“Have to get the beast kneeling when we climb down to him with the casualty,” opined the Colonel. “Better get him down here, I think. Doesn’t seem any decent place farther on,” and the camel was brought to an anchor and left to his own devices.
“By Jove, the poor beggar has come a purler,” said Captain Digby-Soames, as the two bent over the apparently unconscious man.
“Ever seen him at Kot Ghazi or Bimariabad?” inquired Colonel Decies.
“No,” said the Captain, “never seen him anywhere. Why—have you?”
“Certainly seen him somewhere—trying to remember where. I thought perhaps it might have been at the flying-school or at one of the messes. Can’t place him at all, but I’ll swear I’ve met him.”
“Manoeuvres, perhaps,” suggested the other, “or ’board ship.”
“Extraordinary thing is that I feel I ought to know him well. Something most familiar about the face. I’m afraid it’s a bit too late to—Broken ribs—fractured thigh—broken ankles—broken arm—perforated lungs—not much good trying to get him down, I’m afraid. He might linger for days, though, if we decided to stand by, up here. A really first-class problem for solution—we’re in luck,” mused Colonel Decies, making his rapid and skilful examination. “Yes, we must get him down, of course—after a bit of splinting.”
“And then the real ‘problem’ will commence, I suppose,” observed Captain Digby-Soames. “You couldn’t put him into my seat and fly him to Kot Ghazi while I dossed down with the camel and waited for you to come for me. And it wouldn’t do to camel him to that building which looks like a dak-bungalow.”
“No. I think you’ll have to stand by while I fly to Kot Ghazi and bring the necessary things for a temporary job, and then return and try to guide an ambulance waggon here. Oh, for an aeroplane-ambulance! This job brings it home to you pretty clearly, doesn’t it? Or I might first go and have a look at the alleged dak-bungalow and see if we could possibly run him over there on a charpoy[[30]] or an improvised camel-stretcher. It’ll be a ghastly job getting down. I don’t know that you hadn’t better stick to him up here while I go straight back for proper splints and bandages and so forth, and bring another chap too … Where the devil have I seen him before? I shall forget my own name next.”
[30] Native bed-frame.