THE UNCIVIL ENGINEER.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 428, 28 July 1904, Page 8

THE UNCIVIL ENGINEER.

SHORT STORY.

"w»s not really an engineer, nor H&E had he at any time in all his life KK had anything to do with engineering. He was a full corporal in a line regiment, and the name had been given him in derision of his grumpinees on the one hand and his weird attempts in the field of mechanical invention on the other. For the rest, he was-iall and S"S?' !?*** H* SW' *»* an oglj gipsy at that; while he seemed to regard Bpoken words as things to be avoided whenever possible. Jn *t at the time when he appears on the present stage, a curious and exciting state of affairs obtained in a certain pass high up on the hili frontier, The tribesmen bad been at it again, cutting throats and collecting loot on the wxong side of tbe border, and were is process of being interviewed by a British expeditionary force in consonance. Some three weeks t !l* ip * U Bcat k" d . fighting had ended in the forces on both sides converging on 1% I S Uk *■* ifc WM wfl en the British Md hammered their way about half through this that the situation already referred to emerged. Briefly, the position was this. The at- ■ • tacku >» *<«ce held all the lower road, if it oonld be called a road, with the heights flanking it, while the tribesmen were in posseesion of the upper track and the wd crags on both sides. Had that been i all, the battle might have been fought out to the end on tbe eanu lines as it had ' *i! BUn • Bqt J aafc at the narrowest part of the gorge, a point where the road was flanked on one side by a ere*p pine-covered alope, and en the otter by a tremendous Precipice, there rose a high-headed rock, in point of size almost entitled to be called » bill indeed. From its position it commanded both the upper and lower road, and ah ita sides were steep and absolutely bare of cover, it could not possibly bj carried from any point in the face of the fire of any force holding it. And the hillmen were holding it, that was the trouble—lai been holding it for three whole days, in spite of repeated and desperate attempts on the part of the British storming parties, attempts uniformly attended by failure and heavy loss. Bat while the British could not get up, the rock garnson, numbering something over-tffo hundred men, tquaby could not get down, and as their stock of ammunition was running low, they had signalled to their friends for more. Tais the British had discovered, and the struggle had resolved itself into a three-cornered duel of the most desperate character. The tribesmen's main body were determined that the rock garrison should have fresh supplies, of ammunition, food, and water, the attacking force were just as determined that they should not, and as the only possible way by which :he said suppliea. could reach, the rock was along the narrow road above the precipice, that particular sixty or seventy yards of track had become a place to ba carefully avoided by those desirous of seeing a green old age. ' I'almost think we might give the guns a rest, Forrester,' said the commander of the British forces, as he lowered the glasses through which he had been scanning the distant rock. ' The shells don't seem to be making the least impression o* yonder gentry, and there's no sense in wasting ammunition to no purpose.' ' Well,' replied the artillery officer addressed, 'even howitzers can do nothing against solid rock, and as those fellow's up yonder can see our every movement, they have only to draw back at the flash of the gun to be safe. If they were below us, or even on a level, we could make the shrap- ' nel, bat up in that eyrie of theirs . The only good we seem to be doing is to keep them on the rattle and prevent them from potting our -men among the rocks commanding the precipice track.' *Um—yes—hadn't thought of that, and it m-'gbt be as well to fire an occasional round just to keep them from steadying their nerves.' Lieutenant Forrester nodded, and as the sommasder rode away the two howitzers grew silent, only waking up at uncertain intervals to growl sodden murder at the rock in a fashion that most hare been 'stoat annoying to men desirous of taking a steady-aim. Meanwhile the commander had reached the outer edge of the fixe zone and dismounted. Then, followed by hia orderly, he began picking his way among the wildly scattered rocks to where the ad-vanced-British line, under more orlesa effective cover, was exchanging shots with the distant main body of the tribesmen on the higher slope?, and the greatly nearer garrison of the table-headed rock. The ' ascent was not made without peril, as in spite of the khaki uniforms harmonising so*well with the ground, the keen-eyed marksmen above speedily detected the two figures, and made the bullets whiz and buzz about their ears like bees. Colonel Eaves, however, had, or affected.to have, a certain contempt for bullets,' and to ■bow ifc, walked even more slowly than .usual, He eves stopped to light a cigar, the orderly improving the pause by surveying the rook with ita Spitting rifles in • grinning approval He admired perseverance, did that orderly. Inst as they reached the top of theriee, the dropping rifle fire in front burst into a tsdden rear, that increased is fury every moment. Breaking into a run, they skirted an intervening eminence and came in sie w.of the scene of actios. Th? British line, from flank to fiank, was biasing like a volcano, the whole fire being directed on tbe' precipice track, along which a most extraordinary object was moving in wildly erratic fashion, and by what can osl y be described as a at jerks, now towards the edge of the descent, now in the direction of the cine sjppe, but always, though irregularly, iorward. It looked for all the woild like an animated and gigantic bundle of sticks, but that there was metal of some zied behind the sticks, as tbe frequent clang as a bullet hit horns gave ample evidence. 'Whatis thunder can it be?' growled a grey-moustachtd sergeant, as he squinted round the rock behind which he was was lying. 'That lot's too heavy for half a dozen men to move, and, besides, we'd see their f eef By this time the fire on both sides has become terrific every smoothbore, jezail, and rifle the hillmen bad being in Lot action, while the British made up in the tan rapiditv of their magazine fire what they lacked in numbers. The garrison of tbe rock were altogether unable to take any effective part in the fray, much as they may have desired it, as the t»ro howitzers bad come to life sgain, and were sweeping the high edges of tbe tteirpment with withering blasts of shrapnel, rendering it inadvisable for anyone to show a head just-then—that is, supposing him to have - any further use for it But still, through „ it all, that hegainly bunch of sticks kept on along the track, slowly, but surely, ap- - 'preaching the bend, rcund whish it would be safe, and find its mission accomplished. The colonel made a swift sign to a bugler, and at once the 'cease fire' rang out. 'Pass the word to fixe a volley by

