Produced by Martin Robb
Through Three Campaigns:A Story of Chitral, Tirah and Ashantiby G. A. Henty.Illustrated by Wal Paget.
Contents
Preface.Chapter 1: An Expedition.Chapter 2: The Start.Chapter 3: The First Fight.Chapter 4: In The PassesChapter 5: Promoted.Chapter 6: Unfair Play.Chapter 7: Tales Of War.Chapter 8: The Dargai Pass.Chapter 9: Captured.Chapter 10: Through The Mohmund Country.Chapter 11: An Arduous March.Chapter 12: A Tribal Fight.Chapter 13: The V.C.Chapter 14: Forest Fighting.Chapter 15: A Narrow Escape.Chapter 16: The Relief Of Coomassie.Chapter 17: Stockades And War Camps.Chapter 18: A Night Surprise.Chapter 19: Lost In The Forest.Chapter 20: At Home.
Illustrations
Map illustrating the Chitral Campaign.Lisle gives the alarm.He carefully aimed and fired.They charged the attacking force from end to end.Map illustrating the Tirah Campaign.A party of Afridis rushed down upon him.It was the dead body of an Afridi."My horse must carry two, sir," Lisle replied.Map illustrating the Ashanti Campaign.Two of them fell before Lisle's revolver.They saw a strong party of the enemy crossing the road.
Preface.
Our little wars attract far less attention among the people of thiscountry than they deserve. They are frequently carried out incircumstances of the most adverse kind. Our enemies, althoughignorant of military discipline are, as a rule, extremely brave;and are thoroughly capable of using the natural advantages of theircountry. Our men are called upon to bear enormous fatigue, andendure extremes in climate. The fighting is incessant, the perilconstant. Nevertheless, they show a magnificent contempt for dangerand difficulty; and fight with a valour and determination worthy ofthe highest praise.
I have chosen, as an illustration of this, three campaigns; namely,the relief of Chitral, the Tirah campaign, and the relief ofCoomassie. The first two were conducted in a mountainous country,affording every advantage to the enemy; where passes had to bescaled, torrents to be forded, and deep snow to be crossed. In theother, the country was a combination of morass and thick forest,frequently intersected by wide and deep rivers. The work, moreover,had to be done in a tropical climate, during the rainy season. Theconditions, therefore, were much more trying than in the case offormer expeditions which had crossed the same ground and, inaddition, the enemy were vastly more numerous and more determined;and had, in recent years, mastered the art of building extremelyformidable stockades.
The country has a right to be proud, indeed, of the prowess both ofour own troops and of our native regiments. Boys who wish to obtainfuller details of these campaigns I would refer to Sir GeorgeRobertson's Chitral; H. C. Thomson's Chitral Campaign; LieutenantBeynon's With Kelly to Chitral; Colonel Hutchison's Campaign inTirah; Viscount Fincastle and P. C. Eliott Lockhart's A FrontierCampaign; and Captain Harold C. J. Biss's The Relief of Kumasi,from which I have principally drawn the historical portion of mystory.
G. A. Henty.
Chapter 1: An Expedition.
"Well, Lisle, my boy, the time is drawing very near when you willhave to go home. My brother John will look after you, and choosesome good crammer to push you on. You are nearly sixteen, now, andit is high time you buckled to."
"But you have always taught me, father!"
"Yes, that is all very well, but I could not devote three hours aday to you. I think I may say that you are thoroughly wellgrounded--I hope as well as most public-school boys of your ownage--but I can go no further with you. You have no idea whatcramming is necessary, now, for a young fellow to pass into thearmy. Still I think that, by hard work with some man who preparesstudents for the army, you may be able to rub through. I havealways saved up money for this, for my brother is by no means arich man, and crammers are very expensive; so the next time I see achance of sending you down to Calcutta, down you go. My agentsthere will see you on board a ship, and do everything that isnecessary."
"Of course, father, if I must go, I must; but it will be beastly,after the jolly time I have spent in the regiment, to set to and donothing but grind, for the next three years."
"We all have to do a good many unpleasant things, Lisle; and as wehave decided that you shall enter the army, you must make up yourmind to do the necessary work, even though it be disagreeable."
"All right, father! I know what depends upon it, and I will setto."
"I have no doubt you will, Lisle, for you have plenty of commonsense, though you are a little inclined to mischief--not that youare altogether to blame for that, for the officers encourage you init."
