A SPLENDID REVENGE.

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume VII, Issue 6, 1 March 1903, Page 433

A SPLENDID REVENGE.

By P. B. CROUCH

IpJIjiHE scorching- rays of the J|||y| Indian sun were eating *M nfc their way into every crevice *V-I< and corner, and even the shady side of the old Fort wall of Mudulla was hardly the place for a cool nap. The men of the English Regiment stationed there were very much in undress, while the native grooms and servants, men inured to the Indian summer, had sought the shade. Hardly a creature moved inside the courtyard, and the only living things upon the arid and dried-up plain were a few transport bullocks, that wallowed in a slimy lagoon, the only water of the Nulhi stream which had, so far, braved the summer sun. Towards evening the heat became less strong, and a light breeze fanned some life into the weary and wan faces of the men newly out from, the Depot, whose first experience of an Indian summer was rather a trying one. As soon as this change made itself felt the officers strolled out into the courtyard and up the steps to the turret of the old Fort, where chairs had been placed around a large table which supported several bowls of cooling drinks and a box of line cigars. The company seated themselves and were in a heated discussion on the merits of India and other Eastern countries, when a footstep sounded on the stone steps, and Morley, the senior Major, made Ms appearance, still dusty and travelstained. The conversation stopped abruptly, and they all leaned for ward that they might not miss anything which the Major might say. The reason for this was that the Vol. VII.— No. 6.— SB.

regiment had been without a colonel for some weeks, and it was only the day before that Morley had proceeded to headquarters to conduct a newly-appointed man to Mudulla. " I say/ whispered a young sub., " I wonder how old Morley liked acting the attendant to the new colonel. 1 hear that he has practically stepped into Morley' s shoes. '' " And they say he's a young man, too/ returned the officer addressed. " Rather rough on the Major, but I say, ask him how lie likes the new colonel/ Just then Captain Thomkins broke in, " Well, Morley, how do you like the new boss ? Who is he ; have you known him before ?" " I should rather say so/ returned the Major. " Why I was in the same regiment, but was myself shifted when he won his commission/ " Won his commission/ interrupted the Surgeon ; " why I know Colonel Clere to be a 'Varsity man ; are you sure he was once a private V " Yes, Cartwright, he was a ranker once, but all the same a 'Varsity-bred man. He never went through Sandhurst or any other academy ; he won his way from the ranks, and at last by a gallant action, got his commission, together with a V.C. and a young lady of high standing whom he never expected to meet again/ " Why, it's quite a romance, Major, and as you seem to know all about it, you had better, spin the yarn. I suppose you were with the regiment at the time V* said Captain Thomkins. ■"' Well, to tell you the truth," re-

plied Morley, " 1 was very much with the regiment. In fact, I was the man who mixed up Clere' s love affair with Miss Delavel ; that was the young lady's name."

"Then out with it all like a good, fellow. 1 don't suppose it'll do any harm/ said the Surgeon.

" I'm sure it won't improve my character/ returned Morley, laughing- ; " but it'll give you an idea of your future commander, so I'll trust you with the history. You may think what you like, but 1 know I acted like a fool, and that Sergeant Clere— he was an N.C.O. at the time — acted like a true gentleman, and afterwards saved my life from the hands of a horde of bloodthirsty savages. It was up on the higher slopes of the Himalayas, ' and a miracle it was that the whole column was not destroyed, but perhaps I had better start at the beginning.

All present assented, and after they had lit their cigars, and the Major had quenched his thirst, he began :

" It was soon after I joined the old Lowlandshire Kegiment that I was first introduced to Miss Delavel, who was a very handsome and accomplished young lady, and only daughter of the baronet of that name, who was at one time a commissioner in Burmah, and a great friend of my father's. She was always surrounded by a large number of suitors, but was to all the same ; and though urged by her father to marry one or other of the wealthy and titled young men about her, she allowed his advice to go unheeded. I was on as good terms with her as any of the rest, and tried to get into a more favourable position, but we were all rather startled when we heard rumours that all tine time she was very much in love with a young fellow who had recently returned from the Cape.

" The baronet favoured my suit, but I got no further, and when I heard I had to proceed to India

with my regiment, I determined to raise the siege and leave the field open for the ' Africander '—our pet name ior the favoured one. Tic was never seen at Delavel's house, as old Delavel was averse to his (laughter marrying one out of the pale of society. But here he made a big mistake, for we afterwards learned that Clere— that was the fellow's name— was an Oxford man, and had only been to South Africa to take over a large property left him by his uncle. Anyway, the Baronet knew nothing of this, and would not sanction the engagemeant.

