THE BLUE DRAGOONS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IX, Issue 748, 24 February 1915, Page 6

THE BLUE DRAGOONS.

AN INDIAN SOLDIER STORY. by george manville fenn. Part 10. " Above all," he whispered, "mart well the place where the ladders are, aud if I'm cut down, keep together, and help one another in the retreat," They could just make out the white garments of the sepoys, who were clustered upon the roof, for the most part smoking for the noise ol their hubble-bubble pipes could be faintfy heard. There were others, too, right and left to be seen on the lower houses, where roofs had been turned into forts ; but where watching was going on it was at the interior of the magazine, and consequently the little party of darkclothed men were enabled to cross the intervening space, and stand together at last under the shelter of the house they meant to destroy. It seemed a terrible and a treacherous plan this —to hurry perhaps two score souls into eternity on the instant, and Melton's heart rose against it ; but he knew that if left to themselves the mutineers would spare neither, man, woman, nor child of those who looked to him and the men of his regiment for protection, and this removed all scruple respecting what he could not but look upon as an unsoldierly proceeding. Fortunately for their purpose the door of the building, which had evidently been the house of a native of some importance, was wide open and this made the prospect of the explosion being successful the more certain.

Four men stood ready, sword and revolver in hand, while the others laid the powder bags some distance within the door. Melton took the lead in this, planting two each'containing some twenty pounds of powder against the passage wall. Then, tearing open another, he piled up the loose powder around them. A desperate man could now have fired the heap in an instant by discharging his revolver into it, and sooner than fail, Melton,.felt ready to send off his men and to pursue this course ; for there were sounds above as of men moving and descending from the roof. But life was sweet—doubly sweet now that he had others to protect ; so taking the fuse, he placed one end in the powder, laid it for some little distance, and then, giving the word to his men, he held the other end for a moment in a dark lantern, and then leaving it,burning and spluttering he followed«his party. As he reached the entrance he found that one of them was waiting and had been watching his efforts. " She's out, sir," said the man. Melton turned sharply round and found that the fuse had ceased to spark and splutter, while a sharp gust of wind rushed past them ; and though he could not see, he felt sure tbat the powder had been scattered away. It required the nerves of a brave man to go back and replace thai powder and fuse. A desperate determined man could easily nerve himself to do it once ; but after the first performance the danger seemed too terrible, and Melton for a moment hesitated.

It was but for a moment. He had undertaken to fire the mine, and come what might, * lie must do it. Th< lives of perhaps hundreds depended upon it ; so, nerving himself onct more he stepped back, found that there was only a spark in the fuse, which, however, was still burninf and scintillating slightly, hut th« powder had been scattered "by the wind. It was treacherous work, though, for, as he stooped down to scoop uj the black grains with both hands and bring the contents of the bags'' in connection with the fuse, a spark flew from it like a little star, set fire to some of the wind-scattered powder, and in a moment the entry was lit up by the blaze. Melton gave himself up for lost, foi he knew that the blaze would hetra3 their whereabouts to the enemy whili it was very doubtful if it would explode the mine. Quick as thought, then, he thre* himself down upon the burning pow der just where, like a snake, it wa« running across the floor, and, at th< expense of terrible burns he beat i\ out, just as loud cries r.ose frorr above and firing recommenced. "Quick ! Light the fuse !" crie< Melton to the man who now helc the lantern. But the man was con fused, and hung back. Melton dashed at him, and draggec the dark lantern from him, tore v open, and drew out the lamp, whib the descending steps grew nearer Then, as the foot of the first mai touched the bottom, and his nex' step was in the powder, Melton thre\ the burning lamp right into th' heap.

He leaped away as he did so an< ran for his life ; hut in the light shei by the flaring lamp he just caugh sight. of three black savage faces and the glint of waving tulwars then there was a blinding flash ana some awful force seemed to lift hin from his feet and to hurl him head long to the earth. Melton could have been insenßibl but for a moment or two, and the he awoke to flw|,that he was bein; dragged towards wall by hi men, and tha*she could not hel them in the slightest degree. There was a terrible confusion a round. Burning* wood lay abou them ; there was£ a hideous smell c burnt powder, a black pall c Bmoke, added, by>jU« density, to th

