CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.
HUMAN STALKING.
"Eh? Yes, sir. All right, sir? I'm awake. Didn't know it was my turnto-night."
"It is morning, Gedge," said Bracy as he bent over his companion, whoseface was just visible in the faint grey light which seemed to becreeping in beneath the fir-boughs.
"My word, sir, so it is! I thought I was being called for sentry-go.Nights seems precious short up here in the hills." Bracy laughed.
"Oh no," he said; "we've had a good long rest. Now, then. We must haveour wash at the first stream we come to. Let's get on at once."
"Ready in a jiffy, sir. Seems a pity, though, not to have ourbreakfast, first."
"Why?" said Bracy sharply as he slung on his haversack.
"Such a nice lot o' dry wood to make a fire, sir."
"To make tea or coffee, or to boil eggs, my lad?" said Bracy.
"Think o' that, now! I forgot, sir. Seemed to come nat'ral for me toget your breakfast ready, sir. Think o' that."
In two minutes Gedge was as ready as his officer, and he finished off byshaking and beating the fir-needles off his _poshtin_, and stroking hisvery short hair down first with one hand and then with the other, so asto look as respectable and smart as he could when going on what hecalled parade.
"Forward!" said Bracy suddenly. "We'll halt at the edge of the forest,and have a good reconnoitre, though it is not light enough for us to seefar."
Bracy was quite right; for as they cautiously advanced to the open theycould see very little but the tall pyramidal peaks here and there, oneof which stood out more clearly than the others, and served as afamiliar landmark by which to steer for that day's journey, anotherwhich Bracy had noted on the previous evening being set down as to besomewhere about the end of their second day's march; but it was notvisible yet, a pile of clouds in its direction being all that could beseen.
"Right. Forward!" said Bracy as he finished his careful look round."Two hours' good walk in this cool air, and then breakfast. To-morrowwe must begin to look out for anything that will serve for our futuremeals, and use our rifles."
"Not try at any of the villages?"
"Villages!" said Bracy, smiling. "By that time we shall be far aboveany villages, and up amongst the snow."
"Right, sir; all the same to me. I love a bit o' sport, though I nevergot no farther at home than rats."
"Talk lower," said Bracy. "Sound travels far when everything is sostill."
Striking to the right now, and keeping near the deep gully along whichthe river ran, Bracy sought for a spot where they could cross to the farside, and before long they came upon a rock-strewn part opposite towhere another of the several streams joined it from the east. Here,with a little careful balancing and stepping from stone to stone, theyhad not much difficulty in crossing to the other side; where, the minoraffluent being also crossed, their course was directed up its right bankto the north and east. The side of the little ravine being surmounted,a far wider scope of view was obtained, the mountain before hidden inclouds now showing its crest in the coming sun; and, satisfied as to thecourse he was to take, and marking it down by the little pocket-compasshe carried, Bracy pointed to a sheltered spot amongst some scrub pine,and a halt was made for a short time for the promised breakfast.
Nothing could have been more simple, nothing more delicious. For theglorious mountain air gave a wonderful zest to everything; and in abouta quarter of an hour they were ready to resume their journey, refreshed,in high spirits, and with their task in the bright morning sunshine,which glorified the wondrous panorama of snow-peaks, seeming to assumethe aspect of a holiday trip.
"I'll take one look round first," said Bracy, "in case our friends ofyesterday are anywhere upon our track;" and, before exposing himself, hedrew out the little glass he had brought, and swept the sides of thevalley they had ascended, then slowly turned his glass upon the ridgethey had gained, following it to where it joined the main valley, andafterwards turned from the varied panorama of grassy upland forest androck, over the boundary-line to where to his right all was snow--purewhite snow, which looked deliciously soft, and sparked with a millionrays.
"All seems clear, Gedge," he said at last. "So let us start. That isto be our resting-place to-night, or as near to it as we can get."
"That mountain with a big point and a little un, sir?"
"Yes."
"Don't seem half a day's journey, sir. Everything's so clear thatthings look close to yer. But I know better now. Ready, sir?"
