on the north-west frontier of india stood the little fort of darlinger. it had been erected two years previous to the opening of this story, and was occupied by three companies of a punjaubi regiment under the command of major ackworth. it was intended to act as a check to the incursions of the fierce tribes across the frontier. one of these raids had recently been made, and the major was about to start with two and a half companies and two field-guns to punish the invaders. he was a strict officer but not unpopular, being very particular about the comfort and well-being of those under his command; in other respects, however, he was a silent and reserved man. he had lost his wife a year before, and this had completely broken him down; the only being he seemed now to care for was his daughter nita. nita's mother had [pg 8]intended to return to england with her daughter just before death put an end to the plan.
the major talked often of the necessity of sending nita home, but so far it had only been talk. "i have quite made up my mind at last, nita, when i return from this expedition, to pack you off to your uncle in england; you are getting a great deal too old to be knocking about in a barrack-yard, and there are no ladies here who would keep you up to the mark. i know that you are a favourite with all the officers, but that only makes matters worse. you have been a regular tomboy for the last five years, and it is quite time that you were taught to behave as a young lady."
"i can behave like that now when i like, father, and i am sure i don't want to grow up a young lady like the colonel's two daughters, who used to walk about as if their feet were pinched up in wooden shoes, and simper and smirk whenever anyone spoke to them. then there was captain mann's wife, who seemed to think of nothing but dress, and expected to be waited on by all the officers."
"that is all very well," the major said. "i admit that they were not favourable specimens of their sex, and i by no means advise you to take them as models; you know well enough that i should not be sending you home to england unless i was [pg 9]absolutely convinced of the necessity for so doing. i shall miss you very sorely, and shall count the days till, in three years' time, i shall take my leave and come home to you, to bring you out again when i return. you must admit yourself that your accomplishments are not strictly feminine in their character. you are as good a shot as there is in the regiment both with rifle and revolver, you can fence very fairly, you have a very good idea of cricket, but you know nothing of music."
"i wish i had been a boy instead of a girl," nita said
"well, father, you know you have said many times that you don't like musical women."
"no, i am not fond of them, though i like a woman who can play an accompaniment to a good old english, scotch, or irish song; but as for a woman who is always strumming on a piano, i think that she is a bore of the worst kind, so we won't say much about the music. then you could not make a garment for yourself to save your life, and there is no more necessary accomplishment on the frontier than for a woman to be able to make her own clothes. you can cook very decently, i admit; but as for anything else you know no more than a child of ten. i am afraid that your uncle will be sadly shocked at your ignorance of everything except barrack life."
"i wish i had been a boy instead of a girl," nita said.
[pg 10]
"i rather wish so too, nita; but as a boy, you would have been obliged to go home and work desperately hard to get a commission. no, i think you had better be contented with matters as they are, and if we can't turn you out a soldier we can, at least, make a lady of you."
nita made a little grimace which showed that the prospect did not delight her. "what is the use," she said, "of my being able to hit the ace of diamonds ten times following at twelve paces?"
"it is not impossible that it may be of use if you come out here again. it is more than probable that you will be a soldier's wife, and in a country such as this, it is by no means unlikely that your skill with a pistol may be of use to you. you remember in the mutiny how women fought at the side of their husbands. there has been more than one massacre since we have been here, and such an event might occur again. at the present moment the tribes are restless, and may break out in a general insurrection at any time. however, that is as it may be. young carter will take his leave and go down country in a month's time, and i shall place you under his care."
nita laughed. "i should rather say, father, that you would place him under my care, for he is the most stupid man in the regiment."
the major smiled. "he is not popular, nita, but [pg 11]he is a good honest young fellow; he doesn't say much, certainly, but as you talk enough for two i have no doubt that you will get on very well when you are once in a railway-carriage on your way down south, and he will be able to look after you when you get to bombay, and see all about your passage, and make general arrangements for your comfort. i do not know any one in the regiment to whom i would rather trust you."
"well, father, as you say so, of course i must go. if it were only for six months i should not mind, for i want to see the sea, and the shipping, and of course it will be all new to me in england. i have no doubt that my aunt will be very kind and make allowances for my deficiencies, but it will be terrible work saying good-bye to you when we have never been separated even for a day. i will promise you that i will do my best to be trained up to be a lady. shall i have to go to school?"
"certainly, dear; i shall ask your aunt to find a first-rate finishing school to which you can be sent for the three years that you are in england, except for your holidays."
