THE BLUE DRAGOONS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 484, 20 July 1912, Page 2

THE BLUE DRAGOONS.

♦ —— AN INDIAN SOLDIER STORY.

All Rights Res*rv«tf.

BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN.

PART 17.

" The sahibs will tell Hissar then, that they are fighting men, and wish to have horses and tulwars to fight under his standard ?"

• " Yes," said Lawrence, " we could Dot have a better story. Now, then, shall we do ?"

" The keenest-eyed follower of Hissar could not tell the sahibs now if they are but silent. But stop—the sahibs have had wounds ?"

" Rather," said Lawrence, smil-

"It is good," said the Hindoo ; " let them be seen. They were done by the Feringhee, you will say?" " Well—yes—l suppose we must lie like blacks," said Lawrence with a sigh ; " it is all in a good cause." The Hindoo was far more particular over their disguise than the wearers ; and even when the sergeant bad declared it perfect, he studied their appearance again and again. He insisted upon each carrying a small bag of rice and a little curry powder as if for their provisions ; and when this was adjusted to his satisfaction a sudden thought struck him, and he whispered something to the sergeant who smiled, nodded, said " Good !" and left the room. " What has he gone for ?" asked Melton, impatiently. "It is the little things that kill suspicions, sahib. Two sowars like you, even if they had lost their arms wou] d have their chillums.'' " Yes, so they would," said Lawrence, smiling. "He is quite right." Soon after the sergeant returned with a small bundle in one hand and a couple of native pipes and some tobacco in the other. " There, sahibs," said the Hindoo, thrusting the pipes through his protege's waistbanils, " those loot real."

Melton nodded his satisfaction. " But what's in that bundle ? Hang it. sergeant, where did you get those bloody bandages," said Lawrence, with a shudder.

" Doctor, sir," said the sergeant, stiffly ; and the Hindoo smiled. " The sahihs must he safe," he -.-j.id, taking the bloodstained stripe jf cotton and linen, and selecting what he thought fit. " The sahib captain has a wound on his forehead,' there, not healed yet. He

must wear this bandage round bis forehead." Melton hesitated a moment, and then saw the wisdom of the plan, and smiled at the Eastern cunning exhibited, the Hindoo having the delicacy to place a piece of clean linen over the wound before applying the hideous stained bandage. . " Well, this is very beastly," said Lawrence, lootoing his disgust ; but

he yielded as patiently as did his friend, when the Hindoo took out a small knife and ripped open the young l man's sleeve, laying bare the half-healed tulwar cuts on his arm, and binding these up, and making him a sling. , " I shouldn't have thought of that" said the sergeant, sententiously. " No, nor anyone* else but a native of the East," replied Lawrence, looking down with disgust at the stained bandages on his arm. " But the sahib's story," said the Hindoo gravely, v " They have fought with the Feringhee and escapad. ' Where are their wounds ?' say the followers of Hissar. Behold !" ( "He is a prince in contrivance, Lawrence," remarked Melton, quietly. "We cannot do better than leave ourselves to his guidance." The Hindoo smiled and made a gracefal salaam.

" I have met the two brave warriors who have cast, off the hated yoke of the Feringhee. They have, they say, slain their hundreds, but there are thousands, and they fought till all their brave companions had perished, and then fled to join the conquering ranks of the Rana Hissar, whom they will help to trample the English dogs into dust."

" That will do," cried Lawrence, " and now I suppose we may start."

" The sahibs will wait till the sun is as low as that," said the Hindoc holding his hand athwart the window ; and then we will go."

At last tbe time came, ai\d the three white-robed figures were led solemnly out by the sergeant, passing sentry after sentry till' the gate was reached.

The men stared hard at them, but their appearance excited no surprise, for among so many natives as were included in the garrison, the departure of these two with the supposed prisoner that had been brought in seemed only natural, especially when the colonel's written order was foi thteir safe conduct.

" I should dodge under cover the moment you are outside, my lads,'' said the lieutenant in charge of the guns at the gate breast-work, aftei reading their paper,' " for they fire al everything yonder, whether white oi' black."

" Thanks—all right, Bailey," cried Lawrence, forgetting bis Character . for the speaker was an old friend and companion of,his mess. /

The officer started and stared, bui before he could recover from his surprise- the tbree men were outside, and in obedience to a motion fron the Hindoo darted under shelter of s house.

A rattle of musketry followed, but too late to injure them ; and aftei running down a narrow turning thej were suddenly confronted by a dozen of the sepoys. The Hindoo stepped forward, and

to the surprise of his companions, btold up one hand, displaying something inside, and the sepoys fell back.

