the hours passed slowly as the garrison awaited the attack of the enemy. the men had been told that they could all lie down where they stood, leaving only the officers and sentries on watch; and the top of the wall and the yard behind were crowded with sleeping figures wrapt in their mantles. about two o'clock those on watch were sensible of a low confused sound in the air.
"they are moving," the colonel said to percy, who was sitting on the parapet, against which he was leaning. "it is probable that they have been ordered to leave their shoes behind them; and in any case the walk of a sikh in his soft leather shoes is almost noiseless, besides they are as yet a long distance away. they are coming down the hill," he continued a quarter of an hour later; "the noise is certainly more distinct. but i give them credit for the manner of their approach. we should scarce notice the noise if we were not prepared for it, and a drowsy sentry would take it for the wind rising among the hills. one can hardly imagine that ten thousand men are moving down towards us."
two or three of the officers came up to report that they were sure the enemy were stirring, and the colonel ordered them to get all the men quietly under arms. another half-hour passed.
"they are a long time in coming, uncle," percy said in a low voice.
"they are; they might have been here long before this. if i did not want to give them a lesson i would send up a rocket in order to find out what they are doing. i believe they are only a short distance away now, but we will wait for them to begin."
in a short time they were convinced that the enemy were within a hundred yards at most from the wall. quiet as their movements were, a low hum as of orders being given in suppressed tones could be heard. on the walls all were in readiness. at a distance of a few yards apart men stood with portfires in one hand and matches in the other, while between them lines of muskets rested on the parapet. several times the watchers thought they could make out dim figures on the opposite side of the deep cut at the foot of the wall. suddenly a bright light burst out exactly opposite the gate, and a moment later twenty guns opened, sending their balls crashing through the drawbridge and gate. at the same instant a rocket soared into the air from over the gateway, and a moment later a line of blue lights flashed out along the wall. a mass of men were rushing forward towards the gate, all carrying great bundles on their heads, while a tremendous yell burst from thousands of throats. it was answered by one of defiance from the wall.
percy shoots the assassin during the attack on the fortress
percy shoots the assassin during the attack on the fortress
the assailants paused for a moment in astonishment at the line of lights, and the proof that the garrison were prepared; but the pause was momentary, and they rushed forward again. the leaders were but a few yards from the edge of the cut when the colonel shouted "fire!" a flash of flame ran along the wall, and twenty guns loaded to the muzzle with grape poured their contents among the enemy. like a field of wheat levelled by the blast of a tornado the mob of men were swept to the earth, the few that remained erect throwing down their bundles and flying for their lives. percy, mindful of his special work, had, the moment the light flashed out opposite the gate, summoned the four men, who were standing a short distance away, and stood on the watch near his uncle.
for a few minutes there was a duel between the guns of the fortress and the sikh cannon, which had been drawn down by hand, the wheels thickly wrapped with cotton cloths to prevent the slightest sound being made. the infantry kept up a storm of fire, which was replied to by volleys of musketry from the defenders. the din was tremendous, and presently another body of men carrying long beams and planks again rushed forward. many of them reached the edge of the moat and tried to push the poles across, but the destruction was so great from the musketry fire from the walls, and from six guns which had been kept in reserve loaded with grape, that the survivors again fell back followed by the exultant shouts of the garrison.
at the moment that they had advanced the two port-fires over the gate went out simultaneously, and before others could be lighted percy saw a figure that had been crouching under the parapet a short distance off spring forward. the guard nearest to him also observed the movement, and threw himself in the man's way. a knife flashed in the air and he fell. his assailant then sprung towards the colonel, whose back was turned to him, when a ball from percy's pistol struck him in the head and he fell dead in his tracks. the pistol-shot attracted no attention amid the roar of firearms, and percy, without paying further attention to the fallen man, ordered the remaining three guards to redouble their vigilance.
