Chapter XXII: A Brilliant Little Affair

Presently Linham went off to find Sergeant Barrymore, and Larry related what had happened in the village.

‘We were sitting on our horses, kaping our eyes and ears open,’ he said, ‘when I happened to notice a pasty-faced young gossoon on a pony sneaking off towards the hills.’

‘Had he a black sheep’s-wool cap on, and an orange-coloured sash round his waist?’ asked Jack.

‘He had that same, and may the divil fly away wid him, for in about half-an-hour we suddintly saw him coming back wid a troop of Hussars and Cossacks at his heels. Somehow they seemed to have got all round us. I sounded the alarm, and our fellows came tumbling out. In a jiffy they were mounted and formed up. We answered the Rooshians blitherin’ fire wid a volley, and then charged ’em, going through ’em like a knife and bowling over a good number of the ugly bastes, wid a loss of only two of our men.’

Jack then related their adventure, which made Larry’s eyes sparkle.

‘By the piper, I’d loike to have been wid you!’ he said.

Linham and Barrymore presently came into the cottage, and after the latter had congratulated Jack on his escape, he said, ‘This news about the convoy is most important. Captain Norreys learnt something of it from a prisoner we took, and that is why we remained here. Our captain wanted to go in search of it, but the captain of the 11th, who was senior officer, would not agree. He, poor chap, has just died of the cholera, so Captain Norreys is now in command. Jimmy and I are going to wake him up and tell him what you’ve seen.’

Captain Norreys was delighted with the news. ‘We ‘ll have that convoy,’ he said; and summoned all the officers at once to consult with him.

Half-an-hour later, the little body of cavalry, picking up their vedettes as they went along, were on the move. Captain Norreys, having Linham with him as guide, led the way with his own troop; the Hussars followed. Silence was imposed on all; there was to be no talking or smoking in the ranks, and on no account were any bugle-calls to be sounded.

Progress, of course, was slow, and it was fully a couple of hours before word was passed along for the party to halt. Then part of the Lancers were ordered to dismount. Leaving their lances behind, and taking only their pistols and swords, they then began to advance stealthily on foot, Captain Norreys leading them. The other troops were for the present to remain halted.

Jack and his companions were with the captain, and they went on and on; but no sign of the convoy did they see.

‘I hope we haven’t lost our way,’ whispered Cornet Leland to Jack. ‘It would be a feather in our cap to take in a string of wagons. The cavalry don’t get much chance, and the infantry are always sneering at us as “do-nothing popinjays.”’

‘We’ll prove to them if ever we get the chance that a man in a laced jacket can do as much as one in a red coat, sir,’ replied Jack; and the day was not far distant when the prophecy was to be fulfilled by the immortal ‘Six Hundred.’

Presently they reached the road and marched silently along beside it till there came a stern whisper for caution; then the thirty odd Lancers heard faintly on the still night air a rumble getting rapidly louder.

Captain Norreys halted his party and said, ‘Take Sergeant Barrymore and half the men, Mr Leland, cross the road, advance about a hundred yards, and line the roadway. When the convoy comes in sight, wait till I have delivered a volley, then let fly at them. Directly you’ve fired, run in and prevent the drivers getting off with the wagons; but do not hurt any of them if you can possibly avoid it. Disable only the escort.’

Cornet Leland told off fourteen men, and marched away in the darkness.

‘Trumpeter,’ said the captain to Jack, ‘get off as fast as your legs will carry you towards our main body. Directly you hear firing, sound the regimental call and the rally. When the men arrive tell the officer in command of the Hussars to charge down on the convoy.’

‘Right, sir,’ said Jack, saluting, bitterly disappointed that he was not to be allowed to ‘see the fun.’

The sounds of wheels and trampling hoofs could now be distinguished, and Jack went off. He judged he had gone some five hundred yards when, loath to go farther for fear he might not be able to take part in the capture, he halted on the summit of a small eminence.

The minutes went by slowly, and it seemed hours to Jack, who was listening intently to the increasing noise of wheels, before--_Crash! rattle! bang! bang! bang! B-r-r-r-r--crash!_--two volleys rang out.

Then ensued a terrible babel of shouts and cries.

_Tan-ta-rara! tan-ta-rara! tan-ta-rara-ra!_ rang out Jack’s trumpet in the regimental call of the ‘Death or Glory Boys.’ _Tum-ta-rara! tum-te-rara, tum-te!_ followed the rally.

The sounds of conflict grew louder; over and over again Jack rang out his calls. A thunder of horses’ hoofs sounded behind him.

