CHAPTER TWELVE.
WOUNDS.
The enemy had been driven off with heavy loss, but the little victoryhad been dearly-won. Several men had been wounded, and most serious toall seemed to be the fact that among them was the gallant young officerwho was liked by every man in the regiment. So it was that the marchback to the great fort was made in silence; and when a few of the enemy,encouraged by what they looked upon as a retreat, hung about the rearand harassed the retiring column with shots from the heights, they paiddearly for being so venturesome. For Captain Roberts, leaving a littleparty in hiding to wait till the enemy showed in their pursuit, listenedwith a grim smile upon his lip till there was a sudden outburst offiring, and then tramped on with the remainder of his company, keepingas much as he could by the mule ambulance which was bearing his friendback to the fort.
Within half-an-hour the little firing-party overtook the rear of thecolumn, and Roberts halted till they came up to him.
"Well, Sergeant?" he said.
"All right now, sir," said Gee, who looked what the men called ugly. "Ithink we've brought 'em all down."
"You're not sure, of course?"
"Well, pretty nigh, sir. There ain't been a shot since."
"Good. Be on the lookout. I hate for our poor fellows to be harassedlike this."
"It's horrid, sir; but, begging your pardon, sir, how's Mr Bracy?"
"Bad, Gee, bad. I'm afraid he is shot through the lungs."
Sergeant Gee's brow went into a mass of puckers and frowns, and therewas the peculiar sound of one grinding his teeth together, as the mantramped on behind his officer for a few minutes before speaking again.
"Beg pardon, sir; there's that Bill Gedge. Is he much hurt?"
"Very gravely, I'm afraid. Dr Morton can't tell yet from the hastyexamination he made, but he shook his head."
"Poor lad!" said the Sergeant. "We were always bad friends, sir; he wasso full of his Cockney monkey-tricks, and he hated me, but we couldn'tspare him. What a soldier he would have made!"
"Hah!" ejaculated Roberts; "as full of pluck as a lad could be. MrBracy's been telling me how he carried him through the fire, andsheltered him with his own body. That's how it was he had his wound."
There was another pause, with the silence only broken by the echoingtramp, tramp of the men.
"Won't die--will he, sir?" whispered Sergeant Gee.
"I pray Heaven no," said the Captain.
"That sounds bad, sir," said the Sergeant huskily. "I should like toshake hands with him afore he goes; and if he gets better I won't be sohard on him again."
"I suppose you have only done your duty by him."
"I hope so, sir."
"Double on to the ambulance, and see how he is. Corporal Green, takethe Sergeant's place."
Roberts halted to let his men pass him, keenly watching every one in hiscompany, and a man limping caught his eye.
"Here, Bracy, what's the matter?" he said.
"Oh, nothing much, sir. Spent shot glanced off the rock and hit me inthe ankle."
"Give him your arm, Sergeant, and get him on one of the mules."
"Beg pardon, sir; I can walk back."
"You're making your leg worse at every step, sir," cried Robertsangrily. "Get on and ride."
The words were spoken sharply, the young Captain being in no veryamiable mood, for he was cooling down after tremendous exertion and thereaction from the wild excitement of the fight. But he spoke in theman's interest and with the desire to save him from after-suffering.
Then the weary tramp went on almost in silence, but no one flagged, andat the end of a couple of hours they obtained a glimpse of the flag atthe top of the staff. The silence in the column was broken by a heartycheer, the men's spirits rising again after what had been a depressingmarch back; and when the gates were reached they were cheered by the menon the walls, and the hills around softly echoed back the replies to thehearty welcome they had received.
The Colonel, with the officers left behind, stood at the gate waiting,and the answer to his inquiry regarding the enemy brought forth a freshcheer.
"Splendidly done!" said the Colonel; and then sharply, "Whatcasualties?"
"Mr Bracy severely wounded. Privates Down and Gedge had bullet-wounds.Other hurts slight."
The Doctor hurried away to his operating-room, and his assistants wentto the door to help in the three patients, who were attended to in turn.
The first man who had fallen had to have a bullet extracted from hisleg, half-way to the hip, where it was deeply embedded in the muscle.
"Now, my dear Bracy," said the Doctor, "let's look at you."
"No, I can wait," was the reply. "My bandages is quite firm, and thebleeding has ceased."
The Doctor frowned, and was about to say something regardinginterference; but he checked himself, glanced at the bandage, andnodded.
"Very well," he said; "the other man."
Poor Gedge was very white and remarkably quiet, but his eyes were fullof motion; and he watched the Doctor's face and every action of hishands.
"Why, Gedge, my lad," said the Doctor cheerily after a certain amount ofbusy manipulation, "this isn't fair. I didn't want to have you inhospital again."
"Same to you, sir," said the sufferer, with a ghastly attempt at asmile, as he screwed his head round to look at the Doctor.
"Hold still, sir. Look the other way."
"Yes, sir," said Gedge faintly. "'Tain't my head this time, sir."
"No, my lad; it's not your head this time."
"Sorry it's my back, sir; but I warn't a-running away."
"Bah! of course you were not; our lads don't know how."
"No, sir; course not, sir."
"Got it carrying Mr Bracy out of the fire--eh?"
"Well, yes, sir, I s'pose so, sir. Shall I--shall I--"
The poor fellow stopped short.
