The Blue Raider Part 28

'Only if it speaks decent, Ephraim. I won't deny it picked up a few unholy words afore I bought it, and they come out sometimes; you can't help it.'

The seamen, though they had recently returned from sentry-go, were wakeful, and talked on till morning, exchanging reminiscences of their years of comrades.h.i.+p. At sunrise they joined Trentham and Hoole, and were allotted posts within the walls, if the Germans should attack.

Scouts had already been sent out into the forest, to keep watch in the direction from which the enemy was likely to come.

During the night the position had been thoroughly discussed between Trentham and Hoole. The latter, though reluctant to leave his friend to bear the brunt of any fighting that might take place, at last agreed that probably the best service that he could render was to hasten the arrival of the steamer. About nine o'clock he set off with two natives for the lake where he had left the seaplane. Little more than two hours later Trentham heard the hum of the engine. The seaplane pa.s.sed over the village, going eastward and skimming the tree-tops. From the signs made by Hoole, Trentham understood that the Germans were on their way, and this preliminary intimation was confirmed soon after noon, when the scouts came running in. Their report that a great host of the bad men was approaching aroused great excitement among the natives, who, proud of their easy victory on the previous day, showed little sign of understanding the nature of the ordeal they were to pa.s.s through. Some of them were for sallying out and meeting the Germans in the forest; but Flanso had intelligence enough to perceive the danger of breaking up his force, and at Trentham's suggestion he concentrated the greater number of his men near the gate, where the enemy's main attack was likely to be made. A few were stationed at other points along the circuit of the wall, to give notice if surprise attacks were attempted elsewhere than in front.

Trentham had persuaded the chief to place under Grinson's command about a score of the men whom he had led on the day before. His leaders.h.i.+p then, and his subsequent display of muscular strength in dealing with the medicine-man, had won their admiration; and the fact that he bore their totem mark on his shoulder was a great factor in inspiring them with confidence. Even without Lafoa's a.s.sistance Grinson seemed to be able to make them understand his wishes.

'You had better hold your men in reserve, Grinson,' said Trentham. 'Put them in a central position--about the chief's house, say; and keep them out of the fight until they can come in with decisive effect.'

'For the knock-out, as you may say, sir,' Grinson replied. 'I understand. But begging your pardon, I ain't to remain in a state of absolution if I see a chance--you don't mean that, sir?'

'Not at all,' answered Trentham, who was by this time able to understand the seaman's sometimes recondite phraseology. 'All I mean is that I don't want you to take part in every scrimmage, but only when you see the rest of us hard pressed. Where 's your revolver, by the way?'

'I give it to Ephraim, sir.'

'But he had one; we have five altogether now.'

'True, sir; but the long and short is that I feel much more at home with this 'ere truncheon or knuckle-duster. With the pistol I might miss, not being used to such things; but with this'--he lifted it, eyeing it with affection--'with this I can be sure, by the feel.'

'Is Meek a good shot?'

'He couldn't hit a hay-stack, sir; but, talking between our two selves, we thought Ephraim was the man to keep his eye on you and be ready to give you another pistol when the fust is empty. I don't mind saying 'twas my idea, 'cos Ephraim ain't quite hisself yet arter that night on the ledge, only he 's got such a spirit that nothing would 'a kept him out of it if so be he didn't believe he was more useful otherways, and he believes that now, though I won't answer for how long it will last.'

The simple dispositions that were alone possible had barely been made when Trentham, looking out over the wall beside the gate, saw a man bearing a white flag advancing unaccompanied along the broad central path through the village. In a few seconds he recognised the square, solid face of Hahn. The German, who appeared to be unarmed, halted beyond range of revolver shots, and waving his flag, shouted:

'Hi, hi! Somevon speak.'

'What do you want, Hahn?' Trentham called.

'I speak for Captain Holzbach, of ze Imperial German Navy,' said Hahn.

'Ze captain bresent his gompliments and say zat he admire very much ze clever vay his s.h.i.+p is sunk, and zink ze vite men shall now be friendly, because we must all remain on zis island until ze var end. He vish to buy food, and say if ze savages come out and sell, he pay good price, and zey shall be safe.'

Trentham was under no illusion as to the German's good will; but wis.h.i.+ng to temporise, partly with a view to the avoidance of further fighting, partly to allow for the arrival of the expected help, he replied:

'On behalf of the chief of this village I am willing to strike a bargain. If you, Hahn, and three other officers will come inside, unarmed, as hostages, a sufficient supply of provisions shall be sent out to you, on condition that you leave this part of the country, and engage not to molest the people.'