"the girls will all think that i am a little savage. i have heard you say that they go out for walks two by two, like an awkward squad being drilled, and they never run races, but have to walk along[pg 12] with their arms down by their sides, and their feet turned out. oh dear, it will be dreadful!"
"not so bad as that; i believe there are schools now where girls play games—hockey, football, and cricket, and have gymnastics; and i shall ask your aunt to choose one of that sort."
"that will be better," nita said more cheerfully; "at any rate, i think that i shall be able to hold my own."
"i dare say you will feel very happy when you have been settled there for a time. the great point is to make the best of things. you are a big girl for your age. you are as tall as many village girls at sixteen, and if you are bright and cheerful you will soon make yourself liked. naturally in every school there are one or two disagreeable girls, but there will be no reason why you should quarrel with them."
nita threw back her head. "they had better not quarrel with me," she said; "you know that i have had lessons in boxing."
"why, you little savage," he said, "you don't suppose in a finishing school for girls they use their fists against each other! i gave you permission to learn to box, for i think it well that every man or woman should be able to protect themselves if necessary. moreover, boxing gives quickness of thought, and doubtless improves the pose and figure.[pg 13] if you were to hit a girl at school, it would lead to your instant expulsion. women fight with words, not with fists. i think after your constant verbal skirmishes with the officers that you will be able to hold your own."
"i think so, father," nita said; "oh, yes! i think i shall get on very well at school."
on the following day the major marched away, and he told his daughter that he should probably be back in a fortnight. "take care of yourself," he shouted as he waved his hand before giving the order to start; "i expect to hear, when i come back, that you have been doing junior subaltern's work to lieutenant carter."
as soon as the force were beyond the gate she went up to the lieutenant. "you heard, sir," she said, saluting in military fashion, "that my father has deputed me to act as your sub?"
the young man looked at her in surprise. "i understood that the major was joking, miss ackworth."
"partly in jest, partly in earnest, sir," she said calmly; "one white officer to fifty men is quite enough under ordinary circumstances, but it might not be enough here if we were attacked in force by the pathans. i might not be of any use in directing the men's movements, they have their own native officers for that, but in case of trouble[pg 14] i could keep watch and carry orders for you and act as hospital nurse, and do no end of things."
"i trust that there will be no necessity at all for your efforts in any direction."
"look here, charlie," she said; "if that is the way you take my well-meant offers, i shall withdraw them." this she said in a tone of contempt.
"i think you are quite right to do so, miss ackworth. i do not think there is the most remote chance of your services being called into requisition."
"i don't know," she said; "somehow or other i have a sort of uneasy conviction that there is trouble brewing."
the lieutenant's face changed its expression instantly. "have you any reason whatever for such an idea?" he asked, with a sharpness and directness differing widely from his usual manner.
"no, i cannot quite say that i have; still, there are sundry little things which might afford some foundation for it. to begin with, you know that thirty of the camp-followers went off a week ago. why should they have done that? they are always well treated. there has been no grumbling among them, and yet, without a moment's notice they stole away, just before the gates were closed at night."
"yes, miss ackworth, we discussed that matter among ourselves, and came to the conclusion that[pg 15] the men thought they wanted a change and had gone off to their villages."
"yes, of course, it might have meant that. i heard you talking it over when you were sitting in the veranda outside our bungalow. i thought you were all very stupid, because you only seemed to have one idea between you. why, i could have given you several reasons at least.
"the men all belong to the hill tribes, and, i have no doubt, had an inkling that an expedition was going to start, and so went to join their friends. they took, i heard, half a dozen rifles with them, which would certainly seem to show that they had no intention of returning here.
"well, that is one solution. the other is that the raid that my father has gone out to punish is really a feint to get him to take the greater part of the garrison away, and during his absence to fall upon us tooth and nail."
the young lieutenant looked at nita gravely. "what you suggest is quite possible; i never thought of it before, and i don't think the major can have done so, or he would have left some more of his force here. i beg your pardon, miss ackworth. i see that in case this supposition turns out to be correct you will make a very useful subaltern, and i at once accept your offers in that direction. i trust sincerely that your fears will not come to[pg 16] anything, but at any rate i will at once take every precaution in my power—forewarned is forearmed, you know."
