At the same moment Gedge’s hand stole forward and touched his leader’s arm, when Bracy softly turned his head, to see his follower holding his revolver in his right hand, signing as if asking should he use it.
Bracy did not delay his silent reply, for, quick as lightning, he had realised that in another few moments they would be forced to fight in defence, and that it was far better to take the initiative and make the enemy believe that they had fallen into an ambuscade.
He gave a short nod, raised his own revolver, glanced at Gedge to see that he was ready, and then roared at the top of his voice:
“Fire!”
Gedge’s shot followed his sharply, and then in rapid succession they fired again and again till a dozen bullets had gone hurtling over their sheltering rock amongst the trees, and then, springing up, they fixed bayonets with a rattle, and stood ready to fire again; but not an enemy was visible to charge or be shot down.
For at the word “Fire!” the chief had made a sudden bound from the stone, upon which he had sat, and rushed at his men, who turned and fled at full speed away in the direction from which our adventurers had come: and for the next few minutes Bracy and Gedge stood listening as they recharged their revolvers, hearing the distant crackling and rustling of leaf and twig till all was still.
“Think they’ll rally, Gedge?” said Bracy at last.
“Not them, sir: it was too much of a scare, and so sudden. It’s hard work to start these beggars running, but once you do get ’em on the move it’s twice as hard to stop ’em.”
“You are right,” said Bracy quietly.