WILD PIKE.
Before breakfast on the following morning, Scarfe, in fulfilment of a long-standing engagement with a college friend to spend a day with him, rode off to catch the train at Overstone, and consequently was not present when the post arrived, and with it a telegram from London for Mr Rimbolt. Raby, who had been on the watch, could scarcely allow her uncle time to examine its contents before claiming it; and had it contained bad news, the chance of breaking them would have been out of the question. But it did not contain bad news. On the contrary, as Raby devoured the few official lines she became radiant with pride and happiness. The telegram was a copy of a dispatch received the evening before at the War Office:--
"News is to hand of a sharp brush with the Afghans on the 4th inst. at ---, two days" march from Kandahar. About mid-day the--Hussars, commanded by Major Atherton, in advance of the main body, encountered and dislodged from a defile on the right bank of the river a considerable body of the enemy, who fled to the plain. It becoming evident the enemy was at hand in force, a battery of field guns was pushed forward, under the escort of a troop of Hussars; and the main body followed in two columns. The cavalry meanwhile, having cleared the defile and chased the enemy into the plain beyond, became involved in a desperate scrimmage, the Afghans having descended in full force into the plain with the evident intention of cutting them off from the main body.
Major Atherton, completely hemmed in, made a desperate stand, in which upwards of twenty of his men perished, the gallant officer himself having his horse shot under him. The guns meanwhile, escorted by Captain Forrester, of the--Hussars, gained the head of the defile, where they were immediately surrounded by the enemy. A brilliant resistance here ensued, in which more than half of the escort were killed in their effort to save the guns. Towards the end, Captain Forrester nearly single-handed kept the enemy at bay until the cavalry, breaking through, and joining forces with the two columns of the main body as they emerged on the plain, effectually turned the position and saved the guns. The loss of the enemy was very considerable, and it is considered that this action clears the way to Kandahar, which the troops are expected to occupy in two days without further resistance. Our loss, considering the perilous position of the cavalry and gunners, was comparatively slight. Captain Forrester at the last moment fell after a resistance as heroic as any witnessed in the course of the campaign. Major Atherton received a scratch on the wrist; which, however, is not likely to disable him even temporarily. The main body never came into action at all, and suffered no casualties. A full list of the killed and wounded is appended."
Jeffreys, who found himself almost as eager for news as if he had been personally interested, found it difficult to wait patiently until Mr Rimbolt came after breakfast to the library.
"Is there news from the war?" he asked.
"Yes--good news, Miss Atherton has the telegram. Her father took part in a very brilliant engagement a day or two ago, which appears to have cleared the way to Kandahar. He was scratched, but not seriously."
Jeffreys received this good news with great satisfaction. It was a relief to him to hear it in the first instance not from Raby"s lips, for he never knew what to do or say on such occasions.
"Miss Atherton must be very proud," said he, returning to his work.
He was not, however, destined to remain long undisturbed. Raby, radiant and excited, entered the library a few minutes later.
"Mr Jeffreys," said she, "such splendid news. Has uncle told you? I thought you would like to read the telegram; here it is."
Jeffreys looked his congratulations as he took the paper.
"Read it aloud, Mr Jeffreys," said the happy girl, "I should like to hear how it sounds." Jeffreys smiled and began to read; Raby, who knew it all by heart, seeming to check off every word.
Suddenly, however, in the middle of the narrative the reader started and changed colour, and became unaccountably breathless.
"The guns meanwhile, escorted by--" he had got so far.
""Captain Forrester of the--Hussars." Go on," said Raby.
It needed all his self-command to finish the reading, and when he came to the end and handed back the paper, Raby perceived that his hand shook and his face was deadly pale.
"Why, what is the matter, Mr Jeffreys?" said she, suddenly alarmed herself; "it is good news, isn"t it? and he has only got a scratch!"
"Yes, it is good news; and I congratulate you."
"But you look--perhaps you know some one who has been killed. You never told me you had any friend out there."
"I have not. I think I must be not quite well; will you excuse me?"
And he went out into the open air, leaving Raby very much perplexed and concerned. She was relieved, however, to see him half an hour later starting off with Percy for what, to judge by their mountain boots and the luncheon box strapped across Jeffreys" shoulders, promised to be a long walk.
