CHAPTER XXIV
THE DACOITS BURN THE VILLAGE
Moung Shway Poh retired to his virtuous sleeping-mat, and soughtpeaceful oblivion among his family. The other villagers also separated,each to his place, and the two English lads went to their hut.
"Do you think there is anything in what the grandfather says, Kirke?"asked Ralph anxiously.
"I have no doubt but what the dear old sinner's experience of his kindis exhaustive, and the ladies seem to echo his idea," replied Kirke."But I should think that the beggars had got enough for to-night. Theywill want to pull themselves a little together before they make a freshattack. We may sleep the sleep of the just for a few hours, my boy."
"It would be just as well to load the guns, and see that our otherthings are all to hand, though," said Ralph.
"Careful and provident youth! Perhaps you are right," quoth Kirke.
Accordingly they examined their weapons, prepared and laid them to hand,ate their suppers, and stretched themselves on their mats. Kirke wasasleep in five minutes, but Ralph's wound began to throb and ache, andthe distress from it kept him awake. He was feverish too, and twistedand turned on his bed, unable to find ease in any posture. Now hethought he heard stealthy movements around him; then he lostconsciousness for a few moments, and awoke with a start, fancying that asnake was crawling over him, or that he was once again confronted by aleopard's glaring eyes.
He told himself over and over again that the sounds were but the softrustling of bats' wings, the scramble of rats along the rafters of thehut, or the whirr of mosquitoes in the damp night air.
It was of no use, sleep forsook his eyes, although he was so tired thathe longed for its balminess. Instead of finding its refreshment, he washaunted by all the stories of dacoits which he had heard at Moulmein andelsewhere.
He thought of one young lady who was said to have been gently liftedfrom her bed, the mattress removed from beneath her and appropriated,while she was replaced upon the framework without being awakened.
He remembered how a gentleman, fancying he heard sounds in the house,got up, and entangled his feet in garments belonging to his wife lyingabout on the floor.
"What is that untidy ayah of yours about, to leave your things scatteredon the ground like this?" scolded he.
"She did not throw them down," said the lady; "I saw her lay that habiton the chest of drawers, ready for me to put on in the morning."
Her husband by this time had struck a light, and found the whole chestof drawers gone. The servants were called up, a search instituted, andthe piece of furniture discovered in the compound, rifled of all itscontents.
He laughed to himself, for the fiftieth time, over the remembrance ofthe doctor's wife, who awoke in the night to see a dusky figure stoopingover a nice, carefully-locked mahogany box, in the act of lifting it tocarry it away.
Being a brave woman, she sprang up into a sitting posture, clapping herhands with a sudden sharp sound. The robber dropped his booty, leaptover the verandah, swarmed down one of the posts which supported it, andvanished in a moment. By this act of presence of mind, she saved herhusband's stomach-pump.
Other more gruesome anecdotes recurred to his memory in wearisomeprocession, and murdered sleep as effectually as Macbeth had ever done.
Hour passed after hour in this manner, but yet surely it could not bedaylight already? The sun was given to springing rapidly up in theseregions, but not with so sudden a glow as this, nor with so brilliantlyred a colour. What was it?
Conviction flashed upon him at once, there was fire somewhere.
"Kirke! Kirke!" he cried. "Up, man, the dacoits are firing the village!"
Up sprang Kirke, and the two rushed out of their hut, to see half adozen of the pretty slight houses around them blazing like torches,while demon figures leapt and howled around, flinging burning brandsupon the inflammable roofs of palmy thekkee leaves, and in at the opendoorways of the slender bamboo and matted walls.
The wretched villagers, caught like rats in so many traps, must eitherbe burnt with their houses, or be chopped down by the dahs carried bythe merciless robbers. Man, woman, and child,--all alike murdered incold blood by their unsparing hands.
The assassins were but a gang of four, therefore, probably, was the sameband as that which the villagers had beaten off in the evening, with theloss of one; for the dacoit generally works in parties of five.
It might well be supposed that a whole village, consisting perhaps offifty men, with women and young people, could easily have repelled anattack from so small a party as that; but it must be understood that,to preserve the people from the floods in the wet season, and the fearof wild animals at all times, the houses were raised upon high piles;each, therefore, being isolated completely from its neighbour.
When the floods were out, one lady would take her boat even to borrow acheroot from her nearest friend; the population lived in boats almostwholly; their houses were little more than shelters in which to eat andsleep. They contained no effects to induce a love for "home," in theEnglishman's understanding of the word,--few appliances for occupationor pleasure. A chest or box for containing the best clothes andornaments; a sufficiency of mats and rugs for beds; a "byat," or woodendish, lacquered, from which they eat their rice; a few little bowls tohold small quantities of more tasty articles for flavouring thetasteless staple of their food; and half a dozen earthen pots orjars,--these form the sum total of a Burman's Lares and Penates; andthere is nothing among them to create "house-pride" among the ladies, ora love for home-keeping in the gentlemen. All their amusements andpleasures are taken out of doors, in public.