dom/' te Baid> ' ffixe * Bhould J oß * about m.?S ?5 d ? r obfl jed, and in silence we British awaited the signal. That same silence was completely misunderstood by the enemy, who had also ceased Bring, They took it to mean acceptance of defeat, and their yells of exultation were load and long. But they yelled too soon, for presently the colonel, who had been intently watching the object of commas regard, mado a quick movement of his hand. Instantly the bugle blew shrilly, and following the note so closely as almost to drown it, the volley crashed out in thunder from ond to end of tbe line. As Colonel Esven had foreseen, that volley did ' just about do it,' for it took its target when the latter was veering obliquely towards the cliff edge, and the tremendous weight and stroke of it not only smashed the outer covering of wood into splinters, and made the iron shield underneath ring like an. anvil, but threw the whole thing bodily over the precipioe, and sb it went, the bodies and legs of three furiously-struggling mules, entangled in a lot of ropes, stcuring them under a sort of portable house, were plainly eeen. The British ehouted and cheered like lunatics, but as they began their yelling, that of the tribesmen ceased and a silence of exceeding sorrow fell upon them. The loss of eo much ammunition was a serious matter for them, and lest it waß, beyond doubt, as the deep and rapid torrents that brawled along the bottom of the precipice would certainly make Bhort work of it. 'One up for us, by gum I' chuckled the eergesnt with the grey moustache. «Don't think they'll try that trick again.' « Wrong—they will.' said a voice at his elbow, which voice was that of the Uncivil Engineer, Donovan Sfcodds, to wit. •How do you know they will, DonP' asked the sergeant, curiously. 'Ton speak as though you were certain.' ' Am certain.' •Don't see how you can be. They're not likely to keep on emptying ammunition over that cliff in broad daylight' ' They won't t/y in daylight. Wait for night There's no moon, we've no search lights, isd the track will be as dark as pitch in seder them pines. We'll have nothing to go by, and they can choose their own time.' • But couldn't we send out men to hold the traok, or at least watch it P' asked the sergeaHt, who appeared to be struck by the corporal's view of the- situation. • No, we couldn't, for them hillmen can see like cats in the dark, and any men we Bent »ud have their throats cut afore they could turn round. Nj, there's only one thing to do, B'far's 1 can see.' • And whafs that ?' ' Engineering ' EBgineerinV 'Blocking the track, yon meanP' ' Yes, and Eendin' another and bigger load of tbeir ammunition to kingdom come same time.' ' And could you do that ?' • I could—just.' • Thes why dos't yos go to the colonel?' The corporal shrugged his shoulders. 'No use. They've got me down as a crank,' he said. Now, the sergeant happened to be one of a certain observant few, who had got the Uncivil Engineer down as anything j bnt a crank, recognising under all the \ crsdeness of his schemes, the stirring of a genuine, if untrained, inventive faculty. He lay watching the scattered smoke psffs that marked the activity of the enemy's Bnipers among the distant rocks for quite five minutes; then rose, and went to seek the colonel. Oddly enough, the latter and his officers were just then trying to solve the same problem that had presented itself to the two non-coms He listened attentively to what the sergeant had to say, then directed the latter to bring up Corporal Don. The order wan at once obeyed, and the result was a long confabulation between the Uncivil Engineer on the one side, and the assembled officers on the other. It ended_ is the corporal receiving a free hand in the matter of his scheme, atd just after sunset he and three others, the latter all picked men, might have been seen worming their way up a long andshallow nullah, or dry water course, that had its head in the pine-covered slops above the precipice track. They carried with them a weird assortment of ropes, blocks, gimlets, screws, and screw-drivers, but the only weapons they had were their razcr-edged bayonets.

