Part 23 (1/2)

For a minute the explosion was succeeded by a deathlike stillness, broken only by the sound of the falling fragments; then from the whole circle of the British lines a great cheer of triumph rose up, while a yell of fury answered them from the enemy's intrenchments.

”Any loss?” was Mr. Gubbins' first question.

”No one killed,” was the report of the officers of the three sections.

”Any wounded?”

Four of the men stepped forward; two were slightly wounded only; two were seriously hit, but a glance showed that the wounds were not of a nature likely to be fatal.

”Hurrah! my lads,” Mr. Gubbins said cheerily; ”six guns spiked, our garrison freed from that troublesome battery, a lesson given to the enemy, and I expect a few hundred of them blown up, and all at the cost of four wounded.”

”Well done, indeed,” a voice said; and General Inglis, with two or three of his officers, stepped forward. ”Gallantly done; but how was it that the guns were silent? you could hardly have caught them asleep.”

”No, sir,” Mr. Gubbins said; ”the gentlemen who brought in the message from General Havelock, two days ago, went out on their own account, and silenced the guns by wetting the priming.”

A suppressed cheer broke from the whole party; for until now only Mr.

Johnson and those on guard with him knew what had happened, and the silence of the guns had been a mystery to all.

”Step forward, young gentlemen, will you?” General Inglis said. ”You have done a most gallant action,” he went on, shaking them by the hand, ”a most gallant action; and the whole garrison are greatly indebted to you. I shall have great pleasure in reporting your gallant conduct to the commander-in-chief, when the time comes for doing so. I will not mar the pleasure which all feel at your deed by blaming you for acting on your own inspiration, but I must do so to-morrow. Good fortune has attended your enterprise, but the lives of brave men are too valuable to allow them to undertake such risks as this on their own account. And now that I have said what I was obliged to say, I ask you all to give three cheers for our gallant young friends.”

Three hearty cheers were given, and then the general hurried off to superintend the preparations for the defense of the quarter threatened by the attack from Johannes' house, if indeed that attack should not be postponed, owing to the discouragement which the blow just inflicted would naturally spread. Surrounded by their comrades, the Warreners re-entered the house.

”What was that terrible explosion?” ”What has happened?” was asked by a score of female voices as they entered.

”Good news,” Mr. Gubbins said; ”you can sleep in peace. The guns of the battery which has annoyed us are all spiked, and their magazine blown up, and all this without the loss of a man, thanks to the Warreners, who went out alone and disabled all the guns, by wetting the primings.

All your thanks are due to them.”

There was a general cry of grateful joy; for since the battery had begun to play upon the house, no one had felt that his own life or the lives of those dearest to him were safe for a moment. All were dressed, for in these times of peril no one went regularly to bed; and they now crowded round the boys, shaking them by the hand, patting them on the shoulders, many crying for very joy and relief.

Mrs. Hargreaves was standing at the door, and the boys went up to her.

She drew back the curtain for them to enter; for, sure that the boys intended to carry out some desperate enterprise, none of her family had even lain down. Mr. Hargreaves and Mr. Righton followed them in.

”We were all praying for you,” she said simply, ”as if you had been my own sons; for you were doing as much for me and mine as my own could have done;” and she kissed both their foreheads.

”I think, Mrs. Hargreaves,” said d.i.c.k, with the demure impudence of a mids.h.i.+pman, ”that that ought to go round.”

”I think you have fairly earned it, you impudent boy,” Mrs. Hargreaves said, smiling.

Mrs. Righton kissed d.i.c.k tearfully, for she was thinking that, had the battery been silenced only one day earlier, her little one would have been saved. Edith glanced at her mother, and allowed d.i.c.k to kiss her; while Nelly threw her arms round his neck and kissed him heartily, telling him he was a darling boy.

Ned, who possessed none of the impudence of his brother, and who was moreover at the age when many boys become bashful with women, contented himself with shaking hands with Mrs. Righton and Edith, and would have done the same with Nelly, but that young lady put up her cheek with a laugh.

”I choose to be kissed, sir,” she said; ”it is not much kissing that we get here, goodness knows.”

CHAPTER XVI.

A SORTIE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.

The night pa.s.sed off without the expected attack from Johannes' house, the rebels being too much disconcerted by the destruction of the battery, and the loss of so many men, to attempt any offensive operations. The destruction of the house behind the guns, and of all those in its vicinity, deterred them from re-establis.h.i.+ng a battery in the same place, as there would be no shelter for the infantry supporting the guns; and after the result of the sortie it was evident to them that a large force must be kept in readiness to repel the attacks of the British.