第 25 页

But two days after they had steamed away, one of the stern-wheelers came spluttering back and tied up against the bank, and began with care to disgorge half a dozen wounded. From the look of that, there had been nothing vitally wrong, and presently when the formal written report came to be read, the General's face began to brighten marvellously. "Let's see the butcher's bill," he muttered to himself; three killed, eleven wounded; why, that's nothing. And they've got the place, lock, stock, and barrel." And then he turned back to the body of the report and lifted his eyebrows and said " Humph!" A little later he said to himself, " Well, it's been a near thing apparently, but it's come off. Somebody else pays, and I win. Whew! By Jove, but this is a streak of luck!"

Other officers had to be talked with first, and it was late that night before he could decently call away for another quiet stroll in the desert that subaltern whom he had trusted with a special service.

"Well," he said, when they got out of earshot of the lines, " are you going to marry your girl?"

"If you please, sir," said the subaltern.

"I'm almost sorry There, man, don't look shocked. You had your orders, and you've car ried them out. Only, I've learned a thing or two since that I didn't know at the time, and it ap pears that we owe something to your renegade, though it's quite unlikely he intended to do it as a kindness."

"You mean his crumpling up that Belgian expedition the day before we came up? Well, he did that certainly, sir, and it would never have been done without him, and I suppose if they'd taken the place and we came up and found them sitting down in possession, it would have been awkward."

"Devilish awkward, to say the least of it."

"But as to the other matter, I only carried out your orders, sir."

"Quite so, quite so. I oughtn't to have said what I did just now, so don't get annoyed with me."

"Well, I didn't murder the ruffian, or any thing like that, General. He wasn't in the fighting. He was sort of looking on outside one of the houses, and he didn't offer to raise a finger till I rushed him. He'd a revolver in his holster, and I got him to shoot first, and then I potted back. He was a rank bad shot and I'm another; we both emptied our pistols; but I dropped him with the last cartridge. There was a German in spectacles in the hut behind him, looking very scared, but er you didn't say anything about a second white man, sir."

"Didn't know there was one."

"Well, as I'd got no instructions, and I concluded you wouldn't want a white prisoner, I just let him run. In fact, I hadn't got my pistol loaded, and he did run without consulting my convenience. Oh, and I don't know whether the Colonel told you in his report, but from some papers which were left about, your Irishman's name seems to have been Moriarty. A little redhaired chap, he was."

"Good God!" muttered the General, " I wonder if it could be the same."

"Er--I beg your pardon, sir."

"Nothing," said the elder man; but he sighed, and looked out towards the purple horizon of the desert, and presently he murmured, Poor devil, poor, poor devil."

The subaltern coughed discreetly. The General in command came to earth again. " Well," he said, " this unfortunately isn't quite a thing I can recommend you for the D.S.O. over, although I'm sure you deserve it. But I'll see you get your company all right. Go back to camp now and tell people if you like. I'm going to stay and walk about here a bit longer in the quiet. I've a lot to think out."

"Wonder if the old Chief knew this Moriarty person," the subaltern mused as he walked back towards the line of sentries. "Funny go if he did. Well, I've got a jolly letter to write home to the little girl, anyway."

He pulled a photograph out of the breast of his tunic, and kissed it with a couple of hearty smacks, and then went on his way to the camp, whistling.