"the scoundrel may not be alone," he said. "the attempt may be repeated."
with the retirement of the second body of men charged to bridge the fosse the enemy lost heart. it was evident even to the most determined that success was impossible, now that the garrison were prepared. the guns, too, suffered so terribly from the heavier metal of those on the wall, that half of them lay dismounted, and the gunners would no longer work the others in the face of the heavy fire that mowed them down. the yells subsided and the fire ceased, and as noiselessly as they had come the assailants glided away into the darkness, pursued, however, for some time by the bullets and shot of the defenders. convinced that there was no fear of a repetition of the assault, the colonel ordered the greater part of the troops back to their quarters.
now that the din near at hand had ceased, the rattle of musketry and the boom of guns could be heard from the other walls. the colonel hurried away to see what was going on there. he found that the moment the firing began on the north face of the fortress it broke out from the valleys on either side, where large numbers of men had stolen up in the darkness, while at the same time the heavy guns in the camp had also opened fire. the defenders had at once replied, and the fire had been continued on both sides, but it had begun to die away on the side of the assailants as soon as it ceased on the northern face. the colonel sent for a party of artillery-men to aid the men working the guns, and ordered a steady fire to be kept up on the camp, and then dismissed his allies to their tents and returned himself to his house, to which percy had gone as soon as the fighting was over to tell his aunt that the attack had been repulsed and that all was well.
"then my fears were groundless, percy?"
"no, aunt, they were the means of saving my uncle's life," and he then related the attempt at assassination and its result.
"heaven be praised!" she said, bursting into tears. "i had a presentiment of evil, as i have more than once had before when his life has been threatened. thank god the danger has come and gone and that he is still unharmed. did you know who the man was?"
"i did not notice, aunt, or think of looking at him after he had fallen. there was such a tremendous roar going on that i felt quite confused, and thought of nothing but that the attack might be repeated. i will go and see who it is as soon as it is light."
by this time some hot coffee had been prepared, and percy had already partaken of it when the colonel returned. as he entered his wife threw herself into his arms.
"thank god you have returned safe, roland, and have once more escaped the dangers that threatened you."
"the dangers were not great this time, love, being only from a stray bullet; for the artillery confined their fire to the gate, in hopes no doubt that a lucky shot might bring the drawbridge down. not that this was likely, for i had it fastened up by half a dozen chains, any one of which would have held it."
"it was not the bullets of the enemy, but the knife of an assassin that i feared," she said.
"pooh, pooh, my love! you are always dreaming of assassins."
"and not without reason, roland; had it not been for percy's pistol you would not be alive now."
the colonel looked surprised at percy. "what does this mean, lad? i did not hear you fire, and, indeed, did not notice you from the time when the attack began to the time when it was over. do you mean to say that my life was attempted, and that you saved me?"
"it was aunt's doing, not mine, uncle." percy then related the injunctions his aunt had given him and the results.
"you have saved my life again, mahtab," he said embracing his wife tenderly. "at least this time you and percy have done it between you. and who is the traitor?"
"that percy does not know; he did not think of examining the body."
"then we will do so at once," the colonel said, putting on his cap again. "daylight will soon be breaking, and as soon as it does the soldiers will be at work removing from the wall the bodies of those who fell in the fight. i heard just now that there were twenty-five men killed by the enemy's musket-fire, and another twenty or thirty hit in the hand or arm as they fired over the wall. come along, percy, you will know exactly where the man fell."
calling a couple of his guards and bidding one bring a lantern with him, the colonel, accompanied by percy, went to the wall, where the latter at once pointed out the body of the man he had shot, lying close to that of the guard who had fallen by his knife.
"throw the light on his face," the colonel said, and as the soldier did so he uttered an exclamation of surprise and disgust.
"it is azim bund—the scoundrel! he was the last man i should have suspected. he was penniless when i picked him up years ago. he professed the greatest attachment for me, and being clever and shrewd i raised him step by step until at last he became my confidential steward. he was bound to me by every tie of gratitude, and i certainly thought him absolutely devoted to my interests. ever since the attempt to seize you on your way here showed that there was a traitor in the fortress, he has appeared most earnest in his attempts to discover him; and to think that all this time it was the scoundrel himself! mahtab has never liked the man, though she never suspected his fidelity. i suppose he had been heavily bribed, and had the promise of some good place from ghoolab singh. well, he richly deserved the fate that has befallen him. i am glad that it was not a soldier, for i like to think that all my men are faithful to me to the last.