Jeffreys" first sensations on finding himself alone had been those of stupefaction. Although all that he knew of Forrester"s father was that he had been in India, it never occurred to him now for a moment that the gallant officer mentioned in the telegram could be any other than the father whom he had so cruelly and irreparably wronged. And now once more he seemed suddenly face to face with his crime. He saw before him that fatal scene in the Bolsover meadow; he heard his comrades" howl of execration and saw the boy"s white face on the gra.s.s turned up to meet his. It seemed but yesterday. Nay, it seemed all to be there that moment; he could feel the keen breeze on his cheek; his eye rested on the boy"s cap where he had flung it; he was conscious of Mr Freshfield"s look of horror--he could even see twenty yards away the football lying idle between the goals.
Strange, that the doubtful mention of an officer"s name should call it all up thus! But so it was. He even seemed half guilty of that gallant death in Afghanistan. Had he not wronged him worse than death? and now if anywhere the friendless boy, whose whole hope was in his father, should read those lines and find himself orphaned as well as crippled!
Jeffreys in his misery groaned aloud.
"Hullo," said Percy, in the path before him, "you in the blues too!
What a jolly sell! Here am I as miserable as an owl, and everybody I meet"s miserable too. Scarfe"s gone to Sharpfield, and won"t be back till late. Raby"s so taken up with her precious telegram that she won"t look at me. Ma and Mrs Scarfe, have bagged the pony trap and Appleby, and now you"re looking as if you"d just been hung."
"What are you in the blues about?" said Jeffreys, brightening up a bit.
"Oh, everything. It"s so slow here, nothing to do. Can"t play games all day, and you won"t let me smoke, and the library hasn"t a single story worth reading, and it"s beastly cold; and upon my word," said the boy, who was genuinely miserable, "I"d as soon go and sit on the top of Wild Pike as fool about here."
"The best thing you could do--I"ll go and sit with you," said Jeffreys.
"What!" said the boy, "do you mean it? Will you come?"
"Of course I will; I have nothing special to do to-day, and I"ve never been up a mountain in winter before."
"We shall get a splendid view. Sure it won"t grind you?" said the boy, who, under Scarfe"s influence, had come to look upon every exertion as a thing to be shirked.
"My dear fellow, I shall enjoy it, especially with you," said Jeffreys.
"Hurrah--bring Julius too--and I"ll get some grub to take. It"s only ten now, and it"s not dark till after four, so we have a good six hours."
A few minutes later they started, Percy leaving word for his mother that they were going for a long tramp, and would be back for dinner.
It was a perfect winter"s day. The air was keen and frosty and promised magnificent views. The wind was not strong enough to be benumbing, and the sun overhead was cheering and now and then even warm.
"Hadn"t we better take overcoats, in case it comes on cold at the top?"
said Jeffreys as they were starting.
"Oh no--they"re a frightful grind to carry, and we are sure to be baked before we get up."
"I think I will take mine," said Jeffreys, "and it will be no bother to carry yours."
Percy protested, but, luckily for them, Jeffreys carried his point.
Wild Pike was one of those mountains, not uncommon in that district, which are approached from the back by a long gradual slope, but on the front present a scooped-out precipitous face, as if broken in half on that side.
It was this steeper side which faced Wildtree, and Percy would have scorned to approach the monster from any other quarter. From where they stood the narrow path zigzagged for about one thousand feet onto one of the upper shoulders of the mountain. Following this, the track brought them to what seemed like the basin of some old volcano hollowed out under the summit.
It was necessary to cross this depression, and by a narrow ledge at the foot of the great cliff gain the other side, where another zigzag ascent brought them onto the rocky slope leading over a quarter of a mile of huge boulders to the summit.
The pa.s.sage across the face of the mountain was the most difficult part of the ascent. It lay along a narrow ledge hanging, so it seemed, half- way down the perpendicular cliff which rose out of the hollow, crater- like basin sheer up to the summit.
It was tolerably level, but the narrowness of the track and the precipitous height above and below called for a cool head and a steady foot. In frosty weather like the present it needed special caution, and every step had to be carefully judged on the treacherous path. However, they pa.s.sed it safely. Julius alone seemed to find it difficult. The dog was strangely awkward to-day.
He slid about where the others walked steadily, and whimpered at obstacles which they seemed scarcely to heed.
"Now for the grub," cried Percy, as they landed safely on the other side. "I say, Jeff, I call that something like a mountain, don"t you?
I"m quite sorry we"re over the worst of it, aren"t you?"
"We"ve got the view to see yet," responded Jeffreys.
"We shall be up in half an hour."