George shared his meal with d.i.c.k and went off to the mule-lines. His charge sat alone in a shed with his face in his hands. Before his tight-shut eyes danced the face of Maisie, laughing, with parted lips.
There was a great bustle and clamour about him. He grew afraid and almost called for George.
"I say, have you got your mules ready?" It was the voice of the subaltern over his shoulder.
"My man"s looking after them. The--the fact is I"ve a touch of ophthalmia and can"t see very well.
"By Jove! that"s bad. You ought to lie up in hospital for a while. I"ve had a turn of it myself. It"s as bad as being blind."
"So I find it. When does this armoured train go?"
"At six o"clock. It takes an hour to cover the seven miles."
"Are the Fuzzies on the rampage--eh?"
"About three nights a week. Fact is I"m in acting command of the night-train. It generally runs back empty to Tanai for the night."
"Big camp at Tanai, I suppose?"
"Pretty big. It has to feed our desert-column somehow."
"Is that far off?"
"Between thirty and forty miles--in an infernal thirsty country."
"Is the country quiet between Tanai and our men?"
"More or less. I shouldn"t care to cross it alone, or with a subaltern"s command for the matter of that, but the scouts get through it in some extraordinary fashion."
"They always did."
"Have you been here before, then?"
"I was through most of the trouble when it first broke out."
"In the service and cashiered," was the subaltern"s first thought, so he refrained from putting any questions.
"There"s your man coming up with the mules. It seems rather queer----"
"That I should be mule-leading?" said d.i.c.k.
"I didn"t mean to say so, but it is. Forgive me--it"s beastly impertinence I know, but you speak like a man who has been at a public school. There"s no mistaking the tone."
"I am a public school man."
"I thought so. I say, I don"t want to hurt your feelings, but you"re a little down on your luck, aren"t you? I saw you sitting with your head in your hands, and that"s why I spoke."
"Thanks. I am about as thoroughly and completely broke as a man need be."
"Suppose--I mean I"m a public school man myself. Couldn"t I perhaps--take it as a loan y"know and----"
"You"re much too good, but on my honour I"ve as much money as I want.
... I tell you what you could do for me, though, and put me under an everlasting obligation. Let me come into the bogie truck of the train.
There is a fore-truck, isn"t there?"
"Yes. How d"you know?"
"I"ve been in an armoured train before. Only let me see--hear some of the fun I mean, and I"ll be grateful. I go at my own risk as a non-combatant."
The young man thought for a minute. "All right," he said. "We"re supposed to be an empty train, and there"s no one to blow me up at the other end."
George and a horde of yelling amateur a.s.sistants had loaded up the mules, and the narrow-gauge armoured train, plated with three-eighths inch boiler-plate till it looked like one long coffin, stood ready to start.
Two bogie trucks running before the locomotive were completely covered in with plating, except that the leading one was pierced in front for the muzzle of a machine-gun, and the second at either side for lateral fire.
The trucks together made one long iron-vaulted chamber in which a score of artillerymen were rioting.
"Whitechapel--last train! Ah, I see yer kissin" in the first cla.s.s there!" somebody shouted, just as d.i.c.k was clamouring into the forward truck.
"Lordy! "Ere"s a real live pa.s.senger for the Kew, Tanai, Acton, and Ealin" train. Echo, sir. Speshul edition! Star, sir."--"Shall I get you a foot-warmer?" said another.
"Thanks. I"ll pay my footing," said d.i.c.k, and relations of the most amiable were established ere silence came with the arrival of the subaltern, and the train jolted out over the rough track.
"This is an immense improvement on shooting the unimpressionable Fuzzy in the open," said d.i.c.k, from his place in the corner.
"Oh, but he"s still unimpressed. There he goes!" said the subaltern, as a bullet struck the outside of the truck. "We always have at least one demonstration against the night-train. Generally they attack the rear-truck, where my junior commands. He gets all the fun of the fair."
"Not to-night though! Listen!" said d.i.c.k. A flight of heavy-handed bullets was succeeded by yelling and shouts. The children of the desert valued their nightly amus.e.m.e.nt, and the train was an excellent mark.
"Is it worth giving them half a hopper full?" the subaltern asked of the engine, which was driven by a Lieutenant of Sappers.
"I should think so! This is my section of the line. They"ll be playing old Harry with my permanent way if we don"t stop "em."
"Right O!"
"Hrrmph!" said the machine gun through all its five noses as the subaltern drew the lever home. The empty cartridges clashed on the floor and the smoke blew back through the truck. There was indiscriminate firing at the rear of the train, and return fire from the darkness without and unlimited howling. d.i.c.k stretched himself on the floor, wild with delight at the sounds and the smells.
"G.o.d is very good--I never thought I"d hear this again. Give "em h.e.l.l, men. Oh, give "em h.e.l.l!" he cried.
The train stopped for some obstruction on the line ahead and a party went out to reconnoitre, but came back, cursing, for spades. The children of the desert had piled sand and gravel on the rails, and twenty minutes were lost in clearing it away. Then the slow progress recommenced, to be varied with more shots, more shoutings, the steady clack and kick of the machine guns, and a final difficulty with a half-lifted rail ere the train came under the protection of the roaring camp at Tanai-el-Ha.s.san.
"Now, you see why it takes an hour and a half to fetch her through,"
said the subaltern, unshipping the cartridge-hopper above his pet gun.
"It was a lark, though. I only wish it had lasted twice as long.
How superb it must have looked from outside!" said d.i.c.k, sighing regretfully.