Whatever Hahn may have expected, it was clear that he was surprised at the terms offered. After a slight hesitation he said:

'It is not right zat German officers shall place zemselves in ze hands of savages, vat eat men.'

'But I am not a savage, and I guarantee that you shall not be eaten.

You have good reason for being sure of that, Hahn.'

The German appeared to be annoyed at the allusion to his rescue from the dancing party on the beach.

'It is absurd!' he cried. 'Ze dignity of German officers vill not permit zem to do vat you say.'

'Then I am afraid that you must repeat to your captain that we cannot trade with him.'

'You know vat you do? Of us zere are fifty or sixty, viz rifles. You zink savages viz spears any good? Ve are not hard; but if it is var, zen----'

'Threats are useless, Hahn,' Trentham interrupted. 'We know your idea of war. I have nothing more to say. You have my terms: you had better consult your superior officer.'

The German glared, turned on his heel, and walked away. The breathless silence which had held the natives during the colloquy was broken by shouts of triumph; but Trentham sent Lafoa to explain matters to the chief, and asked him to keep his men in readiness for the a.s.sault which could not long be delayed. It was clear to him that Hahn's mission had been intended to lead to the opening of the gate and the division of the garrison. He had no doubt that if the natives had been decoyed outside their wall, the Germans would have rushed the place.

For some time after Hahn's departure there was no sign of hostilities.

Then the Germans could be heard shouting to one another in the forest north of the village, and with the voices mingled the sound of wood-cutting. None of the enemy came in sight, and Trentham could only conjecture the nature of their operations.

Nearly two hours pa.s.sed. The natives grew more and more noisy and restless. They could not understand why they were still cooped up in the enclosure. At length, however, after a brief cessation of all sounds in the forest, there was a sudden whistle, followed by the sharp crack of rifles, and from the trees facing the northern side of the village the Germans rushed forward in open order, on a front of nearly a quarter of a mile. The defenders, as Trentham had ordered, remained out of sight.

He himself watched the enemy through a loophole in the log wall.

They were variously armed. Some had rifles with bayonets; others cutla.s.ses, others axes. Some carried roughly constructed ladders. As they drew nearer, Trentham noticed that these last, as well as the officers at different parts of the line, were armed with rifles. They came on steadily and silently until they were almost within effective bow-shot; then they halted, the officers collected and consulted together. It appeared that they were somewhat at a loss how to proceed against an enemy whom they could not see, and whose defences they had no means of battering down. The pause was of short duration. Another volley was fired, with the intention doubtless of overawing the natives rather than of doing effective damage. A few men behind the walls were slightly injured by splinters; none were incapacitated, and all, with a self-restraint that Trentham had not expected, remained quietly at their posts until the enemy should come to close quarters.

After discharging their rifles, the Germans surged forward again, moving very rapidly, but maintaining a regular line. Trentham wondered why they were spread out so widely instead of concentrating on a limited section of the wall. In a few moments he saw through their plan. It had been desired to weaken the defence by compelling the natives to man a longer stretch of the wall than was the actual object of attack. The Germans suddenly contracted their front, no doubt calculating to reach the wall a few invaluable seconds before the defenders could ma.s.s at the threatened section.

They were now within range of the natives' weapons, and in close order presented a target which even Grinson, despite his want of skill with the spear, could hardly have missed. Obeying a preconcerted signal from Trentham, Flanso at last gave his panting warriors the word they had eagerly awaited. They sprang on to the platform that lined the foot of the wall, and was just high enough to bring their heads a few inches above the top. A shower of arrows and spears burst upon the advancing enemy. Many of them fell, but the rush was not stayed. There was no answer from their rifles; their orders evidently were to force their way into the defences with cold steel. Another flight of arrows equally failed to check them. With disciplined energy they swept forward to the wall, and having reached it were in comparative safety from the weapons of the men within. Quickly they set their ladders against the barricade and began to swarm up with the agility of seamen. Where there were no ladders they mounted on one another's backs. They gained the top, and then began a furious struggle, so confused that Trentham was never able to give a clear account of it.

[Ill.u.s.tration: QUICKLY THEY SET THEIR LADDERS AGAINST THE BARRICADE, AND BEGAN TO SWARM UP.]

The Germans had the advantage of discipline, the higher position, and better weapons. The natives on the other hand, were more numerous, but lacked cohesion. They plied their spears manfully, but these were a poor defence against clubbed rifles, bayonets, swords, revolvers. Only their numbers saved them from utter defeat from the moment when the enemy gained a footing on the wall. Trentham ran along the line, making play with his revolver wherever the Germans were thickest. A group of natives had attached themselves to him, and when he had disposed of two or three of the enemy with rapid shots, the Papuans took advantage of the Germans' momentary bafflement and with their spears cleared a few feet of the wall.

