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Charge! - A Story of Briton and Boer, a novel by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 36. The Use Of Muscles |
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_ CHAPTER THIRTY SIX. THE USE OF MUSCLES Some one wrote, "Circumstances alter cases." Everybody knows how true that is, and how often we have illustrations in our own lives. Here is one: to catch hold of a rope after jumping to it is wonderfully easy, and in our young days the sensation of swinging to and fro in a sort of bird-like flight through the air is delightful--that is to say, if the ground is so near that we can drop on our feet at any moment; there is no thought of danger as we feel perfect confidence in our power to hold on. It is a gymnastic exercise. But change the scene: be hanging at the end of the same rope, with the knowledge that a friend and comrade is in deadly peril, and that, though resting against a rocky slope which gives you foothold and relieves the strain on your muscles, there is beneath you a horrible chasm full of black water, hidden by the darkness, but lapping and whispering as if waiting to receive the unfortunate. It is then that the nerves weaken and begin to communicate with and paralyse the muscles, unless there is sufficient strength of mind to counteract the horror, setting fear at defiance. The best thing under these circumstances is to get the body to work, and make brain take the second place. In other words, act and don't think. I must confess that my endeavours during those perilous moments were quite involuntary; for it was in a kind of desperation that I got my toes upon a solid piece of the slippery rock and pressed myself against the steep slope for a few moments, listening to the firing, some of which sounded close, some more distant. Then, shouting to Denham to hold on, I glanced at the lamp, which was flaring bravely and giving a good light, but only at the expense of the rapidly melting fat. The next minute I was climbing as quickly as I could by the rope, and shuddering as I heard stone after stone go down, any one of which I knew might crash full upon Denham. There was no time to think--I was too hard at work; and, to my surprise, I found myself just beneath the long bridge-like piece of stone which had been laid across the opening to the shaft; while, by holding on to the rope with one hand and, reaching up the other to grasp the stone, I could see by the light which rose from below--reflected from the glistening wall, for the lamp was out of sight--that the rope was one of the strong tethering-reins, fastened round the stone as if for the purpose of lowering a bucket. The next minute I was seated on the stone, with my feet resting on the side of the shaft-hole, and drawing up the raw-hide rope hand over hand. After pulling up some feet of it I came upon a knot which felt secure, and I then hauled again till I came upon another, also well made. With the rope gathering in rings about my knees and behind me, I kept hauling till I came to knot after knot, all quite firm. I found that the rope was dripping with water, and knew that it had been just drawn out of the pool below. The end of the rope came to hand directly; and, with trembling fingers, my first act was to tie a knot a few inches up before doubling the strong raw-hide plait and tying it again in a loop, which I tested, and found I could easily slip it over my head and pass my arras through so as to get it beneath the armpits. I had the rope off again in a few seconds, held it ready, and shouted down to Denham, who had been perfectly still. "Now then," I cried; "can you hear what I say?" "Yes," came in a strange, hollow tone. "Look out! I'm going to lower you a rope with a loop all ready tied. Slip it over your head and under your arms." "Ah!" he said softly; and, as I rapidly lowered down the rope, though the tone seemed only like an expiration of the breath, it yet sounded firmer than that "Yes" of a few moments before. "I can't see, old fellow," I cried, when I had paid out what I thought must be enough; "but this ought to be near you now. Can you see it?" "Yes; but it is a dozen feet too high," he replied. "It won't reach me." "Yes, it will," I roared, for there was a despairing tone in those last words. "Plenty more. Look out!" I lowered away, and then shouted again: "That enough?" "Yes," he said, with a little more spirit in his tone; "it's long enough, but quite out of my reach--a couple of yards away, and I dare not move." "I'll swing it to and fro till it comes close. Look out! Here goes." I began to swing the rope; and as it went to and fro it sent small stones rattling down and then splashing into the water, making me shiver. But they evidently fell clear of Denham, who sent a thrill of encouragement through me when he now spoke more cheerily. "That's right," he said, and his words were repeated by the echoes. "A little more--a little more. No. Harder. It keeps catching among the stones. Give a good swing." I did as he told me, and then nearly let go, for he uttered a wild cry, almost a shriek. The next moment there was a peculiar rattling sound; the lamp flashed out brilliantly and lighted up the shaft; there was a sharp hiss, followed by a splash, and then all was in darkness. "Denham!" I yelled, and I let the rest of the rope run through my hands till it could hang taut, meaning to slide down it and go to his assistance, for I was sure that all depended upon me now. I was already changing my position, when--my sinking heart, which seemed to suggest that I was about to descend to certain death, giving a sudden bound, and I felt choking--Denham spoke again. "I couldn't stop the lamp," he said; "the rope caught it and knocked it off the ledge; but I've got hold." "Hurrah!" I suppose I shouted that