by G. A. Henty
It was now quiet for some little time. Then a horseman dashed suddenly past, and galloped up the valley at full speed.
“The end window, Surajah! Bring him down, if you can.”
Surajah ran there and fired.
“I have missed him!” he said, in a tone of deep disappointment.
“It does not make much difference. If you had hit him, they could have sent another off close to the opposite side of the valley. There is no doubt as to what he has gone for. You see, they have lost six killed and one wounded, and they must know that they have not the slightest chance of taking this hut. I have no doubt that he has ridden back to bring down the infantry from the fort. From the number of huts round the gate, and the sound of talking, I should think there were fifty or sixty at least—perhaps a hundred.
“If they send down fifty, we shall have sharp work. Our difficulty will be to prevent them from making a rush at all the windows together. If they were to get there, they could riddle us with balls.”
“Could we block them up, Sahib?”
“That is just what I was thinking,” Dick replied. “We might try, anyhow. It will be an hour and a half before they are down here. It must be past four now, and in another hour daylight will begin to break.
“There is any amount of the old thatch down on the floor. The best way would be to fill up the window holes with it first, then to put two or three bits of wood across, and a strong piece down behind it, and to keep that in its place by wedging one of the long beams against it. If they came up and tried to pull the thatch out, we could fire through it with our pistols; and we will make a loophole below each when we have got the work done.”
It was not so difficult a business as they thought it would be. The windows were little more than a foot across and two feet high. It was but the work of a few minutes to fill these up with the masses of thatch. When this was done, they picked out thick pieces of wood for crossbars. Then they took a beam, eight feet long, made a hole with their tulwars in the clay floor close to the wall, put one end of the beam into it, and reared it upright against the window. Dick held it in its place, while Surajah hacked a deep notch in it—a by no means difficult matter, for it was half rotten with exposure.
The notch was cut just opposite the middle of the window. The three crosspieces were then put into their place, and the upright pressed firmly against them. One end of a long beam was placed in the notch, the other in a slight hole made in the ground, thus forming a strut, which held the rest firmly in their positions.
“That is a good job done,” Dick said, “but a very hot one. Now, Surajah, sharpen three or four pieces of wood, and drive them down into the ground at the foot of that strut; then it will be as firm as a rock.”
They then proceeded, in the same way, with the other two windows.
“It is getting light fast,” Dick said, as he wiped the perspiration from his face. “Take a look out up the valley. They ought to be coming by this time.”
Surajah applied his eye to one of the loopholes.
“I can see them,” he said. “They are half a mile away. There are two mounted men. I expect one is their officer, and the other the man who rode back to fetch them.”
“Let us set to work at the loopholes under the windows, Surajah. It is most important to get them done. You make the one at the end, I will do that one looking into the street. Put it as close to the beam as you can.”
They worked hard, and it was not long before the walls were pierced.
“Now, Surajah, you do the one at the back. The fellows will soon be within range, and I will give them a lesson to be careful. They will naturally break up, and go round behind the houses opposite, as they can find shelter nowhere else; and, for a bit at any rate, we shall get them all on one side of us, which is what we want.”
Dick carried the six guns to the end of the hut, and then applied his eye to the loophole there. The enemy were coming along at a run, in a confused mass.
“I can’t very well miss them,” he muttered to himself, as he thrust his gun through a loophole, and fired. Without waiting to see the result, he thrust another gun out, aimed, and fired.
“Never mind the hole, Surajah,” he said. “Come here and reload.”
The four other shots were discharged in rapid succession. The Mysoreans at first opened an irregular fire on the hut. When the sixth shot was fired, they left the road in a body, and ran across the valley, leaving four of their number on the ground behind them.
As soon as the guns were reloaded, Surajah returned to his work. It was now broad daylight, and the sun was shining upon the hilltops. A quarter of an hour passed, without a movement from the enemy. Dick and his companion occupied the time in further strengthening the door with crossbeams, kept in their place by struts.
“If they break it to splinters,” Dick said, when they had finished, “they will hardly be able to force their way in, for if they were to try to crawl in between those crossbeams, they would be completely at our mercy.
“Now, we must get ready for a rush. I expect they will come all together. There are the six guns, and three pistols each. Keep one of the latter in reserve. We ought not to waste a shot; and if they lose ten men, I should think they will give up the attack on the door.
“Stand clear of it, Surajah. They will probably fire into it before they charge—keep down below the level of the loopholes.”
Presently a volley of musketry was fired, and the door was riddled by bullets. Then a number of figures sprang from between the two opposite houses, and rushed at the door. Two of them carried a long, heavy beam.
Two shots flashed out in return, from the hut. One of the men carrying the beam fell, as did an officer who was leading them; but instantly another caught up the end of the timber, and in a moment a crowd were clustered round the door. Several caught hold of the beam, and swung it as though they meant to use it as a battering ram.