"that was a good shot of yours, percy, your ball struck him just in the centre of the forehead. well, there is one thing, there need be no fear at present of another attempt of this kind. this fellow would never have dared to make a confidant. an officer might enlist some of his men in such a plot, but a man in azim's position would not venture to do so. a steward is not often popular with the men he looks after, and i don't think this fellow was any exception to the rule. do you two men remain with the body until the morning, and see that no one touches it. you can search his pockets now, but it is not likely that such a cunning knave would be carrying any documents that would incriminate him, about on his person."
"there is nothing in his pockets, sahib," one of the soldiers said, "but i can feel he has a heavy belt round his body."
"take it off and examine it."
it was found that a hundred gold mohurs were sewn up in the belt. "the first instalment of the price of my life," the colonel said. "here is one apiece for you, men; the rest shall be laid out in charity. there must be scores of people who have been made homeless in the last day or two.
"in the morning make a thorough search of the fellow's clothes, he may have some paper sewn up in them. now, percy, we will go back to the house."
the ranee was greatly agitated when she heard who was the author of the attack upon the colonel's life.
"it is terrible, roland, to think that we can trust no one, and that for months your life has been endangered by that man. i cannot think why he waited so long."
"he was waiting for a safe opportunity, as he thought," the colonel replied. "our private apartments are always locked at night, and during the day the opportunities for putting a knife into me without suspicion falling upon him were not frequent. no doubt he knew that ghoolab was going to send an army here, and it was probably arranged that the affair should not take place until it arrived, as with me out of the way the garrison would probably surrender, and ghoolab's son would only have to enter and take possession; and would, moreover, gain a certain amount of credit for what would be regarded as his capture of the place. he might, perhaps, have done it at night, but your idea of putting nand chund and the guard here would altogether upset that plan, and drive him to choose some other opportunity. at any rate we can sleep in peace now. it is morally certain that azim would not run the risk of having an accomplice, especially as he would regard it as certain that he would be able to carry out his design without aid."
the morning light showed how terrible had been the effect of the fire of the besieged upon the assailants. the ground for two hundred yards back from the fosse was thickly strewn with dead, and around the spot where the cannon stood the men who had served them lay in heaps. after sending out a party to make sure that the enemy had all retired right, a force was sent out to collect and bring in the deserted guns and the wounded. there were over three hundred of the latter, and eight hundred dead were counted. shortly afterwards two men with a white flag were seen coming down the hill.
the colonel and an officer went out to meet them, and it was found that they were the bearers of a request to be permitted to carry away the dead. this the colonel readily granted, being well pleased indeed at being saved the trouble of burying them, which would have been a work of great trouble and labour, owing to the shallowness of the soil. a large body of men came down for the purpose, but it was nightfall before the last of the bodies were carried away. the enemy's camp in the valley had, at daybreak, been removed out on to the plain, a mile and a half farther away, so as to be beyond the range of the guns.
late in the afternoon a large force was seen to march in there, and the garrison had no doubt that this was the main body of the troops who had attacked them in the night.
a week passed without any further movement, and then it was noticed one morning that the tents had been struck, and shortly afterwards the whole army was seen to march away to the south. some of the merchants at once sent off messengers to gather news, and by nightfall the colonel learnt that it was reported that the mother of the maharajah had consented to the demands of the army to make war against the british. an officer who had passed through the nearest town had stated that he was the bearer of despatches, ordering the force who were besieging the fortress to return at once to lahore.
