Draw Swords! Part 6

"No; he was a bit savage about the authorities appointing such a boy."

d.i.c.k winced.

"But he knew nothing about what sort of stuff you were made of."

"Bah! don't flatter," said d.i.c.k angrily.

"Not going to. Sooner knock your head off. But look here, my lad; you have your work cut out, and we're going to show Hulton that he has got the right lad to grow up into our ways and fill poor Morrison's place."

"_We_ are going?" said d.i.c.k wonderingly.

"Of course; I'm going to help."

CHAPTER FIVE.

A TEST OF PLUCK.

d.i.c.k wanted no morning trumpet to call him; he was awake before daylight, to lie thinking, his brain excited by the novelty of his position and the thoughts of all he had to go through.

To put it plainly, he felt new and nervous; but he recalled the fact that it was his own doing--it had been his ambition to get appointed to the Flying Artillery. "And to-day," he said to himself, "I have to begin to learn how to fly, and that means having some falls. Well, if I do I won't holloa. I don't mean to show I'm hurt."

This was while he was having his apology for a tub, but it was most enjoyable after a hot night, though awkward, and consisted in squatting down in a shallow tin and pouring earthen jars of cold water over his head, to run down his back.

"'Tis freshening," he muttered; "makes one feel ready for everything."

He was hard at work towelling when a trumpet sounded so peculiarly that he laughed.

"What's the matter with the fellow?" he said. "That can't be the _reveille_. Some one blowing for fun. How absurd!"

He hurried to the window as he realised what it was, and saw, looming up in the dim light, the figure of a gigantic elephant slowly following a man whose only garment was a strip of cotton cloth about his loins; while directly after three more of the great animals pa.s.sed by.

"Gun-elephants, I suppose," he said to himself.

The trumpet had not sounded when he finished dressing, so he hurried down to have a breath of the fresh morning air, making his native servant start up from where he was lying asleep, to stare at his sahib who had left his couch so soon.

It was pleasantly cool out in the parade-ground, and d.i.c.k was hesitating as to which direction he should take, when the sound of voices from beyond the low range of stabling to his right, followed by a repet.i.tion of the elephants trumpeting and the splas.h.i.+ng of water, took his attention.

"Taking them to drink," he muttered; and he made for an opening at the end of the shed just as the morning bugle rang out loud and clear, echoing from the different buildings near and rousing the sleepers throughout the barracks.

"I have half-an-hour, though," thought d.i.c.k; and he went on through the opening, to find himself in a paved courtyard, where the four elephants were standing, and about a dozen nearly nude Hindus were slowly drawing water from a well.

Just then the man who was in charge of the largest elephant marched up to it, bearing a pail, uttered a few sharp orders in Hindustani, and the huge beast slowly and ponderously went down on its knees and then laid itself over on its side, grunting softly as it settled its head on the pavement, stretched out its writhing trunk, and then lay blinking its little, piggish eye, and gently flapping the big ear at liberty.

Another man came up with a bucket, and d.i.c.k became aware that he was to be present at the morning toilet of the huge beast. This commenced at once by the men throwing the water all over the great heaving flank; and then, each armed with what looked like a piece of pumice-stone, the bare-footed pair walked on to it, and, squatting down, began work, as a maid at home would begin hearth-stoning a flight of steps.

The whole performance was most ludicrous--the elephant lying there grunting as if with pleasure, lifting ear or leg at a word, and grunting and uttering little, squealing and soft, whining noises, indicating satisfaction, while showing that, in spite of the thickness of its skin, it was sensitive here and there and ticklish to a degree.

One of the most absurd parts of the performance was the perfectly cool way in which the men paddled about all over it, their feet seeming to hold on well to the grey, indiarubber-like surface, and the elephant evidently approving of the whole business.

d.i.c.k stood watching the scrubbing, deluging with water, and re-scrubbing and showering till one side was done, and then stood as close up as he could without getting wet, when the order was given for the great brute to change sides, which it did by rolling itself over, the others following suit, and patiently waiting for the other flank to be done.

"Morning, sir," said a voice behind, and d.i.c.k started round to see the sergeant had followed him.

"Morning. It's not time yet, is it?"

"Wants about ten minutes, sir. I was on my way, but I saw you through the gateway."

"I didn't know this was done. Are these gun-elephants?"

"Yes, sir. Oh, yes, it's done regularly: keeps them beautifully clean."

"They seem to like it."

"Oh, yes, sir; they grant and enjoy it like pigs being scratched. You see, they're a deal worried by flies and things which lay their eggs in their tender parts behind the ears and under their arms."

"Their arms?"

"Well, legs, sir. But look at 'em; they're more like arms, and their hindlegs are more like ours. You look when they lie down. See that, sir?"

The sergeant drew the young officer's attention to the big elephant lifting up its foreleg for the stone to scour beneath, grunting the while softly.

"He itches just there, sir."

"Seems like it," said d.i.c.k. "But what an enormous brute it is!"

"Yes, sir: 'bout one of the biggest I've seen. The Rajah of Soojeepur up north yonder has some thumpers, but nothing bigger than this one."

"I didn't know you had elephants here," said d.i.c.k.

"We don't as a rule, sir, but these four have come up with a couple of heavy guns. There's something up, I suppose."

"What--fighting?" said d.i.c.k eagerly.

The sergeant shook his head.

"Don't know, sir. We never know till the last minute, when the order comes to move. May be to a bit of a scrimmage--perhaps only to hold some place. But time's pretty well up, sir, and the men will be there with the horse."

"I'm ready," said d.i.c.k, and he turned to go, but altered his mind, and made so that he could walk round the elephants, going so close to the first that he had been watching so long that, as he paused for a moment close to its head and spoke to the great, blundering creature, it responded by suddenly stretching out its trunk and taking a turn round the lad's ankle, holding him fast.

"Hurrah walla pala larna fa," or something like it, cried the man, jumping up from where he had squatted scouring what answered to the elephant's armpit.

"Phoonk! phoonk!" came in reply, the elephant seeming to be quite content with its capture.

"Tell him to let go," cried the sergeant: and the man began to jump and dance and stamp upon the elephant's ribs, yelling and calling it all the ill-names he could in his own tongue, and threatening what he would do with the goad the next time he was mounted behind the creature's ears.

But the great brute lay quite still, flapping its free ear up and down, rumbling like a young thunderstorm, and blinking at d.i.c.k, with the serpent-like coil about his leg.