THE BLUE DRAGOONS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 470, 1 June 1912, Page 2

THE BLUE DRAGOONS.

AM RSghts Reserved.

AN JNDifiPJ SOLDIER STORY. BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN. PART 3 At that moment there was a distant report of a musket ; then another, followed by a straggling volley. " What is that, Sir Graham ?" the colonel said. " Oh, nothing, my dear sir. Some religious festival, perhaps, among the people. I really cannot say. But you are not alarmed ?" " Not at all," said the colonel grimly. " I believe I can listen to musket shots as unmoved as most men ; but at the same time, as a soldier when I hear shots fired I always try to find out the reason why. By 3 r our leave, Sir Graham — Lieutenant Lawrence, will you send an orderly to find out the cause of the firing." " Really, colonei," began the governor, as the young lieutenant moved away, " such fears are as much out Df place as — What now ?" He jumped up angrily ; for, pushing by a crowd of native domestics, and in his undress uniform, Jackson rushed into the presence of his officers. " How dare you break into the room like this, sir ?" exclaimed the governor, but the colonel held up his hand. "My men would not behave like this, sir, unless in a case of emergency. What is it, Private Jackson ?" " One of the native regiments has risen and shot down its officers. They have now gone to the next barracks, and— Hark !" He held up his hand, for the sharp volley of musketry came pealing through the night air. " Gentlemen, every one to barracks on the "instant !" cried the colonel. " There is worse danger to come, I fear." Lawrence darted to the door, crossed the hall, and was in the welllighted drawing-room the next instant. "Don't be alarmed," he cried, as he caught the hands of the sisters in turn. "But the firing? Hark!" cried the terrified girls as a fresh burst of musketry made the verandah shake. " The natives are firing," said Lawrence, hurriedly ; " but there are four hundred Englishmen who came with us to-day, and they will be here within an hour." " Lawrence, Lawrence," cried a voice in the hall ; and the young man dashed away, just as a fresh volley rang out, and the khitmutgar stole out from behind the curtains, and with a grim look upon his face glided out through the verandah and disappeared into the night, ready to play the part of leader to a band of Bala Hissar's men. CHAPTER n. THE BEGINNING OF TROUBLES. The first thing that seemed necessary was to place as strong a guard pf trusty men as could be obtained round the governor's dwelling ; and seeing how utterly helpless in a case of emergency Sir Graham seemed to be, Colonel Bruce ordered up fifty oi his own dismounted dragoons with sabre and carbine, while he proceeded to do what he could to place the house in a state of defence. The firing went on at a distance while these preparations were in progress, and the women clustered together in confusion, their numbers being every moment augmented by the coming of the wives of officers, who, with their children, were brought to the governor's house as being the most likely place to find safety. There was a sense of relief experienced as the quick, sharp tramp of the dragoons was heard, and as they entered under the command of one of the captains, Sir Graham Leslie came hurrying in. '' What does this mean ? What is this ?" he exclaimed.

" Troop A, sir, sent out by Colonel Bruce's orders for the protection of the Residency," said the captain in command. '* Absurd ! What nonsense !" exclaimed Sir Graham pettishly. "It is nothing, only a little unpleasantness among the Sepoys. They art as faithful to us as they can be. Take your men hack to the barracks, sir."

" Beg pardon, Sir Graham," said the captain quietly. " I saw the bodies of four English officers carried in as I came along with my men, and directly after I heard thai the sowars of the sth Light Horse had shot their English officers, from the colonel downwards."

" Pish ! an exaggeration !" said the governor. "Retire your men at once. I cannot have my house, and the ladies within it troubled with the presence of half a hundred troopers. You hear me, sir ?" " I beg your pardon, Sir Graham" said the young officer, one who had been seated at the governor's table an hour before ; "my instructions were to march my troop here and await the colonel's coming against at odds."

" But I desire you to go, sir," exclaimed the old man angrily.

" Yes, Sir Graham," was the re ply ; " but I was to hold this plac( against all odds. I should have resisted enemies, and I must, I am a fraid, resist also friends." "Am I governor here, or am ! not ? Oh, here is Colonel Bruce Colonel, this officer of yours goes too for !" exclaimed the old gentle man excitedly. " He refuses to retire his men."

" I gave Mm orders to hold tin Residency against _ all comers, Si)

Graham," said Colonel Drue?. "He was quite right even in disobeying you ; for you did not know the extent of the calamity befalling the town. You would not have join place left unprotected ?" " It. is absurd," exclaimed the okl governor. " What, colonel, arc you such an alarmist that even you fern danger ?"