"We'll keep a little to the left, so as to get nearer to the snow, andwhere it seems easy walking we'll take to it; but for the most part Ishall keep to the division-line between the snow and the scrubby growth.It will be rough travelling; but we shall not have to cut our waythrough briars. I'll lead now. Forward!"
They started at once, and soon found the journeying far more rough thaneither could have imagined, for what had looked in the distance a pebblytrack was a slope burdened with blocks of shaley rock, which yielded totheir tread, and slipped and rattled to such an extent that Bracy wasglad to strike off higher still, towards the snow, which ran up in abeautiful curve towards one of the nearest mountains, round whoseshoulder they could make a cut which would bring them out miles nearertheir goal.
At the end of a couple of miles the bottom of the snow-slope wasreached, and the line of demarcation was boldly marked, the flattened,broken stones ending at once, so that the leader stepped directly uponthe dazzling crystals, which filled in all the little rifts and hollows,and treacherously promised smooth, easy going for miles. But Bracy wasundeceived at the first step, for he plunged his leg to the knee ingranular snow, as yielding and incoherent as so much sand. Withdrawingit, he walked on a few steps and tried again, to find the frozenparticles just as yielding; while Gedge had the same experience.
"Not much chance o' sliding and skating over this stuff, sir," he cried.
"No. It is impossible. We should be done up at the end of a mile. Wemust keep to the rocks and stones."
Bracy was looking wistfully at the soft, tempting-looking expanse, whena quick movement on Gedge's part took his attention.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Didn't you say we must soon be thinking of shooting something forrations?"
"Yes. But it is too soon yet. We don't want anything more to carry.But what can you see?"
"Looks like a drove o' somethings, sir--goats, I think--right across thesnow yonder, where there's a dark mark like rocks. I can't quite make'em out; for I dessay it's a couple o' miles away; but it's moving."
"Wait a moment," said Bracy; and he got out his glass, set the butt ofhis rifle on a stone, and rested the glass on the muzzle, so as to get asteady look.
"I see nothing," he said--"nothing but field after field of snow, with afew rocky ridges; and beyond them, rocks again, a long slope, and--Yes,I see now. Why, Gedge, man, there must be a couple of hundred."
"Well, sir, we don't want 'em," said Gedge, on the fox and grapesprinciple; "and goat's meat's awful strong, no matter how you cook it."
"Goats? Nonsense! Armed men, Gedge, for I could see the flashing ofthe sunshine off their weapons."
"Phee-ew!" whistled Gedge. "See us, sir?"
"I hope not. But they are going in a direction which will take themright across our road just at the same time as we reach the spot."
"That's awk'ard, sir. But I thought we'd been getting high up herebecause there'd be no people to hinder us."
"So I thought, my lad; but this is an exception. These people arecrossing the mountain-passes, possibly to join the tribes besieging thefort."
"And what about them yonder?" said Gedge, nodding to the right.
"What! You don't mean to say that you can see more in that direction?"
As Bracy spoke he snatched out the glass he was replacing, and held ithalf-way to his eyes, for he did not need it. The object seen was tooplain against the sky-line, where a few tiny figures could be
seen, andtrailing down a slope from them towards the east was a long, white,irregular line, which the glass directly after proved to be a strongbody of followers.
"Same sort, sir?" said Gedge coolly.
"Yes; going as if to cut us off. Gedge, we must start back into thelittle valley, and follow it up, so as to get into another. It meansmiles more to tramp; but we can do nothing in this direction."
"Right, sir. When you're ready."
"But we can't walk right away, for these last would see us. We mustcrawl for a few yards to those rocks below there."
The next minute they were on all-fours, crawling from stone to stone--alaborious task, laden as they were; but, short as the distance was, theyhad not half-covered it before Bracy whispered sharply:
"Flat down. Perhaps they have not seen us."
"Not they, sir. They were too far off."
"Hush! Don't you see--right in front, four or five hundred yards away--those four men stalking us? Why, Gedge, they see our coats as we crawl,and are taking us for sheep."