This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32ndPioneers, and his son. The regiment was in cantonments near thenorthern frontier of India. The captain had lost his wife someyears before and, as their two youngest children had also died, hehad not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.The climate was excellent, and the boy enjoyed as good health as ifhe had been in England. Captain Bullen had taken a great deal ofpains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taughtthe boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England,and be regularly coached for the army.
Next day the captain entered his quarters, hurriedly.
"I am off," he said. "Those rascally Afridis have come down andlooted several villages; and I am to go up, in command of a coupleof companies, to give them a lesson."
"They are not very strong, are they, father?"
"No, I don't suppose they can put a couple of hundred men in thefield. We shall take the two mountain guns with us, and batterholes in their fortresses, and then attack and carry them easily.There is no sign of movement among the other tribes, so we need notexpect any serious opposition."
A week later, the little detachment entered the valley in which theAfridi villages lay. The work had been fatiguing, for the countrywas very rough; and the mules that carried the guns met with suchdifficulties that the infantry had to turn to, and improve thepaths--if paths they could be called, for they were often littlebetter than undefined tracks. As the expedition moved up thevalley, the tribesmen opened on them a distant fire; but scatteredafter a few shells from the mountain guns were thrown among them.The fortified houses, however, were stubbornly held; and indeed,were only carried after the guns had broken in the doors, or made abreach in the walls.
During the attack on the last house, a shot struck Captain Bullenin the chest, and he instantly fell. When they saw this, thePioneers dashed forward with a howl of rage, carried the fort, andbayoneted its defenders. The doctor of the party at once examinedthe wound, and saw that it would probably be fatal.
"Patch me up, Lloyd, so that I may get back to camp and see my boyagain," the wounded man whispered.
"I will do my best," the doctor said, "but I doubt whether you willbe able to stand the journey."
The Pioneers, after setting fire to all the houses in the valley,started at once for home. Captain Bullen was placed on a stretcher,and four men at a time carried him down, taking the utmost painsnot to jolt or shake him. His face was covered with light boughs,to keep off the flies; and everything that was possible was done toconduce to his comfort.
The doctor watched him anxiously. His condition became moreserious, every day. As they neared the camp, a messenger was sentdown with a report from the native officer of what had happened;and the Pioneers all came out to see their favourite officerbrought in; and stood, mournful and silent, as he was carried tohis bungalow.
"Don't come in yet, lad," the surgeon said, to Lisle. "Your father,at present, is incapable of speaking; and he must have a littlerest before you see him, for the slightest excitement wouldprobably cause a gush of blood to
the wound, which would be fatal."
Lisle's grief was unbounded. He could not listen to the kind wordswith which the officers tried to soothe him, but wandered away outof camp and, throwing himself down, wept unrestrainedly for anhour. Then he roused himself, and walked slowly back. By a mightyeffort he had composed himself, for he knew that he must be calmwhen he saw his father.
Half an hour later, the doctor beckoned him in.
"He is conscious now," he said, "and has whispered that he wishesto see you. He has been very calm, all the way down, and has spokenof you often."
"I will do my best," Lisle muttered, keeping down his tears with atremendous effort; and then went into his father's room.
He could not trust himself to speak a word but, walking up, tookhis father's hand and, kneeling down, pressed it to his lips, hiswhole form shaking with agitation.
"I am glad I have held out until I got back," his father said, in alow voice. "It is all up with me, my boy, and I have only a fewhours to live, at most. I am sorry, now, that you did not start forEngland before this happened; but I have no doubt that it is allfor the best. I shall die, as I should wish to die, doing my dutyand, except for leaving you, I shall feel small regret."
"Must you leave me, father?" Lisle sobbed.
"Yes, my boy, I have known it from the first. It is only my intensedesire to see you again that has kept me up. The doctor said he didnot expect that I should last more than two or three days, at most.
"You will bear in mind what I said to you, the day before westarted. I have no fear about you, Lisle; I am sure you will makean honest gentleman and a brave soldier, and will do credit to ourname. I should stay here a few weeks longer, if I were you, untilsome others are going down. The officers are all fond of you, andit would be better for you to have company, than to make the longjourney to the coast alone.
"My voice is failing me, lad, and I can say no more, now; but youcan sit here with me, till the end comes. It will not be long. Whenyou have completed your training, the fact that I have died in thisway will give you a good claim to a commission."
