CHAPTER XXI
A BLOW FOR LIBERTY
Challis grudged every day spent in training, lest the fort should be stormed by the Tubus before he had come to the relief. But he saw clearly that only by training his little army would he have the slightest chance of effecting a diversion in favour of the beleaguered garrison.
The odds, in any case, were enormously against him. But at the end of the fifth day he had unexpected encouragement. About nightfall, just as John was lighting the bonfires, he caught sight of a crowd of armed negroes rounding a hillock some distance away.
"Bad fellas coming, sah!" he shouted excitedly.
Challis blew a whistle he had shaped out of a piece of wood, and his eighty men came pouring out of the cave, and formed up in something resembling the line which he had been at such pains to teach.
They howled with disappointment at not receiving the order to attack at once. Challis got the chief to send one of his men forward to hail the strangers and ask the meaning of their coming.
It turned out that they were the fighting men of a village about ten miles off, nearly a hundred strong. The story of the killing of the lions had reached them, with the addition of all sorts of wonderful details gathered in its course through the countryside. They had heard rumours also of the marvellous medicine which the white man was preparing for the Tubus, and they desired to see these marvels for themselves.
Their chief and the elders of the village had desired to take the cautious part and remain aloof; but their counsels had been overborne by the younger men, who had insisted on marching out to see the white lion-killer and medicine man.
It was an opportunity too good to let slip. In the ruddy light of the bonfires, Challis put his men through their evolutions.
Spurred by the desire to impress the strangers, the men excelled themselves. The result was that the newcomers clamoured to be allowed to join the forces of the great medicine man, and Challis found himself stronger by nearly a hundred vigorous, able-bodied young men.
The only drawback to this accession of strength was the necessity of devoting more days to training. Challis was so anxious about the welfare of Royce and his little party that he sent a scout next day to approach the neighbourhood of the fort and discover whether the Tubus were still in position there.
He set to work at once with the new men, selecting forty to join his spearmen and making pikemen of the rest. These latter he posted as a rear rank three feet behind the front rank, giving them spears three feet longer.
The new men picked up the simple drill quickly, having models in the original company. But before Challis had time to perfect them, his work was put to a sudden test.
In the intervals of training his men, he had made a point of studying the surrounding country with an eye to its suitability for attacking or defensive operations.
The cave was situated in a hilly, rocky district, difficult for horsemen, but well adapted for defence against a mounted force. The side from which it could be most easily rushed was from the direction of the nullah which had been the scene of his adventure with the lions.
A little below the spot at which this incident had taken place the nullah disappeared. The stream which flowed through it in the rainy season ran in a broad shallow channel, easily fordable, with a rocky hill on one side and a practicable path along the dry margin of the bed of the stream.
About two miles from the cave the rocky ground on the right of the stream ended in a swamp, formed by overflowings of a little river which Challis had satisfied himself was identical with the stream that flowed past the base of the hillock on which the fort stood. Into this river the shallow stream emptied itself.
On the right, at the angle formed by the junction of the two streams, there was a low-lying patch of dry land, triangular in shape—an island inclosed by streams and the swamp. While this island was at the present time dry, Challis had no doubt that it was submerged when the streams were flooded by the rains.
Challis had considered the possibility of being attacked before he was ready to move out towards the fort with his little army. He decided that such an attack, if it occurred, would most likely be made from this direction, the ground being more level and open than on any other side. It was clear that the best point at which to meet the attack would be where the swamp approached most closely to the steep hill on the left.
Including the shallow bed of the stream, about fifty feet wide, there were altogether about a hundred and fifty feet of firm dry land between the swamp and the hillside, except for the stream, now little more than a yard across. Here his men could best make their stand.
Since his arrival at the cave, Challis had insisted on an elementary precaution which it is the habit of negroes to neglect. Every morning at dawn he had sent out scouts in a southward direction, to give notice if the enemy approached. These men took sufficient food for the day, and returned at nightfall.
He arranged that the line of scouts should extend for several miles towards the enemy's country, each man posting himself within hailing distance of the next. By this means he ensured that he should receive warning within a few seconds of the sighting of the enemy by the remotest man.
On the sixth day after his arrival he had reason to be glad of his forethought. About noon the nearest scout ran in with the news that a force of Tubus was approaching from the direction of the river.
A fact that somewhat surprised him was that their line of march would bring them direct to the cave, not to the village whence the people had migrated. It seemed as if they had information of what was going on. Was it possible that there was a traitor in the camp?
With a little more experience of negro life he would have divined the true explanation. The story of his doings had spread for many miles around, gaining in magnitude with every repetition. Certain of the neighbouring tribes purchased immunity from attack by spying for the Tubus, and there was no doubt that some of these people had carried to Goruba the report that a white man was making big medicine at the cave.
But it was not at all likely that Goruba had any idea who the white man was, unless he had already stormed the fort and discovered that it contained one white man instead of two. The probability was that he was coming or had sent to test the truth of the story he had heard. The white man might be a missionary, unlikely to trouble him.
Challis, it must be confessed, felt very nervous. His men were as yet only partially trained; how would they behave if it came to a fight? Would they forget all that he had tried to teach them, and either run away from their dreaded enemy, or rush forward in their old disorderly manner, and fall an easy prey? He looked forward to the test with doubt and misgiving.
But he let no sign of his thoughts escape him. Within three minutes of the scout's arrival he had all his warriors ranged in double line.
"John," he said, "you will bring them along and down the hill after me. Be sure you do not let them break the line."
Then, jumping on his horse, he cantered along the bed of the nullah to the point where he had already determined to make his stand. One of the scouts ran beside him. On reaching the spot, he left his horse with the scout and climbed the hill on the left to get a view of the enemy.