Two more puffs of smoke spurted out from the loopholes, and again two of the men fell. The others, however, swung it forward with a crash against the door. The end of the beam went right through the rotten woodwork. Dick and Surajah fired their last musket shots with as deadly effect as before. The next blow dashed the door from its hinges, and, split and shattered by the former shocks, it fell forward into the road, while a yell of triumph broke from the Mysoreans.
This died away, however, when they saw the three crossbars blocking their entrance. Again two pistol shots carried death among them.
“Load your guns, Surajah.”
But before Surajah had time to do so, the Mysoreans made a rush at the door. The defenders stepped forward and fired between the crossbars, and then, drawing their tulwars, ran the two men in front through the body. As they dropped, those behind them drew back.
“The last pistols!” Dick shouted, and they fired two shots into the crowd.
This completed the consternation of the enemy. It seemed to them that the defenders possessed an unlimited supply of firearms. Already twelve shots had been fired, and not one had failed to take effect. With a cry of consternation they fled down the street, leaving the ground in front of the fatal door strewn with bodies.
The defenders instantly set about the work of recharging their firearms. They were not interrupted, but presently an irregular fire opened upon them, from the jungle that had taken the place of the garden between the opposite houses.
“We may as well lie down at full length,” Dick said, setting the example. “There is no use in running risks. You keep that side, and listen attentively. It is likely enough that they will work round behind, next time, and try the windows. By the way they are firing, I fancy there are not more than five or six of them opposite.”
Another half hour passed. Then Surajah exclaimed, “I can hear them on this side.”
Dick got up, and crossed at once.
“I will take the loophole under this window. You go to the one at the end. I expect they will try both windows at once.”
D
ick placed the muzzle of his gun in the loophole, and, glancing along, saw that something dark barred his view. He fired at once. There was a loud cry and a fall, then a rush to the window, and a moment later a hole appeared in the thatch. Dick discharged two pistols through it, and as he did so Surajah fired.
The thatch was speedily pulled down, as the enemy had learned to avoid the loopholes. A yell of rage rose, as the fallen thatch showed them that the window was defended with crossbars, in the same way as the door. Immediately afterwards, Dick had a narrow escape from a shot fired through a loophole close to him.
“Stoop down,” he cried, and, crouching below the level of the loopholes, made his way to the end of the hut. “Recharge the guns first, Surajah. They may fire away through the loopholes as long as they like. It is lucky we made them so high, except the three under the windows. We must be careful in keeping out of the line of those.
“You sit down where you can command the end window, and the one behind—I will watch the front window and door. A bold fellow might put his musket through, and pick one of us off, and that is what we have to prevent. So keep your gun in readiness, and if you see a head appear, don’t miss it.”
The enemy now kept up a constant fire through the loopholes at the end and back of the house; but as these were shoulder high, and there was no altering the elevation of the guns, the shots flew harmlessly over the heads of the defenders. Several times, Dick went to one or other of the loopholes, pistol in hand, and, standing close beside it, waited until a shot was fired; and then, thrusting the barrel into the loophole, fired before another gun could be inserted, the discharge being generally followed by a sharp cry of pain.
After this had gone on for nearly an hour, the assailants evidently became discouraged. The shots came from the loopholes less frequently, and presently ceased altogether.
“I would give a good deal to know what they are up to,” Dick said, after a long pause.
“Shall I look through the loophole?” Surajah asked.
“Certainly not. There will be a man standing at each of them, waiting in expectation of our taking a look out.”
“But there are none in front,” Surajah said.
“That is more than we can say. They have not been firing on that side, but they may have men there now. No, we will leave well alone, Surajah. The longer they delay, the better for us.
“Keep your eye on the top of the wall, as well as on the window. They may have made some ladders by this time, and may intend to try a shot.”
“Perhaps they are gone?” Surajah suggested.
“It is quite possible. They must know that our troop comes up here early, and as they have four miles to walk back to the fort, and several wounded to carry with them, they certainly won’t stay much longer—if, as you say, they have not gone already.”
It was indeed well that Surajah had not attempted to look out at one of the loopholes; for, at the time he asked the question, a dark figure was standing at each, looking along the barrel of his gun, in readiness to fire the moment the light was obscured.
A few minutes later Dick exclaimed:
“How stupid! We can easily test whether there is any one there, Surajah;” and, taking up a piece of thatch he pushed it suddenly across one of the loopholes.
No shot followed the action, and he went round the hut, and repeated the experiment at each of them.
“They have all gone,” he said confidently. “Had they been outside, they would certainly have fired directly the light was obscured.”
Standing a short distance back from the end window, he looked out between the crossbeams.
“Hurrah!” he shouted. “There they go up the road. They are a quarter of a mile away. They are not more than half as strong as they were when they came down. They are carrying eight or ten figures on their shoulders, on litters, or doors.”
“I don’t see the cavalry,” Surajah said, as he joined him.
“No. It is likely enough that they may be in hiding among the huts opposite, and are waiting, in hopes that we may be foolish enough to take it for granted that they are all gone, and pull down the bars of the door. I expect they will stay until they see our troop coming up the valley.”