But the family retires, at "sky shutting-in time," for sleep; and thedacoit who means mischief can take them practically one by one, burningthe edifice, and destroying, or watching, the means of descent from thelittle platform upon which it is erected.
As Kirke and Ralph rushed out from their hut, they saw the ground at thefoot of the next one strewn with the bleeding corpses of the father andthree sons who dwelt there, while the aged grandmother crouchedshuddering among the blazing rafters, and pretty little Miss Sunshine,the gay, merry child who had played a hundred tricks upon them, andlaughed with them so often, clung to the kingpost, shrieking withterror, while the dacoits chopped and mangled the bodies of her nearestand dearest friends, and leapt up howling to reach her, and sweep herinto the same holocaust.
"Oh, paya, paya, save me!" she implored, stretching her little handstowards them, the tears coursing down her painted cheeks.
"My God!" cried Kirke; "the bloodthirsty scoundrels!"
He caught up his gun and fired, but the dacoits were never still; theydanced from place to place; they seemed to be ubiquitous, there was notaking aim at any one of them.
Well was it for the English lads that Ralph had loaded the guns, andlaid their pistols to hand. The steady fire maintained by Kirke kept thedacoits at bay, they retired to a little distance; and Ralph descendedfrom their verandah on the dark side, and put up a rough ladder for thegirl and old woman to come down.
Sunshine sprang quickly to it, but the old woman was paralysed by fearand could not move.
"Escape, my pretty, into the jungle," whispered the boy hurriedly to hislittle playmate, who needed no second bidding to disappear into thedarkness; while he ascended the ladder, protected by Kirke's gun, tookthe aged crone on his back, and essayed to return by the same means.
The charred bamboos crashed down as he seized the woman; the burningthekkee on the roof set her clothes on fire; she was a burden too heavyfor his strength, he could not carry her. The dacoits came running andhowling up once more,--once more did Kirke's gun roar out its protectingvoice, and a robber fell.
His companions rushed forward, and drew him back,--he was hit in thethigh, and could not stand; the others raged at a safe distance.
All this took but a few minutes of time, and some of the villagers nowhurried up, and formed a circle around the supports of Kirke's house;while one, another son of the old
woman, rushed up the ladder, andhelped Ralph to bring his mother down and seat her on the damp groundbeneath the verandah.
Several other women were brought in there also, the ring of menencircling the place, prepared to fire or strike at the dacoits if theyventured within reach. The long dahs,--sharp-edged swords,--worn by thedacoits down their backs, and drawn by both hands over the rightshoulders, proved to be deadly weapons, and the battle raged long, withhorrid outcry, and many a gaping wound; but the enemy was beaten off atlast, bleeding, baffled and exhausted, scorched, maimed, and yet howlingwith rage and pain.
A second man of their party had been killed.
Ralph had forgotten his wounded leg in the recent excitement; it was buta flesh wound, though a deep one. With care and rest it would have beenquite healed in a few days, but the exertion which he had taken inflamedit much.
It might be that the weapon with which he received the hurt had rust, orsome deleterious matter upon its blade; but, however that might be, theplace assumed a very ugly appearance, and suppurated.
Kirke washed it well with warm water, applied fresh leaves andbandages--what else to do he did not know, but felt very uneasy, for inspite of the large quantity of blood which his friend had lost, he grewso feverish at night.
The villagers who had been burnt out were dispersed among the huts leftstanding. Kirke set a watch, and went round from time to time to seethat the watchmen did not sleep at their posts. He had taken the commandof the hamlet, all appearing willing to submit to the leader who hadshown so much daring and courage; but his own heart was heavy withinhim. Except Denham, he had no trust in any one of his followers. TheBurmese can be fierce by spasmodic fits, but their natural temper iseasy, pleasure-loving, inert. There is in them none of the elementswhich constitute a good soldier. They would rather fly than fight at anytime. If Denham were going to be seriously ill, he had no reliance uponanyone, no friend to back him up.
He believed that the dacoits would certainly return for vengeance, ifnot for the treasures. What would be the end of it all?
He went his rounds, having to awaken one or two of his watchers everytime; he returned, to bathe Ralph's brow, change the healing leaves,give him drink, and observe him anxiously; then he went his roundsagain. What a weary, weary day it was, he could not keep up the strainlong; and, oh horror! suppose that Denham had been wounded by a_poisoned_ sword.
It was dark again; every hour full of danger. How could he meet it? howovercome it?
However, about dawn Ralph's fever lessened, his skin became cool andmoist, and he fell asleep. That fear was off his mind for the time, butthe peril in which they stood had by no means lessened.