THE BREAKING OF THE SQUARE.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Issue 26, 19 November 1898, Page 1

THE BREAKING OF THE SQUARE.

X STORY OF THE SOUDAN. , (Continued.) " "What eigns ?" was fthe sharp- question ; "but the Soudanese swept his hand vaguely round the horizon, saying," 4t r Thpre ; are signs to, the desert born — I go forttfto see.'' . " Goo,d r See the men camp and are, fe,d.. ? We'^maroli atjdawn," wwan3 n tha. offi^fer's^answer, and thapamp wasipttohed^ Aa'.liour later, Lieutenant .Charters leaded, feebly against a pile of ahiaauniti,qn boxe33 «fid ( looked ,heaviy t eye^acrois tha de3^rt.' *"A/flo*od,'of moonlight t lay a0r033,(5 trie , plaiaj ©Vary bjUsh and, sun- , aporjjhftd stone .easting; a shadow, black jt as, in^, •w t hile i wbirUng ; .,sph:ah l 'of du,st lifted > theinieliYesi up. an^.^drifted dow.nthe^ind, A J i thin I ci.oudtOf,,aorid ! jBmoke, h^ng r qyarttie^camp,, the ".Binpll ' ojE 'hot /earth "and c^msls j( jv;as '^he.ayy .in^the " airy.and, evjery t. np^aad.theti, one' of , li'f^eci;^ i,tf ,h'ea,d t "an^ v ,u^ e?pAV%SIM/S&i>e ?pAV%5 1M/S&i>

silence round their dying fires ; but f eebla choruses r oi > music-hall • song ro3e from the Britishsaction, 1 where attunes a private abuse!, "th« cussid heat, an' tho dust, an' -the 'ole < bloomin' outfit" with much vigour. > At la3t, worn* out in mind and' body, th.9 Lieufeniat forgot, to. wonder whofchor - ha would »7ar soe home' again, and,- mak- ■ iag sure, as he did -nightly, 1 l that a^cectain^ leather case containhig a photograph j lay' safely, next his heart) rested' his' weary ~ haad oas the, rough - deal -■, and parsed 'far from the scorching desert into the land ofdreams.'. Again he saw- the long sweep of^ purple moorlarj6U, 'where the, lochs gleam j steely, blue ibeneath the northern' sky.iand^ ths resinous . fragrance of the fin ! filled 'j lung 3 which, had long breathed hotrdatttV Then, heJiearduni fancy^ the rustle- oij-a-dress, and, turning; 'felt a light handcresfc* upon ihis. 1 arm, .while a pair of bright-eyes gazed Lup.i wistfully^, into, hisv own;: .Thar-"' ofis.ber. groaned jintnis sleep* for, somethingin bisieVartd brain' told-himi thit-'mftny-leagues col^darknooeahx lay .between bimo *pdjthe.wom»ni-.who>trimbled eaoh^ tim^'J-

