CHAPTER XXIII
DOOMING THE DATTO
"Noll, you remember the first sentry inside the gully at this end?"
"Yes."
"Have you the nerve to stay near him while I try to get back to campalone?"
"I have nerve enough to do anything that a soldier may be called upon todo."
"I was sure of it," Hal replied.
"But what's the game?"
"You are to keep close to that sentry until just before daylight,"continued Hal. "Then, if nothing happens, slip out and make your wayback to camp as best you can. But if Captain Freeman allows me to leadthe expedition through that gully, you are to be on hand to silence thatsentry at the first sound of our coming."
"I think I can do that," Sergeant Terry replied thoughtfully. "I'lleither win out or give up my life without a murmur."
"Noll, if you prefer it, you can try to reach camp, and I'll stay bythat first sentry inside the gully."
"No, Hal; I think you are far more apt to succeed in reaching camp thanI. I'm satisfied with the second part in the game. Both parts are bigenough."
"Very well! Good-bye, chum. Take care of yourself!"
They had yet a little distance to go before they came upon the Morosentry beyond the inner mouth of the gully. As they approached him theystrolled along in leisurely fashion.
The sentry, who appeared to be a good-natured, rather stupid fellow,surveyed the chums with a grin. He pointed to the sky, then made amotion of shivering. Clearly this native believed the pretended brownmen to be foolish fellows for remaining out in such a downpour.
"Hastu maki not," observed Hal.
"No beni," replied Noll, and Hal stepped away in the darkness. He didnot appear to be headed for the gully, but Noll distracted the attentionof the sentry for a few moments, and out of the corner of his eye Terrycaught a glimpse of Hal's body moving into the mouth of the gully.
A moment later Hal was out of sight and sound. Noll and the sentry stoodside by side. Presently, as neither could understand the other's speech,Noll and the Moro fell to "conversing" by means of signs. Yet, in thisline, they could go little beyond the weather. Noll presently made ahit with the real brown man by shaking his fist in the direction of theAmerican camp, then drawing his hand across his throat with an eloquentgesture of throat-cutting.
Sergeant Hal Overton not only got out of the gully, but also satisfiedhimself that the slopes were not guarded.
"As the gully looks like a natural trap, and the datto has at least fourhundred men between himself and the gully, I suppose old Hakkut is notworrying a great deal," reflected Overton.
Hal did not now trouble himself to move so stealthily, until he nearedthe American encampment. With noiseless step he approached and calledout in the darkness:
"Officer of the day!"
"Halt! Who goes there?" called an alert soldier.
"Sergeant Overton, in scout disguise," Hal returned. "I wish to returnto camp."
"Advance, Sergeant Overton, to be recognized."
Thus assured that he would not be shot down by mistake, Hal walkedslowly but openly in the direction of the voice from the trench.
"If you can recognize me, Galbraith, you're a wonder," laughed Hal, ashe came within the soldier's range of vision.
"_You_, Sergeant Overton. Great Scott, I don't recognize anything butthe voice. I know that, however; pass on, Sergeant."
Hal went at once to Captain Freeman, whom, however, he had to awaken.Lieutenants Prescott and Holmes were quickly added to the lightningconference that followed.
The officers listened almost in amazement to the yarn that SergeantOverton rapidly spun for them.
"We made no mistake in detailing you two sergeants to investigate theposition of the enemy," remarked Captain Freeman warmly. "Now our courseis clear. You understand my plan, gentlemen?"
The two young lieutenants quickly assented.
"We shall have to abandon our transport wagons, though I think we shallhave no difficulty in recovering them later," went on the commandingofficer. "Waken all the men, and have each man carry as much ammunitionas he can pack. The Gatling gun goes with us, of course."
"And the wounded men, sir?" asked Lieutenant Prescott.
"Those still unable to walk will have to be carried on the same blanketstretchers. Caution these wounded men that, no matter what discomfortthey may suffer on the trip, not one is to make a sound. Our lives areat stake. Now hustle, gentlemen! We must march from this position inless than twenty minutes."
"And the prisoners, sir?" asked Lieutenant Greg Holmes.
"Bind the prisoners and gag them, and do it effectively. We can't trusta prisoner on a dash like this. Leave them behind, but be sure that theycan't effect their own escape. Gentlemen, I look to your effective aidin playing a most brilliant trick on the enemy."
Twelve minutes later the column started. They moved in three bodies. Inadvance were twelve picked men of B Company, under Sergeant Overton.Captain Freeman accompanied this little advance guard.
At a suitable interval behind marched fifty men under LieutenantPrescott.
Last of all Lieutenant Holmes headed the remainder of the expedition.With this rear guard marched such of the wounded men as were able towalk. The others of the wounded were carried on blanket stretchers.
Silently, like a procession of ghosts, moved the American troops. Therain had moderated to a drizzle, but there was no star in sight to throwthe least ray of light over the tropical scene.
Almost as straight as a bullet could have been fired Sergeant Hal ledthe advance guard to the mouth of the gully. There was no challenge, noshot fired by the enemy. A minute's halt; then the advance guard quicklyfollowed Sergeant Overton into the gully, Captain Freeman stepping justbehind the leader.
