Fix Bay'nets: The Regiment in the Hills

“Good-night, sir,” said Gedge, snuggling himself as close as he could, and nestling among the fir-needles. “Here,” he muttered; “and I was grumbling because I had to carry this here coat. Why, it’s a patent feather-bed, wool mattress, and blankets, all in one. Scrumptious! – How my trotters aches! – And if one comes supper-hunting he’ll wake us by pawing us about and sniffing. ‘Use your revolver then, only make sure of his head,’ he says. Just as if I was going to fire at his tail! I say, though, have bears got tails? I never see one at the ’Logical Gardens as had – and it don’t matter now. Well, this here is a change, and – and – ”

The next muttered word somehow stretched itself out thin, and into a long deep-sighing breath, which seemed to be the echo of another close at hand, and to have nothing to do with the cool breeze which rushed through the pines, making that soft peculiar sound as of the sea breaking upon a sandy shore; for the two adventurers, relieved of their loads, and tightly buttoned up in their poshtins, were sleeping the sleep of the weary through that long night, undisturbed by enemy, wild beast, or dream.

Chapter Twenty Six

Human Stalking

“Eh? Yes, sir. All right, sir? I’m awake. Didn’t know it was my turn to-night.”

“It is morning, Gedge,” said Bracy as he bent over his companion, whose face was just visible in the faint grey light which seemed to be creeping in beneath the fir-boughs.

“My word, sir, so it is! I thought I was being called for sentry-go. Nights seems precious short up here in the hills.” Bracy laughed.

“Oh no,” he said; “we’ve had a good long rest. Now, then. We must have our wash at the first stream we come to. Let’s get on at once.”

“Ready in a jiffy, sir. Seems a pity, though, not to have our breakfast, first.”

“Why?” said Bracy sharply as he slung on his haversack.

“Such a nice lot o’ dry wood to make a fire, sir.”

“To make tea or coffee, or to boil eggs, my lad?” said Bracy.

“Think o’ that, now! I forgot, sir. Seemed to come nat’ral for me to get your breakfast ready, sir. Think o’ that.”

In two minutes Gedge was as ready as his officer, and he finished off by shaking and beating the fir-needles off his poshtin, and stroking his very short hair down first with one hand and then with the other, so as to look as respectable and smart as he could when going on what he called parade.

“Forward!” said Bracy suddenly. “We’ll halt at the edge of the forest, and have a good reconnoitre, though it is not light enough for us to see far.”

Bracy was quite right; for as they cautiously advanced to the open they could see very little but the tall pyramidal peaks here and there, one of which stood out more clearly than the others, and served as a familiar landmark by which to steer for that day’s journey, another which Bracy had noted on the previous evening being set down as to be somewhere about the end of their second day’s march; but it was not visible yet, a pile of clouds in its direction being all that could be seen.

“Right. Forward!” said Bracy as he finished his careful look round. “Two hours’ good walk in this cool air, and then breakfast. To-morrow we must begin to look out for anything that will serve for our future meals, and use our rifles.”

“Not try at any of the villages?”

“Villages!” said Bracy, smiling. “By that time we shall be far above any villages, and up amongst the snow.”

“Right, sir; all the same to me. I love a bit o’ sport, though I never got no farther at home than rats.”

“Talk lower,” said Bracy. “Sound travels far when everything is so still.”

Striking to the right now, and keeping near the deep gully along which the river ran, Bracy sought for a spot where they could cross to the far side, and before long they came upon a rock-strewn part opposite to where another of the several streams joined it from the east. Here, with a little careful balancing and stepping from stone to stone, they had not much difficulty in crossing to the other side; where, the minor affluent being also crossed, their course was directed up its right bank to the north and east. The side of the little ravine being surmounted, a far wider scope of view was obtained, the mountain before hidden in clouds now showing its crest in the coming sun; and, satisfied as to the course he was to take, and marking it down by the little pocket-compass he carried, Bracy pointed to a sheltered spot amongst some scrub pine, and a halt was made for a short time for the promised breakfast.

Nothing could have been more simple, nothing more delicious. For the glorious mountain air gave a wonderful zest to everything; and in about a quarter of an hour they were ready to resume their journey, refreshed, in high spirits, and with their task in the bright morning sunshine, which glorified the wondrous panorama of snow-peaks, seeming to assume the aspect of a holiday trip.