"that must have been very welcome news for every man in camp," the colonel said. "the soldiers must be already sick of the business, which must have cost them at least a thousand men, counting those that died after the fight from their wounds; and they must have seen well enough that this was nothing to what the loss would be before the place was captured. the leaders must be even more glad; the fact that no movement has been made since the repulse shows that they are at their wits' end as to what their next move should be. they must have known that another repulse might cause a mutiny among the troops, and might even cost them their lives. they must have been glad indeed at the news of their recall.
"and now, percy, we must lose no time in warning our friends of what is intended. they may have got news already from lahore; but we cannot risk that—their agents there may be imprisoned or killed, therefore you had better prepare to start for loodiana in an hour's time. nand chund shall go with you again with fifty men. there will no doubt be many sirdars moving with their followers towards lahore, and you will therefore excite little attention; and if questioned, nand chund will say that he is on his way to join the army. no, it will not be quite true; but that is a matter that will not rest at all heavily on his conscience. lying is not considered a great moral offence at any time by the sikhs, or indeed by any natives of india; and to deceive an enemy in time of war, is considered absolutely meritorious. there will be no occasion for you to say anything one way or another; he will appear as the head of the expedition, and you will pass unnoticed and unquestioned. nand chund is perfectly capable of talking for himself and half a dozen others. fondness for using his tongue at all times is one of his principal failings."
"am i to come straight back again, uncle?"
the colonel thought for a minute or two. "i will leave that entirely in your hands, percy; you are old enough now to act on your own account. if you can be useful—and it is probable that you may be very useful owing to your acquaintance with the language and the knowledge that you have gained of the people—to the resident at loodiana, i should say that it would be best for you to put yourself at his service. it would be a very useful beginning for you, and would give you a claim that might be of great advantage to you in the future. besides, i should think you would wish to see what is going on, and there are likely to be some stirring events in the next few months. here we shall have a quiet time of it, for with a war with england on their hands no one will think of troubling about us, and they will need every man for the work they have cut out for themselves. do you agree with me, mahtab?"
"yes, i shall be sorry, very sorry for him to go; but i think it would be best for him. you always tell me that if my people go to war with yours it is sure to end in the punjaub being annexed. there will then be no career for him here, and it will be better so since his life would be, as yours has been, one of constant danger. thus then, it will be much better for him to make friends with officers in the company's service, so that he may, as you have pointed out many times, become an officer of theirs when they are masters of the punjaub."
"you will want a servant; indeed you had better have two. they must be trusty men above all things, and shrewd fellows too, whom you can, if necessary, despatch on difficult errands. i should say you had better let nand chund pick you out two of his men, unless you have any fancy yourself."
"he spoke very highly to me of those he chose for me last night, uncle. however, i will speak to him."
"do so, percy; a man may be faithful and an excellent guard, and yet not be the one you would choose as a servant. you want two cheery good-tempered fellows, who will always do what they are told without grumbling. i should say that you had better have pathans, for a sikh's sympathies would certainly be with his countrymen. i will walk down with you myself and have a chat with nand chund; next to a good horse and good arms, a good servant is the most important point on entering on a campaign; a handy fellow will make you comfortable under almost all circumstances, while with one who has not a knack of cooking, or of managing things for your comfort, you will be in all sorts of straits."
when the matter was explained to the officer he said: "you could not do better than take akram chunder, he is a pathan, and one of the men you had last night. he was sohan verdi's own man for a time; but the major is hot-tempered, and spoke sharply to him one day, and he chose to go back into the ranks again. sohan has told me more than once that he was one of the best men he ever had. he is a good soldier, he has been in your service for ten years, and he has a high character for courage. i do not think that the young sahib can do better than take him. as to the other he shall have my own man, bhop lal. he is an invaluable man in the field, merry, good-tempered, eager to please, ready to do anything for his master's comfort. here, however, he has been too long inactive, and is getting idle. were i going on a campaign i should be sorry indeed to part with him; but as it is i can find a man who will suit me just as well, and he is the very man for the young sahib; he is intelligent and trustworthy, a good groom and cook."
