THE BLUE DRAGOONS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 469, 29 May 1912, Page 2

THE BLUE DRAGOONS.

ASf Rights Reserved.

AIM ifoDSAN SOLDIER STORY, BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN. PART 2. Directly after they reached the main gate, and passing through,, they were ithin the walls of Rustanpore, and saluted by a native regiment on dutj—a jemindar, or native officei being appointed to show them the way to the barracks appointed for their reception. The streets they passed were thronged with people in their loose cotton garb, while every here and there, gaudy in coloured puggaree and scarlet and orange shawls, were sowars of the native cavalry—swarthy, fierce-looking fellows who scowled at the new-comers, and then turned sullenly away. " I don't like the look of these people, Lawrence," Melton found time to say as they rode on.

" Well, I can't say that I do," replied the young lieutenant. "Anyone would think we had offended them. And, by Jove, look there!" They were crossing a wide square and the cause of his exclamation was a sudden commotion, where a narrow street debouched upon the open space ; native women were shrieking and scattering in all directions, and a loud thrilling trumpeting noise was heard, made, they knew, the next instant, by a huge elephant which came careering madly along, waving its trunk and uttering strange cries. ( It had apparently got rid of its mahout, or driver —though the fact was, that after savagely thrusting his iron into the back of the elephant's head* the mahout had nimbly slid down by one 'of the animal's ears, and left the occupants of the howdah to their fate.

This structure, as the elephant dashed on, seemed to have become loose, and it swayed from side to side ; and as the monstrous beast came well into sight, both the officers saw that it contained three women who were clinging convulsively to the sides.

As it happened the elephant charged straight for the part of the regiment where the young men were with the consequence that the horses became unsteady, and the line was thrown into confusion. But neither Lawrence nor Melton paused to notice this ; for, by one consent, they broke from the line, and urged their horses to the elephant's side. At the same moment a group of gaily-dressed horsemen dashed out of a side street, where they must have been drawn up in waiting. They were wild, swarthy looking fellows, well armed, and splendidly mounted; and they, too, evidently by design, made for the elephant.

Cleverly manoeuvring his horse, Fred Lawrence got him alongside of the elephant, as Melton performed the same evolution on the other side. Then letting the rein hang from his arm he rose in his stirrups and could just reach • the bands of a young girl, stretched appealingly to him for aid. " Quick !" he cried. " Let yourself slip over. I have you safe." With all a young girl's confidence in the strength of a man, she' let herself glide out of the howdah into his arms as a similar movement was performed on the other side by Melton, and the next moment the trembling girl was seated, half-fainting, in front of the young dragoon. " Help, help !" cried another voice as the elephant continued its mad career ; and it would have gone hard with the third occupant of the howdah had not the dragoon spoken to as Jackson followed the example o) his officer, and, with his horse going at a sharp canter caught and held up the girl who had cried foi aid.

All this took but a few minutes in execution, and was, of course, done while the elephant was going at a tremendous pace. The three men were separated by the length oi the square from the regiment which had come to a halt, and was watching the feat of the young officers. Meanwhile the group of native horsemen evidently led by some great chief, surrounded the three dragoons, who, for the moment, looked upor their coming as a peaceful one, tc render aid. But the next instant, to Lawrence's astonishment, the long curved tulwars of the men were wav ing in the air as their gaily-attirec leader came alongside, caught at th< lady's waist, and exclaimed, in very fair English : " Give her up to me."

The voice seemed to rouse th. fainting girl, who started up, anc then clung to- Lawrence, exclaiming "It is Bala Hissar ! No, no ! Save me—save me !" " Don't be alarmed," said Law rence, quietly. "He should no* have you were he a dozen Bala His sars !"

As he spoke he roughly thrust th< native chief aside and set spurs t( his horse.

Bala uttered a cry of rage ; and giving his tulwar a sweep tlirougl the air, made so fierce a cut at th< young lieutenant, that but for th motion of the horse it would hav taken deadly effect. As it was i cut the white plume from bis cat and the chief pjmared to deliver ; second blow as he forced his hors forward.