Lisle sat with his father for some hours. Occasionally the dyingman moved and, leaning over him, he could catch the words "Godbless you!" Before midnight the brave spirit had passed away, andLisle went out and cried like a child, till morning.
The funeral took place next day. After it was over, the colonelsent for Lisle; who had now, after a hard struggle, recovered hiscomposure.
"Did your father give you any instructions, Lisle? You may be surethat whatever he said we will carry out."
"He said that he thought it would be best for me to stay here for afew weeks as, among so many kind friends, I should be able to bearit better than if I went down at once."
"Quite right, lad! We shall all be very glad to have you with us.You can remain in the bungalow as long as you like. It is notlikely to be wanted, for some months. Your father's butler and oneor two servants will be enough to look after you; and you will, ofcourse, remain a member of the mess. In this way, I hope you willhave recovered some of your cheerfulness before you start."
It was a hard time for Lisle for the next week or two, foreverything reminded him of his father. The risaldar major and theother native officers, with all of whom he was familiar, graspedhim by the hand when they met, in token of their sympathy; and thesepoys stood at attention, with mournful faces, when he passedthem. He spent the heat of the day with his books, and only stirredout in the early morning and evening, meals being consideratelysent down to him from the mess. At the end of a fortnight he made agreat effort and joined the mess, and the kindness with which theofficers spoke to him gradually cheered him.
Then there came an excitement which cheered him further. There wererumours of disaffection among the hill tribes, and the chances of acampaign were discussed with animation, both among officers andsoldiers. The regiment was a very fine one, composed of sturdyPunjabis; and all agreed that, if there were an expedition, theywould probably form part of it. Lisle entered fully into thegeneral feeling, and his eyes glistened as he listened to thesepoys talking of the expeditions in which they had taken part.
"It would be splendid to go," he said to himself, "but I don't seehow the colonel could take me. I shall certainly ask him, when thetime comes; but I feel sure that he will refuse. Of course, I oughtto be starting before long for Calcutta; but the expedition willprobably not last many weeks and, if I were to go with it, theexcitement would keep me from thinking, and do me a lot of good.Besides, a few weeks could make no difference in my working up forthe examination."
The more he thought of it, the more he felt determined to go withthe column. He felt sure that he could disguise himself so that noone would suspect who he was. He had been so long associated withthe regiment that he talked Punjabi as well as English.
His father had now been dead two months and, as the rumours fromacross the frontier grew more and more serious, he was filled withfear lest an opportunity should occur to send him down countrybefore the regiment marched; in which case all his plans would beupset. Day after day passed, however, without his hearing anythingabout it, till one day the colonel sent for him.
"The time has come, lad, when we must part. We shall all be verysorry to lose you, but it cannot be helped. I have received orders,this morning, to go up to Chitral; and am sending down some sick,at once. You must start with them. When you reach the railway, youwill be able to get a through ticket to Calcutta.
"As long as it was likely that we should be going down ourselves, Iwas glad to keep you here; but now that we have got orders to gooff and have a talk with these tribes in the north, it is clearlyimpossible for us to keep you any longer. I am very sorry, my boy,for you know we all like you, for your own sake and for your goodfather's."
"I am awfully obliged to you all, colonel. You have been very goodto me, since my father was killed. I feel that I have had no rightto stop here so long; but I quite understand that, now you aremoving up into the hills, you cannot keep me.
"I suppose I could not go as a volunteer, colonel?" he asked,wistfully.
"Quite impossible," the colonel said, decidedly. "Even if you hadbeen older, I could not have taken you. Every mouth will have to befed, and the difficulties of transport will be great. There is nopossibility, whatever, of our smuggling a lad of your age up withus.
"Besides, you know that you ought to go to England, without furtherdelay. You want to gain a commission, and to do that you must passa very stiff examination, indeed. So for your own sake, it isadvisable that you should get to work without any unnecessarydelay.
"A party of invalids will be going down tomorrow, and you can gowith them as far as Peshawar. There, of course, you will take traineither to Calcutta or Bombay. I know that you have plenty of fundsfor your journey to England. I think you said that it was an uncleto whom you were going. Mind you impress upon him the fact that itis absolutely necessary that you should go to a first-rate schoolor, better still, to a private crammer, if you are to have a chanceof getting into the service by a competitive examination."
"Very well, colonel. I am sure that I am very grateful to you, andall the officers of the regiment, for the kindness you have shownme, especially since my father's death. I shall always rememberit."