" Just as I was about to leave England a very unexpected event happened, for young Clere, who seemed to have all the running to himself, was put out of action. It was this way : Clere went boldly to the Baronet and pleaded his suit, and told him of his splendid property and prospects. Delavel was pleased with his manner, and certainly saw liis finances were good, so he promised to consider the matter. Next day poor Clere got news, not that he was rejected — oh, no ; but that his mining shares were involved in the breaking of a South African bank, and that he was almost penniless. Old Delavel was very wild at the time, and declared that poor Clere knew that his fortune was gone when he asked for Miss Delavel. Of course Clere was in the right, and made up his mind to struggle on and win the approval of the Baronet. But another blow came, for old Delavel gave Clere to understand that he would never give him permission to marry his daughter, and told him, in fact, that I was her affianced husband. At that time I did mot know the ' Africander/ even by sight ; and one day, while telling some brother officers I hoped to call the Baronet my father-in-law, he happened to be near, and heard the conversation. This, together with the Baronet's direct refusal, seems to have temporarily crushed his spirit. He left the district and enlisted in the

Army, believing himself to be left in the cold, even by the lady he loved. " By chance he was drafted into the very regiment in which I. held my commission, and I soon began to see that he had found out who I was, and not knowing his frank and honest nature, I was suspicioius of him, and in many ways made the barrier between us wider and wider, which is saying a good deal, as we were naturally separated by that gulf which divides the ranker from the commissioned officer. As to Miss Delavel, she remained as true as ever to her old love, even though her father was greatly put out, and gave her no chance to sec or hear anything of Clere.

" Backed up by the Baronet, 1 proposed, and was quickly told my fate, though, of course, Miss Delavel and I remained on very good terms.

"As to poor Clere's feelings about the matter, all I can gather is that he gave up hope and banished her from his mind.

" This was about the state of affairs when the regiment was ordered to India.

" We went out by the troopship ' Terry/ I fancy some of you fellows know the old tub ; anyway we arrived safe in Bombay just in time to lave a chance of some fighting. I must not forget to mention that during the voyage Private Clere was rather badly treated by his comrades, but he soon won their respect by his never failing energy and spirit, combined with his natural ability to rise over difficulties.

" I think it was owing to his being better educated and smarter that he was molested at first, be this as it may, these qualities won him his sergeant's stripes ere we landed in Bombay. In his new position he did not give himself airs, but earned the respect of the officers, and made himself a champion of the men, whose rights he stuck up for. We had barely time to settle down in quarters before the order came to prepare for

active service, as we were going to accompany a small column, which was proceeding to the hill districts to punish some raiding tribe. Rather a paltry affair some of you young subs, may think, but I can tell you that there is often more hard work and danger when you are with such a force, but very seldom much show for promotion. Not the sort of warfare you might care for, no dashing soldiering, but hard marching, bad weather, treacherous foes, and all this in rough country composed of rocky hills, covered with loose boulders and tangled scrub. We had two British Infantry

Regiments and a Mounted Company of the Lowlandshire Regiment, to which I was attached, for a party of our men were formed into mounted infantry. The rest of the troops were purely native. As we were possibly to proceed far beyond the frontier we had a very numerous transport and baggage train, slow vehicles enough even on a paved street. Sergeant Clere was in my company of mounted infantry, bub acted as sort of mounted orderly to the field officer commanding the column.

" It was weary work toiling over the roughly-beaten tracks, hurrying on the crawling teams of bullocks, and trying to instil life into the lazy native drivers. Clere was just the man for this sort of work ; he won the hearts of the toilers and also their respect, for he was always ready to spring from his horse and haul on a drag rope, or put his shoulder to a waggon. I can see the sight now, the weary column struggling up a long slope one sultry afternoon. It has always clung to my recollection as a memorable scene. The long straggling line of transport waggons, guns and men, crawling up the mountain slope, needing all the energy and support of those in command to get the weary men and still wearier bullocks to move at even a snail's pace. So far we had not encountered any of the enemy. They were doubtless only waiting

for us to draw further into the rough hill-country, > where we could not deploy in regular fashion. We were all tired of the long marches, th^ hot days, the cold nights and the everlasting sameness of the whole proceedings, and longed for a sight of the tribesmen. " One afternoon, as I rode to the head of the column, 1 observed a deep rift in the range of hills ahead, and then I knew that, for a time at least, we could rest, for this was the pass that we had to occupy ere the wily tribesmen could man the position. So the little army brightened up, the; British regiments trudged steadily- along, the native battalions swung briskly past, and the heavy ammunition and transport waggons, drawn by an army of bullocks, wound like centipedes'among the low hills!, and far in the rear a little body of native troops acted as the rear-guard of the force.

" But before I "tell you any more of the fighting in the hills I must go back and relate an incident which occurred just before the column left headquarters. One day I happened to be going out to inspect some new transport waggons. Just as I got to the gate of the courtyard I found a letter lying in the roadway. To my surprise I noticed that it was addressed to Miss Delavel, in England. I did not post it on, for I knew that the Baronet) and his daughter' were en route for India, and that I should see them shortly, so I put the letter in my box and thought no more about it, meaning to deliver it on their arrival. I felt that I ought really to -try and find the sender, but as there were hundreds of British officers in the town, 1 guessed it would be a hopeless task unless I advertised. This I was; loath to do, as the; sender might not thank me, so I retained the letter for the time being. " We reached the Pass in safety, and after the camp was formed the infantry occupied the position, which was a strong one, and would