‘Hallo,’ thought Jack, ‘that can’t be our fellows yet.’ He turned just in time to see two mounted men galloping up the rise towards him. He paused for a moment, uncertain who the new-comers were. Then he saw the stumpy figures and levelled lance-points. Heavens, they were Cossacks!

Jack let his bugle fall to his side; next moment he had his pistol in his left hand and his sword in his right. Aiming blindly, he fired at the two Russians. The foremost came to the ground, man and horse, with a crash. For a moment the other drew rein; then, with a sort of grunt, he charged.

Jack dashed across his front, making the pony swerve, and, getting on the Cossack’s left side, with a mighty sweep of his sword he cut him right out of his saddle.

The first man, whose horse had been badly wounded, got to his feet and ran off as fast as his legs would carry him.

Jack sounded again, and in a few seconds the thud of hoofs and jingle of accoutrements fell on his ear as the rest of the little cavalry force came up at a sharp pace.

‘This way! this way!’ yelled Jack.

The square-topped caps of his own corps and the flying pelisses of the Hussars came in sight. Sir William Lennox pulled in his panting charger close to Jack.

‘Where are they?’ he cried.

‘Straight in front, sir. You and the Hussars are to charge down at once.’

‘What are these?’ asked the officer, pointing with his sword to the bodies of the man and horse on the ground.

‘Two Cossacks attacked me, sir,’ replied Jack.

‘Gallant lad; I will see the fact is known.--By your right, trot march!’ and the troop swung by.

On foot Jack raced after them; but did not arrive till all opposition was over and the convoy was captured.

The drivers of the wagons seemed quite contented to be captured, and before the flying Russians were out of sight had signified to the English their willingness to drive the convoy to the English camp.

The wagons were counted, two hundred of them, laden with provisions for Sebastopol. Besides which nearly three hundred head of cattle were in the rear. A number of men were told off as escort, and the wagons headed for the English camp.

‘A glorious capture!’ cried Captain Norreys, wild with delight. ‘Lord Raglan will be pleased with this night’s work.’

It took some time, though, to get all under way again, and dawn was breaking as they moved off.

Captain Norreys remained behind as rear-guard with about sixty men, amongst whom were Jack, Will, and Larry.

‘Bedad, this bates Donnybrook into a cocked hat,’ said Larry to Jack as he rode by. ‘If the Rooshians would only stand their ground the Crimea would be the finest place in the wurrld.’

They had travelled some distance when, just as the sun was rising, Jack noticed, topping a ridge on their left front, a whole forest of lance-heads.

‘Look there, sir,’ he cried to the captain.

‘Form column of troops!’ cried that officer, and Lancers and Hussars swung forward to get between the Russians and the convoy.

Carbines were loaded and swords loosened in their scabbards as fully five hundred Cossacks and Hussars came sweeping over the crest.

‘One volley, then charge,’ said Captain Norreys coolly.

The enemy came on at a slow trot till they were about a hundred yards distant, when the British delivered their fire.

A score of Russian saddles were emptied; then Captain Norreys, well to the front, drew his sword. ‘Forward men!’ he cried; ‘take your pace from me, and charge home!’

At a gallop they rushed forward. Jack drew his sword and was in amongst the foe only a horse’s length behind his captain. Lance and sabre went to work, and in thirty seconds the Russians were flying.

Instantly Captain Norreys held up his sword and Jack sounded the halt.

‘Let us go on, sir; we can cut ’em to pieces,’ growled Sergeant Barrymore.

‘No, no, sergeant; it may be a trap,’ said Captain Norreys. ‘Pick up those three wounded men of ours and get them to the wagons.’

This was done, and then the English formed up again in rear of the convoy, which had not stopped.

The Russians reformed and hung upon the rear of the column; but they seemed to have no stomach for further fighting.

Followed by the enemy, the column held on its way till a cheer burst out in front.

‘Hurrah!’ shouted Pearson. ‘It’s all over; here are the Cherrypickers!’[2]

The remaining troops of the 11th Hussars, which had been sent out from the English camp as reinforcements, came sweeping by, their sword-blades flashing in the sunlight. With a cheer they advanced towards the still visible Russians, who turned and literally galloped away.

That was the last seen of the enemy. The captured convoy got safely into camp, the cavalrymen receiving a great ovation when they arrived. Captain Norreys was duly thanked in orders; and in his report to Lord Raglan he made mention of Sergeant Linham’s defence of the barn, and Jack’s part in bringing up the reserves and the gallant way in which he had fought and defeated two Cossacks. But long before the report was written Jack was sound asleep, dreaming he was once more at home, taking tea with his mother and sisters in the little garden at Kew.