A Tale of the Summer Holidays Part 8

"Let's capture the ropes," cried Drusie, flinging herself upon them.

But at this point the enemy, who had been choked and blinded for the moment, evidently recovered himself, for with the rapidity of lightning the two la.s.sos were drawn back again.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Tommy throwing b.a.l.l.s]

"Get back," shouted Jim, and, seizing Helen by the hand, he retreated with all possible speed. And it was well they did so, for hardly had the la.s.sos been drawn in than they were flung out again with so strong and well-directed an aim that, had Jim not set them the example of flying, one or more of them would have been made prisoners again.

They did not pause to take breath until they were within the shelter of the Wilderness, where they threw themselves, hot and exhausted, on the ground.

"This was a failure," said Drusie, and she looked severely at Helen, "and it was all your fault. You did not obey orders. If it had not been for Tommy, the day would have been lost. You ought to be court-martialled, Helen, and I daresay you will be later on when the fort is taken."

"I am very sorry," said Helen in a shamefaced manner, "but I thought it would be such a splendid thing if I could get right up to the fort before the attack began."

"You should not think, then," said Drusie. "You should only do what you are told.--And, by the way, Tommy, what happened to you?"

"I fell into the stream," he said ruefully. "Helen's shrieks startled me so much that I lost my balance just as I was crossing it."

"It was the narrowest escape we have all had yet," said Jim. "I vote that we try the same plan again, and whatever you do, Helen, don't go and spoil it again by thinking to do something clever."

Before Helen could retort, Tommy jumped up with a shout of defiance, and s.n.a.t.c.hing up two b.a.l.l.s that lay ready to his hand, discharged them right into the centre of a bush a few yards off.

"What on earth are you about?" exclaimed an indignant voice; and Hal, his face covered with sand and mud, sprang out of the bushes and made for his younger brother.

But Jim flung himself between them, and, aided by Drusie, they brought Hal, kicking and struggling, to the ground, and sat upon him.

"The fort is ours," cried Drusie joyfully. "Run, Helen, and get the flag before Hal can release himself."

Helen dashed off to do as she was told, but as she was flying across the clearing she was suddenly brought up by a perfect hailstorm of bullets, which played round her in all directions, and caused her to fly back to the camp with the astounding information that it was not Hal who had been defending the fort, but somebody else.

"If you had not behaved like a set of duffers who had all lost their heads, I could have told you that myself," said Hal crus.h.i.+ngly. "But instead of letting me explain, you all flung yourselves upon me as if I were your greatest enemy."

"Well, of course, we thought that you were," said Drusie. "We thought that you had sallied out from the fort to take us all prisoners. But if it is not you who have been in the fort all this time, who is it?"

But that was just what none knew; and Hal was as much in the dark as the rest. He had awaked a quarter of an hour ago, feeling all right again. "And so, I thought," he added, "that I had been rather a pig about this birthday, and that, if you would have me, I'd come out and defend the fort."

"Have you?" cried Drusie joyfully. "Of course, we will--won't we, Jim?"

"Rather," Jim said; and that word of a.s.sent was heartily echoed by both Helen and Tommy. "But I say, Drusie, if it is not Hal in the fort, who on earth can it be?"

"I know," Drusie said, after a moment of puzzled silence; "it must be our friend--Jumbo's boy."

When Hal heard of the la.s.sos he cried out that it was no less a person than Dodds.

"I know it is he," he cried excitedly, "for he is awfully keen about la.s.sos. He has been reading about the cowboys in Texas, and the other day he was practising on the lawn."

"Whoever it is," Drusie said, "he defends the fort awfully well. I don't believe we shall ever capture it."

"Oh yes, we shall," said Jim, "now that Hal has come to help us."

"Just fancy Dodds playing with you kids all the afternoon," Hal said in a tone of surprise. "I wonder what ever made him do it."

Fired with the idea of showing Dodds that the attacking party had received a valuable reinforcement, Hal threw himself with ardour into the fight, and--Drusie having resigned her post as captain in his favour--led sally after sally against the fort. But the aim of the la.s.sos was so deadly, and the hailstorm of bullets so incessant, that time after time they were obliged to retire.