obscurity of the night. There was the noise of firing and excited voices to be heard too, on every side, momentarily increasing ; and this roused Melton somewhat to a sense of their position. " I can stand now, my lads," he said, huskily ; and as he spoke his head seemed to swim and the burning wood seemed to dance. " Are jou all here?" " Yes, sir, I think so," said a roice. "Is the house blown up ?" " I don't think, there's s scrap standing, sir," said the same speaker put of the black cloud. " To the wall then—quick !" " It's all very fine to say to the wall," grumbled a voice, " but I don't believe there ain't no wall left." "Nonsense, man ! Here to the left." , "Lord, no sir," said the sergeant. "That's where the house were. Tim smol'e's confusing. I think the ladder lies this way." "Forward, then," said Melton ; and in response to his word a dozen muskets were fired somewhere from the darkness, so that the bullets went whistling hy, fortunately without striking a single man, and though they were fired from very close at hand, so dense was the heavy black smoke of the explosion that not even the flash of the pieces was seen. " Here's the wall, sir," said the sergeant, the next minute in a whisper ; "but there's no ladder." " A man each way, right and left," said Melton, who in spite of the pain and numbness of mind be endured, was every moment growing better able to issue his orders. " Whoever finds the ladder is to give a low whistle." Two men glided off and the firing went on, each minute ! growing more 'urious, while to their left a dull glow began to penetrate the smoke which protected the little party from; the firing of the enemy. " The ruins are beginning to blaze, 3ir," said the sergeant, " and it will be hot for us here directly. Why, Hang me, if here ain't the ladder blowed away from the wall by the explosion !" He gave a low whistle, and \&hen, seizing the ladder, he ran with it to the wall. As he rearer it the two men came running back, both turning to fire their revolvers at tb* enemy by whom they were pursued ; and fortunately the dull glow became faint once more, so that the darkness favoured their escape.

" Now, my lads, over !" cried Melton ; aud the men rushed up the ladder, climbed on the wall, and dropped down the other side, for they had reared it in a fresh place some yards from the ladder by which they had ascended. "Over you go, sir," said the sergeant, when only he and Melton were left, and the noises around grew very near. "No, no. Over with you, sergeant." "But you are weak and wounded, sir. «Go on," said the man. " Forward !" roared Melton, fiercely ; and the sergeant sprang up the ladder, threw himself astride the wall, and reached down his hand to help his officer. This little altercation had nearly proved fatal for Melton. Attracted by the voices, a score of the enemy, who had been groping about in search of the adventurers, now dashed at them ; and, as if to aid their search, the wind came sweeping along, driving the black pall of smoke before it, and making the smouldering ruins of the blown-up house blaze with a furious flame, showing Melton struggling up the ladder and the sergeant seated astride on the wall. With a howl of rage the enemy darted at the ladder, while others fired at the fugitives, the bullets whistling by them.

" Here, quick, sir—your hand !" shouted the sergeant ; and he caught Melton's wrist in a grip of iron. " Here, below there ; hold on by my_ leg," he roared to his comrades in safety; and a man leaped up and grasped his ankle. It was well that the sergeant, was an active man of almost herculean strength, for at that, moment the ladder was dragged away, and Melton left suspended in the air. It was but a moment's work, and neither of the actors could well have told afterwards how it was done ; but as the ladder fell, and the savage enemy leaped, tulwar in hand, tc hack the young officer to pieces, he caught with his disengaged hand at the other extended to him by the sergeant, was dragged up to the top of the wall, and then the pair fell, or rather rolled down into safety amongst their companions, who brok< their fall before they lay panting on the ground. " That""was as nigh as a toucher, sir," gasped the sergeant, struggling up. " Sergeant, you saved my life,* panted ' Melton. " But what'* that ?" A brilliant flash of light and t heavy noise as of thunder had shaker the ground where thiey crouched. Then came a few minutes' silence, followed by yells and cries as if pandemoniun had broken loose, and Melton divined what was wrong. " The scoundrels have blown dowr part of the wall," he cried, " anc are attacking in force." And to endorse his words then rang out the, rolls of drums and thi gathering calls of bugles, as the ,Englien soldiery were summoned to repe the fresh attack. CHAPTER VII. • A REPUL.SK. It was quite time that the alart. should be given, for, as in obedienc to the various calls, the defenders o the magazine harried to their posts it was to find that a long piece o

the wal'l had been blown down, and the mutineers were swarming intc the enclosure in a furious crowd. The darkness and confusion consequent upon the explosion favoured their advance—the few defenders o! the wall, after firing a shot or two, being easily driven back, and the fate of the occupants of the magazine seemed sealed.