"Ah-h!" ejaculated Gedge, as for the first time he realised the freshdanger threatening them, in the shape of a little party, evidentlycoming from the direction of their last night's resting-place. As hesaw that one of them had thrown himself down, and, dragging his gunafter him, was making for a heap of stones, from whence he evidentlyintended to fire, Gedge prepared to meet the shot in military fashion.
"Trying to stalk us, sir. You're right; that's it. Give me the word,and I'll open fire. He'll think he never stalked such a sheep as mebefore."
"It was my fancy, Gedge," said Bracy. "They belong to the party whom wescattered yesterday, and they've been following on our track. Quick! wemust have first fire."
The last words had not quitted his lips when Gedge's rifle cracked, andthe danger was averted, for the man's long gun dropped from his hands ashe sprang up, crawling though he was, into a curious position onall-fours, rolled over on to his side, and them back again, to spring tohis feet, and run as hard as he could after his companions, who hadalready taken to their heels.
"That's a bad shot, and no mistake, sir," said Gedge.
"The best you ever made, Gedge," cried Bracy; "for it has done all werequired."
"Took him in the arm, sir, and spoiled his shooting for a month, I know.As good as killing him, I s'pose."
"Better," said Bracy. "We don't want the poor wretch's life; only tosave our own. Now, what next? We'd better lie still for a bit to seeif they rally and come on again."
"Yes, sir," said Gedge, watching the retreating party, and fiddling withthe sighting of his rifle--"five hundred yards--six--eight,"--and lastof all "thousand. I think I could send a bullet among their legs, sir.Shall I? Let 'em see that they'd better keep their distance."
"Try and scatter the stones close to them," replied Bracy. And as helay upon his chest, with his feet raised and legs crossed, Gedge took along and careful aim, pressed the trigger gently, and the next momentthe retreating party bounded apart, scattering, and running swiftly on.
"Another good shot," said Bracy; "though I could not see where itstruck; it is evident that it did strike close to their feet."
The glass was in the young officer's hand, and he followed the enemy'smovements with it, seeing the little party close up again, and then makefor a ridge in the distance--one which threatened to conceal them assoon as it was passed; but there was something else to see, for all atonce the solitude of the elevation was broken by a figure springing intosight, to be followed by a large group, who began to descend slowly tomeet the retreating four; and of their movements Bracy kept hiscompanion aware with a word or two at intervals, without changing hisposition or removing his glass from his eye.
"They're close together now--the last man has joined them--they'relooking in this direction--they've turned round, and are going up theslope again. Ha! the last man has passed over--gone."
"Would you mind having a look at the other two lots now, sir, to seewhat they're doing?" said Gedge quietly.
The little glass was slowed round on the instant, and Bracy examined theparty to the right, and then, turning to the left, made a longexamination of the danger there, before closing the glass again.
"They are keeping steadily on along those slopes, Gedge, as if toconverge some miles farther on."
"Hadn't we better play the same game, sir?" said Gedge quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"Do a bit o' converging, sir, whatever it is."
"I don't set; how we can at present," replied Bracy, laughing sadly."No. It seems as if the only thing left for us to do is to lie stillhere till the coast is clear--I mean, the enemy out of sight; then keepon cautiously, and trust to getting beyond them in the darkness. It isterribly unfortunate, Gedge."
"'Tis, sir, and wastes so much time. Think they have seen us?"
"No."
"Nor those chaps as was stalking us?"
"The distance is too great unless they have powerful glasses."
"That's good, sir. Then all we've got to mind is those chaps we've beenskirmishing with. They'll be like the rest of 'em, I expect--hangingafter us till they can get a shot."
"Yes; and I'm afraid that they will descend into yon little side valleyto try and get ahead of us, so as to lie in wait, farther on."
"Like as not, sir. Just the sort of mean thing they would do, neverstopping to think as we could easily have shot their chief in the backwhen we were in ambush, just as I could have dropped that chap in histracks just now. I don't want to brag, sir; but I could."