But he could not be everywhere at once. While he had been engaged at this spot, some fifty yards beyond, the Germans, having beaten off the natives who had tried to thrust them from the wall, had jumped down, and were pressing forward over the bodies of the fallen towards the centre of the enclosure. Trentham and Flanso had marked the danger at the same moment. With a resonant shout the latter dashed towards the enemy at the head of a body of picked men, and the Germans, outnumbered and unable to withstand the fury of his onset, fell stubbornly back.

Satisfied that Flanso could hold his own for a time, Trentham dashed on to another point where half a dozen Germans in line were driving back with their bayonets the few survivors of the natives who had been unable to hold the wall. At this moment he was somewhat perturbed at hearing shouts and firing from a distant quarter which he had not known to be attacked. He had no time to find out what was happening there, but hoped that Grinson had been on the alert. On the point of plunging into the fray, he found that he had emptied both the revolvers he had brought with him. He s.n.a.t.c.hed up a spear, but as he rose from stooping Meek's tremulous voice sounded in his ear.

'Mr. Grinson said I was to bring 'em, sir.'

The man thrust two revolvers into his hands, then took the spear and followed him.

The natives were falling back before the serried bayonets. From the wall behind Germans were leaping one after another as fast as they could climb the ladders on the other side. One of them, pausing on the top, fired his rifle point-blank at Trentham, but a comrade climbing after him jostled him at the critical moment; the shot flew wide, and, unknown to Trentham, struck Meek, who fell heavily near the foot of the wall.

With a couple of shots Trentham disposed of the man who had fired at him and another who had just descended; then he turned to help the natives whom the pitiless bayonets were demoralising.

At this moment Hahn, with bayonet outstretched, came heavily towards him from the side. Trentham flashed a shot at him, and as he stumbled past, hard hit, wrenched the rifle from his grasp and hurried on. Coming upon the Germans from the rear, he shot down one after another; the natives, cheered by his presence, rallied, and flinging themselves on the survivors, disposed of them with their spears and sent reeling back others who had just sprung from the wall.

But other Germans were swarming over on each side. At three or four points little groups had found their footing and were more than holding their own, while others, astride on the top, were firing on the defenders and strewing the ground with their victims. Trentham saw with sinking heart that the natives were everywhere giving way and falling back towards the chief's house. The Germans on the flank farthest from him were beginning to form up in line, with the evident intention of carrying all before them in a final charge. Fully occupied in helping his immediate followers to repel a swarm of Germans who were pouring over the wall in his neighbourhood, Trentham saw the imminence of total defeat which he now felt powerless to avert.

Facing the wall, he suddenly heard, above the general din of the conflict, the deep bellow of Grinson's war-cry. He turned quickly and saw the seaman, with his sleeves turned up, wielding his huge mace, and followed by a score of yelling natives, charging along at the foot of the wall. Swinging his mighty weapon as easily as if it had been a walking-cane, Grinson fell upon the flank of the Germans who were preparing to charge. Now he plied the mace in wide sweeps that cleared a path as a sickle through grain; now he gave point with the ma.s.sive studded head; now he swung it over his head like a blacksmith's hammer.

Revolvers were flashed at him, but he hurled himself along unscathed.

The Germans on the wall dared not fire at him for fear of hitting their own men. And Trentham was amazed to see, close behind him, the hideous figure of the medicine-man, advancing with grotesque leaps and whirling his arms with extraordinary contortions.

The enemy huddled together, some still fighting, others merely seeking to escape from this human battering-ram. They began to retire in Trentham's direction; the natives in their front, taking heart, closed in; and Trentham, feeling that at this critical moment he might leave the wall unguarded, led his men to meet the discomfited enemy. Taken thus in front and on both flanks, so crowded together that those of them who had firearms were unable to use them, the Germans became a disorganised mob. Heedless of the shouts of their officers, of whom one or two had entered the enclosure, while the others were either on the wall or outside, they sought safety in flight. Many of them were cut down before they gained the wall. The rest clambered over, abandoning their weapons that impeded them, and fled helter-skelter into the forest, pursued by the natives led by Flanso himself.

Grinson sat down with his mace across his knees, wiped his streaming brow, and looked with a sort of amused curiosity at sundry gashes and stabs on his arm.

'Might 'a been worse, sir,' he said. 'Would you believe it? Ugly mug has stuck to me like a brother. Which it proves, if you want a man to love you, just knock him down. But where's my Ephraim, sir? What's become o' the lad?'