"that is right, sir," she said, saluting again; "i hope that when you are assigning a place in the defence to everyone else you will not forget me. i am as good with the rifle as anybody, and, as you know, i am a pretty certain shot with my revolver, and if it came to close fighting should not waste much ammunition."
"i will remember," he said, with a slight smile; "but i should say that, to begin with, your place would be in one of the officer's bungalows, which we will turn into a hospital. there will be plenty of work for you there if we are attacked. i again apologize for having treated your first proposal so lightly."
"oh, never mind about that, charlie! i am glad that it is you that they left behind, for most of the other officers would only have chaffed me, and then i should have got into a rage."
greatly satisfied, she returned to her father's bungalow, and set herself to going through his belongings, and putting aside all old garments she could find that could be torn up and used for dressings.
charlie carter at once called up the two native officers and told them that he did not consider the fort safe from attack while the troops were away.[pg 17] the soldiers were formed up, and with these they made a tour of the walls, telling off a man to every twenty yards, and additional men to the points that were weakest and most open to attack. "you will let half the men off duty every day, but see that all are ready for work at night; there will be no occasion for them all to remain on guard, but you will station a third of them at their posts, and change these three times during the night. those not on sentry will sleep with their rifles beside them, magazines charged, so as to be ready at once if the alarm is given. one of you by turns will be on night duty, to see that the sentries are vigilant, and that all is going on quietly. the troops who are off duty will, of course, hurry to take their respective posts on the wall should the alarm be given by day."
the officers appeared in no way surprised at the orders. there had been some discussion among them on the previous evening about the fort being left so slenderly guarded, and they were pleased to see that their officer was determined not to be caught napping. a tour of inspection was made, and each man was instructed in the position that he was to occupy in the case of assault. the weakest spot was the gateway, which was commanded by a native mosque a hundred yards away, several low buildings surrounding it.
[pg 18]
"i wish i could pull that place down," he said to nita; "but it is more than i can venture to do when we have really nothing to go upon. the major has always said that if we were going to be attacked he should not hesitate to level it to the ground, but he could not venture to do so unless the danger were imminent, as its destruction would be bitterly resented by all the people round."
"don't you think, charlie, that if we were to plant a couple of barrels of powder under it, and lay a train by which it could be fired, that it would smash it up pretty completely? we have a large store of powder, and can spare two or three barrels for the purpose."
"it is a capital idea, miss ackworth, and i will carry it out to-night when the people in the village are all asleep. upon my word, if it were in accordance with military discipline, i should feel disposed to hand over my command to you, for your brain works quicker than mine does, by a long way."
"i am quite content to serve under you," she said. "i dare say i shall have other suggestions to make later on; some, no doubt, will be possible, others the contrary, but i shall submit them for your approval or rejection, knowing very well that some of them would be impracticable. now look here: i shall find it frightfully dull taking my meals by[pg 19] myself, and i don't suppose you will find it lively, so i wish you would join me on the veranda of our bungalow."
"i don't know, miss ackworth, whether your father would quite approve of that."
"nonsense!" the girl laughed; "you know i am not in any way to be regarded as a young lady yet. besides, my father was going to send me very soon down to bombay, and from there to england, under your escort, which shows that he considers you a prudent and trustworthy guardian for me. if i were at home all day by myself i am sure that i should get the jumps. my brain is always busy, and, as father's representative here, i think i ought to be able constantly to confer with you; and i am sure it will be more pleasant for you to sit in our veranda and smoke your pipe and put up with my chatter, than it would be for you to be moping by yourself in the ante-room. if you like i will promise to talk as childishly as i can, and with all due respect to you as commander of the garrison."
carter laughed. "very well, miss ackworth; it would certainly be a great deal more pleasant for me, and you must take the responsibility when the major returns."
"i will do that," she said; "my father must see that it would be ridiculous for us each to be taking our meals alone all the time that he was away."
[pg 20]
"do you know, charlie," nita said on the second evening, "i have always thought you rather slow, and now i see that you are really nothing of the sort."
carter laughed. "i am quite conscious that i am slow, miss ackworth. i am not quick in taking in ideas, or in expressing my own. i often wish that it wasn't so, but i have lately been getting better. i can't chaff as most of them can, but i find myself able to join in general conversation more easily. some day, i dare say, i shall become quite a conversationalist."
"how very serious you are!" she said; "you talk with me as if i were a woman, and not, as most of the others do, as a little girl to be chaffed."