Matters looked ominous for th dragoons in the market sounre c the peaceful city ; for Onptn in M?" ton was engaged with three of th chief's followers, who were tryinjr t dra.'r away the prize which c'un tightly to him while Jack mop, th private held on tightly to the dar native looking girl, whom a coup!

oi swarthy horsemen were trying to rescue. Lawrence tried to get at his sv.-c.r-. 1 ., !iut it was out, of his reach, burdened as lie was by a. maiden across !iis saddlebow. He hail a ] } i tol in his hostler, but it was not loaded, and he was hardly pushed for a means to extricate himself irom his difficult position, when, seizins: his rein, he drew the horse, s head round, and as the chief made a furious cut at him the horse reared up, struck out wildly with its hoofs, one of which came full on the assailant's sword-arm, saving its master from what might have been a fatal blow. This released Lawrenc? for the moment, but two men were already on his. left, dragging fiercely at his burden, and Melton was succumbing to numbers, his cap gone, a cut on his shoulder, and his assailants getting more savage by the opposition they encountered. As for Jackson, he had sunk back, half-stunned by a blow on the back of his head from a tilwar, which, fortunately, had not penetrated his cap ; but the girl had been dragged away, and was now across one of the assailants' horses. It would have gone hard with our officers, and this story would never have been written, but for the prompt action taken by the major, who, as soon as he realised the fact that there really was an affray, despatched a score of men across the marketplace to his officers' help. They came just in time, and with a loud " Hurrah !" charged down upon the native horsemen, just as Lawrence and Melton, unarmed, were about to be cut down. There was a rush, a slight collision, the native horsemen were in full flight, and the ' young officers, still retaining their prizes were surrounded by friendly sabres. At that moment Jackson sat up, shaking his head ; and, seeing the course of events, clapped spurs to His horse and drew his sword at one and the same time. A dozen strides from his powerful trooper brought him close alongside of the native who was bearing oS the one captive made in the raid ; and then, with his English'blood thoroughly up, he delivered a tremendous cut from the left shoulder at his enemy—one that would have taken off his head but for the curtain of steel rings which hung from his muslin-draped helmet. As it was, the fellow dropped forward stunned, his horse stumbled and fell with the weight of the English charger, which caught it on the flank ; and as Jackson dragged the girl on to his horse, he literally rode through the group of flying men arid came out scatheless on the other side, straining on to regain his comrades amongst a roar of cheers. Meanwhile the native population stood gaping and rolling their eyeballs and their gleaming eyes took in this affray with the Sahibs, as the officers of the dragoons cantered up to the strange group. " Will you set us down, please?" said one of the rescued girls, with great dignity as she looked in Lawrence's face. " Perhaps you will see us safely to the Regency. . We are Sir Graham Leslie's daughters." " The governor's daughters, my dears !" said the fat major. "Bless my soul ! Why, what does this mean ?" " Don't ask us now," said the girl in an agitated way. "Take us home, please. There is a lot of illfeeling about." " Melton —quick !" cried Lawrence. " Stop these fellows with that gharry." He pointed to a native conveyance and in a few minutes the ladies were safely placed inside with the girl, who- proved tp be their half-caste attendant, and surrounded by an escort of sabres, commanded by the major himself. The ladies were too much agitated by what they had gone through to do more than direct a look of thanks to their deliverers, and then the conveyance was put in motion. " A pretty state of affairs, this!" said the major indignantly. "Someone here wants a lesson. Melton, I'm afraid there is something wrong here. You are senior captain ; go and take the regiment to the barracks. I wish Colonel Bruce were here." Captain Melton left the little es- j cqrt unwillingly, while Lawrence had the satisfaction of accompanying it to the Residency, where, after seeing the ladies is safety, the: major led his men to join the rest at the barracks. " Why, Jackson," said .Lawrence, smiling, " I thought you had ail j melted away." j " Well, I thought so too, ;vir, until j there was a bit of a scrimmage on, j when it seemed to bring: me b.ack." The joung lieutenant looked admiringly at the active figure of this man —one of the liveliest fello vs ir his troop—and then began to .-mist upon the strangeness of his adventure and the grateful look that, had 1 icer directed at him by the girl he i'la-d saved. ; It was a strange affair, and .he could not make it out—an elephai-d running madly through the streets—an attempt to carry off the daughters of the governor of the district! | It was absurd, unless — ' He tried to drive away the som- j bre thoughts which began to assai j him, and a few minutes after fount j himsc-if riding into witl r the long low barracks, officers' rcsid ences, and their compounds, and witithe crowd of native servants hanging about in the verandahs. " Thank goodness !" he sa'td. "Al Melton, where are we to like ?" he cried, as the troop dismissed, the : men threw their reins to the, nativ» grooms and syc-es, and sovight. the shade, where they might relieve ■ themselves of their tight-fit''ling uni j forms. i " We have a "bungalow ".betweer j

