Charge! Part 19

I found afterwards, on talking to the men above me, that they had behaved in precisely the same way as I did-they kept on firing; while all were in constant expectation of having to club their rifles to beat back the enemy should they come on with a rush.

However, we never came to close quarters that night; for, failing in sweeping our men back in the first surprise, the enemy drew off a short distance till all were well under cover, and then kept up their fire, each party of the enemy seeming utterly regardless of the risk to their own comrades beyond us.

In the midst of the roar and reverberation I was startled by a hand laid upon my shoulder, and, turning sharply, I found the sergeant by my side.

"Fall back," he said; and as I obeyed I thrust my hand to my cartridge-belt so as to reload, when, to my utter astonishment, I found it was two-thirds empty. This was soon remedied; for, as we-that is to say, about half the defenders of the upper side of our stronghold-stood fast, non-commissioned officers came running along and thrust packets of cartridges into our hands.

It was, as I have said, very dark; but I could just manage to see beneath the canopy of smoke which rose slowly that half the lower line of defenders had fallen back. Directly after, we were all hurried to the front of the great niche and ordered to man the rocks there in front of the horses.

While settling ourselves in every advantageous position we could find, the firing went on as briskly as ever, the Boers blazing away at our two lines of men, who replied as fast as they could load; and, as far as I could tell by the sound, the fusillade did not slacken.

Then I began to understand what was about to happen, and could not help laughing to myself when I saw the part of our line we had left firing suddenly come hurrying in, to pa.s.s through an opening in our ranks; and no sooner were they safe than the lower line fell back and came running into the shelter, to join up with the others.

As soon as these detachments were out of the way we had orders to fire four cartridges each, half of us firing as well up the pa.s.s as possible, the other half to fire as far downwards as they could. After these four rounds each we were to cease firing: this was, of course, to prevent the Boers from noticing that our fire had slackened and then ceased; and it answered exactly as the Colonel had intended, for the bull-headed and obstinate enemy went on for the next half-hour firing away at the stones where we had been, each side believing that a portion of the reports and echoes were caused by our firing, and all the time our men stood laughing and enjoying the blunder, and pretty sure that the enemy must be bringing down some of their own comrades. Whether the enemy found this out at last, or were dissatisfied at not being able to silence our fire, I don't know; but suddenly there was another train of sparks rus.h.i.+ng up through the smoke, and the bursting of a rocket far on high, sending down a dingy bluish light through the overhanging cloud. Then the firing stopped as if by magic.

Instantly every man was on the qui vive, the front of the niche bristling with rifles ready to deliver volley after volley as soon as the rush we all expected began; but we waited in vain. When skirmishers were sent out to feel their way cautiously in the darkness, through which the smoke was slowly rising, we still waited and listened, expecting to hear them fired upon; but again we waited in vain. Both parties of the enemy had retired for the night; and, as soon as the Colonel was satisfied of this, the necessary advance-posts were sent out and stationed, and the men then ordered to lie down on their arms and get what sleep they could.

Chapter Fifteen.

The Sergeant's Wound.

There were the hard stones for our couches, and the air up in the pa.s.s was sharp and cold; but we were all pretty close together, and in five minutes it did not seem as if any one was awake, though doubtless the few poor fellows who had been wounded-I may say wonderfully few considering what we had gone through-did not get much sleep. I was one of those who did lie awake for a time, gazing up at the clear, bright stars which began to peer down through the clearing-off smoke, but only for a few minutes; then a calm, restful feeling began to steal over me, and I was sleeping as sound as if on one of the feather-beds at the farm, where in course of years they had grown plentiful and big.

We were not, however, to pa.s.s the night in peace; for directly after, as it seemed to me, I started up in the darkness, roused by firing. Then the trumpet-call rang out, and we were all up ready for the rush that was in progress; while I was startled and confused, and unable to understand why the now mounted Boers should be guilty of such an insane action as to attack us there, nestling among the stones. We were all ready, but no orders came to fire, and all crouched or stood with finger on trigger, gradually grasping what it all meant, and listening to the trampling of hoofs going steadily on, till at last the Colonel's familiar voice was heard from close to where I stood.

"Hold your fire, my lads. We should be doing no good by bringing a few down. Let them join their friends. They've come to the conclusion that this is too hard a nut to crack."