word, but it came out involuntarily. Then I listened, my heart beating painfully, for I could hear the poor fellow moving now, but, as it seemed, sending stone after stone rolling and splashing into the water. However, nerved into action again, I did as he bade me, all the time fearing it was too late, for he shouted hoarsely: "Pull up, Val--pull! I'm going down." My hands darted one over the other, the slack seeming endless as I heard a low rushing sound mingled with the splashing of falling stones. Then there was a sharp jerk at my wrists, and the rope began to glide through my hands till I let one leg drop from where my foot rested against the edge of the shaft-mouth, and quick as thought flung it round the rope so that my foot and ankle formed a check; with the result that I was nearly jerked off my seat before the rope was stopped. "Ah!" came from below, and I heard no falling of stones now; but there was a splashing and dripping sound which for the moment I did not understand. Once more I thought all was over, for the rope seemed to slacken; but hope came again. "Pull up steadily," came in firmer tones; and, though I could not see, I supposed that Denham had drawn his feet from the water and was trying to climb up the rope. I knew it was so directly, for he spoke. "I've got the rope well under my arms," he panted out, "and if you keep hauling gently, I think perhaps I can climb up the side; but you must be ready for a slip. Can you pass it round anything?" "Yes," I said; and as the rope was eased I got both legs back into their position again, thus hindering my power of hauling dreadfully, but guarding against the rope being dragged down again rapidly by passing it over my right leg and under the left. "Are you sure you can hold on if I slip?" said Denham now. "Yes, if you come slowly. The rope's strong enough, and I'll get it up a yard at a time, so that's all the distance you can pull." "Ah!" he cried; "then I can use both hands, and climb with more confidence. Now then, I'm coming up." "Ready!" I shouted; and I toiled on with the perspiration moistening my hands as I steadily hauled with my right and left alternately, gaining a foot with one and making it secure over and under my legs with the other. All the while I could hear him painfully climbing as if gaining confidence with every yard he came nearer the surface. "Now rest," he said, and I could hear him breathing hard. Stones had fallen again and again as he climbed; but I was getting accustomed to their rattle and sullen plunge, for so long as the rope proved true they were robbed of their terrible meaning. Just, however, as my poor comrade said he meant to take a rest, there was another sharp jerk which told that his foothold had given way, and for a moment or two I was wondering whether I could hold on, as I listened to the falling of many stones. Once more he gained a good footing, and from where he half-hung, half-lay, he began to talk slowly about his position. "It's like climbing up the side of a house built of loose stones," he said in a low tone; "but I mean to do it now if you can keep hold of the rope firmly." "I can," I said. "Ah! It's a horrible place, Val; but you give me confidence. Now then, I'm rested. Can you haul up more quickly? I want to get it done?" "No," I said quietly; "I can only just make the rope safe." "Very well. Go on as you like. There, I'm going to begin." "Go on," I said; and once more the painful climb went on, with the stones falling and splashing, and the sound of Denham's breath at times coming to my ears in sobs which seemed terribly loud. It did not last many minutes; but no more agony could have been condensed into hours, and no hours could have seemed longer than the interval during which I strove to save my companion from death. However, all things come to an end; and at last, when I was nervously on the _qui vive_ for another slip, and just when Denham seemed to be creeping painfully up, though still many feet below, I suddenly felt one of his hands touch my ankle, and the other get a good grip of the rope where it lay cutting into my leg. Then I heard his feet grating and scraping against the side, and my heart leaped as he threw himself on his side away from the mouth of the hole, and lay perfectly still. "Ah!" I cried; "at last!" and, freeing my legs from the rope, I moved painfully after him; but at the first attempt I felt as if the darkness was lighting up, flashes played about my eyes, there was a horrible swinging round of everything in my head, and I sank down, crawled aside a little way instinctively to get from the shaft-mouth, and then for a few moments all was blank. Not more than a few moments, however, for Denham roused me by speaking. "Is anything the matter?" he said. "Matter?" I replied, as the absurdity of his question seemed to surprise me. "Oh no, nothing at all the matter, only that my head feels as if it had been crushed by a stone, and we had just saved ourselves from the most terrible death that could have come to two poor wretches who want to live. It's very comic altogether--isn't it?" Denham sat in silence, and we could hear the firing still going on. At last he spoke with a low, subdued voice. "Yes," he said, "we have escaped from a horrible death. Val, old fellow, I shall never forget this. But don't let us talk about it. Let us talk about who did it. Some one must have struck at us and knocked us down that hole." "Yes," I said; "and there's only one 'some one' who could have done it." "That renegade Irishman?" "Yes," I replied. "It seems like this: he couldn't have got away, but must have been in hiding here. He couldn't escape the watchfulness of the sentries, I suppose." "No; and he must have managed to get that rope to let himself down from the walls." "To let himself down into a place where he could hide, I