“No speaker, sir,” said the Sergeant-Major gruffly; “but I should have been a proud man if I had had the drilling of such a body of men.”
“Oh, gentlemen, gentlemen,” said the young chief, “it is all imitation, and the teaching of an old non-com, whom I have had with me ever since I came back from England. Only too glad to have come in time. But I should like to say a few words to Major Knowle and Sir Charles Dallas before we retire to my boats.”
“Oh, we will talk about that by-and-by,” cried Captain Down. “I see they have been playing havoc here while we have been tricked and deluded into following no end of false and lying guides who professed to lead us to the place where Suleiman and his men were retiring before us. Come along. Good heavens! I had no idea that the Major had been pressed like this. The Residency gone, too! And look, Durham—it was time we came!”
The officers and the young Rajah quickened their steps across the parade-ground, dotted now with fallen Malays, wounded and dead in the final mêlée; and Captain Down uttered a groan as he ran to grasp the hand of his chief, who took a step or two forward by the help of his blunted and rusted sword, while the relics of the defenders stood round, cheering hoarsely and feebly, and trying to cheer again, but breaking down in the effort and lapsing into silence, each man craning forward eagerly to listen to what was said.
“We had no messages, sir, from headquarters, or we should have been back long before. All we could gather was that the Rajah was fleeing before us; and Durham was told the same. Here—the Sergeant too. He was led on and on by people who showed him the tracks of Suleiman’s elephants, and—”
“No more—no more,” said the Major hoarsely. “I knew you’d have come, and that there must be some good reason. I thank Heaven that it was no worse, for in my despair I was ready to agree with my true comrade here, Sir Charles Dallas, that each detachment had been led into some trap, and my brave lads slaughtered to a man. As you see, we have had pretty well to fight to the death, and I’m too weak and ready for the Doctor’s hands to grasp everything. I want to know, though,” he added feebly, “how it is that this brave little native force came to us at the last pinch and turned our defeat into a victory.”
“What! don’t you know, sir?” cried Captain Down excitedly.—“Here, Rajah Hamet, speak for yourself.”
“Rajah Hamet!” cried the Major and Sir Charles in a breath; and the young man took a step forward as the group of officers drew back to give him place.
“Oh, don’t say anything, Major,” said the young man, smiling. “I have always been your friend, but, somehow, your caution and the malignant lies and jealousy of an old enemy made you distrust me. But there, I remember a Latin saying at my English school. It was, to speak no evil of the dead.”
“The dead!” said Sir Charles, who looked startled.