At last it was evident that the fire had passed its culminating point, and the spectators gazed at a glowing skeleton whose framework kept on falling into the main body of the fire below. At first they were small branches which hardly reached the bottom, but were borne up again to pass away in fresh clouds of what looked like golden snow. Then heavier boughs were burned through and dropped, carrying down with them those below, and so on and on till the trunk, alone stood, with the stumps of branches rising high above the wall, one glowing tower of dazzling light doomed to burn on and on probably for hours, and then, fanned by the wind, slowly smoulder away into so much golden ash.
But before this could be achieved, and when it was certain that no danger could accrue to that part of the palace, Phra laid his hand upon his companion's shoulder.
"Come," he said abruptly, and he made a sign to Lahn for him to follow.
Five minutes later they were at the back of the line of defence, in front of the great, open-work bronze gates; but all was quiet there; no sign of the enemy had been seen, and with the palace between them and the burning tree the boys looked up at it as it stood out against the glow shed by the fire, which lit up the two flags floating side by side, blown out by the soft breeze caused by the rush of hot air rising from the fire.
"Let's go in and tell them, Hal," said Phra. "They will be waiting to know."
Harry nodded shortly, but said no word, walking slowly into the great hall, where two of the first persons they encountered were Mr. Kenyon and the King.
Under the pressure of questions the boys related in simple words all that had occurred, the King listening till they had done, and then standing with wrinkled brow and compressed lip.
Mr. Kenyon was the first to utter what sounded like a confirmation of his thoughts in Harry's ear.
"Poor Sree!" he said sadly; "as brave a man as ever stepped. I looked upon him as a friend."
"Everything a man should be," said the King, endorsing this utterance of the poor fellow's fate: "simple, modest, devoted and true. Kenyon, my friend, we have lost one of our best supporters. He died trying to shield us from the perils which hem us in."
"Yes," said Mr. Kenyon, sharply now, as if making an effort to thrust the inevitable behind him. "You are neither of you hurt, boys?"
"My arm aches a great deal," said Harry, speaking in a dull, apathetic way.
"Ah! Your wound. Let Dr. Cameron see it at once."
"Oh, not to-night, father."
"To-night, Hal—directly. You have been using it a great deal, and the bandages need loosening because the cut is swollen and inflamed."
"And you, Phra?" said the King quietly.
"A mere nothing, father."
"What, wounded?" cried the King, with a quick change from his calm, grave manner to eager excitement, as he caught his son's arm.
"Not a wound, father. A spear whistled by my ear when we were on the top of the wall. I had forgotten it. My ear is a little cut, but it soon stopped bleeding."
Hie King uttered a sigh of relief as he thought of what a few inches' difference in the direction would have meant.
"Go in with Hal, and ask Doctor Cameron to look to it."
"Oh, but father, it is—"
"My wish, sir," said the King firmly. "You had both better rest then, for you have done your share of the work."
Phra looked a protest, and the King went on:
"Unless the enemy attack us in force to-night; then of course you will both come and help. Now, Kenyon, let us go our rounds. This quietness is more startling than an attack. I fear they are planning something fresh."
"Very likely, sir," said Mr. Kenyon cheerfully; "but we must scheme in return."
They went on down to the barricade by the gate, and the boys sighed wearily as they walked towards Doctor Cameron's hospital room; for the spirit seemed to have sunk down in them just as the fire had fallen after it had reached its height.
"What a capital English gentleman your father would make if he dressed like us," said Harry, for the sake of saying something.
"Yes, and what a good Siamese noble your father would make if he dressed like some of ours," said Phra, with a faint smile.
"All right," said Harry; "that's one each. But I say, it seems very stupid to go to the doctor for such hurts as these."
"Yes, we must say the King sent us, or he will laugh."
But Doctor Cameron did not laugh: he frowned as he examined Phra's left ear.
"A narrow escape, my dear boy; but as we people say, a miss is as good as a mile. Only this is not a miss: the spear blade has cut the lobe of your ear in two. I must put in a stitch or two and draw it together before strapping it up. I'll bathe it directly. All, here's my wife. Bathe this injury, my dear."
Phra shrank, but resigned himself directly to Mrs. Cameron's hands, while her husband turned to Harry.
"Oh, it's nothing," said the boy. "We shouldn't have come, only father and the King ordered us to show you our awful injuries."
"This is worse than you think, my dear Hal," said the doctor sternly. "Your arm is much swollen and inflamed. It would have been seriously bad if you had waited till to-morrow."
"Oh," cried Harry passionately; "what do I care? It's horrible; it's too hard to bear!"
"What, this?" said the doctor sharply.
"This?" cried Harry. "Pish! No!—NO! But you don't know. Poor old
Sree—poor old Sree, Mrs. Cameron: he's dead—he's dead!"
CHAPTER XXX
LIKE A BAD SHILLING
When they quitted the hospital room, Harry and Phra threw themselves down on one of the long bamboo seats in the hall where they had left their guns, and sat talking dejectedly in a low tone, leaving oft from time to time for a walk out into the still night air to listen whether there were any tokens of an approaching attack; but the place was perfectly still; the glow from the burning tree had nearly died out, and everything was calm and peaceful.