"That is all right, Lisle. It has been a pleasure to have you withus. I am sure we shall all be sorry to lose you, but I hope thatsome day we shall meet again, when you are an officer in one of ourregiments."
Lisle returned to the bungalow and called the butler, the onlyservant he had retained.
"Look here, Robah, the colonel says that I must go down with a sickparty, tomorrow. As I have told you, I am determined to go upcountry with the troops. Of course, I must be in disguise. How doyou think that I had better go?"
The man shook his head.
"The young sahib had better join his friends in England."
"It is useless to talk about that," Lisle said. "I have told you Imean to go up, and go up I will. There ought to
be no difficultyabout it. I speak three or four of these frontier languages, aswell as I speak English. I have at least learnt that. I have pickedthem up by talking to the natives, and partly from the moonshee Ihave had, for four years. My dear father always impressed upon methe utility of these to an officer; and said that, if I could takeup native languages in my examinations, it would go a long waytowards making up for other deficiencies. So I am all right, so faras language is concerned.
"It seems to me that my best plan will be to go up as a muledriver."
"It is as the sahib wills," the old man said. "His servant will doall he can to help him."
"Well, Robah, I want you in the first place to get me a disguise.You may as well get two suits. I am sure to get wet, sometimes, andshall require a change. I shall take a couple of my own vests anddrawers, to wear under them; for we shall probably experience verycold weather in the mountains."
"They are serving out clothes to the carriers, sahib."
"Yes, I forgot that. Well, I want you to go into their camp, andarrange with one of the headmen to let me take the place of one ofthe drivers. Some of the men will be willing enough to get off thejob, and a tip of forty rupees would completely settle the matterwith him. Of course, I shall start with the sick escort but, asthere will be several waggons going down with them, they will nottravel far; and at the first halting place I can slip away, andcome back here. You will be waiting for me on the road outside thecamp, early in the morning, and take me to the headman.
"By the way, I shall want you to make up a bottle of stain for myhands and feet; for of course I shall go in the native sandals."
"I will do these things, sahib. How about your luggage?"
"Before I leave the camp tonight I shall put fresh labels on them,directing them to be taken to the store of Messieurs Parfit, whowere my father's agents; and to be left there until I send forthem. I shall give the sergeant, who goes down with the sick, moneyto pay for their carriage to Calcutta.
"And about yourself, Robah?"
"I shall stay here at the bungalow till another regiment comes upto take your place. Perhaps you will give me a chit, saying that Ihave been in your father's service fourteen years, and that youhave found me faithful and useful. If I cannot find employment, Ishall go home. I have saved enough money."
An hour later, Robah again entered the room.
"I have been thinking, sahib, of a better plan. You wish to seefighting, do you not?"
"Certainly I do."
"Well, sahib, if you go in the baggage train you might be milesaway, and see nothing of it. Now, it seems to me that it would bealmost as easy for you to go as a soldier in the regiment, as inthe transport train."
"Do you think so, Robah?" Lisle exclaimed excitedly.
"I think so, sahib. You see, you know all the native officers, andyour father was a great favourite among them. If you were dressedin uniform, and took your place in the ranks, it is very unlikelythat any of the English officers would notice you. These mattersare left in the hands of the native officers.
"Yesterday a young private died, who had but just passed therecruit stage, and had been only once or twice on parade. You mighttake his name. It is most unlikely that any of the white officerswill notice that your face is a fresh one and, if they did ask thequestion, the native officer would give that name. The Englishofficer would not be at all likely to notice that this was the nameof a man who had died. Deaths are not uncommon and, as the regimentis just moving, the matter would receive no attention. The book ofthis man would be handed to you, and it would all seem regular."
"That is a splendid idea, Robah. Which officer do you think I hadbetter speak to?"
"I should speak to Risaldar Gholam Singh. He was the chief nativeofficer in your father's wing of the regiment. If he consents, hewould order all the native officers under him to hold their tonguesand, as you are a favourite with them all, your secret would bekept."
"It is a grand idea, and I certainly don't see why it should notwork out properly."
"I have no doubt that the risaldar major will do all he can foryou."
"Do you think so, Robah?"
"I am sure he will. He was very much attached to your father, andfelt his loss as much as anyone. Indeed, I think that every one ofthe native officers will do all he can for you."
"That would make it very easy for me," Lisle said. "Till yousuggested it, the idea of going as a soldier never occurred to mebut, with their assistance, it will not be difficult."
