Fix Bay'nets: The Regiment in the Hills

“He told you that?” cried Bracy eagerly.

“Yes, last night when I met him and he asked me about my scratch. Said he was proud of your case, for with some surgeons you would have died. Ha, ha! He looked at my arm the while, with his face screwed up as if he pitied me for not being under his hands. I say, he’s a rum chap, isn’t he?”

“He has been very good and patient with me,” sighed Bracy; “and I’m afraid I have been very ungrateful.”

“Tchah! Not you, old fellow. We’re all disagreeable and grumble when we’re knocked over. That’s only natural. Children are cross when they’re unwell, and I suppose we’re only big children. I say, heard the news?”

“News? No; I hear nothing here.”

“Poor old man! Well, the scouts have brought in news that two more tribes have been bitten with the idea that they want their ranks thinned a bit, and so they’ve joined the Dwats; so I suppose we shall have some warm work.”

“And I am lying here as helpless as a lump of lead. No; I did not hear.”

“Why, sir, I telled you all that only this morning,” broke out Gedge.

“Eh? Did you, my lad?”

“Yes, sir; d’reckly after breakfast.”

“So you did. I went to sleep afterwards, and it passed out of my memory. I’m getting weaker, I suppose.”

“Not you,” cried Drummond. “Here, I say, as I’m a cripple too, I shall come on more. What do you say to a game or two every day? Chess?”

Bracy shook his head.

“Of course not; chess is hard work. Well, then, draughts?”

Bracy shook his head again.

“Right; not much of a game. What do you say to dominoes? We’ve got a set of double doubles; regular big ones. Shall I bring ’em on?”

“No,” said Bracy decisively; “bring your field-glass, and come and sit at that window. You can command a good deal of the valley there.”

“What! and tell you all the movements I can make out? To be sure, dear boy. Now, I never thought of that. So I will. I’ll come on this afternoon, and you and I will criticise them all and see if we could have planned the beggars’ attack better. There, I promised your she-dragon of a nurse not to stay long, so off I go. Bye, bye, old chap; you’re beginning to look blooming. We’ll do some Von Moltke, and – ah! would you? I say, you are getting better. Larks – eh? But I was too quick for you.”

The young officer smiled and nodded merrily, and then went out of the room, Gedge opening the door for him, and slipping out after.

“Well, what is it?” said Drummond, as Gedge stood looking at him anxiously, and as if waiting for him to speak.

“Thought you was going to say something to me, sir, ’bout Mr Bracy there. Don’t speak so loud, or he’ll hear you.”

“Don’t matter if he does, my lad. We’re not conspiring against him. What did you expect me to say?”

“Something about that arm of his’n, sir, and about him trying to kick you just now.”

“Oh, pooh! nonsense! His arm had gone dead; and as for his kicking at me – well, we’re getting old friends now, and it was for a bit of fun.”

“Think so, sir?”

“Of course.”

“Then you wouldn’t tell the Doctor about it?”

“About that? Absurd! Here, you’re not up to the mark yourself, my lad.”

“Well, no, sir; can’t quite reach it yet; but I’m a deal better.”

“Full of fancies, that’s all. What! were you thinking that your master was a bit off his head?”

“Something o’ that sort, sir.”

“Then don’t think so any more. He’s fanciful enough without you beginning.”

“Then you don’t think it’s anything to mind?”

“No, of course not. I’m glad to see him getting so much stronger.”

Drummond nodded, and being in a good deal of pain, began to nurse his arm again, and tried whether whistling would soothe the sharp, gnawing ache which seemed to run from his wrist up to his shoulder.

Gedge waited till his footsteps died out, and then turned to go back to Bracy’s room.

“His is only a clean cut of a tullywor,” he muttered, “and’ll soon grow together. Different thing to a ragged bullet-wound right through the chest and back, or one like mine, right in the back. I don’t like the looks o’ all this, though; but he must know better than me, after seeing a lot o’ poor fellows cut down and shot; but I think I ought to tell the Doctor.”

He opened the door softly and went in, to find that Bracy had been watching for him anxiously.

“Here, Gedge!” saluted him.

“Yes, sir. Get yer a drink, sir?”

“No, no; I want to speak to you. I think I can trust you, Gedge?”

“Yes, sir; of course, sir. What yer want me to do?”

“Hold your tongue, my lad.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don’t tell the Doctor or Mrs Gee that I hit Captain Roberts on the back yesterday.”

“How could I, sir? Did yer?”

“Yes, yes,” said Bracy hurriedly. “Nor yet about my arm doing what it did.”

“No, sir, cert’n’y not; but I say, sir, you know, your arm didn’t do nothing but go to sleep.”

“Nor yet about my trying to kick Mr Drummond,” said Bracy, without heeding his fellow – sufferer’s words.

“Oh no; I shan’t say nothing to nobody, sir, unless you tell me to.”