After a time the King and Mr. Kenyon returned from their rounds and stopped to speak to the boys for a few minutes, telling them that they had better get a good sleep while they could, and that they had been examining the windows at the other side of the palace, where they had been a good deal burned.
"I'm afraid, sir, that was a mistake," said Mr. Kenyon. "It may have suggested to the enemy a means of attacking and destroying us without risk to themselves."
"By firing the palace," said the King gravely. "Yes. I thought of that. It is possible, and we must be prepared. Fire is easily mastered when it is small—a jar of water is sufficient; when it grows large, it takes a river."
They passed on, talking together, and the boys began and continued recalling the many expeditions they had made with Sree. What a brave man he was! how full of knowledge of animal life in the jungle, and how devoted to them in his simple, unostentatious manner!
"Yes, poor old Sree!" sighed Harry; "and now he's gone, and Adong too."
"Think so?" said Phra, looking up sharply.
"Oh, yes, or he would have been back with help," replied Harry. "Phra, old chap, I never felt so unhappy before in my life. It seems as if it was all over now."
"But it isn't," said Phra. "There is so much for us to do."
"To help our fathers?"
"Yes."
Harry sat back in his seat and began to think seriously, for his comrade's words had impressed him deeply, and as he sat there in the darkness of the night it dawned upon him more and more that in life one has to give up self for the sake of others, and that even at the very worst, when there is a disposition to think that one's own sorrows are everything, others have troubles and sorrows too that it is our duty to help and combat.
They were vague, disconnected thoughts, which he could not quite put together, but they served to make him feel less miserable, even contented; and then he began to think of the King's words in connection with his father's, and the possibility of the palace being fired by the enemy.
What had the King said?—that at the beginning a fire could be extinguished with a jar of water?
Consequently Harry sat back making up his mind that as soon as it was light he and Phra would get the boatmen together and plant big jars and bamboo buckets of water in the parts of the palace nearest to the wall—in fact, wherever it seemed possible that firebrands would be thrown in.
The natural consequence was that, being fagged out and sitting in an uncomfortable position upon a hard-backed seat, he dropped off to sleep and began dreaming of fire and putting it out with wooden buckets of water which always seemed to be empty when he was about to pour them on the flames.
And so the night wore on, without any alarm of attack, and Harry dreaming wearily, starting into wakefulness, and dropping off again to dream of those bottomless buckets which were always empty when they ought to have been full.
That constantly repeated dream irritated him, for even while he dreamed he was conscious that it was all imaginative, and that before long he would wake up and find he was dreaming, as he did over and over again, stiff, weary, and ready to make up his mind that he would sleep no more. But the next minute he was off again fast, and the last time in so deep a slumber that the sun was shining brightly when at last he opened his eyes upon Phra seated fast asleep at the other corner of the settee; and then turning his eyes a little to the right as he prepared his lower jaw for a good long yawn, he sat as if turned to stone, his mouth partly open, his eyes staring, and a horrible feeling as of cold water running down his back.
For there, so near that he had only to sit up and stretch out his hand to touch him, Sree was squatted upon his heels in the middle of a mat, calmly chewing his roll of betel-nut, lime and pepper leaf, his homely, dark face expanding into a broad smile as he saw that he was noticed.
"Sree! Alive!" cried Harry, springing from his seat, his cry rousing
Phra, to sit up staring.
"Yes, Sahib Harry," said the old hunter quietly. "I ran round to the back of the fire when I had pulled the ladder over and laid it with the bamboos, and then crept in among the bushes, to lie there, for I was nearly dead with the smoke. Then I crawled right away."
"But weren't you hurt?"
"My face scorched, and my hair burned a little, Sahib; that is all."
"Oh, I am so glad, Sree," cried Harry. "You don't—don't—know what we felt last night."
There was a slight impediment in Harry's speech as he caught the old hunter's right hand in both his own, an act imitated by Phra on the instant with the left, while the old man stood now looking proud and happy as he glanced from one to the other.
"Yes, we thought you were dead," said Phra.
"Here, let me go and tell father and the doctor," said Harry.
"No, no, Sahib," said Sree. "I saw Sahib Kenyon an hour ago, and he sent me to you. I have been sitting here till you woke up. He said you would be pleased."
"Pleased!" cried Harry. "There's a stupid word! That doesn't half mean what I feel. But I say, Sree, have you had any breakfast."
"Oh, yes, Sahib; the master gave me plenty."
"Tell us more, then. How did you manage to get here?"
"Oh, I crawled along like a snake, Sahib," said Sree, smiling. "There are many of the enemy about, but I managed to get by without being seen while it was dark; and when the sun rose, I got up and walked along boldly with a spear over my shoulder, just as if I was one of the enemy, till I was opposite to the great gates where the powder is buried. Then I came straight up to the gate, and the sahibs were going to shoot me, for my face was so blackened by the fire and smoke that they did not know me till I spoke. Then I gave them my spear, and climbed over. What does Sahib Harry want me to do next?"
"Fill water pots and bamboo buckets with water, to put in the rooms at the other side."
"Ah, yes; that is wise," said Sree. "I thought of that last night, when I saw the windows begin to burn. A little fire can be mastered with a jar of water."
"Hullo!" cried Harry. "Did you hear the King say that?"