"Shall you what?" said the Doctor kindly; "try to move?"
"No, sir," said the poor fellow feebly; "I didn't mean that. It was,shall I be a goner?"
"Oh, nonsense--nonsense! Humph! poor fellow! he has fainted."
"Is his wound serious, Doctor?" said Bracy huskily.
"Never you mind. You lie still and wait. Well, there. Yes, the hurtis a very bad one. I don't think he'll die; but the bullet is in adangerous place, and I dare not try to extract it to-day."
A short time after poor Gedge was lying in a state of stupor upon thebed he had previously occupied, and the Doctor was examining the youngofficer's wounds.
"Very bad, Doctor?" asked Bracy.
"Bad enough, sir. I don't like this exit so close to the vertebrae.--That hurt?"
"No; it feels dull and cold just there."
"Raise that hand a little."
"Can't, Doctor; I'm so tightly bandaged."
"Humph! Yes, you are pretty well tied up. That poor fellow Gedge didwonderfully well for you, considering. He attended to his ambulancelessons. First help's a grand thing when a man's bleeding to death."
"Was I bleeding to death?" said Bracy rather faintly.
"Of course you were; or perhaps not. The bleeding might have stopped ofitself, but I shouldn't have liked to trust it. There; shan't do anymore to you to-day. We'll have you to bed and asleep. That's the firststep towards getting well again. Sorry to have you down so soon, Bracy,my dear boy. There, keep a good heart, and I'll soon get you rightagain."
The Colonel was at the hospital door soon after, along with MajorGraham, both anxious to hear about Bracy's hurt.
"Bad," said the Doctor shortly as he put on his coat. "Don't ask to seethe poor boy; he's just dropping off to sleep."
"Bad?" said the Colonel anxiously.
"Yes, bad, sir. A young fellow can't have a hole drilled right throughhim by a piece of ragged iron without being in a very seriouscondition."
"But the wound is not fatal?"
"H'm! no, not fatal. He's young, strong, and healthy; but the exit ofthe missile
was in close proximity to the spine, and there's no knowingwhat mischief may have been done."
"What do you mean?" said the Colonel anxiously.
"Injury to the nerve centre there. I can't say. Possibly nothing mayfollow, but I am obliged to say the wound is bad, and there is danger ofhis being crippled--permanently injured in a way which would render himunfit for service."
"But look here," said the Major excitedly, "you have a bad habit ofmaking the worst of things, Morton. Come, explain yourself. Are thereany symptoms suggestive of what you hint at?"
"My dear Graham, I never come and interfere with your work; don't youmeddle with mine."
"I don't want to, sir," said the Major tartly. "I only want for theColonel and yours obediently not to be left in the dark."
"Graham is quite right," said the Colonel gravely. "We should like toknow a little more."
"Very good," said the Doctor, "but I can only say this: there is apeculiar absence of sensation in the lower extremities, and especiallyin the poor fellow's left arm. This may be temporary, and due to theterrible shock of the wound; but it also may be consequent upon injuryto the nerves in connection with the spine. I can say no more. Timeonly will show."
The two officers left the hospital-room, looking terribly depressed.
"Poor lad! poor lad!" the Major kept on saying. "Such a brave,unassuming fellow. It's wonderful how little we realise how we like ourfellow-men, Colonel, till they are badly hurt. Hah! I am sorry--moresorry than I can express."
The Colonel said nothing, but turned and held out his hand, which theMajor took and pressed warmly.
"Thank you, Graves," he said, taking out a showy silk handkerchief andblowing his nose very hard, making it give forth sounds like those madeby a boy beginning to learn the bugle. "Hah!" he said; "one neverknows. Here to-day and gone to-morrow, Graves. May be our turn next."
"Yes," said the Colonel quietly: "but if it is in the way of duty, Idon't see that we need mind."
"Humph! Well, I don't know about that. I should like to live to ahundred, if only for the sake of finding out what it feels like. Somepeople do."
"Yes," said the Colonel, smiling; "and over a hundred; but then theydie."
"Yes, of course; but from old ago."
"And other things too, as the old epitaph says."
"What old epitaph?"
"On the venerable lady. The lines run something like this:--
"She lived strong and well to a hundred and ten, And died by a fall from a cherry-tree then."
"Bah! don't talk about dying, Graves. Poor Bracy! Oh, the Doctor mustset him all right again. But this sort of thing does make one feel abit serious."
"It is very, very sad," said the Colonel.
"Yes, very. By the way, though, have you noticed how splendidly ourlads are behaving?"
"Magnificently, for such mere boys," said the Colonel meaningly.
"For such mere boys?" said the Major sharply. "I never saw men in anyregiment behave better. Why, sir, it was magnificent to-day. I didn'tsay anything to Roberts about it, because I don't want the lads to hearand get puffed up by pride. But, really, sir, I'm very proud of ourregiment."
"And so am I. But you have changed your ideas a little."
"Bah! Pooh! Nonsense! Don't jump on a man because he spoke out a bit.You'll grant yourself that they are a very boyish-looking lot."
"Yes; but I do not judge them by appearances. I look at theirdiscipline and acts."
"So do I," said the Major, "and I recant all I said about them before.There, sir, will that satisfy you?"
"Quite, Graham," said the Colonel. "There, we must be hopeful. Icouldn't bear for poor Bracy to become a wreck."