On came the scoundrels, yelling and firing and spreading themselves all over the place, while hundreds more pressed in through the great gap in the wall, and all appeared their own; for in the darkness resistance seemed every moment to grow more difficult. For there was a savage recklessness in the way in which the sepoys rushed on their foes, cutting fiercely bore and there, and apparently feelin;; their life well spent if they could slay two or three Englishmen before they fell beneath the bayonets of those they attacked.

It was so here, and their attack produced terrible confusion amongst the troops but discipline soon prevailed. The cavalry and infantry both answered to their calls, men catching up their rifles and cartouche boxes fixing their bayonets and forming up in line as if on parade, while the officers prepared for something like coherent action. Colonel Brandon took the lead and though his men were fretting at their inaction, and falling fast, he waited till he had given instructions to Colonel Bruce to extend his men in line and sweep tho left of the court, firing as they went, while he would extend his infantry to tho right and do the same. " Tell Colonel Bruce," he said in conclusion to his aide-de-camp, "that when the bugle sounds the charge, his men are to give the scoundrels the bayonet !" The defenders had formed up so far back towards the wall that the open court was entirely in the hands of the mutineers, who now spread all over it in a fierce mob, hungering for blood ; and, believing that the day was their own, they began to make for the buildings to plunder and massacre all that were therein.

It was with a yell of dismay, then, and surprise, that in the darkness, through which their white cotton garments seemed, to gleam, they suddenly' saw flash out in a long line five hundred tongues of flame, the messengers that sent as many conical bullets whistling through their ranks, and cumbering the court with the dead and wounded. But they were not appalled ; for ac soon as they had recovered from their first surprise they hegan to take some form and to return the fire. It was a feeble and scattered reply, though, while that of the long line of well-drilled men became constant as the soldiers steadily advanced, firing as they came, till there wan one continuous roll of musketry. This was continued half across the court, the right antl left of the line being gradually thrown forward in a half circle, so that the mutineers were swept slowly back towards the great breach, till at last out rang the bugle. The men paused for a moment to steady the rank ; and then, shoulder to shoulder, and with a ringing cheer, they dashed forward in the charge, bayoneting their adversaries, and driving them in a blind mob who cumbered tbe ground at every step with their fallen, right through the breach, which was then held by the bristling chevaux-de-frise of bayonets. But the task was not done yet in the court, which still swarmed with mutineers, though the main body was driven out. There were the wound ed, too, who still fought desperately, cutting and firing at everybody whe approached them, neither giving nor expecting quarter. And with sucii fanatics and situated as he was, there was no other course left open to Colonel Brandon who reluctantly gave orders for the bayoneting of all within the walls.

It was a horrible scene of carnage, but it did not last long ; for the English blood "was up, and the men felt little compunction in quenching the flame of a set of men who spared aeither woman nor child who came hito, their hands. In a very few minutes, then, the court was completely cleared, and those who had tried to find refuge iD the various buildings had been huntsd out and bayoneted. "It is very horrible," said Melton who sat propped up against the wall of one of the buildings, supported by the sergeant, and protected by his men, who had not tafcen part in the defence. And it was well that thej had stayed by him, for hteilf a dozer tulwar-armed fanatics had dashed at him when the court was filled, bul only to leave their bodies spread around as after a sharp struggle, thej fell to the revolvers of his men. "II is very horrible, sergeant," said Melton as. he saw a portion of tin bayoneting, " and not in our way." " No, sir, 'taint light-horse wort at all ; but I'd sooner send a bayonet through a . dozen of those nigger; than see them get at our women anc spit the children on their swords. 1 have got a wife and. two bairns witl the regiment, sir, anoV I feels warn: about 'em." Melton could say nothing, for In knew that unless these stem reprisals were made there was no hope foi those who depended on them for pro tection. " What are they doing now ?" hi inquired as the yelling of the enemj seemed to be confined to the exterioi of the wall. " Getting a couple of guns to com mand that breach, I think, sir," th> sergeant said ; "but I'll see." He ran off and came back in a Icm minutes to say that he was rightfor Colonel Brandon had now brough' his artillery into use. To be Continued.