"Oh, no, Sahib; we all say so, because we know how easily our boats catch alight; and if the fire is not put out, it may mean hundreds all along the river."
"Then we'll do that at once," said Phra; "only you must get Lahn and the boatmen to help."
"But that's my idea, Phra," cried Harry; "I say, Sree, have you seen
Lahn?"
"Oh, yes, Sahib; he came running up, and then threw himself down to kiss and cry over my feet."
"What did he do that for?" said Harry.
"Because he was so glad, for he thinks of me as his father."
"Now, Hal!" cried Phra; "come on; let's get the water pots put all about at once."
"Shan't," said Hal, laughing. "I'm not going to begin till I've had my breakfast. I'm so hungry I could eat old Sree."
CHAPTER XXXI
COMING HOME TO ROOST
That day passed away quietly enough, the enemy making no sign; but scouts reported that they were in hiding in all directions.
"They mean to starve us out, boys," said Mr. Kenyon.
"Oh," said Harry, "then they'll have to take care that they don't get starved first, for now the elephants are gone I suppose we could live for a month on the grain."
It was as if the very mention of the word elephants had been the introduction to what was to come, for just then the peculiar noise known as trumpeting—which is really an agreeable blend in the way of noises, of pig in a gate, the final haw, prolonged and intense, of a donkey's bray, and the hoarse crow of a Cochin China cock—came faintly in through the open windows of the hall.
Harry ran and looked out to where Sree and Lahn sat waiting and listening.
"What was that, Sree?" he cried, as Phra followed him and looked out too.
"It was an elephant, Sahib," said the hunter.
"Yes, it was old Sul," cried Phra excitedly.
"I know," cried Harry, laughing. "They've been and had a tremendous good feed out in the jungle, and now they've all come back."
Harry was quite right, as examination proved, for the elephants had been thoroughly well trained, and treated in a way which made them prefer their civilized home to the jungle. So after a few words with Mr. Kenyon the King gave orders that a strong party should go across to the gate and guard it while the animals were admitted.
The two boys hastened to join the party, taking Sree with them, when, having learned wisdom from the last time the gates were opened, ladders were placed against the wall, and a good look-out kept, so that no advance could be made along the side ditch or by the wall unnoticed.
All being declared clear, and the guard stationed ready on either side, the gate was unfastened, the elephants standing patiently waiting, the trumpeting having ceased as soon as the first man's head appeared above the wall, while directly the gate was being dragged open, Sul thrust his head against it and pushed, making the task particularly easy. But as soon as there was ample room he uttered a peculiar squeak, and shuffled off across the park-like grounds, followed by the troop of ten, all evidently eager to get back to their old quarters, to which they made their way.
"They'll want to go off again," said Harry, laughing. "Aren't you glad to see them back, Phra?"
"Glad? Of course; it seemed horrible to lose them all. I never expected to see either of them again."
"What are you shaking your head at, Sree?" cried Harry, as they waited till the gates were once more secure.
"I was listening to what the Sahib said," replied the old hunter. "I am not surprised to see the elephants come back. Once they get used to man, and find he is a friend who feeds them, and treats them well, they do not want to leave him. Some of the mahouts are cruel, and make their heads sore with the goads, but I think kindness is best. I have made friends with the great beasts, often with big ones that the mahouts said were savage-tempered and dangerous. I never found them so."
"Not when they were mad?" said Phra.
"Oh, yes, then," replied the man. "They are dangerous at times, and it does not do to trust them much. Better let them loose in the jungle."
"We might as well have made old Sul stop and carry us back," said Harry. "I say; there were no fighting men anywhere outside; do you think they will come to-night?"
"Who knows, Sahib? Perhaps not to-night, but they will come and try to take the place, or they would not be waiting as I saw them this morning. They have some plan in their minds, but we are ready, and must meet them when they come."
But there was no sign of the enemy that night, nor the next, and such a state of calm that it was hard to imagine that the palace was still beleaguered. There was no doubt of this, though, for it was only necessary to send out a scout in any direction for him to find bodies of the enemy watching the palace, and ready to check any attempt at escape, if such had been the intention of the besieged.
This state of quietude enabled Mr. Kenyon and his English friends to finish several little arrangements for the defence, and the risk of fire was reduced by the amount of water provided for checking the first attempt to destroy the place, if such should prove to be the enemy's design. The earthwork at the great gates, too, was strengthened; for though there was the possibility of the attack being made in another portion of the defences, it seemed probable that it would be made as before.
"They're like elephants, Hal," Phra said contemptuously; "they keep to the old track."
The halt on the part of the enemy gave the doctor's patients a better chance of amendment, and the spirit that was within made several ready to return to the duties of the defence, each declaring that he would get better more quickly busy with his friends than lying as an invalid in bed, in spite of the gentle ministrations of the ladies, who did everything possible to help the doctor with his charge.
Generally speaking, everything now had settled down in the palace to a complete state of routine. Watches were regularly set, including one on the roof, by the flagstaff, whence portions of the river could be seen; and longing looks were constantly cast, in the vain hope of seeing help in the shape of the well-manned boats of some British man-o'-war.
