STORY ONE, CHAPTER SEVEN.
It seemed to me that, for the time being, Lieutenant Leigh was too muchof a soldier to let private matters and personal feelings of enmityinterfere with duty; and those two stood talking together for a goodhalf-hour, when, having apparently made their plans, fatigue-partieswere ordered out; and what I remember then thinking was a wise move, thesoldiers' wives and children in quarters were brought into the oldpalace, since it was the only likely spot for putting into somethinglike a state of defence.
I have called it a palace, and I suppose that a rajah did once live init, but, mind you, it was neither a very large nor a very grand place,being only a square of buildings, facing inward to a little court-yard,entered by a gateway, after the fashion of no end of buildings in theeast.
Water we had in the tank, but provisions were brought in, and what sheepthere were. Fortunately, there was a good supply of hay, and that wegot in; but one thing we did not bargain for, and that was the companyof the great elephant, _Nabob_, he having been left behind. And whatdoes he do but come slowly up on those india-rubber cushion feet of his,and walk through the gateway, his back actually brushing against thetop; and then, once in, he goes quietly over to where the hay wasstacked, and coolly enough begins eating!
The men laughed, and some jokes were made about his taking up a deal ofroom, and I suppose, really, it was through Harry Lant that the greatbeast came in; but no more was said then, we all being so busy, and notone of us had the sense to see what a fearful strait that greatinoffensive animal might bring us to.
I believe we all forgot about the heat that day as we worked on, slavingaway at things that, in an ordinary way, we should have expected to bedone by the niggers. Food, ammunition, wood, particularly planks,everything Captain Dyer thought likely to be of use; and soon abreastwork was made inside the gateway; such lower windows as lookedoutwards carefully nailed up, and loop-holed for a shot at the enemy,should any appear; and when night did come at last, peaceful and still,the old palace was turned into a regular little fort.
We all knew that all this might be labour in vain, but all the same itseemed to be our duty to get the place into as good a state of defenceas we could, and under orders we did it. But, after all, we knew wellenough that if the mutineers should bring up a small field-piece, theycould knock the place about our ears in no time. Our hope, though, wasthat, at all events while our regiment was away, we might be unmolested,for, if the enemy came in any number, what could eight-and-thirty mendo, hampered as they were with half-a-dozen children, and twice as manywomen? Not that all the women were likely to hamper us, for there wasMrs Bantem, busy as a bee, working here, comforting there, helpingwomen to make themselves snug in different rooms; and once, as she camenear me, she gave me one of her tremendous slaps on the back, her eyestwinkling with pleasure, and the perspiration streaming down her facethe while. "Ike Smith," she says, "this is something like, isn't it?But ask Captain Dyer to have that breastwork strengthened--there isn'thalf enough of it. Glad Bantem hasn't gone. But I say, only think ofthat poor woman! I saw her just now crying, fit to break her poorheart."
"What poor woman?" I said, staring hard.
"Why, the colonel's wife. Poor soul, it's pitiful to see her! it wentthrough me like a knife.--What! are you there, my pretties!" she cried,flumping down on the stones as the colonel's two little ones camerunning out. "Bless your pretty hearts, you'll come and say a word toold Mother Bantem, won't you?"
"What's everybody tying about?" says the little girl in her prattlingway. "I don't like people to ty. Has my ma been whipped, and AuntElsie been naughty?"
"Look, look!" cries the boy excitedly; "dere's old _Nabob_!" Andtoddling off, the next minute he was close to the great beast, hislittle sister running after him, to catch hold of his hand; and therethe little mites stood close to, and staring up at the great elephant,as he kept on amusing himself by twisting up a little hay in his trunk,and then lightly scattering it over his back, to get rid of the flies--for what nature could have been about to give him such a scrap of atail, I can't understand. He'd work it, and flip it about hard enough;but as to getting rid of a fly, it's my belief that if insects canlaugh, they laughed at it, as they watched him from where they werebuzzing about the stone walls and windows in the hot sunshine.
