Adventure, December 1914 — page 88: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

86 and swept it across the upper half of the sheet. “Man! Mr. Dicky! Isa’ that Roosia?” “Every bit of it, Andry.” “An’ this little spit o’ lan’, here in this corner, is where we are?” ‘““Ves, here, below the Caspian.” ‘““Man! Roosia lies like a girt whale across the top! She spans fra’ sea to sea! She’s tre-mendous! Ar-r-re we goin’ tae fecht all yon?” “Know how they fight whales, Andry?” “Aye” ‘‘How, then?” “‘Mon—ye ken as weel as I—they get close up tae ’em in a wee sma’ boat, an’ prog ’em wi’ spears. The whale thrashes an’ mak’s a terrific clishmaclaver, but they keep close up alongside, stickin’ more spears in the while, an’ “3 “They lance the whale, in other words?” ‘“‘Aye, they lance her.” “We'll lance Russia, Andry! We'll be the men in the wee sma’ boat!’’ “Man—Mr. Dicky—ye’re a genius! I dinna believe we can—but here’s ma han’! Ill gang wi’ ye!” Dick gripped his hand and squeezed. . “Usbeg Ali,” he said, ““Hurry please and pick me eut the best four hundred men we have—four hundred die-hards to lead on a forlorn hope!” “Will you invade Russia with four hun- dred?” laughed the Afghan. “Surely,” said Dick. “I want you and the rest to hold those two Cossack regi- ments in check behind us.” VI THERE had been too many mes- sages, too much ordering and coun- ter-ordering, for the officer com- manding the two Cossack regiments not now to be thoroughly on guard. When he left Astrabad in the first instance, with the joyless task in front of him of hunting for Dick Anthony amid trackless mountains, he had marched leisurely and had not seen the necessity for any fringe of skirmishers, or any other really martial precautions. When a message reached him that warned him Dick was in his rear ard that he must hurry to overtake the guns and escort them to Astrabad, he had begun to realize some- thing of the unexpectedness of which his enemy was capable, and of the need to be Adventure awake. When the third instructions came and he was told to lie in ambush for an enemy that might return at any minute, he needed no more arousing. He appreciated that the utmost military caution would not be too great to take. So there was a fringe of scouts three miles beyond the spot where he elected to set his ambush, and the place he chose commandeu a stream above a waterfall and overlooked three trails which all led to the hills above. Unless with guns, from more than a mile away behind him, his position seemed un- assailable, and on the other hand he com- manded each approach. Like the guns which Dick Anthony had captured unknown to him, he had a quite considerable convoy and food for a month or more, and it went against the grain to have to leave his wagons on the level land below. He hid them as thoroughly as pos- sible, and made his men carry their contents up-hill to the camp; and he took the horses up-hill with him. But he was anxious about the wagons, and his anxiety proved justified. His scouts reported the approach of Dick Anthony’s men long before half of his prepa- rations for an ambush were complete. He had dug some trenches, but they were un- finished and unhidden; the thrown-up earth was raw and visible between trees from more than a mile away to sharp eyes, and his wagons were pounced on by a squad- ron under Usbeg Ali, hauled into a open, and burned before his eyes. Long-range firing began at once, but it served to do little more than disclose to Dick the nature and extent of the defenses. The first inspection satisfied him that he might well take his four hundred horsemen away, for this was a clear case for in- fantry and guns. “By the wagons, he’s provisioned for a few weeks, Usbeg Ali! Lay siege to him!” ordered Dick. ‘‘No waste of life, now! No recklessness! There’s no excuse! Take your time, and get your guns up on that hill a mile away behind him—even if it takes a week or two to do it! Then, train your new gunners at a living target! If he surrenders, take him and his men up to our camp in the mountain-top and keep him there; otherwise, keep him hemmed in and busy. J shall be perfectly satisfied if I find him in the same place when I get back. Do you understand me?”’ “‘Bahadur, we could burn him out! He comicloool C@