Plans too were made as to the provisioning of the little garrison, and arranging that the stores should last as long as possible. This duty, with the care for the health of the place, devolved upon the doctor who proved to be most stern in his insistence upon every one obeying his rules.
Harry and Phra took their turns in going on duty, and it fell to their lot to superintend the guard when the elephants were let out and returned from the jungle, the sagacious beasts marching off regularly every morning, and forming a regular path across the grounds to the distant gates, while, strange to state, a whole week elapsed without the enemy again interfering and attempting to gain an entrance at such times.
"There is a meaning in it all, father says. They have lost so many men that they have determined to starve us out," Phra said one morning to his companion.
"Yes; so my father thinks," replied Harry; "or else it is that they are waiting for reinforcements."
"I don't think they would have to wait," replied Phra. "No; depend upon it, they think we shall give up soon, and lay down our arms."
"So that they may march in and jump upon us, and then cut off our heads?"
Phra's face looked quite old with wrinkles as he gave his companion a sombre look, and then nodded.
"Perhaps they would be content, and let you English people off, if you gave up my father and his faithful friends."
"And you with them?" said Harry gravely.
"Of course."
"Can't spare you, old chap. Bah! What are you talking about? If they think anything of that sort, they are more stupid than I thought for. Give up? They don't know what English people are yet. Why, Phra, we shall go on fighting till all the provisions are done, and then we shall make a fresh start."
"How?"
"By killing one of the elephants and eating him. Let's see; eleven of them. How long would they last?"
"Nonsense!"
"'Tisn't. Old Mike would cook them so as to make something good, and so that they wouldn't be tough."
"Don't make fun out of our troubles," said Phra bitterly.
"Why not? they're bad enough, so one needn't try to make them worse."
"What I dread is—" began Phra, but Harry interrupted him.
"I know; that the enemy won't come and be well thrashed."
"No; that the water supply will be stopped. Father wondered that they had not dug up the bamboo pipes and cut that off."
"Pooh! Let them. Father and Doctor Cameron talked that over the other night, and they said that near as we are to the river they would find water before we had dug down ten feet, and there would be abundance. Look here, Phra; I've thought over it all, and now the place is so strong we can laugh at the enemy and starve them out. Give up? Why, if it came to the worst, we should shut ourselves up in that wing, and blow away the big passage which joins it to the rest of the palace. Then we should defend it step by step till we were on the roof, and fight there till the last of us was killed. English people would rather die fighting than give up to be murdered by a set of savages like the enemy."
Phra was silent.
"Well, wouldn't you?" said Harry.
"Yes," said Phra gravely. "I suppose I should be horribly frightened, but I should know that it was my duty to fight for my father to the last, and I should fight."
"Of course you would, and so should I," cried Harry, flushing. "As to being frightened, well, I don't think we should be a bit. We should feel that shrinky-shanky sensation which makes you shiver and feel hot and cold and wish you were somewhere else, and want to run away, only you wouldn't for the world. I believe everyone feels that at such times—say if any one's drowning, and you don't want to jump in after him, or when there's a tiger or a big snake; but I don't think that's being frightened; that's only natural, because one would jump into the water to save any fellow drowning, or go and do anything. It's only a sort of hanging back before one begins. It can't be regular fright, old chap, because, if it was, we should run, and that we couldn't do. Now, that's real fright: we should be afraid to do that."
"You're a queer fellow, Hal," said Phra, smiling.
"Am I? Well, so are other English boys, for I suppose I'm like most of them. I don't want to fight. I hate it. It's horrible, but I think I shall not be afraid to fight; but I'm sure I should be afraid to run away."
"I hope I should," said Phra thoughtfully, "and I don't want the fighting to begin again; but this miserable waiting day after day for aid to come is terrible. I say, do you think Adong will bring help?"
"Not now, I don't. I'm afraid the poor chap has been killed, or he would have come back. He'd have made his way to us, the same as Sree did. I say, I begin to feel as you do—wish it would all come to an end."
CHAPTER XXXII
IN THE NICK OF TIME
Sunset had come. The elephants had returned to the gate, and, being admitted without the sign of an enemy, had tramped quietly to their stables after their hearty banquet upon the succulent, jungle leaves.
Then the darkness fell, the evening meal was eaten, the guard set, and after a chat with Sree, the boys went to their beds, to lie down dressed—ready for anything, and dropped off soundly to sleep.
In what seemed like ten minutes Harry was awake again, to be conscious of a busy stir in the palace and Sree leaning over him with a hand upon his shoulder.
"What's the matter?" cried the boy; "are they attacking?"
"Yes, Sahib; there is going to be a big fight, and they are coming on with lights."
"Ah!" cried Harry, "at last! Here, Phra!"
"I'm ready," was the reply, and a minute later, gun in hand, the boys were out on the terrace, learning that the enemy was coming on in two bodies, their presence having been detected by Sree and Lahn, who were on guard, and whose keen ears had caught the low, rustling sound of their approach.
There was no excitement among the defenders, for in obedience to several orders made for acting upon in case of such an emergency, every one had gone quietly to his place, the ammunition chests were thrown open, and arrangements made for keeping all well supplied, while the ladies had hurriedly dressed and gone to their post in the hospital room to wait till the doctor, who was with those who were in consultation on the terrace, should need their services.