This occurred half a doeen times ; but the interior x of the Hindoo's hand was like a passport, and the three men went on unmolested, till they were in the open country, and settled into a steady walk* ! They were now on the road to Chardagh, a well-kept road through a . well-wooded country, and the hearts of the young men beat high as they felt that each moment they were' nearer to those they - hoped to save, though they could not conceal from themselves that the result- .of their journey might be death to themselves, and no mitigation of the horrors of the imprisonment of those they sought to serve. Such thoughts, however, did nothing to damp their ardour, and they walked on, speaking seldom, their guide advising them, with an occasional rest, they should pass on, so as to get as far as possible on the journey by night.

The road was completely deserted, for the inhabitants of thief various villages had fled. The trail of the war serpent was over all, and whichever side was master, the poor tillers of the soil suffered by the trampling down of their crops, and the plundering of the camp-folk)wers.

So the journey was one through a completely deserted country, and the Hindoo seemed as surprised as themselves when, on reaching a well where he proposed to halt, and they proceeded to refresh themselves, a dusty looking native appeared, salaamed, and after drinking heartily from the water spring, proceeded to light his chillum, and sat down and smoked.

The Hindoo watched him furtively, but the newcomer seemed so stupid and dejected, merely throwing up his hands when spoken to, that he was soon forgotten. Lawrence and Melton lay gazing up through the trees at the bright moon, and wondering what would be the result of their mission.

! At last the Hindoo signified that ] it was time to proceed, and they set Lpff once more in silence, tbe leader poking a little annoyed that the newcomer followed them ; but on his attention being called to the fact by Melton, he merely threw up his hands, shrugged his shoulders, and said :

" What.does it matter, sahib? He is but a poor ryot." N

As they proceeded, the road grew overshadowed with rtrees, -and the the moon not piercing the shade, it was very hot. Melton and the Hindoo were in advance, / Lawrence being* some dozen yards behind—for he was dreaming of the future, and the effort they were about to make, wbesi he heard a light step behind him, and ere he could turn, a voice whispered : " Let them get ahead at the next turn." Just them the Hindoo turned to look at him, but he did not start, only trudged steadily on, wondering what this might mean. It was the ryot who had spoken, he was sure, but the voice was familiar, and he could not make out where he had heard it unless it was that of Jack-

son. A' few minutes after they reached a turn and as the Hindoo and Melton passed round it, the ryot suddenly darted into some bushes at the corner and concealed himself. " Here, come up abreast; dress up, sir, dress up," whispered the ryot: " Jackson !" exclaimed Lawrence, startled. " Which it is, sir," said the young man. " But not so loud. Now, stoop down as if you were fastening your shoe. That's it. , Now listen." " But how came you here ?" asked Lawrence. " Borrowed ' these togs, sir, and slipped over the wall by the buttress where the ladies were taken. I was shot at, but no one hit me, and I found I was all right as soon as I had dodged down a tew streets." " But what are you going to do ? Do you know you are .a deserter ?" " I should hiave been, sir," said Jackison, "if I had left you gentlemen to go by yourselves. But do you know where you two are going, sir ?" " Yes, to Ghardagh, to try and rescue the ladies." " No, you ain't, sir. fJust tie up your shoe." For at that moment a light step was heard on in front*, and the Hindoo appeared in the moonlight ; but upon seeing Lawrence stooping down by the roadside to alter the shoes he seemed satisfied and! went on once more. " Into a trap, sir, and into your graves, if they take the trouble to bury you." " Nonsense, man, that" guide is to I be trusted." " Of course he is, sir, trusted to take you as far as the wood three miles ahead where there's a regular ambush laid. He hoped to get a couple of hundred men or so into it to chaw up ; but he's had f»o be content with you." " Absurd," cried Lawrenee,- "How eaa you know this ?" " Because I nearly walked; into it myself; and then being, suspicious, I crawled up and saw what it all meant, and came back: to meet and warn you two." "I must have soma corroborative evidence of this," said Lawrence. " Go on, sir, and telll Mr. Melton, and see what he says. It's all a dodge contrived as soon as the young* ladies wrote loir help, otherwise they wouldn't have been allowed to send us letters." At this moment Ltiwrlsnce became aware that the Hindoo 'was coming stealthily back evidently on the watch. " Gunning for cunnteg, then," said Lawrence to himself; and rising without seeming to notice hi Ib guide he look a few steps, beat dtpwn agaiic

then rose and walked forward, limping slightly. " Is the sahib in pain ?" asked the Hindoo in his smooth, sleek tones. "These confounded shoes don't fit me," said Lawrence with an angry growl. " The sahtib will find them easier by and by, when they will cease to hurt him."