"Shall I go and fetch the risaldar here, sahib?"
"Do so. I shall be on thorns until I see him."
In a few minutes the officer, a tall and stately Punjabi, entered.
"Risaldar," Lisle said, "I know you were very much attached to myfather."
"I was, sahib."
"Well, I want you to do something for me."
"It would be a pleasure for me to do so, and you have only to askfor me to grant it, if it is in my power."
"I think it is in your power," Lisle said. "I will tell you what Iwant. I have made up my mind to go with this expedition. I thoughtof disguising myself, and going as a baggage coolie; but in thatcase I should be always in the rear and see none of the fighting,and I have made up my mind to go as a private in the ranks."
"As a private, sahib?" the officer exclaimed, in astonishment."Surely that would be impossible. You would be detected at thefirst halt. Besides, how could the son of our dear captain go as aprivate?"
"I do not object to go as a private, risaldar. Of course I shouldstain myself and, in uniform, it is not likely that any of thewhite officers would notice a strange face."
"But you would have to eat with the others, to mix with them as oneof themselves, to suffer all sorts of hardships."
"All that is nothing," Lisle said. "I have been with the regimentso long that I know all the ways of the men, and I don't think thatI should be likely to make any mistake that would attract theirattention. As to the language, I know it perfectly."
"I hardly dare do such a thing, sahib. If you were discovered onthe march, the colonel and officers would be very angry with me."
"Even if I were discovered, it need not be known that you hadassisted me, risaldar. You may be sure that I should never tell. Ifyou were questioned, you could declare that you had taken me for anordinary recruit. If I deceived everyone else, I might very welldeceive you."
The risaldar stood thoughtful for some time.
"It might possibly be managed," he said at last. "I would do muchfor Captain Bullen's son, even risk the anger of the colonel."
"I understand that a sepoy died yesterday. He was quite a youngrecruit, and the white officers had not come to know his face. Imight say that I am a relation of his, and am very anxious to takehis place."
"You could take his place in the ranks under his name."
"That would certainly be a good plan, if it could be carried out. Ishould only be asked a few questions by the sepoys of my company.It would seem to them natural that I should take my cousin's place;and that, as the regiment was moving, and there was no time toteach me drill, I should be expected to pick up what I could on theway. But indeed, I have watched the regiment so often that I thinkI know all the commands and movements, and could go through themwithout hesitation. Besides, there won't be much drilling on themarch. There will probably be a good deal of skirmishing, andperhaps some rough fighting."
"But if you were to be killed, sahib, what then?"
"I don't mean to be killed if I can help it," Lisle said; "but if Iam, I shall be buried as one of the sepoys. The officers will allbelieve that I have gone home and, though they may wonder a littlethat I never write to them, they will think it is because I am toobusy. It will be a long time, indeed, before any of my friendswrite to ask about me; and then it will be supposed that I havebeen accidentally killed or drowned.
"At any rate, I should have the satisfaction of being killed in theQueen's service. All the men are delighted at going, and they willrun the sam
e risk as I do."
"Well, sahib," the risaldar said, "I will do it. I would very muchprefer that you had never asked me, but I cannot say 'no' to you. Iwill think it over; and tell you, tomorrow morning, what seems tome the best plan. I don't see, at present, how you are to disappearand join the regiment."
"That is easy enough," Lisle said. "I am going to start tomorrowwith the sick convoy; but shall slip away from them, after I havegone a short distance. Robah will meet me with my uniform andrifle; and I shall come into the camp again, in uniform, after itis dark."
"You appear to have thought it all out," the officer said, "and ifyour scheme can be carried out, there should be no difficulty,after the first day or two. You are more likely to pass unnoticed,on a march, than you would be if you were staying here. The menwill have other things to think about, and you will only have threemen marching with you in the column to ask questions. Indeed, thereis very little talking on the line of march.
"Well, I will think it over, and see you in the morning."
This was as good as consent, and Lisle was highly delighted. In themorning, the risaldar called again.