reddening at everyccmgli. As the firing ■went on, the men fidgeted uneasily, with faces that grew hard and drawn beneath the dust when the bullets struck up little pufh of sand at their feet or sang past overhead, and presently another Soudanese fitaggei'ed out of the ranks, and spinning round like a top threw himself face downwards into the sand. From time to time the voice of the officer was heard above the distant rattle of arms, and his words were " Steady, men — steady there. "Wait the word — they'll rush presently," and each private tried to ignore a sinking feeling beneath his belt, and gripped his rifle the harder. '• Are they mad or afraid ? This is not the fighting of the desert," said Sergeant Aweh to his men, and even as he spoke there went up a great shout, and a dense mass of naked humanity rolled towards the square. A few of the foe were mounted, and others carried rifles which they flung away as they ran ; but the greater part were armed only with short spears or straight-bladed Arab swords. On they came, the pace growing faster and faster, until it ended in a furious charge, and a rolling cloud of dust rose up and almost hid the swarm of mad, halfnaked figures. The troops stood like statues, with the blinding glare of the desert sunshine upon their stern #aces and half-closed eyes, every man's hand clenched round the Martini stock, as he waited with rifle at the " ready," for what seemed hours, until the Lieutenant's voice rose harshly on the liotloos air : " Fire a volley. At two hundied yards — ready — present !" The bayonets flashed in a long, bright gleam, as the rifle barrels went up together ; the butts came home with a rattle, the word " Fire"" rang out. Then there "was a crashing volley, the side of the •square was wreathed in smoke, and the front of the rush crumpled up and melted away. ShufHing forward half-instinc-tively, to got clear of the acrid vapour, the soldiers saw the tribesmen go down in heaps, brown arms or black limbs writhing in the hot dust of the desert. Afterwards, they heard another half-choked order, and there was a sharp snapping of levers as the empty shells were flung out and the men feverishly rammed home a fresh cartridge with shaking thumb. Again, the rifles flashed, and more 'wide gaps were cleared in the dense ranks ; but a wild yell of "Allah" pealed out of the , chaos of dust and vapour, and with visions of the Moslem paradise with its black-eyed ixouris and the tree of sedrat before their , eyes, the tribesmen closed up and came on. "Meet them with the bayonet. It's daath if they once get in," shouted the Lieutenant, and his voice was sharp and strained, while a Soudanese observed quietly to his sergeant, "This time, they of the deßert break the square — look to officer man, for he is sick." While he stood, revolver in hand, waiting the ,shpck -which must follow, Lieutenant Charters heard a yoice in the vernacular say, in his," ear, "/It is.a.gopd charm wid * great" magic of the heathen,"

and before he could titter either thanks or refusal, a glittering object was hung about his neck, and he saw the tall figure of Sergeant Aweh glide past. Next moment the front of the square reeled and shook as though struck by a battering-ram, spear-heads rattling against the bayonets and straight Arab swords clashing against the brown rifle barrels. Then it swayed to and fro, the first rank thrusting and lunging for dear life with the bayonet while with grinding teeth and starting eyes those behind fired over their comrades' shoulders. Here and there a white private fell among his companion's feet, with a spear quivering in his side, or a Soudanese dropped like a log from the ranks, while others, catching their breath in choking sobs, staggered, and then fought their way back again, inch by inch, until the hne of struggling figures wavered and swelled like the folds of a crawling snake. " This cannot last — no flesh and blood can stand it," said the Lieutenant Kalfaloud, and, as he spoke, a wedge of naked figures burst through the thinning ranks of the Soudanese, and that portion of the square caved in — broke up — partly closed again — and then there was pandemonium inside, as well as outside, the line of steel. Shouting he hardly knew what, and hurlaway his empty revolver, the officer ran straight at a naked figure mounted on a white horse which drove through the halfclosed gap, waving a green standard on the point of a lance. His sword flashed in a shiniug are from behind the shoulder but the lance-shaft turned its edge, and Lieutenant Charters went down before the battering hoofs, crushed and bleeding. , Half-dazed and very faint, he lay still, gazing at a swarm of brown figures rushing towards him, and clenched his fingers as an Arab sword shimmered above his head. Then there was a shout, a bayonet flickered acrsss his eyes, and he saw the steel slide into a broad black breast, as Sergeant Aweh ran the man through. Afterwards, the swinging rifle, butt cleared a circle round him, untif a hoarse British cheer rose from the chaos of dust and blood, followed by the yell of the Soudanese detachment. A rifle fell somewhere beside him with a clatter, and staggering to his feet the Lieutenant saw the centre of the square thick with bayonetted bodies, and the foe streaming away from its sides, as the backwash rolls down a half-tide rock. Feebly raising his voice, he cried, " At one hundred — " but something rose in his throat and choked him, a stream of warm blood filled his eyes, and he saw the desert whirl round through a crimson mist, until darkness came and he dropped into the sand. When the Lieutenant came to again, he lay on a rough litter, far away from the scene of the conflict, with a white sergeant bending over him. '•Yes, sir," said the man, in reply to a feeble question. "We're near the out* posts now. That nigger Aweh brought you through, sir, held them off until we came up-rrthen dropped like a stone, cut all over. - They buried him as he fell, with his- face, to the East,'' and the officer groaned as hi» weary eyes closed. -