have cost us many lives had the enemy forestalled us. As our men were mounted, they were not called on to do infantry duties, but a detachment was sent out in the direction of the enemy to discover, if possible, their strength. I was picked to command this small party of scouts, who numbered in all twenty men. As soon as day broke we started off in the direction of some low hills from which position we might obtain a view of the country beyond. I rode ahead with two privates, while the rest of my command followed some distance in the rear, under the charge of Sergeant Clere, who was N.C.O. under me. Proceedings at a walk, it was some time ere we neared the hills. As we commenced mounting the first slopes I became aware that the enemy were in the vicinity, for 1 observed that small earthworks of boulders had. been erected to cover sharpshooters. You may think we were foolish to have come so far from the camp, but the commander himself thought the enemy were not within thirty miles of the Pass, as we had not seen a native village for days, and the country seemed bare of inhabitants. I at once halted my command, and ordered them to proceed on foot-, leaving four men in charge of the horses. I was, no doubt, foolish to press forward, but I. had hopes ot capturing some native who might be able to give us some information.

" The ground became rougher and our advance more difficult, and I was about to give the order to fall back, when a trooper on my right drew my attention to a figure that lay as if asleep under a large bush. I gave the word and we both rushed to grab our man. He sprang to his feet and made at me with a long knife. " I avoided his rush, as I feared to use my revolver, lest it might draw the attention of other undesirable natives, but my precaution was a failure, for the man who was glaring at us, knife in hand,

sent out a yell which drew the mountaineers from every corner and bush on the slope. I beat back the nearest and shouted to my troopers to run. We retreated steadily, and had almost gained the horses when I put my foot in a hole, twisted my ankle, and fell. Seeing this the tribesmen made a rush, and it was all I could do to get on my knees and fire. Several of the troopers, now mounted, tried to reach me, but were shot down. My revolver fire deterred the enemy for some time, but a rifle bullet struck me in the shoulder and I fell forward. As I did so the hillmen with knife and sword rushed in to finish me. I closed my eyes, for I was powerless to resist. Suddenly there was a whirl and a rush, and they scattered for an instant. In that instant I was saved ; a mounted man plucked me from the ground, and drawing me across the saddle in front of him, galloped through the surging horde of savages. We tore down the slope at a swooping pace, the clattering of the flyinghorse's hoofs almost drowned by the yelling of the savages, baulked of their helpless prey. The man held me firmly on the horse, and ] heard him murmur something. Turning my head, my eyes rested on the face of Sergeant Clere, who smiled grimly.

" I gasped out a few words of gratitude, and then suddenly began to lose consciousness, and as the horse dashed over the boulders at a furious pace, I seemed to sink lower and lower, and then there was a sickening crash and I knew no more.

" The next thing I remember was opening my eyes and seeing Dr. Owen — the same man who was in the regiment last year— beside me. I was in the hospital at headquarters and lying in a small private room. Owen was greatly pleased at my t return to consciousness, and told me I had been insensible for a week. Next day I felt much better, and asked the surgeon how T ii ad been saved. He gave me a full

account of the matter. After Sergeant Clere picked me up and dashed oft", he would have got safely away, but the horse, overburdened with the double weight, stumbled and fell, throwing us heavily to the ground. The noble Sergeant then took me in his arms, and ran for the lines amid a shower of slugs and bullets, which fortunately did not touch him. I asked if he was to get a V.C., and was told that he had been recommended for one, and that he would also be almost sure to obtain a commission. " Some weeks after, being fairly strong again, I determined to see my rescuer. I went across to the sergeant 's quarters and found Clere. T thanked him for his noble conduct and assured him of my intention to do all in my power to promote hi.s welfare. I also asked for his forgiveness for my past conduct in trying to wed the girl he loved. " ' Trying !' he exclaimed, ' Why I thought you were engaged at least V Thinking I was the favoured one, he had given up all hope. " I told him not to despair as the lady was on her way to India, and that T would forward his suit by every means in my power. " But he would not hear of it, and on my pressing him, lie said that in a fit of anger he had written to Miss Delavel, throwing her over for good, and that he had been bitterly sorry since for allowing his feelings to get the better of him. "I asked from what place he had written, and on his telling me, T had the satisfaction of drawing the letter I had found from my pocket and handing it to him. " He seemed dazed for a minute, and then, tearing the envelope and its contents in pieces, he grasped my hand. " I explained to him that I had judged it best to retain it, and hand it to Miss ttelavel on her arrival. " For a time poor Clere did not seem able to utter a sound, and when he did it was to thank Pro-

vidence that I had found and kept that letter.

them a full account of Sergeant Clere' s noble deed.

" To bring my story to a close, I cheered the good fellow up, and told him that now he had prospects of a V.C. and a commission, he must again enter the lists and ask for old DelaveFs consent. My whole heart was bent on making my deliverer happy, so on the arrival of the Delavels, I promptly saw the Baronet and his daughter, and gave

" The bravest and noblest man it has been my luck to know got his V.C. and a commission into the bargain. I need say no more about his love affair, for if you look down into the courtyard you will see our new colonel himself. The lady by his side was once the much admired Miss Delavel, but is now Mrs Colonel Clere."