"But man alive, that's impossible! We haven't three hundred men all told within a hundred miles of it. If we rushed them down for all we were worth three hundred couldn't hold off twenty thousand."
"Well no, and you'd never get there. But as it happens the Chief was only acting on something I had told him. It's a long story, and must keep. But the short of it is that Harry Appleton's two nephews--poor chap! he's gone himself--brought out an aeroplane--the one you saw outside: you might be sure it wasn't a service machine! By the merest accident they happened to see this Kalmuck force encamped, and after some pretty stirring passages which I'll tell you some other time, they blocked up the track just below the mine; it will keep the enemy busy for a while."
"Congratulate you," said the captain to Lawrence. "Not in the service, are you?"
"No."
"He is in training, Fenton," said the major with a smile. "By the help of his aeroplane he got me out of a very tight place, and I went down to the mine to see for myself how the land lay. An accident to the aeroplane kept me there for a day. When it was repaired we made a reconnaissance down the river. Near the mine there was a striking force of about a thousand men--as many as could operate with any effect on so narrow a track. Some thirty miles farther down we saw a couple of field guns being dragged up; and the main body of the enemy was still encamped at the mouth of the valley, waiting for the way to be cleared. It was a masterly notion to dynamite the rock; indeed, as far as I could see, Bob Appleton had left nothing undone to secure his position. Of course it's an uncommonly tight place; very likely nine fellows out of ten--or we'll say eight!--wouldn't have attempted to hold it: but you know the Appleton breed, Fenton: and if they can only stick it out for a week, as the Chief wishes, by George! the Government of India will have reason to say thank you."
"Your arm's paining you, I see," said Captain Fenton, as the major winced.
"Nothing to speak of. It was a bit of rank bad luck. Of course, seeing what the game was, I felt I must wire the Chief at once, and Lawrence offered to bring me here in his aeroplane. We came along swimmingly until we had got about half way: saw nothing of the enemy: and then rather suddenly struck a rabble of about two thousand men marching southward. We came down rather too low, to get a good look at them. They opened fire, and one of their shots tore my arm from shoulder to elbow. If we had made a straight course we shouldn't have met trouble: but naturally I wanted to pick up any information I could. Unluckily in going criss-cross we consumed a good deal of petrol, and when it became necessary to replenish the tank from the reserve cans, we found that they'd been bored with holes during our peppering; one was empty, in the other there were a few spoonfuls at the bottom below the level of the hole. This only lasted a few miles, and then we had to come down, in the hills yonder."
"Rough luck!" said Captain Fenton, turning sympathetically to Lawrence. "You must have felt pretty mad. How did you bring the machine in?"
"I happened to mention when we were talking things over that paraffin would do at a pinch, and the major said he was pretty sure they would have some here, and insisted on tramping over to get some sent up."
"Well, you see, he's got a game foot," said the major. "Sprained his ankle two days ago. My legs are sound, at any rate. But I was pretty dead beat before I got here, and was glad enough to borrow the mount of one of the men Narrain sent to meet me. He and the other fellow went on to keep Appleton company, and as soon as the paraffin was sent up, the aeroplane came flying in with the sowar on board as a passenger. He was bubbling with delight, and no doubt will be a hero among the men for the rest of his days."