"then percy cannot do better than try them. send for them to come to my house at once, i will myself speak to them and see how they like the proposal; a man who goes unwillingly had much better stop behind. i am obliged to you, nand chund, for giving up your man to my nephew."
ten minutes later the servant announced that the two men were at the door, and they were at once brought in.
"my nephew is going to loodiana," the colonel began, "and it may be that he will remain with his friends. you have, of course, both heard the news that the maharanee has yielded to the wishes of the army, and that they are going to war with the english. my nephew is going to join his own people, and will, i daresay, remain with them until the war is over. he wants two servants, good fellows who can be thoroughly relied upon, who can look after his comfort in the field, carry messages if necessary from one end of the country to the other, and who can be relied upon to be thoroughly faithful and devoted to him. i have consulted nand chund, and he has strongly recommended you both. i do not wish you to go unless you are perfectly willing to do so. while you are with him, you will receive double pay, and a present will not be wanting when he returns here if he gives a good report on your services. now, what do you say?"
both men expressed their willingness to follow percy, and it was evident by their manner that they considered it no small honour to have been selected to attend upon the colonel's nephew.
"that is settled then," the colonel said. "i need tell you nothing about your duties, for you are both accustomed to the work. i will see that you are well mounted. have you each good arms and a brace of pistols?" both replied in the affirmative. "make your preparations at once. nand chund will start in half an hour with fifty men to escort my nephew to loodiana."
the men saluted and retired, and the colonel gave orders that two good horses should be picked out for them. three quarters of an hour later percy rode out from the gate of the fortress with his escort, his two followers falling in in the rear. being this time unencumbered by baggage animals, the march was more rapid than it had been on the way up. as the country was full of armed parties making their way to lahore, their passage attracted no attention until they turned off from the road to that city. after that they avoided towns, and riding without a halt for twelve hours they crossed the sutlej on the evening of the fifth day, and on the following morning rode into loodiana. a considerable change had taken place since percy had left it six months before. then there were but two or three battalions of troops stationed there, now the long line of tents showed that this force was largely augmented, and that six or seven thousand men were collected in the camp. it was evident that the british authorities were alive to the coming danger, and that they would not be surprised by the unprovoked invasion of the sikhs.
sir henry hardinge had arrived in july as governor-general, and being warned by the residents at loodiana and other frontier stations of the probability that the sikh army would insist upon war, and overcome any opposition on the part of the maharanee, he had quietly made preparations for the event by moving up considerable bodies of troops to the north-west. it had indeed for some time been evident, that unless ghoolab singh accepted the office of prime minister troubles must come. he was the one man in the country whose personal power and influence would enable him to control the mutinous army, and his refusal to accept the post rendered it certain that the struggle would come sooner or later.
ghoolab possessed talent and astuteness equal to that of his brother dhyan, and was, like him, convinced that the power of england was too great for that of the sikhs; he was, therefore, strongly against war. on the other hand his position was a difficult one. had he attempted to stem the tide of popular clamour his own army would have turned against him, and he might have lost both his possessions and his life. he was therefore obliged to temporize, and believed that he would gain advantages whichever way the struggle went.
to the sikhs, then, he professed a complete agreement with their views, but at the same time under one excuse or another he remained at jummoo, replying to their repeated requests that he would advance with his army to lahore, by saying that he was perfectly ready to do so, but that he thought it would be in all respects better to keep his army as a separate force and so co-operate with the main body. on the other hand he sent secret messages to the british, assuring them of his friendship, and promising them that whenever he saw the opportunity he would throw the whole weight of his influence and power into the scale on their side.
nand chund and his detachment of cavalry did not enter loodiana, but took leave of percy when they came within sight of the place, and started at once on their return.
"i shall travel by another road," he said, "and if we should be questioned hereafter we can strongly deny any report that we have paid a visit to loodiana, for were it known it would excite a feeling against our lord, who would be accused of being in communication with the english. there is, it is true, no cause whatever to fear another attack upon the fortress while the war continues, but it might prejudice him afterwards, and if things go badly with the sikhs some fanatic might endeavour to take vengeance upon him."