This is what happened: the enemy's lower party had waited till nearly daylight, and then approached quietly till their coming had been noticed by our outpost sentries, who fired to give the alarm, when they made a sudden dash to get up the pa.s.s to join the detachment of Boers above. This they were allowed to do unmolested, the Colonel saying that nothing was to be gained by stopping them, and that an advance up the pa.s.s was work for infantry, not for a mounted force.

Daylight came soon afterwards, I suppose; but I did not watch for the dawn, for, as soon as the last of the hors.e.m.e.n had pa.s.sed and the word was given, I sank down again and slept as a tired lad can sleep. Again, as it seemed, only a few minutes expired before the trumpet once more rang out, and I had to shake myself together, when the first face that looked into mine was that of Joeboy, who was standing close by me with a heap of haversacks at his feet, and grinning at me with a good-humoured smile. I didn't smile, for I felt stiff and full of aches and pains; but before long fires were burning and water getting hot. I had a good shower-bath, too, in a gurgling spring of water which came down a rift by the gap in the pa.s.s. Then sweet hot coffee and slices of bread and cold ham out of one of the haversacks Joeboy had foraged for seemed to quite alter the face of nature. Perhaps it was that the sun came out warm and bright, and that the blue sky was beautiful; but I gave the bread, ham, and coffee the credit of it all. Ah! what a breakfast that was! It seemed to me the most delicious I had ever eaten; but before it was begun I had been to see Denham, who was sitting up with his chest tightly bandaged. He was ready to hold out a hand as soon as he saw me.

"Hullo, Moray!" he cried, "how are you this morning?"

"It's how are you?" I replied.

"Oh, I'm all right. A bit stiff, and I've got a bruise in the back, the doctor says, like; the top of a silk hat."

"You haven't seen it?" I said.

"Have I got a neck like an ostrich or a giraffe? No, of course I haven't."

"But is anything broken?" I asked anxiously.

"No, not even cracked. The pot's quite sound, so the doctor hasn't put in a single rivet."

"I am glad," I said heartily.

"That's right-thank you," said the poor fellow, smiling pleasantly, and he kept his eyes fixed upon me for some moments. Then in a light bantering way he went on, "Doctor said the well-worn old thing."

"What was that?" I asked.

"Oh, that if it hadn't been for that bullet and bra.s.s cartridge-case, backed up by the thick leather belt, that Boer's bullet would have bored-now, now, you were going to laugh," he cried.

"That I wasn't," I said wonderingly. "What is there to laugh at?"

"Oh, you thought I was making a pun: bored a hole right through me."

"Rubbis.h.!.+" I said. "Just as if I should have thought so lightly about so terribly dangerous an injury."

"Good boy!" he cried merrily. "I like that. I see you've been very nicely brought up. That must be due to your aunt-aunt-aunt- What's her name?"

"Never mind," I said shortly; "but if you can laugh and joke like that there's no need for me to feel anxious about your hurt."

"Not a bit, Solomon," he cried merrily. "There you go again, trying to make puns-solemn un-eh? I say, though, you do look solemn this morning, Val. I know: want your breakfast-eh!"

"Had it," I said, smiling now.

"I do, my young recruit. I'm longing for a cup of hot coffee or tea. But I say, Val, my lad," he continued, seriously now, "I haven't felt in a very laughing humour while I lay awake part of the night."

"I suppose not," I said earnestly. "It must have been very terrible to lie here listening to the fighting-wounded, too-and not able to join in."

"Well, yes, that was pretty bail; but I didn't worry about that. I knew the Colonel would manage all right. I was worried."

"What worried you?" I said-"the pain?"

"Oh no; I grinned and bore that. Here, come closer; I don't want that chap to hear."

"What is it?" I said, closing up.

"It was that business yesterday, when I was. .h.i.t."

"Oh, I wouldn't think about it," I said.

"Can't help it. I did try precious hard to carry it off before I quite broke down."

"You bore it all like a hero," I said.

"No, I didn't, lad. I bore it like a big boarding-school girl. Oh! it was pitiful. Fainted dead away."

"No wonder," I replied, smiling. "You're not made of cast-iron."

"Here, I say, you fellow," he cried; "just you keep your position. None of your insolence, please. Recollect that you're only a raw recruit, and I'm your officer."

"Certainly," I said, smiling. "I thought we were both volunteers."