"Where are the boys?" said Mr. Kenyon suddenly.
The answer came from close behind him.
"Here, quick!" he said; "take the night glass and go up on the roof.
You may be able to make out something of the movements of the enemy.
Be back here in ten minutes."
Harry and Phra ran off, the glass was obtained, and they made their way to the flagstaffs.
It was wonderfully still, not a breath of air perceptible, and the darkness was intense low down, though above the sky was one glorious encrustation of stars.
For a few moments nothing could be seen, and they stood listening to a peculiar, murmurous sound from away over the great gates, evidently caused by the movement of a large body of men.
The telescope was brought to bear in that direction, but still nothing could be seen, and Harry, who held it, swept it round to the back, where all seemed black too; but suddenly a bright spark darted into the field of vision, then another, and another, and the boy handed the glass to his companion.
"Look right over the corner yonder," he whispered.
Phra adjusted the glass, but before he had time to make out that which had met Harry's eye the latter uttered a sharp ejaculation.
"What is it?" cried Phra.
"The river is alive with boats. They're just coming round the bend where the trees are. They all have lanthorns, and it would be a beautiful sight if they weren't coming to destroy this place."
"Yes, beautiful," said Phra. "We've seen enough. There's a party coming on with torches behind; the enemy are in the front, and they are coming up to land on the water terrace to attack us at the side."
"Come on down," said Harry, drawing a deep breath. "It's going to be a big fight to-night, and we shall have to retreat in here."
Their information was carried to Mr. Kenyon, with whom was the King, and, as Harry had said, instructions were given for the defence by the gate to be held as long as possible before a retreat was made to the palace wing; a party was sent round to strengthen the guard in the rooms, the instructions being to think of nothing but extinguishing the fire if it should catch hold, for it was not judged likely that any attempts to scale the wall would be made there. And then as strong a party as could be spared was sent in the direction of the great, stone landing-place in case of an attack being made there, with orders to quickly retire if they were much pressed, so that the strength might be concentrated at and about the palace.
The darkness did not seem to interfere with the movements in the least, for every man was familiar now with the dark paths beyond the court, and knew what he had to do, moving with the stern determination to perform that duty even at the cost of his life.
The silence now grew more and more painful, and the defenders, who knew but little of what was going on at the back of the palace, their attention being concentrated upon the front or water side, were longing for the suspense of waiting to be brought to an end, so that they might find relief in action, when suddenly there arose a burst of shouting, and a faint glow rose over the roof of the principal building.
The great danger foreseen had come, for a body of the enemy bearing burning brands had advanced boldly up to a short distance from the wall, close to the ashes of the burned tree, and begun hurling the blazing wood against the windows within reach.
It was so quickly done that it seemed as if a splash of light suddenly darted out of the darkness beneath the wall, quivered for a moment in the air, and then described a curve, passing over the wall, striking against the barricaded window, rebounding, and falling down into the narrow court below.
This continued rapidly; and though a glimpse was now and then caught of a dark face with flashing eyes, as the burning brand was thrown, it was so momentary that it was considered waste of ammunition to fire.
Harry and Phra had hurried there directly they had given warning, and one of the first orders given was for two of the faithful Siamese to go down into the court and provide themselves with a bamboo bucket of water. Then as fast as the brands flew over the wall, struck the palace, and dropped down, they were seized, and their burning ends quenched.
They came fast, striking above, below, and on either side. Some came with a loud rap against the boards nailed up for a breastwork, but few came right in at the open window. Still now and then one better aimed than usual rushed in like a rocket, and the value of the preparation made was evident.
If there had been no defenders there, without doubt that portion of the palace would soon have been in a blaze, for the torches thrown had been prepared with some violently inflammable resin, and filled the place with a pungent smoke as they fell.
But their time for burning was short. Quickly as they came, there was always some one ready to dart upon them, plunge them into a jar of water, and drop them down into the court.
Still, in spite of the ill success of the movement, the brands were thrown in by the men, who darted from the shelter of the wall and back as soon as they had thrown the missile, while the bright glow which rose showed that a party must be busy there getting the torches well alight while others were being thrown.
This had been going on for quite a quarter of an hour, the enemy working away with impunity, not one being hurt; and it seemed as if they meant to keep on till the room began to blaze.
"This won't do, Phra," said Harry at last; "it's sickening, we ought to fire at the next who runs out."
"It would be impossible to hit," said Phra bitterly.
"I know," cried Harry. "Back directly."
He ran round to the far wing, to find his father, the King, and several more anxiously waiting for the attack to commence upon the gate; for it was evident that a mass of the enemy were waiting, probably for the place to be on fire, before they began their advance, feeling that the blaze would confuse and dishearten the defenders, and make the task comparatively easy.
Harry was supplied with that for which he had come, and hurried back to the room, into which two brands came hissing, entering by the window as he ran in by the door.
"No, no, Sree," he cried; "don't touch that one," and the hunter rose again while the boy stooped, those who looked on catching a glimpse of a canister as the boy held a fuse to the flame, waited till it began to fizz and spit tiny sparks, and then rushed with it to the window, leaned out, making himself a mark for the next thrower whose torch whizzed by his ear, and then, well calculating his distance, the boy pitched the canister so that it, too, made a curve in the air, emitting scintillations as it flew, and dropped down on the far side of the wall just where the glow arose and formed a halo of light.