" I never fear danger," said the officer stiffly— " unless it is for others. Unless, though, T am mistaken, we shall have a hard fight to retain our hold here ; and —hark, there is more firing." As he spoke there came again the spattering fire of musketry, followed by shouts and the galloping of horses which halted at the gate, where a loud buzz of voices ensued. " Send someone to see if these are any of our own men, Captain Frant," said the colonel ; and the officer went, leaving the governor fuming with rage and annoyance—for it was one of his pet theories that the Sepoys were fidelity itself, and that anything now displayed was only due to the fomenting of the native chieftain, and would be as ephemeral as the day. At the end of five minutes there was the sharp, short crack of a pistol, followed by those of a dozen while shouts and trampling feet, with the clatter of horses' hoofs were heard. There was a sharp volley as of a dozen carbines, when there was more shouting, the trampling of hoofs again and at last the sounds died away. Captain' Frant then entered the room. "About fifty sowars rode up to the gateway, and tried to force their way in. The sergeant on duty refused entrance, and they began to fire with pistols, and to cut at our men with their tulwars. I gave orders then to fire, and a voiles sent the scoundrels to the right about." " I presume, Sir Graham," said the colonel quietly, " you will now begin to think there is some danger ?" " Indeed, I do not,' said the governor, haughtily. " Those men wanted an audience, and I could have quelled them with a word. As it is your people have sent them away by firing on them, and made them enemies. If they had been admitted —'' " You would have been weltering in your blood," said the colonel, impatiently ; " and as for your daughters and the ladies with them, God preserve them from such a fate as would have been theirs." Before long another trampling was heard ; but there was no excited rush here, only the slow, measured hoofbeats of a well-drilled regiment, which now formed up in front of the Residency, while pickets were placed around, and detachments a dozen strong patrolled the neighbouring approaches. Meanwhile the excitement within increased, for the servants had, with a few exceptions, fled from the place, and the news that came in from time to time was of a most alarming nature. Disturbances were rife is the distant parts of the city ; shops were being plundered, the peaceful inhabitants were fleeing, and above all, rumours were brought that Rana Bala Hissar was collecting troops and had been proclaimed the new ruler.

Sleep was out of the question, and the ladies. sat huddled together in the room that seemed most protected from any stray shot that, aimed elsewhere might make its way through the winilows.

They knew that they were protected ; and more than once\ the thoughts of the sisters went out towards the two young officers, who had sat with them at dinner so short a time before, and whose assurance of safety it was impossible to avoid clinging to, even • though the promised protection was not in sight. It certainly was not in sight ; but Fred Lawrence and John Melton had both buckled on their sword-belts with a feeling of determination that they had never before known. Revolvers were hastily loaded, and then thrust into holsters before the joung men mounted to lead their troop down to assist in protecting the Residency by performing the duty of uatrols.

It was a dangerous duty, too ; for riding as they Aid down the narrow streets two and two, there was ample opportunity for any of the disaflected Sepoys to lurk in the low houses and shoot them down, quite out of reach of retaliation, as they fled from house to house, where the dragoons could not pursue. Colonel Bruce made such arrangements that while the dismounted men guarded the entrances, the patrols met each other and crossed at a few minutes' interval as they slowly made their way round the house. It was the troop under Captain Melton that came up to the. gate just as the sowars had been attempting to break in. and had beer sent to the rightabout by the car bine volley, the mounted men finish ing their discomfiture and sein'iiu' them flying in the direction of tlu bazaar.

Prom time to time during t.'ne night the two friends met in directing t.lu little detachments under the varioussergeants, and a f ev >" words were ex changed.

" What do you think of it. Jack?' Lawrence asked. "Is it a bit of squabble or a general row ?" " I think the fire has been set t<". the train, my boy." said Melton sadly, "and that the work begun here to-night will blaze through In dia."