Shortly afterwards, the worn-out detachment, mourning , : over -comrades left behind in the lonely desert, all of them weary and many wounded, reached the advance column, where despatches and ammunition were delivered ; and in process of time Lieutenant Charters was invalided home, as unfit for further service. One day, still weak and pale, he sat amid long. yellow broom on the brown hillside, above a beach of silver sand, where the ripples of a steel blue loch broke with a sleepy murmur. But Lieutenant Charters saw neither glory of golden broom nor sheon of purple heather, his eyes were fixed on a sweet face beside him, even the face he had seen in his dream, and he said huskily, for his heart was full, " This is very good — we will not part again. I shall never see active service again, and you will have a broken down invalid at your side through life." The only answer was a tightening grasp on his arm and "the low words, "For better or for worse — in sickness or in health." Lifting his eyes, the peace of the summer day entered into the heart of ' Lieutenant Charters. Then he laid a heavy ring of gold, graven with curious devices in the girl's hand,, and a flush burned in her cheeks as he told of the struggle in the far Soudan, and the breaking of the square. Again, though whirling wreaths of smoke and a rolling cloud of dust he saw the stately figure of the Soudanese soldier who had laid down his life to save his officer's, and his voice grew thick and hoarse. When the tale was told, there was a mist of tears in the girl's blue eyes, and she said softly, as she lifted the great " Ju-Ju " talisman. " This is very precious — the price of a brave man's blood."

the Egyptian mail came in, lest it should taring iier bad .uews. \ liesently a clash of bells came down the scented breeze, growing louder and Hearer, until with a cry, he sprang to Jbis feet to hear the bugles calling, and to see a broad streak of -crimson tiu&hmg all the Eastern horizon. Then he knew that another scorching >day had begun, and that the weary march must •be faced again; and a& he rubbed Ins bleeps eyes, Sergeant Aweb. carve .panting into camp, witn the news that the ioe were at hand. • - Suddenly every swelling ndge became alive with dark figures, and as the orders rang out the men, fastening tunics and belts as , they went, flung themselves hastily into square ; while a horseman, carrying & flag oi the prophet's green, harangued the desert wamors, and aiter■wards a babel of contention or .applause rose on the still #ir oi dawn. . Meanwhile the -detachment stood rigid in square, the frightened camels on the centre, every ,man feehng.comiort in the. toucli-ofiiis neighbour's .arm. and the feel ox the cold .bam-elof/his rifle; -JS3oa white uieji, -with their battered -fiuu-helmets,-:

ragged, dust-caked tunics, and -muchpatched trousers, bor« only a faint resemblance to spick and-span [British infantry ; but as be gJanced along the line of grimy faces the .Lieutenant was satisfied. Ho could, see by their sparkling eyes and set teeth that the troops meant business, and would do their work thoroughly. " Silence there," he said sternly, as a private < observed aloud, " Hundreds an' hundreds oi 'em, sprung out of the sand like muslnoorus," and then continued, " Wait the word and lire in solid volleys. Remember, it's certain death it they break - the square." A long shaft of golden light quivered across the desert, as the sun swung 'red and coppery into sight. From the summit __ oi eveiy ndge, leathery pufis of smoke drifted out, while groups ot horsemen galloped aimlessly here and there. A boudauese dropped his rifle -with a clatter aLd lell clutching at the sand among his comrades' ieet, and a British pnvate' called out hoarsely, and sinking down was carried a hinp heap into the centre of the ' square,* where- he- "lay "with- bio^ tuniov