In an instant they were both on their feet, Roy tugging on the lever, Ken bracing all his weight on the big rock.
It moved, it rolled slowly over, seemed to pause a moment on the edge of the bank, then suddenly shot forward. Ten feet below, it alighted on the slope, rebounded, and at the same time started half a dozen other stones.
In a moment a rock avalanche was roaring down the steep. The great stone led the way. In a series of gigantic leaps, each longer than the last, it thundered downwards, at each jump starting fresh tons of the loose shale which covered the bank.
A cloud of dust rose like smoke, and hid all below. Then from out the cloud came squeals and shrieks.
In their excitement, Ken and Roy actually forgot to send fresh stones to follow the first. There was no need. When the dust cloud cleared, one mule which had broken loose was galloping madly across country, the rest were down and dead.
The gun, dismounted, was half buried in a pile of shale which lay feet deep across the road. Of the men, not one remained. Most were not only dead, but buried. Two only lay clear, and to all appearance they were as dead as their companions.
Roy looked at Ken.
"What you might call a clean bit of work," he said, but though he tried to smile, there was something like awe in his voice.
"Yes. A ten-inch sh.e.l.l could hardly have done more," Ken answered. "Poor beggars! It"s rather ghastly wiping "em out like that, but one has got to remember that that gun would have probably finished ten times the number of our chaps if they"d got it into position.
"We"d better go down," he added. "We may find a couple of rifles, and I"ll lay we shall need them before we reach our own lines."
It was an awkward job to get down the bank, for the shale was so loose it kept breaking away under their feet. They had to go quickly, too, for there was every chance of fresh reinforcements or more guns coming up the road.
Fortunately no one else appeared, and in a very few minutes they were busy hunting among the pile of rocks for rifles that had escaped injury. They found three, but only one was serviceable. The sights of the others were damaged. They also found food. It was bread, dark-looking and very stale, and goats" milk cheese.
But they were far too hungry to be particular. They stuffed it into their pockets.
At that moment came a deep groan from among the rocks.
Ken swung round sharply.
"There"s one of "em alive in there," he said quickly, "we can"t leave the poor beggar to die by inches."
[Ill.u.s.tration: "A rock avalanche was roaring down the steep."]
He began rolling the stones aside, and guided by the groans he and Roy soon pulled out a youngish Turk and laid him on the side of the road.
Ken examined him quickly.
"He"s got off cheaply," he said. "Nothing broken--nothing the matter, so far as I can see, except bruises and a cut on the head. Give him a drop of your brandy, Roy."
As Roy unscrewed the stopper, the Turk"s eyes opened, and he stared up at his rescuers in blank amazement.
"Englishmen!" he muttered.
Roy put the flask to his lips, but he shook his head.
"Water," he said in Turkish.
"It"s against his religion to drink wine or spirits," Ken explained to Roy, and put his own water-bottle to the man"s lips.
"I thank you," said the Turk with grave courtesy. He sat up and looked round at the ruin on the road.
"We did not know that your guns were near enough to drop sh.e.l.l upon us,"
he said. "Nor had we any notion that your troops had advanced so far inland.
"Well, it is Allah"s will," he continued resignedly. "And our fate for being driven into an unjust war. I am your prisoner."
"We don"t want any prisoners," Ken answered with a smile, and at his fluent Turkish the man"s dark eyes opened in evident surprise. "You are free."
The Turk stared.
"Then you are separated from your own regiment," he said keenly, and by his accent and language, Ken realised that he was a man of some education.
Ken did not answer.
"Your pardon, effendi," said the Turk. "I did not mean to ask idle questions. I thank you for your kindness, and I wish you happiness."
"Come on, Ken," broke in Roy, who was scanning the country uneasily. "We are right out in the open here. That chap will be all right. Let"s get into that wood as sharp as we can."
"One moment," said Roy, and turned to the Turk.
"If you care to do us a good turn, tell us the nearest way back to Gaba Tepe."
The Turk pointed up the road.
"That is the nearest way, but, I need not tell you, the most dangerous.
Our lines lie between here and the British. You must wait for the darkness of the night or you will for a certainty be captured. My advice to you is to conceal yourselves among the trees in the wood, and wait until the sun shall have set."
"I thank you," said Ken courteously. "Is there anything else in which we can a.s.sist you?"
"There is nothing, I thank you. I will rest a while, then move onwards. In the name of the Prophet, I wish you a safe journey."
"What tale was he pitching you?" said Roy impatiently, as he set off at a great rate for the wood opposite.
"He advised us to lie up for the rest of the day, and try to slip through their lines at night."
Roy grunted. "And I suppose he"ll watch where we go and set his pals on us as soon as they come along."
"He will do nothing of the sort," Ken answered rather hotly. "For goodness" sake, don"t go judging the Turk by the German, Roy. That fellow considers that we have done him a favour, and nothing would induce him to betray us."
"Sorry I spoke," said Roy briefly, "but you were so long I was getting into a horrid stew. Even now, one can"t tell whether we"ve been spotted, and it isn"t likely that the next German who comes along is going to be kind to us when he sees what we"ve done to his nice new gun."
No more was said until they reached the wood and flung themselves panting under the shade of a scrubby live oak.
"Now we can take a bit of a breather," said Roy. "And a bit of lunch, too.
Here, catch!" He flung a chunk of bread across to Ken.
But Ken had sprung up. He was listening keenly.
"Bunk!" he muttered. "There"s cavalry coming."