Gil the Gunner Part 59

"Rajah!" I exclaimed, surprised but not surprised, for I had half expected some such proposal, but of course only in a very minor form.

"Look here, Vincent," he continued, bending forward, and speaking excitedly. "When I came to your barracks as a humble syce, it was to learn everything about your guns, and the way in which the horse artillery was trained. In those days, beaten, kicked, trampled upon, I always had you in my mind, and I watched you, how quick, how clever, and how brave you were. My heart warmed to you even then; but as I have grown to know you better and seen what you are in the field in action with your men, I have said again and again that there could be no one better for my trusted friend and general."

I laughed, though a curious feeling came over me that the man who would make me such a proposal must be mad.

"Why do you laugh?" he said. "Are you pleased at what I propose?"

"Pleased? No," I said frankly. "You are laughing at me--making fun of me."

He frowned.

"Is it so trifling a thing, that I should laugh over it?"

"No, it is not a trifling matter; but it seems to be trifling with me to propose such a thing. You cannot be in earnest."

"I am in earnest, and it is wise," he said sternly.

"But it is an appointment for an old, experienced man, and I suppose that I am a mere boy."

"The great Company thought you old enough to take charge of their guns,"

he said gravely.

"Yes, but with older officers over me."

"Well; I shall be over you; but you will have full charge of all my cannons. You understand them thoroughly."

"Of course I know a little about them."

"Little!" he cried. "It is magnificent. Have I not seen you often?

Did I not see you carry them off after I had captured them, and was training my men? but slowly--oh, so slowly."

"You forget that I was only a junior officer acting under my captain's orders. It is nonsense, and you are saying all this to make me vain, to flatter me."

"I never stoop to flatter," he said coldly. "It is the truth. Yes, you are young, but you will soon grow older and more experienced, and train my men till they have all the speed of yours. Do you tell me that you could not drill and teach my soldiers?"

"Oh no, I do not tell you that," I said frankly, "because I could."

"Yes; of course you could, and it will be a proud position for you."

"What! as a British officer in the service of a rajah?"

"Yes; I could tell you of a dozen cases where an English soldier has drilled his master's forces as you will drill them, for I must have large troops of horse artillery like you had. You shall be in command."

I looked hard at him, for even then I felt that he must be joking with me, the proposal seemed to be so out of all reason, and I had so small an estimate of my own powers, that there were moments when I felt ready to laugh, and felt sure that if Brace, serious as he was, had heard it, he would have burst into a hearty fit of mirth.

But the rajah's face was grave and stern, and his words were full of the calm conviction that I was the very person to take the command of his men and train them as he wished.

As he sat gazing at me, waiting for me to accept his proposal, I tried to treat it in all seriousness, as if quietly discussing the matter with him.

"Do I understand you rightly?" I said; "that you wish me to be your chief artillery officer?"

"Yes, that is it," he said, "to arrange everything, and above all to get up as quickly as possible three or four troops of horse artillery. You know exactly how it should be done, and could teach the men till they were as quick and das.h.i.+ng as your own."

"It would require Englishmen then," I thought, for I could not see that it was possible with Indians.

"Would it take very long?" he said. "You could start with men from the cavalry, and so only have to teach them gun-drill."

"Yes, it would take very long," I said.

"Never mind; they would get better every day. I should be satisfied, for I know what you can do."

"Why do you wish to have these troops?" I said, more for the sake of keeping back my reply than for anything else.

"Why? To make me strong," he cried excitedly. "With men like that, and the quick-firing guns, I shall be more powerful than any of the rajahs near. But you hesitate; you do not say yes."

I looked at him sadly.

"Come," he continued, "at your age there should not be any hanging back.

Have you thought what it means?"

"You have taken me so by surprise," I replied.

"Oh yes; but can you not see that I make you at once a great man? one whom I trust in everything, and who will be next in my country to myself? Come, speak. You will accept?"

His eyes were fixed upon me searchingly, and I felt that I must speak now, though I trembled for the effect my words would have upon such a determined, relentless man, accustomed to have his will in all things.

"There are plenty of men more suited to the task than I am," I said with a last attempt to put off the final words.

"Where?" he said, coldly. "Bring me a thousand older and more experienced than you, and I should refuse them all."

"Why?"

"Because I like and trust you, and know that you would be faithful."

"Then," I cried, s.n.a.t.c.hing at the chance of escape, "if you knew I should be faithful, why did you propose such a thing?"

"I do not understand you," he said coldly.

"I am one of the Company's officers, sworn to be true to my duties. How can I break my oath? I should be a traitor, and worthy of death."

"You have been faithful," he said quietly. "I knew you would say that.

But the tie is broken now."

"No; not while I am in their service."

"You are no longer in their service," he said, watching me intently the while. "The great Company is dead; its troops are defeated, scattered, and in a short time there will hardly be a white man left in the land over which they have tyrannised so long."

I sank back staring at him wildly, for his words carried conviction, and setting aside the horrors that such a state of affairs suggested, and the terrible degradation for England, I began thinking of myself cut off from all I knew, separated from my people, perhaps for ever, asked to identify myself with the enemies of my country--become, in short, a renegade.