"There," he cried, "if you're so fond of fireworks, how do you like that?"
The words had hardly passed his lips before there was a tremendous concussion, a deafening roar, and the light which arose went out as suddenly as it had come; the glow had gone, and the throwing of the torches was at an end.
"Any one hurt?" cried Harry.
"No; are you, Hal?"
"No, I don't think so. But has that stopped them?" he continued, as he looked out. "Yes, you can hear them running."
"They're gone. But oh! I say! there's a big gap blown through the wall."
Sree had picked up the still burning torch and now handed it to Harry, who threw it down into the court to make sure; and there plainly enough he could see an opening about four feet wide, offering an easy entrance for the enemy if they came on again.
"Here," cried Harry, "all of you follow us; we must go round and be ready to beat them back. We must have some spears as well."
The lad's promptness in proposing the right thing at the right moment naturally made him leader, and as he rushed out of the door all followed along the passage and downstairs to the terrace, so that they might run round.
But as they ran they became conscious of a sudden roar of voices, coming, though they knew it not, from two directions, and the rattle of musketry began.
For the enemy had taken the explosion at the back of the palace and the flash of light as the signal for them to advance; and with a wild burst of cries they came rushing towards the gate and the walls at the sides, provided with ladders, while from the landing-place by the river another column landed from the boats came on with a roar.
The noise increased, and volley after volley was fired; but it soon grew desultory and weaker, for, unchecked by their losses, the enemy came on in their determined attack, driving the defenders along the paths leading to the river, and swarming over the gate and walls in a way that the weak force behind the barricade could not resist.
Shot, hoarse yell, roar of defiance, and the clattering and ringing of spears, were mingled in wild confusion; and just as Harry and his little party reached the terrace, ready to rush round by the back, it was to awaken to the fact that the little reserve gathered there when he fetched the impromptu shell had rushed forward to assist those by the gate who were being driven back by sheer weight of numbers.
"Stand fast!" cried Phra. "Spears, spears!"
He set the example of seizing one from a sheaf placed ready by the door; the others followed, and they were able to plant themselves, a little compact body of ten, ready to try and cover their friends, who from the dark paths leading to the water and from the barrier were retreating, fighting hand to hand, their emptied pieces being only of use now as spears, thanks to the bayonets they had fixed.
It was all over in the space of a minute. The defenders faced their enemies to the last; for the final retreat up the steps to the terrace was made backwards, as they came closer together till they were shoulder to shoulder, presenting a chevaux de frise of bayonets to the stabbing spears of their enemies, till those first to reach the great doorway were crowded through, carrying those who had tried to cover them in first in spite of their efforts.
But Harry in the wild excitement had a clear head. He and his companions, though so few in number, still retained their muskets, and these were loaded.
Quick as the thought which occurred to him, he called upon his party to follow, and led the way to the window at the side, one that he had seen carefully provided with a breastwork ready for defenders, though he little thought he was to be one of those who would first prove its value.
He saw it now, though; and as the great door was being held by those at bay, all inside now, and the enemy were pressing forward to follow them in, he got his own party crowded at the window.
"At the word," he cried, as every musket was brought to bear on the dense crowd not five yards away.
There was a momentary pause.
"Present—fire!" he roared, and the ten muskets were discharged like one, literally tearing a little alley through the crowd.
The effect was so sudden and startling to the attacking party that they fell back with one accord; but only for a few moments.
Moments were vital then; and brief as the time was, it had given enough for some of those first driven in to get to and man the window on the other side of the door.
Recovering from their surprise, the enemy yelled and rebounded, to come on again, when the sharp word of command was given, and a volley rattled from that side.
It was another check, and the two together gave time for the defenders in the great doorway to bang it to, thrust in the bolts, and clang the bars across.
"Twenty of you follow me to the upper windows," cried Mr. Kenyon. "You sir, hold those two windows. Fire in turn from each side. Volleys, mind; they have ten times the effect."
By this time Harry's party had reloaded, and as with a savage yell the disappointed enemy divided to make for the windows, another volley tore through them.
The King had obeyed his friend, and his first step had been to get twenty of his panting followers in a line and order them to load. Then he divided them into two firing parties, ten on either side, to support those at the windows.
The fighting already gone through had been magnificent as a discipline, and in an incredibly short time the reserves were ready; and at a word Harry's party, who had been holding the window with bayonets, dropped back to reload, while the fresh ten stepped up and delivered their fire, holding the place in turn with their bayonets till Harry's party had reloaded.
The same thing was going on at the other window, while now from the floor above, crash after crash, volley after volley, Mr. Kenyon's party joined in their fire.
"Here, Sree," whispered Harry, "my arm has gone bad; you must load for me."
There was no reply.
"Where's Sree?" cried Harry again.
No one had seen him since they fired the first volley, and Harry uttered a groan as he felt sure that the poor fellow must have gone down from a spear thrust.
But there was no time to think in the darkness where they were pent up. It was every man's duty to make his ammunition tell upon the seething, savage crowd athirst for their blood, and the volley firing was kept up steadily, the ammunition chests in the middle of the hall being amply supplied in readiness for such an emergency, and every window attacked had its defenders directly.