The next minute, like a chorus, there came a scream from one of theupper windows, one from another, and a sort of howl from Mrs Bantem,and we all stood startled and staring, for what does Jenny Wren do, butin a staggering way, lift up her little brother for him to touch theelephant's trunk, and then she stood laughing and clapping her handswith delight, seeing no fear, bless her! as that long, soft trunk wasgently curled round the boy's waist, he was drawn out of his sister'sarms; and then the great beast stood swinging the child to and fro, nowup a little way, now down between his legs, and him crowing and laughingaway all the while, as if it was the best fun that could be.
I believe we were all struck motionless; and it was like taking a handaway from my throat to let me breathe once more, when I saw the elephantgently drop the little fellow down on a heap of hay, but only for him toscramble up, and run forward shouting: "Now 'gain, now 'gain;" and, asif _Nabob_ understood his little prattling, half-tied tongue, he takeshim up again, and swings him, just as there was a regular rush made, andMrs Colonel, Miss Ross, Lizzy, and the captain and lieutenant came up.
"For Heaven's sake, save the child!" cries Mrs Maine.--"Mr Leigh,pray, do something."
Miss Ross did not speak, but she looked at Captain Dyer; and those twoyoung men both went at the elephant directly, to get the child away; butin an instant _Nabob_ wheeled round, just the same as a stubborn donkeywould at home with a lot of boys teasing it; and then, as they dodgedround his great carcass, he trumpeted fiercely, and began to shuffle offround the court.
I went up too, and so did Mrs Bantem, brave as a lion; but the greatbeast only kept on making his loud snorting noise, and shuffled along,with the boy in his trunk, swinging him backwards and forwards; and itwas impossible to help thinking of what would be the consequence if theelephant should drop the little fellow, and then set on him one of hisgreat feet.
It seemed as if nothing could be done, and once the idea--wild enoughtoo--rushed into my head that it would be advisable to get a rifle putto the great beast's ear, and fire, when Measles shouted out from wherehe was on guard, "Here's Chunder coming!" and, directly after, with hisopal eyeballs rolling, and his dark, treacherous-looking face seeming tome all wicked and pleased at what was going on, came the mahout, andsaid a few words to the elephant, which stopped directly, and went downupon its knees. Chunder then tried to take hold of the child, butsomehow that seemed to make the great beast furious, and getting upagain, he began to grunt and make a noise after the fashion of a greatpig, going on now faster round the court, and sending those who had cometo look, and who stood in his way, fleeing in all directions.
Mrs Maine was half fainting, and, catching the little girl to herbreast, I saw her go down upon her knees and hide her face, expecting,no doubt, every moment, that the next one would be her boy's last; and,indeed, we were all alarmed now, for the more we tried to get the littlechap away, the fiercer the elephant grew; the only one who did not seemto mind being the boy himself though his sister now began to cry, and inher little artless way I heard her ask her mother if the naughtyelephant would eat Clivey.
I've often thought since that if we'd been quiet, and left the beastalone, he would soon have set the child down; and I've often thoughttoo, that Mr Chunder could have got the boy away if he had liked, onlyhe did nothing but tease and irritate the elephant, which was not thebest of friends with him. But you will easily understand that there wasnot much time for thought then.
I had been doing my best along with the others, and then stood thinkingwhat I could be at next, when I caught Lizzy Green's eye turned to me inan appealing, reproachful sort of way, that seemed to say as plainly ascould be: "Can't you do anything?" when all at once M
easles shouts out:"'Arry, 'Arry!" and Harry Lant came up at the double, having been busycarrying arms out of the guard-room rack.
It was at one and the same moment that Harry Lant saw what was wrong,and that a cold dull chill ran through me, for I saw Lizzy clasp herhands together in a sort of thankful way, and it seemed to me then, asHarry ran up to the elephant that he was always to be put before me, andthat I was nobody, and the sooner I was out of the way the better.