"I have spoken," the risaldar said, "to the three officers of thecompany to which the soldier Mutteh Ghar belonged; and they allagreed, willingly, to help you to carry out your scheme, and thinkthat there is very little probability of the fact that you are anew recruit being noticed. The general discipline of the regimentis in our hands. The British officers direct, but we carry outtheir orders. As the man was only on parade twice and, on neitherof these occasions, came under general inspection of the whiteofficers, it is probable that they do not know his face. It iscertainly best that you should take Mutteh Ghar's name, as thesoldiers will see nothing strange in our placing a young recruit inthe ranks, after his cousin had died in the regiment. We are all ofopinion, therefore, that you can take your place withoutdifficulty; and that the chance of the change being detected by theBritish officers is extremely slight. We think, however, that itwill be next to impossible for you always to keep up yourcharacter, and believe that you will find it so hard to live underthe same conditions as the others that you yourself will tire ofit."
"I can assure you that there is no fear of that," Lisle saidearnestly. "I want to take part in the expedition, and am quiteprepared to share in the habits and hardships of the men, whateverthey may be. You know, if I were discovered I should be sent off atonce, even if a fight were imminent. I think I can say that, when Iundertake a thing, I will carry it through.
"I cannot tell you how grateful I feel to you all, for aiding me tocarry out my wish. Will you kindly convey my thanks to the officersof the company, and particularly urge upon them that they must showme no favour, and pay no more attention to me than to the othermen? Anything of that sort would certainly give rise to comment andsuspicion."
"I have already told them that," the officer said, "and I thinkthey thoroughly understand how they must act.
"The sick party are to start tomorrow morning. How do you wish theuniform of your supposed cousin to be sent to you?"
"If you hand it over to Robah, he will bring it out to me. Therifle, of course, should be handed quietly to me when I return tocamp. I cannot march in with it. I shall not come in till afterdark. Then the havildar must take me to one of the sepoy tents, andmention to the men there that I am Mutteh Ghar's cousin; and that,as a great favour, I am to be allowed to accompany the regiment."
"Of course, you will take with you the usual underclothes to puton, when you lay aside your uniform; and especially the loincloth,and light linen jacket, which the men use in undress."
"I will see to all that, risaldar. I can assure you that, so farfrom finding it a trouble to act as a native, I shall really enjoyit; and shall make very light of any hardships that I may have toundergo. When it comes to fighting I am, as you know, a very goodshot; and should certainly be able to do my part, with credit."
"I will tell the havildar to be on the lookout for you, when youcome into camp, and to bring you straight to me. I will then seethat your uniforms and belts are properly put on, before I send youoff under his charge. I hope the matter may turn out well. If itdoes not, you must remember that I have done my part because youurged it upon me, and prayed me to assist you for your father'ssake."
"I shall never forget that, Gholam Singh, and shall always feeldeeply indebted to you."
When the risaldar had left, Lisle called Robah in.
"All is arranged, Robah; and now it remains only to carry out thedetails. In the first place, you must get me the stain; in thesecond, you must go into the bazaar and buy me a loincloth andlight jacket, such as the soldiers wear when they lay aside theiruniforms. As to the uniform, that is already arranged for; and Ishall, of course, have one of the sheepskin greatcoats that havejust been served out, and which I expect I shall find indispensable.Put in my kit bag one pair of my thickest woollen vests and drawers.I cannot carry more, for I mean to take one suit of my own clothesto put on in case, by any accident, I should be discovered and sentback. I can get that carried on the baggage waggon.
"Tomorrow we shall start at five o'clock in the morning and, at thefirst halt, I shall leave the party quietly. I have no doubt thatGholam Singh will give orders, to the native officer in charge,that I am to be permitted to do so without remark. As soon as Ileave the convoy you must join me with my uniform and, above all,with the stain. You can bring out a bag with some provisions forthe day, for I shall not return to camp until after dark."
When Robah went away to make the necessary purchases, Lisle packedup his baggage and labelled it. His father's effects had all beensold, a few days after his death; as it would not have paid to sendthem home. They had fetched good prices, and had been gladly boughtup by the other officers; some as mementoes of their late comrade,and some because they were useful.
Several of the officers came in and chatted with him while he waspacking, all expressing regret that he was leaving. At mess thatevening they drank his health, and a pleasant journey; and hegravely returned thanks. When the mess broke up he returned to thebungalow, and packed a small canvas bag with the suit he was goingto take with him.
Then he examined and tried on the uniform of the dead sepoy; whichRobah had, that evening, received from the risaldar. It fitted himfairly well. In addition to the regular uniform there was aposteen, or sheepskin coat; loose boots made of soft skin, so thatthe feet could be wrapped up in cloth before they were put on; andputties, or leggings, consisting of a very long strip of clothterminating with a shorter strip of leather. These things had beenserved out that day to the troops, and were to be put on over theusual leg wrappings when they came to snow-covered country. Theywere to be carried with the men's kits till required. For ordinarywear there were the regular boots, which were strapped on likesandals.
