated himself opposite tohim.
"I think the same idea occurred to me, sir," he said, "and perhapssomewhere about the same moment. You see, the Turks aboard that steamer,the fellows who fired that gun at us, know now well enough that theBritish have sent a motor-boat up the River Euphrates, and a motor-boatis a thing they will be hunting for. But a steam-launch, one of theirvery own, manned by a Turkish officer and Turkish soldiers, would have achance to pass up the river right under their noses. In command of aboat like that, a fellow might find out a great deal more than if stillaboard this motor-boat. So I thought that if we were lucky enough tocapture the launch we might send off a party on her."
"Showing that wise heads think in the same direction," the Commanderlaughed a second later, though his eyes were twinkling with excitement."Confound this wound! But for that, I can tell you, I should havecommanded this second expedition. The scheme is just one that is likelyto succeed, and, as you say, Keith, has better chances than we shouldhave, now that the Turks have dropped upon us. Being wounded myself, ofcourse, I shall have to give way to another, and it looks to me asthough our friend the Cox would have to command this little expedition."
You could have knocked Philip and Geoff down with the proverbialfeather. Their faces, which had been smiling before and lit up withenthusiasm, suddenly lengthened, while they regarded the Commander withsomething akin to horror, if not positive anger.
"But," exploded Philip, "I--you--we----"
Commander Houston laughed again, laughed till he choked and coughed, anduntil Geoff begged of him to take things quietly.
"I--you--we----" he said at last, mimicking Philip. "Well, well! I'lltease you no further. Of course, Keith will take charge of this littleaffair; and seeing that you, Denman, are, as it were, under his directcommand, why, of course, he'll take you with him. For me, though I liketo take things in the right way, and not make a fuss, I realize wellenough that that Turkish officer has knocked me out completely. Don'tworry!" he went on. "I'm hit hard, I know, but it takes a precious dealto kill a man of my stamina; and, to tell you the truth, though I feelweak and rather knocked out for the moment, I'm very far from dying. Butmarsh lands and swamps, such as we lie in, are not good for wounds; andthat being the case, and since I should be a hindrance to the wholeparty, I shall 'bout ship and steam down to the Shatt-el-Arab. We knowthe route now, we shall have little to fear once we are away from thisneighbourhood, and we can travel with a diminished crew. Keith, my boy,set about investigating the contents of our capture."
Leaving the Commander in the cabin, and taking the precaution to haul apiece of sailcloth over the opening above so as to shelter him from thedirect rays of the sun--which were now pouring down upon themarshes--Geoff and Philip stepped aboard the captured launch, and made athorough survey of her, discovering a quantity of rifles and ammunition,besides a supply of dates and coffee. In a cabin aft of the engine-roomthere were some tinned provisions, which no doubt had belonged to theofficer. For the rest, there was sufficient fuel aboard to take thevessel a considerable distance, and, in fact, little was required tomake her fit for service.
"We could go off on her right away," Geoff told his chum, his voiceexultant, "for there is food enough on board to feed you, and me, andthe crew we shall require to man her. As to water, we can get that fromthe boiler at any time, and so need have little fear of fever. I vote weask the Commander to allow us a certain supply of provisions andammunition for the men we take with us. As to the number of the latter,of course, he will decide upon it; but the sooner we select our men thebetter, for they must discard their present clothing and dress up in theuniforms of the Turkish soldiers."
When they came to the point of selecting the half-dozen men that theCommander decided to allot them, Geoff found that he was face to facewith an unexpected difficulty. For, calling the sailors about him on thedeck of the Turkish launch--as he wished to leave the Commander quietlyresting--he had barely opened his mouth sufficiently to explain what wasabout to happen, and to call for volunteers, when every man of the partystepped forward. More than that, there was an insinuating smile on thefaces of all, without exception, the sort of smile a man indulges inwhen he wishes to ask a favour. It was a kind of dilemma which an olderman than Geoff, and one far more experienced, would have dealt with atonce, though not without difficulty; but Geoff, we admit the fact, wasutterly confounded.
"But," he stuttered, "I--don't you know--I--well, that is, I only wantsix of you, so what's the good of all of you volunteering?"
"That's just it, sir," the Cox explained. "There's not a single man jackhere who don't want to be one of the party. Beg pardon, sir," he added,a moment later, seeing that Geoff was puzzled and perplexed, "if you wasto leave it to us we'd soo
n fix the business. We'd draw lots, and thennot a single one of the men could feel that he was out of favour. Thelucky ones would be envied, that's all, and the rest of 'em would goback with the Commander as pleasant as possible."
Within a few minutes, as a matter of fact, the whole matter had beenamicably settled; and thereafter Geoff and Philip were busily engaged indressing the men they were to take with them, securing for that purposethe clothing of Turks who had fallen during the conflict. Then, about anhour before dusk fell, they set off from the place where they had beenlying behind the island, the Turkish engineer still manning his engine,while one of their own men was at the wheel. Philip was right for'ard,quite a fierce-looking Turk in his dirty khaki uniform and fezhead-covering. As for Geoff, he sat on the little platform just in frontof the funnel, and no one taking even the closest look at him would havesuspected him of being a British officer. A moment before, he hadgripped the Commander's hand and had received a cheery send-off fromhim. Then smoke gushed from the funnel, the Turkish engineer pulledgently at his throttle, and the screw of the steam-launch began to churnthe water. Signals were exchanged between those seeming Turkish soldierson the deck of the launch and the British sailors still remaining onboard the motor-vessel. Then the launch gained the far end of theisland, and, swinging round it, disappeared, the last glance which Geoffcast over his shoulder showing him a number of disconsolate individualswatching their departure, while, seated aft on the motor-vessel, werethe nine or ten prisoners whom they had captured. Stealing silentlyacross a wide stretch of swamp, and answering cheerily a signal flungout from the bigger Turkish steamer somewhere away on the river, thelaunch was headed to the left until she gained a group of islands.
"In here, Excellency," said the native, who, naturally enough, formedone of the party. "There's a channel amongst those islands which I havefollowed, and which will take us up within half a mile of the riverstream, yet hidden from it. Let the man drive the boat faster whilethere is nothing here to impede us."
As darkness fell that night, the launch was tearing along through thestagnant water, flinging a bow wave on to the islands which cropped up,now to the right and now to the left of her. Sometimes her steersman wasforced to make her swerve somewhat violently, to avoid an obstructionconsisting of ooze and mud and covered with thick-growing reeds, but forthe most part her course was directly forward, and parallel to theriver. At length, as darkness fell, the engines were stopped, and theboat was brought to a halt between two islands. There the anchor wasdropped, and the little force made ready to spend the night and toprepare for an eventful to-morrow.
On the Road to Bagdad: A Story of Townshend's Gallant Advance on the Tigris Page 8