Jungle and Stream: or, The Adventures of Two Boys in Siam

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."