.is," said Melton. " T thought yon would not mind." " And you've contrivid it so (hat you might, have someone to grumble to," laughed Lawrence, gladly seeking his hedreiom where Ihe obsequious native servants were already unpacking : and after n visit to the (inevitable bathroom, with its brick lioor and red earthenware porous rhattlcs of cold water, lie emerged, :Iml in white, and looking like his friend, something more eif a, European, in spite of the bronze tinge on his faee, produced by six months of Indian sunshine. The next day came a letter of invitation from the governor, Sir Graham Leslie, to dine at the Residency. " Letter for Sahib Melton —letter for Sahib Lawrence," said one o: the native servants entering th 3 poung men's quarters as they sat at breakfast, the baggage having arrived, the colonel being in his pines ind all promising well for a 10/ig stay—one which would be very wel;ome to the men after so much shange.

Melton laid his letter on one side. Lawrence, though burning to open lis, did the same. " There, man, open your not'," said Melton, sourly ; " you know what it is."

He took up his own and read it then, and the young lieutenant followed his example, very cagerlj if the truth was known ; for he longed to know the contents. It was more than a letter of thanks —it was, as we have intimated an invitation to dinner ; and the long, hot day passed wearily by till the time arrived for the visit to the Residency.

Lawrence would not own to it but he looked forward to this visit with an interest that he had never felt before, and on entering the wcli-lit room at night, where the governor was waiting with his daughters to receive his guests, the young man just caught sight of a tall, handsome grey-haired man —that was all; [or his whole soul was taken up by the dark-haired graceful girl, who blushingly placed her hand in his, and thanked him in a few simple words for his behaviour on the previous day. How that dinner passed Fred Lawrence hardly knew. He was just conscious of taking down the heroine of the previous day's adventure ; of saying something to her —he knew not what; and being tolel by her that the slight delicate girl opposite whom Melton had taken down to dinner, was sister Laura, who was on the elephant that morning when it ran away ; and then —it almost seemed in a moment —the ladies rose, leaving the gentlemen to their wine, after the regular English custom, imported by the stranger in the Eastern land.

Fred Lawrence had a recollection of holding open the door, and of just catching Miss Leslie's eye as she swept by ; and then in company with the colonel and major, and others of his brother officers, he was listening to the governor's account of the yesterday's proceedings. " I have been investigating it," he said, " and I am afraid the affair was all planned. The elephant was the quietest I had, and from what I can. learn, it had been drugged—maddened by something administered to it ; while the mahout has never appeared since." " But for what purpose was it drugged," said the major. "It; is plain enough," he said—"to afford that scoundrel an opportunity of carrying off my two poor girls, and then of making his terms."

"He had dared, as a wealthy Indian prince to propose for the hand of my eldest daughter," said the governor, " and he had been refused. This has been the consequence."

" Insolent scoundrel !\ " Black villain !" were some of the epithets bestowed upon the rajah ; and as Lawtence raised his eyes it was to see that the khitmutgar, or native butler was watching and listening insently to all that passed—a fact that impressed him strangely- afterwards. " Has it ever struck you that there is a good deal of disaffection among the people ?" said Melton suddenly. " Oh, no—not more than usual," said the governor carelessly. "They don't like us, of course. How can they ? But they are too much kept down. You see they have no cohesion."

" But if they joined and revolted?" said Melton.

•'Not a bit of fear of that, sir," said the governor, coldly. " You are young yet. in India, or you would know that our splendid Sepoy army is thoroughly to be trusted, as well as our Mussulman forces. Then there is the. great body of European artillery and the Queen's troops. There's no fear of any attempt against. the English, unless by some petty chief in a distant part of the country—one who is in utter ignorance en' the British power."

" And yet I saw enough on the road and here as well, to make me very uncomfortable," said Captain Melton ; " and if T had those here who were near and dear to me, I should, I think, try to read the signs of the, tinvs." " My dear sir," said the governor, coldly, and wilh an evident air of pity fe>r his guest , wlutm he had apparently held in contempt for his weak, cowardly fears--- "my deal sir, when yeni have been in India as long as I have, you will Know that there is nothing whatever to fear. The Sepoys are faithful fo a man. and our power in India is daily "growing. Gentlemen, shall we join + he ladies ?" (.To coatinurd.)