They continued to look out from the window, from which they had now removed the bars. Half an hour later, Dick exclaimed:
“There they go, up that side of the valley. I have no doubt they see our troop, and that in a few minutes we shall hear them coming.”
It was not long before they heard a trampling of horses, and a moment later the Rajah’s voice exclaimed:
“Why, what is this? Here are a dozen dead bodies. They are Mysoreans, by their dress.”
“All right, Uncle,” Dick shouted, “we will be out as soon as we get these bars down. We have been standing a siege.”
It did not take long to remove the bars. The Rajah and his men had dismounted, as soon as some of the latter had gone round the hut, and had brought back the report that there were five more dead on that side. As Dick and his companion stepped out, the Rajah exclaimed:
“What, are you alone?”
“Yes; there is no one with us, Uncle.”
“Do you mean to say that you two have defended this place alone, and killed sixteen of the enemy, besides some I see lying farther up the road?”
“Yes, Uncle. You see, it was a pretty strong position, and we had time to block up the doors and windows, and to make loopholes to fire through.”
“What think you of that, Anwar?” the Rajah exclaimed to the captain of the troop. “My nephew and Rajbullub’s son have shown themselves brave fighters, have they not?”
“It is wonderful,” the captain said; and exclamations of admiration broke from the men standing round.
“Tell us all about it, Dick,” the Rajah went on.
“It is a long story, Uncle; but the real news is that Tippoo, with his army, has left the head of the western passes, and has gone to Seringapatam. He is going to march down one of the passes, this side, at once. Provisions have been collected for his army to consume on the march. No one knows yet which pass he will come down by; but it will not be far from here, for they are buying up cattle in the villages at the top of the ghauts.”
“That is important, indeed, Dick, and we must ride off without delay; but first, I must have a look at this fortress of yours.”
He entered the hut, the soldiers crowding in after him, and examined the defences at the windows, and the loopholes; while Dick explained how the bars had been arranged to defend the door.
“We began on the other side, Uncle. We had a fight with four men who came up with us there. Only one of them got away—and he left his gun behind. It was lucky, for their guns and pistols were of immense use to us. We could not have held out with only our own weapons.
“About twenty of their cavalry came up a few minutes afterwards. We beat them off, and then they sent up to the fort for infantry, and about fifty men came down and attacked us, just at sunrise. They kept it up to within half an hour ago. Then the infantry marched back, knowing, of course, that your troop generally got here about seven.
“The horsemen stayed here till within a few minutes of your arrival. No doubt they thought that we should suppose they had all gone, and might venture out, and let them get a shot at us.”
“Why, it must have been a veritable battle, Dick.”
“There was a good deal of noise, Uncle, though not much danger. So long as we kept below the level of the loopholes and windows, and out of the line of the door, there was no chance of our being hit.”
“They must have made a strong attack on the door,” the Rajah said. “I see that the two lying next to it were both killed by sword thrusts.”
“Yes, that was the most critical moment, Uncle. We had emptied nearly all our barrels, and if they could have broken down the bars, which I have no doubt they could have done, if they had stuck to it, they would have made very short work of us.”
“Now let us be going,”
the Rajah said. “You can tell me the whole story, as we go along.”
Two of the sowars were ordered to give up their horses to Dick and Surajah, and to mount behind comrades. Then they started down the valley, Dick riding between his uncle and the captain, while Surajah took his place with the two other officers of the troop. They rode so rapidly that Dick’s story was scarcely concluded by the time they reached the village where the troops were quartered.
“Well, you have done marvelously well, Dick,” his uncle said. “Surajah deserves the highest praise, too. Now I will write a note to the British officer with the Nabob, giving the news of Tippoo’s movements, and will send it off by two of the troopers, at once. Where Colonel Maxwell’s force is, I have no idea. It marched to join General Meadows, on the day we came up here.
“In the meantime you can have a wash, while breakfast is being cooked. I have no doubt that you are ready for it.”
“I am indeed, Uncle. We had nothing, yesterday, but a few cakes made of flour and water; and have had nothing at all, since.”
“All right, lad. I will be ready almost as soon as breakfast is.”
After the meal was over, the Rajah lit his hookah, and said:
“You must go through the story again, this evening, Dick. You cut short some of the details, as you told it to me on the road, and I want to understand it all thoroughly. You had better turn in now for a long sleep. You must want it badly enough, lad, after the work of the two last nights.”
Dick slept until his uncle roused him, at six o’clock.
“Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. It is just as well that you should get up, for two or three hours. After that, you will be good for another sleep till morning. We shall have to look out sharp now, and keep a couple of vedettes always at that village; as, for all we know, this may be the pass by which Tippoo is coming down.”
Dick got up rather reluctantly, but he was not long in shaking off his drowsiness, and after dinner was able to go through the story again, with full details of his adventures.
“I don’t know what I should have done without Surajah, Uncle. He is a capital fellow, and if ever I go up by myself, into Mysore, to look for my father, I hope that you will let me take him.”