Draw Swords! Part 40

"The light of discipline and skill against brute force, old fellow."

said Wyatt, nodding quietly; "and I feel as if I should like to pitch my helmet in the air and cry 'Hooray!' But officers mustn't do that. Come along with me."

He led the way and rode along the line, looking anxiously in the men's faces.

"Who is hurt?" he said. "Any man want to fall out?"

There was a pause, during which no one answered. "Well done!" cried Wyatt excitedly. "Splendid work, my lads."

There was a loud cheer at this, and directly after the order to advance was given, and the troop rode steadily back, mostly at a walk, to the city, reaching the gates quite unmolested, and entering just before dark.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

DIFFERENCES OF OPINION.

To the great satisfaction of all, everything was going well. The troop had found themselves received in silence at the gate by the Rajah's troops, and had ridden through the streets to the old palace, with the people in crowds watching their entrance; but no enthusiasm was displayed, and Wyatt said grimly:

"They look as if they were sorry that we have come back safely."

"Or as if some of them wanted to give us a warmer welcome, only they feel afraid."

"That's about what it is," said Wyatt. "They are afraid. I hope nothing has gone wrong in barracks."

His hope was satisfied, for the gates were close shut, and the guard ready to challenge them before admittance was given, Sergeant Stubbs, left in command, having nothing more to report than the fact that a large body of armed men had been hanging about the place.

"Just as if they were waiting to hear how things were going, gentlemen.

And, between ourselves, I can't help thinking that if you had been worsted they would have attacked us. Not that they would have had much satisfaction out of that."

"What do you mean, Stubbs!" asked Wyatt.

The man shook his head.

"They'd have been too much for us, of course, sir," he said; "and we should have been done. But I'd got a plan ready for them in the shape of the ammunition."

"What were you going to do?" asked d.i.c.k.

"Only going to put a lighted linstock to the end of a train leading to a big powder-bag in the ammunition-wagon, sir. Pity, I thought, to let our friends have that. They don't understand our cartridges, and might have burned their fingers."

Sergeant Stubbs said this with a grim look, but it was sober, earnest determination not to die un-revenged, for there was powder enough to destroy the place and all that were in it.

d.i.c.k was warm enough with his hot ride and all he had gone through, but as soon as he had flung his rein to his syce and patted Burnouse, he hurried to the room where the wounded men lay, finding Hulton looking deadly pale, but calm and free from fever; while the doctor, in spite of his weakness, was able to make inquiries about how the day had gone.

d.i.c.k told him in as few words as he could, and soon found that every one was listening.

All at once there was a deep groan, and d.i.c.k sprang to the bed of one of the men, to find that the sufferer was Hanson.

"Arm you in pain?" he said anxiously.

"Pretty well for that, sir. Why do you ask?"

"You groaned as if in agony."

"That was not me, sir, but Jones there."

"Your wound hurt you much?" said d.i.c.k to the man in sympathetic tones.

"No, sir; but it's hard, that's what it is--hard."

"To be wounded?"

"To have to lie here and all that fun going on. Beg pardon, sir; you just dress me up again to-morrow, and then give me a stiffykit of being fit to go on duty again. I should get right quicker along with the men than lying here alongside Bob Hanson."

"I have not made a sound," said Hanson.

"No, my lad, but you've looked as if you were going to."

"There, lie still," said d.i.c.k. "I'll come and look to your bandages as soon as I've got these hot things off; and I'm not fit to come now."

d.i.c.k kept his word, and this time he had the doctor's advice to help him to ease the poor fellows lying in misery.

"We shall be better in the morning, sir," said Hanson so meaningly that d.i.c.k asked why he said that.

"We can lie and think about the troop having won."

d.i.c.k had barely finished when there was a summons to meet the Rajah, who had come to obtain first-hand an account of the fight, to which he listened with an intense display of interest, expressing his satisfaction again and again.

"How have you got on here, sir, while we've been away?" asked Wyatt.

"They made some attacks upon the gates," said the Rajah, "but there is nothing to fear from them. We are strongest there. It is in their mounted men that they are powerful and get the better of us, but after to-day I think I can laugh at them. Scouts came galloping in to say that you had won; but later on other men came in to say that you had all been cut off, and I was afraid."

"We were cut off," said d.i.c.k, smiling; "but Mr--Captain Wyatt--"

"Steady there!" growled that officer.

"Captain Wyatt," said d.i.c.k, with a little more emphasis, "cut a way for us back again."

The Rajah was for taking both away with him to the palace, but they excused themselves on the plea of being completely worn out; and he left them, to send servants with fruit and choice refreshments from his own table--a present which made d.i.c.k's eyes brighten with satisfaction as he thought of his patients lying feverish and weary in the extempore hospital ward.

"Oh, this is glorious," said d.i.c.k to himself as he threw himself on his bed at last, the night, for a wonder, being fairly cool; and, as he had a good sprawl, the refres.h.i.+ng sensation of the absence of muscular effort mingled with the mental feeling of a day's work well done, and he was just dropping into the weary body's insensibility, when he started into wakefulness as suddenly as if some wriggling abomination had crept into his bed and stung him.

But it was only a thought.

Still, it was strong enough to make him half dress himself, open his door, and nearly fall headlong over something soft lying outside.

"Does the sahib want something?" said the plaintive voice of his servant.

"Want something? Yes!" cried d.i.c.k angrily--"you get out of my way. Do you mean to break my neck?"