Once Drusie, who had wriggled herself through the thick hawthorns at the back of the fort, was within an ace of taking the flag; but, just as she had climbed up on the roof, the defender, whose face was completely hidden by his helmet, made a grab at her, and she was obliged to fly for her life.

"We must alter our tactics," Hal said, as, hot and exhausted from the prolonged struggle, he withdrew his little army into the recesses of the Wilderness. "We are not a bit nearer taking the fort than when we started."

"Not so near," said Helen; "for our ammunition is giving out. We have only about twenty or thirty b.a.l.l.s left. This is quite the hardest fight that we have ever had."

"We must get the fort," Hal said, setting his teeth. "We are four to one, and it will be a great disgrace to us if we don't."

"But that one is such a one," Drusie said.

"I told you Dodds was a splendid fellow, didn't I?" said Hal eagerly.

"But, all the same, I wish he was not quite as splendid now. But listen; I have got a glorious plan in my head, if we can only carry it out."

But at that moment he was interrupted by a loud, piercing scream, which was followed by another and another; and, glancing hastily round, Hal saw that Tommy was missing from the council.

"He was with us only a minute ago," Drusie exclaimed.

Springing to their feet, they all rushed out, and there they saw Tommy, bound and helpless, being hauled rapidly up to the very walls of the fort.

He had brought his sad fate upon himself. As he was following the others into camp, he had seen the enemy spring out of the fort and run into the bushes, and, quick as thought, Tommy had darted off to capture the flag during his absence. Had he only reported what he had seen to his commander, a proper attack might have been hastily organized and the fort captured; but Tommy was in such a hurry, and so anxious to gain all the glory for himself, that he slipped off without saying a word to the others. And when it was too late he found that the desertion of the fort was only a cleverly-planned trick on the part of its defender, who had crashed noisily into the bushes, in the hope of deceiving the attacking party into the belief that the fort was empty.

As soon as he saw that Tommy was going to fall into the trap, he slipped quietly back, and, la.s.soing Tommy just outside, dragged him a prisoner into the fort.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Tommy, la.s.soed]

"Serves him right," said Jim. "He had no business to act on his own account like that."

But it was all very well to say "serves him right." Perhaps Tommy had met with no better fate than he deserved, but he, nevertheless, brought about a very serious check to his party; for, while one of their number was in the hands of the enemy, no attempt to take the flag could be made. The prisoner must first be rescued. Sometimes he was ransomed with ammunition. But their store was too low for them to be able to do that now. They could better afford to spare Tommy than cannon-b.a.l.l.s.

Meanwhile, complete silence reigned in the fort. The Union Jack waved triumphantly from the flagstaff, and the captive Tommy had disappeared from view.

"Got you rather neatly, I think," his enemy had said, as he pulled him in. Even in that moment of bitter humiliation Tommy gave a start of surprise as he recognized his captor. Drusie was right, for the defender of the fort was indeed Jumbo's boy.

"Oh," Tommy gasped out, as, breathless from the struggle he had just gone through, he stared at his captor, "it is you, is it? Hal said he was sure it was Dodds, but I am jolly glad that you are not Dodds. He is conceited. I should not have liked to have been taken prisoner by him."

"Oh, you wouldn't, wouldn't you?" said the boy with a twinkle in his eyes. "But who told you that I--that Dodds, I mean--was conceited?

Young Danvers, I suppose?"

"No; Hal didn't. He likes Dodds. But we others don't think very much of him."

The boy laughed.

"Dodds is a great friend of mine," he said. "I shall tell him what you have said. But never mind that now. Tell me what I am to do. Can you be exchanged or ransomed, or are you allowed to escape if you can?"

"I don't think they will ransom me," Tommy said reflectively. But he was far too wary to tell the enemy why. "And I mayn't try to escape until one of them has touched me; and till I am rescued the fort can't be taken."

"That's good news," said the boy. "I shan't let you be taken in a hurry. How will they try to rescue you?"