"give my love to my uncle and aunt, and tell them i hope to see them again before long."
percy's two followers closed up behind him, and as soon as the troops had started he rode with them into loodiana.
the resident was alighting from his horse at the door of his bungalow when percy rode up.
"ah, groves, is it you?" he said. "i was wondering whether i should see you soon. i heard that an army had marched to attack your uncle's place, and a few days ago my agent at lahore wrote me there were rumours that they had been repulsed with very heavy loss, which i was glad to hear, not only for your sake, but because a reverse of that sort would not raise the spirits of their army. how did it all end, and what are you here for? but you can tell me that while we are having tiffin; you know it is about my hour. you have become a regular young sikh. i did not recognize you at the first glance in that finery."
"i have worn it ever since i have been there," percy said. "i did not like it at first, but i soon got accustomed to it, and it is certainly cooler than my own clothes. but there is such a prejudice against europeans that my uncle thought that i had much better follow his example and dress in the fashion of the country. i brought a couple of english suits down with me in my valise, but i was obliged to ride down in this dress in order to escape notice. shall i change before tiffen, sir?"
"no, you look very well as you are, groves. have you come far this morning?"
"only about ten miles. i came down with an escort of fifty men, and crossed the sutlej yesterday evening. they left me a couple of miles outside the town."
"well, you had better go in to your old room and have a wash while i take my bath. tiffen will be ready in a quarter of an hour."
two or three officers were present at tiffen, and these had difficulty at first in crediting mr. fullarton's assurance that the young sikh to whom he introduced them was really an english lad. at tiffen percy related the events of the siege of the fortress at his host's request.
"it must be a strong place by your description," mr. fullarton said when percy concluded his narration, "and would puzzle even british troops to carry it by assault. still i have no doubt our engineers would manage somehow to get heavy guns on to the hill commanding it, and once there it could not hold out long."
"my uncle was quite aware of that, sir; but the sikhs are very clumsy with their cannon, and he calculated that the troops would soon be tired of the siege. but it would certainly be a very difficult matter to get heavy guns up there. there is some sort of road round behind through the hills, but i believe it is a mere track, and uncle thought it hardly possible at any rate for the sikhs to bring heavy artillery along it. the only other road is that commanded by the guns of the fortress, and runs but a little more than a quarter of a mile away from it. the guns could not be taken up without very heavy loss."
after the officers had left, mr. fullarton asked, "and how about yourself, groves? what are you thinking of doing, and what can i do for you?"
"my uncle thought i might be of use, sir. i can speak punjaubi well enough to pass as a native, and he thought that you might accept my services as a volunteer, and might find me useful in obtaining information, communicating with any of the sikh nobles who might be friendly, or in any other way. i have two men with me, both of whom can be trusted thoroughly, either as messengers or to go into the sikh camp if necessary to gather information. i started the moment the sikhs moved away from before the fortress, and we had news that they were summoned to join the main army at lahore as the maharanee had given way to the wishes of the war-party. the news was so important that my uncle sent me off at once, thinking that probably your agent at lahore might be unable to send you news, as anyone known to be in communication with you would probably be arrested at once when war was finally determined on."
"you are the first bearer of the news," mr. fullarton said. "it is ten days since i had a message from lahore. it was in that letter my agent sent me the news that the first assault on the fortress had failed. he said then that the war-party had completely gained the ascendency, and that he thought the final decision would shortly be taken. he warned me that he might be unable to send me further news at present as he was in very bad odour, it being known he was in communication with me, and that he was sure to be watched if not imprisoned.
"not having heard, i felt no doubt whatever that war had been decided upon and wrote accordingly to the authorities, but i have had no absolute certainty until now, as other causes may have prevented my agent from writing. take a seat out in the verandah for a few minutes. i must send off a despatch at once with the news, and also inform brigadier wheeler, who is in command here, that the reports that the sikhs have determined on war are now confirmed. after i have sent the despatches off i will join you again and talk over what you were saying about volunteering."