When they finally gained the shelter of the pine wood it was almost quite dark, so much so that they could barely make out each other's figures. •Now, wait here, you three—and see that you're not takes on the trap,' the corporal said. «'Tain't like as any of the hillmen'U come up here unlets they hear or see asytbiDg—still, there's no saying.' - ' An' where are you goia' P' asled one of the men, •To look for a suitable log. I've spotted a tree already—did it this afternoon when the idea first came into my head.' •Log, tree—what—' began the man in a puzzled tone. ' Blimy, if I can—' 'Seehere,' interrupted the corporal, 'it may be as well to tell you what I want to do, bo's you won't go makin' any mistakes. There's a big tree leans out over the track above the precipico, an' my notion is to sling the log to it. in snoh a way that when it—the log, I mean—is let 90, it'll swing out across the track, end on, and block it against all the males on earth. Another thing is that it we can manage to fix it up. I'm-not goln' to let it go till another of them mule hutches comes along—and if the weight of the swinging log, hitting it end on, don't send it over the precipice, I'll eat my haversack. seeP* •Yes, blimy, I do see,' was the reply, given amid a chorus of subdued chuekles. • An' it's a simple game, to«, -when you knowß it' Simple P Well, yes, perhaps, in daylight and unmolested, but out there in the dark, with a stealthy and bloodthirty enemy all about them—well, it sai- much for the hardihood of the speaker that he could see any simplicity in it. Leaving his companions, the corporal stole off alon% directing hia course as nearly as he eould guess to a point above the tree he had seleoted. fortunately his eyes had by now grown somewhat accustomed to the gloom, ao that the game was not wholly one of blind man's buff for him. Still, what light the Btara gave, in the wood, at least, was of the very faintest, although as he came noiselessly dowa the elope towards the tree, he could make out the track, Bhiaing indistinctly like a white ribbon beyoad the curtaining of the In his progress he passed fallen logs of all shapes and sizeß, but did not stop to extmine any, bis object being to get the one nearest the leaning pine that waß at all suitable When about half-way down the slops, a sudden rustling amoßg the sparse undergrowth caused him to atop and draw his bayonet, in the almost certainty that he had come upon one of toe juemj'a scouts.