All at once Mr. Kenyon's voice was heard from above.
"Where is the King?" he cried.
"Here. Are you losing ground up there?"
"No, sir, no. My men can keep up their fire there. I came to speak to you," he said in a low voice, but it was close to where the two boys were standing, and they heard every word. "We must do our best," he said, "for the whole country seems up against us. They have cast off all concealment now, and are coming up to the gate in thousands, many of them with lanthorns at the end of their spears. Where are the home-made shells?"
"There, in a chest by themselves beneath the great table."
"Yes, I know," said Mr. Kenyon. "I am going to throw a few down from one of the upper windows. Oh, if we could have fired those mines!"
"The attack was too sudden," said the King. "The poor fellows had not a chance."
"I ought to have gone there sooner," groaned Mr. Kenyon.
The words had hardly passed his lips when the great hall became light as day for a moment, and then there was a roar like a peal of thunder, making the bamboo sun-blinds rattle and the whole place quiver.
"Hurrah!" shouted Harry. "I know. That's Sree!"
He did not pause to think how Sree could have been by him so short a time before and down at the barrier then.
Even if he had felt disposed to wonder, the thought would have been driven out of his head, for in the midst of the sudden silence which had succeeded the tremendous roar it was repeated—the other mine had been fired, with a report which seemed louder than the first.
The silence, both inside and out, was now appalling, and those within ceased reloading, as they waited, wondering what the effect had been upon the enemy, and whether such a catastrophe as that which must have befallen them would be followed by a retreat.
But it was the turn of the besieged now to receive a shock, for all at once the faces of those who thronged the court began to be visible in the darkness. In another minute there came flash after flash, showing thousands of gleaming eyes, and a spontaneous yell of savage delight rose up from all around as the light grew brighter.
"The palace—at the back!" cried Harry wildly. "Oh, Phra, we oughtn't to have left our posts."
"They have come in through the wall and fired the place," said Phra with a groan.
"Yes," said Mr. Kenyon coolly; "but half a keg of powder will tear down our connection with the main building, and we can still hold this wing to the bitter end."
"What's that? Are they bringing big guns against us?" cried the King.
No one replied, but stood listening, as thud, thud, thud, at regular intervals there came the reports of heavy pieces, followed by a fresh surprise.
All at once there was a bright light from the direction of the river. Then another, which began to light up the trees in that direction, while, with a strange rapidity as the heavy firing went on, blaze after blaze sprang up, and it was now Mr. Kenyon's turn to be wildly excited.
"Hark!" he shouted. "Do you hear that?"
His answer was a wild burst of cheering from all the defenders present, as if in echo to the faint shouting which came off the river.
"Hurrah!" cried Harry again. "Shout, Phra, shout! It's the help at last. It must be men-o'-war boats, and they're firing the enemy's barges as they come."
"Yes, Sahib Harry," said a familiar voice. "English sailors with guns in boats, but the place is on fire and burning fast."
At least a dozen of the light barges on the river were burning fiercely now, and drifting amongst and setting fire to others; but the firing from that direction had ceased.
Then all at once there was a hearty cheer and a volley of musketry, while by the bright light which illumined the courtyard a movement began to be visible amongst the besiegers.
In an instant Mr. Kenyon called upon those present, and volley after volley was sent tearing through the crowd moving now towards the gate. In another minute there was a rush from the now lit-up walks leading to the landing, and a strong body of sailors dashed out into the open, formed up in line, fired a fresh volley, and then charged across at the retiring enemy.
That was enough. This charge from disciplined men, who came on with a tremendous cheer, broke the neck of the attack, and the crowd scattered and fled, seeking who could be first outside, for the way was clear, the great gates and twenty feet of the wall being completely swept away.
A volley or two from the sailors hastened the flight, but no pursuit was attempted, and the men were wheeled round and halted in front of the terrace, their officers advancing to congratulate those whom they had so opportunely relieved; while as soon as a strong party had been stationed at the ruined gates the efforts of every one were directed to the burning palace, the far end of which was blazing furiously.
"Look here," said the lieutenant in command of the sailors, "it seems a pity; but if it is not done, the whole place must burn down."
"What would you do?" said the King.
"Blow up the burning rooms—the farther end," said Mr. Kenyon promptly.
"That's it," said the lieutenant. "If you've half a keg of powder, we'll soon manage that, and a few hundred buckets of water will do the rest."
It was a pity, but it was like lopping off a diseased limb, and half an hour after another explosion had suddenly shaken down that end of the lightly built palace not a spark was visible.
The next morning there was a ghastly array of sufferers lying about the precincts of the palace, but not an enemy to be seen. The great force gathered against the little knot of defenders had melted away. Weapons were hidden, and the spirit of the rebellion seemed to have quite evaporated, so that thousands of those who had been ready to fight desperately in the second king's cause eagerly returned to their daily avocations as soon as the news spread after the defeat that their leader and those who had headed the conspiracy had fled up the country to try and escape to safety in another land.
