FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147  
148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   >>   >|  
e spectators of the capture; but to reach them and their rifles and ammunition they had to cross the court, which was now one tossing chaos of cutting and slashing fiends in human form, rushing here and there, and stumbling over the frightened sheep, which plunged and leaped wildly, adding greatly to the din by their piteous bleating, many to fall, wounded, dying, and struggling madly, beneath the sword-cuts intended for the garrison. These were flying unarmed seeking for refuge, and often finding none, but turning in their despair upon their assailants, many of whom went down, to be trampled under foot by those whom they sought to slay. The firing now began to rapidly increase, the flashings of the rifles seeming to cut through the dense mist, now growing thicker with the smoke, which, instead of rising, hung in a heavy cloud, mingling with the fog, and making the efforts of the defenders more difficult as it increased. For some time every one seemed to have lost his head, as, in spite of the efforts of the officers, the panic was on the increase, and the Ghazis had everything their own way. Colonel Graves, as soon as he had got his little force together, gave the word for a rush with the bayonet, and led the way, his men following bravely, but the difficulties they encountered were intense. It was almost impossible to form in line, and when at last this was roughly achieved in the darkness, and the order to advance was given, it was upon a mass of struggling sheep mingled with the yelling fiends; and, to the horror of the line of sturdy men, they found that to fire, or advance with the bayonet, would be to the destruction of friend as well as foe. To add to the horror, the wild and piteous shrieks of women arose now from the portion of the fort containing the officers' quarters; and at this Roberts, who was firing with his men down into the seething mass of fresh assailants swarming at the gates and striving, so far vainly, to mount the walls, gave a sharp order. "Here, cease firing, my lads," he yelled. "Drummond--Drummond! Where's Mr Drummond?" "Gone, sir," came from one of the men. "What! down?" cried Roberts. "No, sir; he said something about go on firing, and hooked it off along the ramp." An angry groan arose, and Roberts muttered something about his friend before shouting again. "Sergeant," he cried, "take the command of your men, and keep these dogs from mounting the gate. I am going
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147  
148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
firing
 

Roberts

 

Drummond

 
struggling
 
increase
 
bayonet
 

officers

 

horror

 

efforts

 

advance


friend
 
assailants
 

piteous

 

rifles

 

fiends

 

Sergeant

 

mingled

 

sturdy

 

yelling

 

shouting


destruction
 

muttered

 

command

 
intense
 

encountered

 
difficulties
 
bravely
 

impossible

 

roughly

 

achieved


mounting

 

darkness

 
vainly
 
hooked
 

yelled

 
striving
 

portion

 

shrieks

 

quarters

 

seething


swarming

 

intended

 
garrison
 

beneath

 
bleating
 
wounded
 

flying

 

unarmed

 
despair
 

trampled