It was some time before he was able to distinguish them. When he first caught sight of them they were picking their way very slowly and cautiously along the bank of the river. They numbered, as nearly as he could guess, about three hundred men—a force which, mounted, armed with rifles, and used to warfare, represented terrible odds against fewer than two hundred raw levies, on foot, and without firearms.
Small though their numbers were, however, and in spite of their imperfect training, Challis had no reason to be dissatisfied with the spirit of his men. Before he regained the bottom of the hill the whole of his force were already on the spot, so closely and eagerly had they followed in his footsteps. Their ranks were in better order than he had expected, and he praised them warmly, hoping fervently that their morale would stand the shock of the imminent conflict.
Losing no time, he drew them up in order of battle. With the swamp on his right and the hill on his left, there was no necessity to protect his flanks. Across the space between hill and swamp he placed a hundred of his pikemen in two ranks of fifty each. He had still twenty pikemen—these he posted in reserve ten yards behind the rear rank, to deal with any horsemen who might break through. Of these John was placed in charge.
Of the sixty spearmen, who had six spears apiece, he arranged that thirty should advance in front of the line of pikes, cast their spears, and run back within the lines for shelter. The other thirty he posted in the bushes fringing the hillside, with orders to remain hidden until the leading ranks of the enemy had passed, and then to assail the rear ranks with a fierce shower of spears.
And then, having placed his horse behind a tall bush, he stood, rifle in hand, tense with anxiety, in the centre of the front rank of his expectant men.
If at that moment he could have been spirited away to England, he would have been glad. He had no liking for the soldier's trade, but here he was, here he must stand; if there was to be a fight, it was for liberty and peace.
The enemy advanced slowly down the bed of the stream. Not until their front ranks turned the corner of the hill did they become aware that opposition awaited them. They then saw a line of men drawn across the bed of the nullah on their right, with a white man in the centre.
They drew rein for a moment to take stock of the little force opposed to them. Realising how small it was, they burst into mocking shouts and charged. Challis had hoped for nothing better, knowing that spears were no match for firearms.
He blew his whistle. Fifty more pikemen trooped out from the bushes on the right, and formed a second line behind the first; twenty ranged themselves in a third line. Then, before the jeering horsemen had covered half the distance between the two forces, they saw themselves confronted by a triple line of bristling pikes, a kind of obstacle to which they were unaccustomed.
But they did not check their charge. Galloping on with furious shouts, they were within a hundred yards of the pikemen when a flight of spears from their left hurtled among their ranks. Carried on by their impetus, the horsemen dashed upon the pikes outstretched across their front. In some cases the riders, in others the unfortunate horses, were the victims.
Some penetrated the first line and the second, only to find still a third awaiting them. Meanwhile their comrades in the rear had been assailed by another shower of spears, and, led by Challis, the pikemen whose weapons had not been broken by the charge pressed forward on the now wavering ranks.
Then the thirty spearmen on the hill came into action, darting out upon the rear of the Tubus, hurling their spears, and following up with a charge. Assailed in front, flank, and rear, the Tubus lost heart, pulled their horses round, and galloped away in the only open direction, towards the stream.
Crowding one upon another in their haste, many of them urged their horses on to the swamp, unaware of its treacherous surface until the animals began to sink. Then the men sprang from the saddles in fright, abandoned horses, arms, food, and rushed headlong away, to escape the spears of their pursuers.
It was just at the moment when the flight began that the victors temporarily lost their leader. As one of the Tubus was wheeling his horse, he dealt a sweeping cut with his scimitar at the pikeman standing next to Challis in the line. Challis threw up his rifle and intercepted the blow, which drove a deep dent into the barrel. The force of the impact caused him to stagger against the horse's flank; he was thrown to the ground, and the horse, galloping off, dealt him a kick with one of its hind hoofs. His pith helmet was flattened on his head. It saved his life, but he lay stunned where he fell.
When he came to himself, he found John bending over him, with a score of the negroes in a silent, anxious group behind.
"Where are they?" were his first words.
The negroes shouted with joy when they saw that the man who had taught them "medicine" was still alive. John pointed to the swamp.
"Ober dere, sah," he said. "Bad fellas all gone smash."
Challis raised himself on his elbow. He saw struggling horses, dismounted Tubus, some fleeing over strips of firm ground, others plunging deeper into the morass, with the victorious negroes swarming around them.
"Enough!" cried Challis, anxious to avoid slaughter now that his object was achieved.
He blew a shrill blast on his whistle. Most of the men turned and came hastening towards him.
"Bring off the rest, John," he said. "They are not to fight any more. Get ropes and save the wretches who are sinking in the bog."
The fighting ceased. Some of the negroes took ropes, hurled them towards the struggling Tubus, and hauled them to dry land. The prisoners expected to be butchered, the rescuers to be ordered to slay them. Both were equally surprised when John, at Challis's command, shouted that the Tubus were to be spared. The negroes could not understand why mercy should be shown to a merciless enemy, but Challis saw gladly that they obeyed him.
"Take them near the cave, and set a guard over them," he said. "We will teach them another sort of medicine."
Rising painfully, he surveyed the field. Some sixty Tubus would hunt no more slaves, burn no more villages. Many horses had been captured, together with swords, firearms of various kinds, and ammunition. The victory had been won at small cost.
Challis ordered that the wounded Tubus should be treated exactly like those of his own force. Then, feeling sick and dizzy, but proud of his men, and rejoicing in the success of his first blow for liberty, he went back to the cave, amid lusty shouts from the warriors and shrill cries from the women and children.