An instant, and two balle of greenish flue glanced at him out of the darkness, telling him he was face to face with some fierce denizen of the wilds, whether wolf or past her be could not say. He stood quite still, tbe bayonet clenched in the tense grip of desperate uncertainty. He knew it was an even chance whether the beaat attacked him or not, and for perhaps ten seconds scarcely. dared to breathe. Presently, to his inexpressible relief, the green balls disappeared, and he heard the soft 'pad, pad,' of ita feet as the unseen terror retreated, leaving him free, to continue the descent. As he neaied the bottom, he was made unpleasantly aware that the British were doing their best to prevent individual ammunition runners from passing along tbe track, by keeping up a brisk fire on it from rifles sighted, and clamped in position before darkness fell. The bullets for the most part were hitting the track or the rocks bordering it, but several were thrashiug into the lower wood in a fashion suggesting caution on his part. Accepting the hint, he went no further, but began casting about for the desiderated log, and debating within himself whether he should give the .signal agreed upon to stop the British*Sre then, or wait till the time came for fixing up the log. He finally decided upon the latter course, and, having found a fallen tree trunk roughly suitable for his purpose, stole cautiously back to his companions. Half an hour afterwards all four were busy, exceedingly busy, about that log, and considering that they were constrained to work without noise, their preparations were completed in an asfconiahingly short time. Then the corporal started imitating the yelping of a hill fox. ! 'What's that forP' asked one of the men. 'Signal for our fellow's to cease firing/ was the answer. 'Wo can't go down there with ballets flying all round ua.' That the signal had been heard was soon evident, ss the British fire began to slacken, and soon died away altogether. 'Now,' said the corporal, 'we'll have to be qiick about this bit of it. I'm going op the tree to fix tbe ropes myself, while you, Jiaißon and Smith, stand by below, lou, Dack, go down to tbe edge of the wcod and keep watch. Never mind the runners on the track—never mind anybody, so long as they don't see us. But if any one of their scouts come our way—well, if s you and him for it. See P' They did see, and each man set about his work without further speech. •Blethering' was at a discount just then. Up in the tree the corporal worked like a demon, albeit a silent one. From his position almost above the track he had an ample outlook, and it was not long before he noticed figure after figure, swift and silent as ghosts, flitting past below. But he also noticed that they each and all carried water skins and bundles much too bulky to contain ammunition.

' So,' he thought, grimly, ' they're getting up grub and water first, and leaving the ammunition for another mule caper. Well, I'll be ready for that when ifc comes.'

In less than an hour his task was finished, and he descended to earth again, where, with the active aid of his two assistants, the final touches were given to his scheme. ' Now,' said he, ' I think that's about—' He stopped suddenly, as from somewhere ia the darkness near them there came the sound of a struggle. Then followed a horrible gurgling cry, as of a man trying to shout with blood in his throat, and after that—silence. 'What was thatP' asked the corporal, as Dack came out of the further darkness towards them ' 'One ov their scouts crawiis' among the rocks like a cobra. He won't crawl eo more,' was the answer. 'Set Well, you three make for the lines as fast as you- know how, and tell them to begin firin' on the track again.' ' And you V ' I'll wait here.' 1 I'll chance them. Go on, get out of this,' And-sitting down, jack-knife in hand, beside a certain tensely stretched rope, the corporal watched the track unmovingly.. Tt was drawing towards morning when the whole field of action, British and hillman alike, were brought to their feet by a tremendous explosion above the precipice. For an instant all the air was filled with fire and smoke and whirling debris—then came darkness, with the echoes rolling like thunder mong the mountains. The shock of the log stroke on the 'mule caper' had struck sparks out of something, and made the Uncivil Engineer's idea an even greater success than he had hoped for. The table-headed rock wt s carried next day.