" Humph !" thought Lawrence as they passed on towards where Melton was awaiting them ; " that h an ominous double meanin<* ... Jackson is right, and I really don't know what to sa>. rbis fellow here is so plausible, and has .taken such painfs to disguise ue, that it seems >«rt. perhaps, it is only to give us confidence." " What iB it, Lawrence ?" asked impatiently, as Lawrence and the guide came up.

" Shoe does not fit," said Lawrence sulkiily, aad then they trudged slowly on, ending by lapsing into silence for a few minutes, when Lawrence began imperceptibly to loiter once, more, and Melton now hung back to keep him company. " I can't help the wretched thing," tie said, angrily. The annoyance was thoroughly well assumed, and at the end of another quarter of a mile, not having been able to communicate the danger to his friend, Lawrence swung out of the path in the thick grove they were traversing and threw himself down to gain time. " The sahib is in great pain," said thfc Hindoo, suavely. "It is unfortunate !"

" Terribly," cried Melton, impat iently. .. Pst j»»

The Hindoo uttered a low sibilation, for at that moment there was a sharp crack as of a breaking twig heard in the wood, and involuntarily the native, as if suspecting danger, thrust his hand into his breast.

"Some wild beast," he whispered, after a pause, during which there was perfect silence all round.

CHAPTER XIII. SEEKING THE LION'S MOUTH

'' Hang me, if I feel as if I could go on, Melton," said Lawrence after a pause, during which he sat nursing his foot. "It is unfortunate," said the Hindoo, " when the mem sahibs expect you to see them." " Fred, if you cannot come, I must go on alone," cried Melton excitedly. "It is impossible to stay here." The Hindoo shook his head. " One could not do all that would be necessary, sahib. You must take your friend." Melton uttered an ejaculation of annoyance. " Fred, this is horrible !" he exclaimed. " Very," was the cool reply. " Try again, and lean on me." " Can't stir my foot," was the reply. " It's unbearable." The Hindoo's eyes glistened in the gloomy arcade of wood where they stood.

" Look here, sahibs," he said

" There is a village but two miles away where I can get a rough cart. It will be but a poor conveyance for their greatnesses, but it will help to get us onward." " The very thing," cried Melton. " Go at once, and I'll stay with my friend."

The Hindoo seemed to hesitate for a moment, and looked from one to the other stooping down he went off at a rapid pace along the road, So rapidly was the arrangement made, and so puzzled was Lawrence how to act that the Hindoo guide was gone before he could decide what to say. For he was on tlie horns of a dilemma. Jackson might be wrong, in his ideas, and then all this makebelieve of the injured foot was in pain ; but if their follower were right, it was evident that the crafty native had gone on ahead to fetch their executioners.

Lawrence glanced forward ; the Hindoo was out of sight. Backward there was no sigs of Jackson. Then, leaping up—

" Jack," he exclaimed, " there is treachery ahead. We must stop that fellow." "What!" exclaimed Melton, angrily— '' are you repenting of your dangerous mission, and was this lameness a ruse to get out of it ?" " A ruse—yes !" exclaimed Lawrence ; "but I tell you, man. there is treachery. Our guide is a cheat;" and he rapidly recounted all Jackson had said. " But they may not be of his party," said Melton, thoughtfully. "We must not condemn the man ,on such evidence. The note was genuine." " Yes," cried Lawrence ; " but the poor girls were betrayed. The scoundrel used it as a ruse to weaken the garrison force, and to lead a large body of men into an ambuscade." " And failing that," said Melton, thoughtfully, " he aimed at our two unworthy selves. It is possible, for these people are craft itself." " And( fanatical enough to risk their lives for the sake of destroying a Feringhee or. two," remarked Lawrence.

"But even supposing you are right," said Melton, "we cannot stop—Hush ! What's that ?" "It sounded like the cry of a hjena," said Lawrence, listening ; but the sound that had attracted their attention was not repeated. To be Continued. Truly there is nothing in the world so blessed and so sweet as the heritage, of children. —Mrs. Oliphant Dot, (aged six) : "Mamma, if I get marrifed, will I ltove a husband like papa i" Mamma : "Yes."

''And if I don't get married, will 1 be an old maid like Aunt Martha ?" "Yes." "Mamma, it's a tough world for m women, isn't it ?"