"It is not boasting, my lad," said Bracy. "You have your marks for goodshooting. But we must countermarch those fellows. We have nearly amile the start of them, and I don't suppose those two bodies of men arelikely to take any notice of such a pair of rough-looking objects as weare; so come along."
"Which way, sir?"
"Straight for our mountain yonder. What we want is a deep gully intowhich we could plunge, and then we could walk fast or run part of theway."
"And hide again, sir? Well, it'll be strange if in all this greatmountainy place we can't puzzle those fellows behind."
"We can, Gedge," said Bracy, "if once we get out of their sight."
"So we are now, sir."
"We don't know that. Several pairs of keen eyes may be watching ourmovements, for I dare say as soon as we stand up our figures will showplainly against the snow. But we must risk all that. There, we mustchance it now, so let's get on our way."
Bracy took another good look round with his glass from where he lay uponhis chest among the stones; and though the enemy looked distant, themountain he had marked down seemed to have doubled its remoteness, andthe snowy passes and peaks which moved slowly across the field of hisglass raised themselves up like so many terrible impediments to themission he had set himself to carry through. Only a brief inspection,but there was time enough for a rush of thoughts to sweep to his brain,all of which looked dim and confused in the cloud of doubt which aroseas to the possibility of reaching the Ghil Valley.
It was horrible, for he could see in imagination the scene at the fort,where all were gathered to see him off, and every eye was brightenedwith the hope its owner felt; each countenance looked full of trust inone who, they felt sure, would bring back success, and save the fort inits terrible time of need. While now a cold chill seemed to be stealingthrough him, and failure was staring him in the face.
A quick mental and bodily effort, a blush of shame suffusing his face,and he was himself again--the young soldier ready for any emergency; andthe next minute he was biting his lip with vexation at his momentaryweakness. For there was Gedge watching him patiently, his follower wholooked up to him for help and guidance--his man ready to obey him to thedeath, but, on the other hand, who looked for the payment of being caredfor and protected, and not having his services misused by the cowardlyaction of a superior.
"It is just as I felt that day when I was swimming a mile from shore,"he said
to himself. "I felt that same chill, and thought that there wasnothing for me to do but give up and drown. Then the same feeling ofshame at my cowardice attacked me, and I struck out quietly, and went onand on to land. The fort is my land this time, and I'm going to reachit again by being cool. Oh, what a brain and power of self-control aGeneral must possess to master all his awful responsibilities! but hedoes, and leads his men to victory against tremendous odds; while here Ihave but my one man to lead, and am staggered at a difficulty that maydissolve like a mist. Gedge!"
"Sir?"
"Forward for that patch of rocks a quarter of a mile away in front,without hesitation or turning to look back."
"Yes, sir."
"Once there, I'll bring the glass to bear again on our rear. Make abee-line for it, as if you were going to take up new ground for yourcompany. Once there, we can make for another and another, and if we arepursued each clump of rocks will make us breastworks or rifle-pits. Up!Forward!"
Gedge started on the instant, talking to himself, as he felt that heought still to maintain a soldierly silence.
"Quarter of a mile--eh? That's a good half, or I've failed in judgingdistance, after all, and turned out a reg'lar duller. Cheeky, though,to think I know better than my orficer. Dunno, though; I've done twiceas much of it as he have.--Wonder whether them beggars have begunstalking us again. Dessay they have. Sure to. My! how I should liketo look back! That's the worst o' being a swaddy on dooty. Your souleven don't seem to be your own. Never mind; orders is orders, and I'mstraight for them rocks; but natur's natur', even if it's in a savagenigger with a firework-spark gun and a long knife. If those chaps don'tcome sneaking after us for a shot as soon as they've seen us on themove, I'm a Dutchman."
Bill Gedge was not a Dutchman, but East London to the backbone, andquite right; for, before he and the officer were a hundred yards ontheir way to take up new ground, first one and then anotherwhite-clothed figure came cautiously into the wide field of view, quitea mile away, but plainly seen in that wonderfully clear air, and came onin a half-stooping way, suggesting hungry wolves slinking steadily andsurely along after their prey.