“Here, you,” I whispered, “wake up!” and I shook and shook the sentry roughly, making him spring up and make a snatch at his rifle.
“Thank ye,” he said. “I say, I was nearly dropping off to sleep.”
“Very,” I said dryly; “but keep awake now. My man here has just brought in news that the enemy are coming on down the pass.”
“What—for a night-attack?”
“Yes.”
“The beasts!” he cried, and he raised his rifle to fire and give the alarm.
“No, no,” I said; “don’t fire unless you see them. I’ll go and give the alarm. Stand fast till reinforcements come.—Here, Joeboy, bring your load into camp.”
I led the way straight to the Colonel, being challenged twice before I reached the side where he, in company with his officers, lay sleeping in their horsemen’s heavy cloaks.
All sprang up at once, and each started to rouse his following, with the result that in a few minutes the whole force was under arms and divided in two bodies to join the line of sentries who paced up and down the pass.
It was only now I became aware of the Colonel’s plan of strategy, which was to defend the position as long as seemed wise, and then for each line to fold back, making the pivot of the movements the ends of the lines by the niche in the hillside where the horses were sheltered. Then, on the performance of this evolution, there would be a double line facing outward for the defence of the horses, in a position enormously strong from the impossibility of there being any attack from flanks or rear.