"Well, I think I ought to be able to stand anything in the way ofcold, with this sheepskin coat and the leggings, together with myown warm underclothing."
"You are sure," Robah said, "that you understand the proper foldingof your turban?"
"I think so, Robah. I have seen them done up hundreds of times but,nevertheless, you shall give me a lesson when you join me tomorrow.We shall have plenty of time for it.
"Now, can you think of anything else that would be useful? If so,you can buy it tomorrow before you come out to meet me."
"No, sahib. There are the warm mittens that have been served outfor mountain work; and you might take a pair of your own gloves towear under them for, from all I hear, you will want them when youare standing out all night on picket work, among the hills."
"No, I won't take the gloves, Robah. With two pairs on, my fingerswould be so muffled that I should not be able to do good shooting."
"Well, it will be cold work, for it is very late in the season and,you know, goggles have been served out to all the men to save themfrom snow blindness, from which they would otherwise sufferseverely. I have been on expeditions in which a third of the menwere quite blind, when they return
ed to camp."
"It must look very rum to see a whole regiment marching ingoggles," Lisle laughed; "still, anything is better than beingblinded."
"I shall see you sometimes, sahib; for the major engaged me, thismorning, to go with him as his personal servant, as his own man isin feeble health and, though I am now getting on in years, I amstill strong enough to travel with the regiment."
"I am delighted, indeed, to hear that, Robah. I shall be very gladto steal away sometimes, and have a chat with you. It will be agreat pleasure to have someone I can talk to, who knows me. Ofcourse, the native officer in command of my company will not beable to show me any favour, nor should I wish him to do so. Itseems like keeping one friend, while I am cut off from all others;though I dare say I shall make some new ones among the sepoys. Ihave no doubt you will be very comfortable with the major."
"Yes, sahib, I am sure that he is a kind master. I shall be able, Ihope, sometimes to give you a small quantity of whisky, to mix withthe water in your bottle."
"No, no, Robah, when the baggage is cut down there will be verylittle of that taken and, however much there might be, I could notaccept any that you had taken from the major's store. I must farejust the same as the others."
"Well, sahib, I hope that, at any rate, you will carry a smallflask of it under your uniform. You may not want it but, if youwere wounded and lying in the snow, it would be very valuable toyou for, mixed with the water in your bottle, and taken from timeto time, it would sustain you until you could be carried down tocamp."
"That is a very good idea, Robah, and I will certainly adopt it. Iwill carry half a pint about with me, for emergencies such as youdescribe. If I do not want it, myself, it may turn out useful tokeep up some wounded comrade. It will not add much to the load thatI shall have to carry, and which I expect I shall feel, when wefirst march. As I am now, I think I could keep up with the bestmarcher in the regiment but, with the weight of the clothes andpouches, a hundred and twenty rounds of ammunition, and my rifle,it will be a very different thing; and I shall be desperatelytired, by the time we get to the end of the day's march.
"Now it is twelve o'clock, and time to turn in, for we march atfive."
The next morning, when the sick convoy started, the white officerscame up to say goodbye to Lisle; and all expressed their regretthat he could not accompany the regiment. The butler had gone onahead and, as soon as Lisle slipped away, he came up to him andassisted him to make his toilet. He stained him from head to foot,dyed his hair, and fastened in it some long bunches of black horsehair, which he would wear in the Punjabi fashion on the top of hishead. With the same dye he darkened his eyelashes and, when he hadput on his uniform, he said:
"As far as looks go, sahib, it is certain that no one would suspectthat you were not a native. There is a large bottle of stain. Youwill only have to do yourself over, afresh, about once in ten days.A little of this mixed with three times the amount of water will besufficient for, if you were to put it on by itself, it would makeyou a great deal too dark."
They spent the day in a grove and, when evening approached,returned to camp.
"And now, goodbye, sahib! The regiment will march tomorrow morning,at daybreak. I may not have an opportunity of seeing you again,before we start. I hope I have done right, in aiding you in yourdesire to accompany the expedition; but I have done it for thebest, and you must not blame me if harm comes of it."
"That you may be sure I will not, and I am greatly obliged to you.Now, for the present, goodbye!"