“I’ll take one look round first,” said Bracy, “in case our friends of yesterday are anywhere upon our track;” and, before exposing himself, he drew out the little glass he had brought, and swept the sides of the valley they had ascended, then slowly turned his glass upon the ridge they had gained, following it to where it joined the main valley, and afterwards turned from the varied panorama of grassy upland forest and rock, over the boundary-line to where to his right all was snow – pure white snow, which looked deliciously soft, and sparked with a million rays.

“All seems clear, Gedge,” he said at last. “So let us start. That is to be our resting-place to-night, or as near to it as we can get.”

“That mountain with a big point and a little un, sir?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t seem half a day’s journey, sir. Everything’s so clear that things look close to yer. But I know better now. Ready, sir?”

“We’ll keep a little to the left, so as to get nearer to the snow, and where it seems easy walking we’ll take to it; but for the most part I shall keep to the division-line between the snow and the scrubby growth. It will be rough travelling; but we shall not have to cut our way through briars. I’ll lead now. Forward!”

They started at once, and soon found the journeying far more rough than either could have imagined, for what had looked in the distance a pebbly track was a slope burdened with blocks of shaley rock, which yielded to their tread, and slipped and rattled to such an extent that Bracy was glad to strike off higher still, towards the snow, which ran up in a beautiful curve towards one of the nearest mountains, round whose shoulder they could make a cut which would bring them out miles nearer their goal.

At the end of a couple of miles the bottom of the snow-slope was reached, and the line of demarcation was boldly marked, the flattened, broken stones ending at once, so that the leader stepped directly upon the dazzling crystals, which filled in all the little rifts and hollows, and treacherously promised smooth, easy going for miles. But Bracy was undeceived at the first step, for he plunged his leg to the knee in granular snow, as yielding and incoherent as so much sand. Withdrawing it, he walked on a few steps and tried again, to find the frozen particles just as yielding; while Gedge had the same experience.

“Not much chance o’ sliding and skating over this stuff, sir,” he cried.

“No. It is impossible. We should be done up at the end of a mile. We must keep to the rocks and stones.”

Bracy was looking wistfully at the soft, tempting-looking expanse, when a quick movement on Gedge’s part took his attention.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Didn’t you say we must soon be thinking of shooting something for rations?”

“Yes. But it is too soon yet. We don’t want anything more to carry. But what can you see?”

“Looks like a drove o’ somethings, sir – goats, I think – right across the snow yonder, where there’s a dark mark like rocks. I can’t quite make ’em out; for I dessay it’s a couple o’ miles away; but it’s moving.”

“Wait a moment,” said Bracy; and he got out his glass, set the butt of his rifle on a stone, and rested the glass on the muzzle, so as to get a steady look.

“I see nothing,” he said – “nothing but field after field of snow, with a few rocky ridges; and beyond them, rocks again, a long slope, and – Yes, I see now. Why, Gedge, man, there must be a couple of hundred.”

“Well, sir, we don’t want ’em,” said Gedge, on the fox and grapes principle; “and goat’s meat’s awful strong, no matter how you cook it.”

“Goats? Nonsense! Armed men, Gedge, for I could see the flashing of the sunshine off their weapons.”

“Phee-ew!” whistled Gedge. “See us, sir?”

“I hope not. But they are going in a direction which will take them right across our road just at the same time as we reach the spot.”

“That’s awk’ard, sir. But I thought we’d been getting high up here because there’d be no people to hinder us.”

“So I thought, my lad; but this is an exception. These people are crossing the mountain-passes, possibly to join the tribes besieging the fort.”

“And what about them yonder?” said Gedge, nodding to the right.

“What! You don’t mean to say that you can see more in that direction?”

As Bracy spoke he snatched out the glass he was replacing, and held it half-way to his eyes, for he did not need it. The object seen was too plain against the sky-line, where a few tiny figures could be seen, and trailing down a slope from them towards the east was a long, white, irregular line, which the glass directly after proved to be a strong body of followers.

“Same sort, sir?” said Gedge coolly.