When they were two thirds of the way through, Sergeant Hal, who wasstill in his native costume, held up his hand as a signal to halt. Thesignal was passed back through the advance.
"I think you'd better wait here a few minutes, sir," whispered Hal tothe commanding officer. "I'll hand my rifle to one of the men and thenstroll forward to see if the coast is clear."
"A good plan, Sergeant; but take mighty good care of yourself!"
"Yes, sir. If you hear sounds of trouble up ahead then I suppose you'llpush right on through."
"If there's any sound of trouble, whatever, Sergeant, you can dependupon our rushing through."
Saluting, Overton turned and slowly vanished into the darkness ahead.Just as he came out of the gully Hal heard a cautious, warning:
"Sh-sh!"
The muzzle of a rifle was thrust to his breast.
"Noll?" whispered Hal.
"Yes," whispered Terry.
"Where's the real sentry at this point?" breathed Hal.
"The poor fellow was chilled through. I got chummy with him, talkingsign language, and then volunteered to stand duty for him. The Moro hasgone off to take a sleep where it's drier."
"Bully, old Noll!"
"The troops are behind you, Hal?"
"Yes."
"Then march them ahead straight on for a hundred yards due west. Youwon't run into any of the enemy there. I've made it my business toknow."
Hal flew back to the advance guard.
"Fine!" glowed Captain Freeman, when he had heard the report.
The advance was quickly in motion. Captain Freeman was soon up withNoll, who, after whispering, led the advance to the point he hadmentioned to his chum. Hal, in the meantime, remained to receive andpilot Lieutenant Prescott's command.
"How on earth did you do this?" demanded Prescott in a whisper.
"Some of Sergeant Terry's work, sir," whispered Hal. "When you're ready,sir, just keep on straight ahead until you come upon the advance. I'llremain here, sir, if you permit, to warn the men behind you that they'remarching inside the Moros' lines."
"Do so, Sergeant," directed Lieutenant Prescott, at the same time makingthe motion for his men to move ahead. On came the rest of the command insingle
file.
"Softly," warned Hal, as the men passed by him. "You're inside theenemy's lines."
Then, as the last man passed him, Hal whispered:
"Fall out, Gleason. Remain here to warn the rear guard when it arrives."
"All right, Sergeant. But this kind of work in the dark makes onecreepy. I feel as though I were robbing a judge's chicken-roost."
Hal laughed softly and hurried after the vanishing troops. Within a fewminutes more the rear guard had arrived.
By this time the rain had begun to come down again in torrents, but thisfavored the work of the American troops.
Led by the two young scouts, the entire command managed to advance,undetected, to a point from which Captain Freeman could dimly make outthe mud walls of the datto's fort.
"Take the same twelve men of the advance guard, Sergeant Overton,"whispered Captain Freeman, after he had given directions regarding thecarrying of the wounded so that they would be as well protected aspossible from slashing by Moro swords or creeses during the attack aboutto be made. "With your men, Sergeant, gain the gate of the fort.Remember, at no matter what cost, you must get your party inside andhold the gate. We'll be on the spot the moment we hear the first soundof your attack."
"Now, then, men," Hal instructed his own detachment, "we won't marchforward, and we won't skulk, either. We'll simply stroll along. Theinstant that I hear any sound showing that we're discovered, I'll givethe order to charge. When that order comes--remember that we simply mustfight our way through the gate of the fort."
Then he gave the order for the forward movement. Hal placed himself atthe head of his detachment, the post of greatest danger.
It was raining so heavily that even the guards at the datto's gate hadrelaxed their vigilance.
So Sergeant Hal Overton was within thirty feet of the gate when one ofthe six sentries, peering outside, caught sight of him, yelled and heldhis rifle at aim.
"Detachment charge!" yelled Sergeant Hal Overton.
With a low-uttered yet enthusiastic yell the twelve regulars piled inafter their sergeant.
There was short, sharp firing at the gate. Then the Americans drove thatguard in, killing four of them and holding the gate.
Now there was wild yelling inside the fort. Lights flashed from theprincipal building in the enclosure. Sergeant Hal waited only longenough to realize that Lieutenant Prescott's command had come up when heshouted to his own men:
"Follow me to the datto's house! He's the fellow we want."
Fifty natives howling wildly had thrown themselves around the house ofthe Datto Hakkut and had opened fire on the soldiers by the time thatHal and his few men reached the spot.
"Fight your way through 'em, men!" commanded Hal.
"Bring your men back, Sergeant!" shouted Captain Freeman in Hal's ear."We've got the Gatling ready. I'll show you something better."
Swiftly the regulars dodged back. Sergeant Noll was at the breech of theGatling.
R-r-r-r-rip! rattled out that rapid-fire machine, and the fire sweptmercilessly into the ranks of those who defended the datto.
Lieutenant Holmes had gotten the wounded inside the walls. Now, withhis efficient men he had turned to guard the gate, for outside, hundredsof frantically-yelling Moro fanatics had gathered for the attack on theinvaders.
Into the closely packed ranks of the brown men who sought to defend thedatto's house the Gatling poured its raking fire with fearful effect.
Whatever the issue of this madly fought battle, it began to look asthough the Datto Hakkut were doomed.