think," was my reply. "For both purposes. But what a place to hide in!" said Denham, with a shudder. "He could not have known what he was doing, or he would not have gone down." "I believe he went down and was afraid to stay. Of course he was hiding somewhere here when we came along with the light." "And then struck us down. Are you much hurt?" "I don't know," I replied. "I forgot all about it for the time in the excitement of trying to escape. How are you?" "My head hurts me badly now. I believe I was struck with a heavy stone." "Of course. That was the wretch's trick, and how he served poor Sam Wren. Here, let's go to the hospital. I feel as if I want to see the doctor." "Yes," said Denham faintly. "I hope he has no more wounded after all this firing." Denham rose to his knees in the darkness, and I did the same, bringing on the giddy feeling once more, so that I was glad to lean against the wall of the great passage. "What is the matter?" said my companion. "Not much; only a bit dizzy," I replied; "and my legs feel so awfully stiff and strained that I can hardly stand." "My head swims too," said Denham. "I am glad to lean against the wall. Ah! Look! here is some one coming with a light." I uttered a sigh of relief, and then, taking a good deep breath, I gave a hail which brought half-a-dozen men to us, headed by Sergeant Briggs, who uttered an ejaculation of surprise as he held up the wagon lantern he carried and let the light fall on our faces. "Why, you gents haven't run up against that savage sham Paddy, have you?" he cried. "Yes, Sergeant," said Denham, speaking faintly; "and he got the better of us." "He has, sir, and no mistake." "Have you caught him, Briggs?" I asked anxiously. "No, my lad; I only wish we had. I never saw such shots as our men are! Wasted no end of cartridges, and not one of 'em hit. Did nothing but draw the enemy's fire, and they have been answering in the dark. All waste." "But Moriarty?" asked Denham. "Moriarty!" said the Sergeant scornfully. "I'm Morihearty well sick of him, sir. It's all easy enough to see now. Instead of getting away, as we thought, after hammering poor Sam Wren with a stone, my gentleman's been in hiding." "Yes," I said. "Yes it is, my lad. Then he's been sneaking about in the dark, going about among the men like a sarpent, and then among the horses, helping himself to the reins with his knife." "To join together and make a rope to let himself down from the wall," I said. "That's right, my lad--right as right; and all our chaps asleep, I suppose--bless 'em! They ought to be ashamed of theirselves. There was quite a dozen nice noo reins missing, and half of 'em gone for ever." "Not quite, Sergeant," said Denham; "take your light and look carefully down yonder." The Sergeant stared, but did as he was told, holding the lantern low down by the crossing-stone. "Well, I am blessed!" he cried. "Here, one of you, come and loosen this knot and coil the ropes up carefully.--But, I say, Mr Denham, how did they come there?" Denham told him briefly of our adventure, and of what we surmised. He whistled softly, and then said, "Why, I wonder you're both alive. You do both look half-dead, gentlemen; and no wonder. This accounts for one lot, though. The others were tied together and one end made fast to a big stone--a loose one atop of the wall. He must have slid down there and got away. I never saw such sentries as we've got. All those cartridges fired away, and not one to hit. Why, they ought to have pumped him so full of lead that he couldn't run. Run? No; so that he couldn't walk. But you two must come to the Colonel and let him know." "No, no! Take us to Dr Duncombe," said Denham. "Afterwards, sir." "Then you must carry me," said Denham, with a groan. "Right, sir.--Here, two of you, sling your rifles and dandy-chair your officer to the Colonel's quarters. Two more of you serve young Moray same way." "No," I said, making an effort. "One man give me his arm, and I'll try to walk." "So will I," said Denham, making an effort. "That's right, Val; we won't go into hospital, only let the doctor stick a bit or two of plaster about our heads for ornament. Now then, give me an arm." The result was that we mastered our suffering, and were led by the Sergeant's patrol to the officers' rough quarters. The first thing the Colonel did was to summon the doctor, who saw to our injuries, while Denham unburdened himself of our adventures, my head throbbing so that I could not have given a connected narrative had I tried. Denham protested stoutly afterwards that there was no need for the doctor's proposal that we should be sent to the hospital to be carried into effect, and appealed to the Colonel. "Look at us both, sir," he said. "Don't you think that after a good night's sleep we shall both be fit for duty in the morning?" "Well, Mr Denham, to speak candidly," was the reply, "you both look as dilapidated as you can possibly be; so you had better obey the doctor's orders. I give you both up for the present." Denham groaned, and I felt very glad when a couple of the Sergeant's guard clasped wrists to make, me a seat; and as soon as I had passed my arms over their shoulders their officer gave the word, and we were both marched off to the sheltered hospital, where I was soon after plunged in a heavy stupor, full of dreams about falling down black pits, swinging spider-like, at the end of ropes which I somehow spun by drawing long threads of my brains out of a hole in the back of my head, something after the fashion of a silkworm making a cocoon. Then complete insensibility came on, and I don't remember anything. But on the day following Denham and I lay pretty close together, talking, and looking up at the sky just above, one of the wagon-tilt curtains being thrown back. _ |
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