All the same, though, I couldn't help admiring the way Harry ran up tothe great brute, and did what none of us could manage. I quite hatedhim, I know, but yet I was proud of my mate, as he went up and sayssomething to _Nabob_, and the elephant stands still. "Put him down,"says Harry, pointing to the ground; and the great flesh-mountain putsthe little fellow down. "Now then," says Harry, to the honour of theladies, "pick him up again;" and in a twinkling the great thing whipsthe boy up once more. "Now, bring him up to the colonel's lady." Well,if you'll believe me, if the great thing didn't follow Harry like alamb, and carry the child up to where, half fainting, knelt poor MrsMaine. "Now, put him down," says Harry; and the next moment littleClive Maine--Cock Robin, as we called him--was being hugged to hismother's breast. "Now go down on your knees, and beg the ladies'pardon," says Harry laughing. Down goes the elephant, and stops there,making a queer chuntering noise the while. "Says he's very sorry,ma'am, and won't do so no more," says Harry, serious as a judge; and ina moment, half laughing, half crying, Mrs Maine caught hold of Harry'shand, and kissed it, and then held it for a moment to her breast sobbinghysterically as she did so.
"God bless you! You're a good man," she cried; and then she broke downaltogether; and Miss Ross, and Mrs Bantem, and Lizzy got round her, andhelped her in.
I could see that Harry was touched, for one of his lips shook; but hetried to keep up the fun of the thing; and turning to the elephant, hesays out loud: "Now, get up, and go back to the hay; and don't you comeno more of those games, that's all."
The elephant got up directly, making a grunting noise as he did so.
"Why not?" says Harry, making-believe that that was what the great beastsaid. "Because, if you do, I'll smash you. There!"
Officers and men, they all burst out laughing, to see little HarryLant--a chap so little that he wouldn't have been in the regiment onlythat men were scarce, and the standard was very low when he listed--tosee him standing shaking his fist at the great monster, one of whoselegs was bigger than Harry altogether--stand shaking his fist in itsface, and then take hold of the soft trunk and lead him away.
Perhaps I did, perhaps I didn't, but I thought I caught sight of aglance passing between Lizzy Green, now at one window, and Harry,leading off the elephant; but all the same I felt that jealous of him,and to hate him so that I could have quarrelled with him about nothing.It seemed as if he was always to come before me.
And I wasn't the only one jealous of Harry, for no sooner was the courtpretty well empty, than he came slowly up towards me, in spite of mysour black looks, which he wouldn't notice; but before he could get tome, Chunder Chow, the mahout, goes up to the elephant, muttering andspiteful-like, with his hook-spear thing, that mahouts use to drivewith; and being, I suppose, put out, and jealous, and annoyed at hisauthority being taken away, and another man doing what he couldn't, hegives the elephant a kick in the leg, and then hits him viciously withhis iron hook thing.
Well! Bless you! it didn't take an instant, and it seemed to me thatthe elephant only gave that trunk of his a gentle swing againstChunder's side, and he was a couple of yards off, rolling over and overin the hay scattered about.
Up he jumps, wild as wild; and the first thing he catches sight of isHarry laughing fit to crack his sides, when Chunder rushes at him like amad bull.
I suppose he expected to see Harry turn tail and run; but that being oneof those things not included in drill, and a British soldier having agood deal of the machine about him, Harry stands fast, and Chunder pullsup short, grinning rolling his eyes, and twisting his hands about, justfor all the world like as if he was robbing a hen-roost, and wringingall the chickens' necks.
"Didn't hurt much, did it, blacky?" says Harry coolly. But the mahoutcouldn't speak for rage; and he kept spitting on the ground, and makingsigns, till really his face was anything but pretty to look at. Andthere he kept on, till, from laughing, Harry turned a bit nasty, forthere was some one looking out of a window; and from being half-amusedat what was going on, I once more felt all cold and bitter. But Harryfires up now, and makes towards Mr Chunder, who begins to retreat; andsays Harry: "Now I tell you what it is, young man; I never did you anyill turn; and if I choose to have a bit of fun with the elephant, it'sgovernment property, and as much mine as yours. But look ye here--ifyou come cussing, and spitting, and swearing at me again in your nastyheathen dialect, why, if I don't--No," he says, stopping short, andhalf-turning to me, "I can't black his eyes, Isaac, for they're blackenough already; but let him come any more of it, and, jiggermaree, if Idon't bung 'em!"