"Jack, old fellow,' sn.it! Lawrence huskily, " don't you think it pos slide that a party of lad ion, well es corted with, say, a troop of ours, could be taken up to Calcutta in safety ?" " If I had anyone I loved here," said the young captain, sadly, " 1 should keeo her here nrotcct. hei

as host I could.' For, depend up >r it, Fred, the whole country is risim. against. the Feringhecs. MuKsulmnr and Hindoo alike are against us and mean now to take revenue f;>] years upon years of wrongs and oppression.' ' " Oli. Jack. Jack," .said his frienc "what a dreadful old prophet of evil you are !" " Fred, lad, I pra% most earnestlj that everything 1 say may prov< false ; but I have studied India vcrj attentively, anil T have lone feared this. It has come sooner than I expected and I fear that the storm will be heavier than even I anticipated. Ah, here's an orderly. Well, Jackson, what news ?" " Bad, sir—very bad," said the young dragoon, saluting. " There's ao doubt about it. The infantry officers have all been shot down by their men after a plucky defence." " Good heavens !" ejaculated Lawrence. " Officers retreated into a bungalow, sir, and made a pluckiy. defence with their swords ; but the Sepoys shot them all down and set fire to the hut." " But are you sure," said Captain Melton, " or is this the report ?" " I saw the bodies lying burning in the hut, sir," said the young dragoon ; " and it turned me sick first and savage after." Captain Melton uttered and exclamation of rage. "Go on," he said at last, "what more ?" " The Sepoys then went cheering to join another regiment whose officers had been shot down." " Well ?" • " That's all I know, sir, from my own seeing," said the young soldier. " Only it seems as if the whole city is rising against us, for the fellows take shots at ns from all sorts of corners and places, besides making cuts at you from the windows." " But you have not been hurt, Jackson ?" said Lawrence, eagerly. " Well, I can't say that, sir," laughed the young man, " because it does hurt a good bit." "What —where ?" cried the young men in a breath. " Oh, it's nothing, sir ; only a fellow took a shot at me down there by the bazaar, and the bullet stuck somewhere in the back of my neck." " Go on with him to the doctor at once, sergeant," said Melton. "He's in the Residency." " Here, I'll go with him," cried Lawrence, eagerly, catching the bridle mt the horse. Captain Melton turned and looked quietly in his friend's face and Lawrence blushed ; for the captain's look said as plainly as could be — " Fred, Fred, don't you think I can see through your plan ?" The next moment Lawrence laid his hand upon the captain's arm. "You are right," he said in a low tone, heard only by his friend. "It was in the hope of seeing them again, but I will not go if you wish me to stay." " I'd gladly go myself if I could leave my troop. Go in, but you must not stay ; and if you see them tell them that we shall keep them in safety at any cost." " I can ride in all right, sir," said Jackson just then. " It's only a trifle of a scratch, sir." " But Lawrence would not hear of it, for he carefully led the young man's horse past the sentries at the gate and on inquiry found where the doctor sat waiting for casualties. Jackson's turned out to be a flesh wound, for the bullet which had been fired from a matchlock, had not gone deep, but just lay beneath the skin, where a slight cut of the surgeon's scalpel set it free, to fall upon the floor —from whence the young soldier picked it, to serve as a memento of the event. "The first patient I've had for a wound since the Crimea," said the doctor, cheerfully. " May it be the la-st," said Lawrence, " till there is another Crimean war." It was a fervent wish, but not one to he gratified ; for before many hours had elapsed the surgeon's hands were so full that he was glad to ask for help. "Well, my man," he said, "50U had better go and lie down now, in case any fever comes on. You'll be well in a fortnight, or so." " Lieutenant Lawrence, am I obliged to stay in the hospital ?" said the young fellow, appealingly. "If you feel too bad to come on duty," said Lawrence, smiling. "That I don't, sir," said Jackson. " Thank you, doctor, hut it will want a worse wound than that to lay me up." "Go along, you ungrateful dog! exclaimed the surgeon, and the young private slipped oil as fast as he could. As for Lawrence he lingered, speak int.: to Ihe surgeon with ears nttent and eyes wandering. I< or he could hear nothing but. a buzz of voices and a I<^ v sobs and wails , so he turned at, last to go. There was a long, wide hall to pass through on his way, find as ' l,n passed, one door was opened, an lish servant-girl came out, and after a moment's hesitation Lawrence stepped forward. " Is Miss Leslie here ?" he asked. " Yes. sir, they are both here." said the girl. "Is —is theie an? great dangvr. sir?" J "No—no, not at present." be. re- | plied. " But look here, my gi'"l : go quietly in and tell Miss Leslie that Lieutenant. Lawrence is here, and ask her if I can. be of any service before I return to mv post.' The girl's face was very much troubled, hut she gave a bright look, of intelligence as s>he glanced at Uie handsome, well-made young tellow before her. " Yes, sir, I'll go," she said, smiling. " But, pray, sir, don't let; those horrible natives come near us. S am so frightened." !i'.Vo be £k>airawi2*)'