It was while the naval officer in command of the sailors was collecting all the men he could—most of them members of the inimical force, but peaceful enough now—to set to work and remove all the ghastly traces of the late fight, that Harry and Phra came suddenly upon the old hunter and his two men superintending a gang of about twenty Siamese laden with spears and krises, which were being carried into one of the great sheds by the elephant stables.
"Why, there's Adong!" cried Harry. "Here, how did you get back?"
"He came with the sailors In one of the boats, Sahib," said Sree, answering for his man, who nudged him to reply.
"Then it was he who found an English ship to send help?"
"Oh, yes, Sahib Phra; but it took him a long time, and he began to fear that he would not find one at last."
"Where did he find it?"
"Sailing on the sea, and coming to our river, Sahib. He says he could not help being so long."
"But how about the firing of those mines, Sree?" cried Harry. "You did that?"
"Yes, Sahib."
"How did you manage it? You were with us."
"I went to a window where there were no fighting men, Sahib, and dropped out to go down to the gate, where hundreds of men were crowding in."
"But didn't they stop you?"
"No, Sahib; I was not an Englishman, and I played with them."
"Played with them?"
"Yes, Sahib; I held my arm, and I walked lame, and they said to themselves, 'Here is a brave man who has been wounded,' and they let me go. I knew that the Sahib wanted the powder to go off at a time like that, and I crept to the places where the wires were hidden among the stones. I pulled first one and then the other. It was very horrible, Sahibs, but they were enemies seeking to kill the King and his friends, so it was right that I should fire the mines."
CHAPTER XXXIII
WHAT FOLLOWED
Sree's daring act with the mines, and the coming of the sailors who had burned the enemy's fleet of warboats, combined to completely dishearten the rebels, who fled, to a man; and the next day the people were poling back their houseboats to their old places about the banks of the river, trade was going on, and scores of the King's servants and retainers came flocking in, many of whom had no doubt taken part in the attack upon the palace, but the majority had fled through fear.
The wounded were for the most part helped and fetched away, saving the bad cases, which were attended by Dr. Cameron and the surgeon from the ship; and excepting that strong guards were stationed at the levelled gates and the broken wall there was no sign of the effects of the siege twenty-four hours after the enemy had taken flight.
The presence of the British war-ship in the river, with her guns and the naval detachment, helped to awe the people; but with the flight of the second king and his party the rebellion died, the hatred of the English colony was forgotten, and Harry felt half angry, half amused, to see the competition which ensued in the course of a few hours among the work-people of the city, who nearly fought for the right to rebuild the bungalows which had been destroyed.
To be brief, in a few days the King was more firmly seated upon the throne than ever, for the inimical party had been swept away, and his people vied among themselves to prove who were the most devoted servants he possessed.
It was about three months later, and after the departure of the man-of-war, that Harry and Phra were going round the English quarter, where the rebuilding was well in progress, Mr. Kenyon's bungalow most forward of all.
"They have worked, Phra," cried Harry triumphantly. "Why, in another fortnight we shall be able to begin housekeeping again. Mike has bought boat-loads of things ready to come in as soon as the place is dry."
"Yes," said Phra; "they are getting on fast. These light bamboo-built places are soon raised; but I don't see why you should be in such a hurry. Aren't you comfortable up at the palace?"
"Comfortable?" cried Harry. "It would be a shame if we weren't. No one could be nicer than the King."
"To his friends," said Phra gravely. "His enemies think differently."
"He has no enemies now," said Harry.
"No, not now, for the last of those who headed the rising have left the country."
"All those who could," said Harry, with a meaning look.
"Don't talk about it," said Phra, with a spasm of pain in his face. "We were talking about you coming back here to live. Aren't you afraid of another volcanic eruption?"
"N—no," said Harry. "We should be more on our guard if one were threatening."
"There will not be another for many years," said Phra gravely. "My father has shown the people what he can do when roused, and he means to be more severe with any who stir up the people against what he does and his favouring of the English. I am sure we shall all be safe for many years to come. Don't hurry to get away from the palace; father wants you to stay—so do I."
"Yes, that's very nice, but it isn't home, Phra, old chap, and we English people like to be independent and have our own nests. But I was thinking that if there was another rising in a few years, we should be grown men and able to do better."
"You couldn't. Could they, Cameron?" said a voice behind them.
"You there, father?" cried Harry, flushing.
"Where should I be but in my own home, sir? The doctor and I have just come for a look round. But the museum looks bad, boys."
"Yes, father. Phra and I were talking last night about having a turn in the jungle with Sree to begin collecting."
"And also about a rebellion in the future, and fighting better when you are men. The doctor and I hope and believe that if there is war again it will be against a foreign enemy, and the people will be joining their wise and progressive King in defending themselves. Eh, Cameron?"
"We shall have no more risings," said the doctor decisively, "for the people will never forget the way in which the last was put down. We are like your father, Phra, stronger than ever now."
"Let's end here," said Mr. Kenyon. "One such incident as that trouble at the palace is enough in any boy's life."
The two elders walked away to meet Mrs. Cameron, who had come down to join her husband; and the boys stood looking at one another.
"No more fighting, Phra," said Harry; "but we've got the museum to fill."
"Yes; when shall we begin?"
"At once," said Harry. "So let's go and find old Sree."
End of Project Gutenberg's Jungle and Stream, by George Manville Fenn