Told in the East

as a well-made highway, and led from a walled city, where three thousand men sweated and thought of Eng

, and was used almost exclusively by natives, whose rightful business was neither war nor peace nor the contriving of either of them. It had been a

s. There are few fighting-men among that host. They are priests for the most part or fakirs or make-believe pedlers or confessed and shameless mendicants; and they have no liking for the trunk roads, where the

ey controlled; and though most of their military officers were blinder yet, and failed to read the temper of the native troops in their immediate command, still, there were other men who found themse

e. There were big trunk arteries, which took the flow of life from city to walled city, and a mass of winding veins in the shape of grass-grown country tracks. He could

the fever was slow in showing itself. And meanwhile the men who had the ordering of things could see neither necessity nor excuse for s

ere non-commissioned officers in plenty, and it was not difficult to choose the best of them-three men-and send them, with minute detachments, to three different points of vantage. Non-

crossed a native road some seventy miles from Bholat, Bill Brown-swordsman and sergeant and

ho had more imagination. But there was none who knew better how to win the unqualified respect and the obedience of British and

hom he did not even possess a likeness, was next door to being pitiable. His voice was like a raven's, with something rather less than a raven's sense of melody; he was very prone to sing, and his songs were mournful ones. He was not a social

nth time, and had let it go out again while he hummed a verse of a Covenanters' hymn. And he had just started up to wall over to the cell and make

w himself down on all fours, and laid his ear to th

e yelled.

eight men not on watch ran out in single file, still buttoning their

ding his way in the blackness more by instinct and sense of direction tha

ither of you men can hear that

em made out a very faint and distant noise, that di

native drum?

's a horse galloping. Tired horse, by the sound

's within ear-shot, and shoot him if he won't halt. If he halts, pass him along to Number Two. Number Two, pass him

guard "port arms," and carefully inspecting their weapons with the aid of a lantern. He had already inspected there once since supper, but he knew the effect that another inspection wo

setting the men on the qui

st advanced sentry's

er, in nasal, high-pitched wai

one. They were little sounds, but they were different, and t

htning might, it showed an instantaneous vision of a tired gray horse, foam-flecked and furiously ridden, pounding down the road head-on. The vis

erratic shower of sparks, a curse in clean-lipped decent Urdu; a grunt, a struggle, more sparks again, and then a th

arded Rajput rolled free, and looked up to find

narled the

ing else. Put up your 'ands, and get on your feet, and march! Look alive, now!

h his dignity. He rose, and took one quick l

," he said, "and press.

ere directed, and leaned his weight above it.

d this time the sentry looked and saw co

aid the Rajput.

complied, while the Rajput's ivory-w

route that the other chose, toward the guardroom. The Rajput seemed to know by instinct where the second sentry stood although the man's shape was quite invisible a

to the shoulder, a British sentry-feeling and looking precisely like a fool-marched u

n. "Who or what have y

present!" said a voice th

up closer,

ou? Jugg

fool could only use his bayonet as he can shoot, I think I would be dead too. His brains, though

n detached themselves from the end of the guar

Juggut Khan, and Brown re

past the other

no brains. Sometimes one part of the rule is broke

angry because he k

s right, since I did not halt for him, and I suppose he had his orders. I am angry

drunk, Ju

ve seen British officers-good, brave fools, some of whom I knew and loved-killed by the men they were supposed to lead. I have seen a barracks burning, and a city give

d Brown. "Don't l

bravely. And certain others I have hidden where the mutineers are not likely to discover them at present. I ri

s and Hindus are as one, and the crowd is with them. This is probably the end of the powder-train

hy

me, the cause lies deeper. In the meantime, the rebels have looted Jailpore and burned their barracks, and within an hour or two they will start along this road for Bholat, which the

ll find General Baines to

ounded by rebels? I am not! I would not be at all surprised to learn that General Baines is so busy defending himsel

y my orders!"

ur orde

orde

the provision of an

wn over yonder, where I think you'll fin

ould possibly permit a cer

ly not!"

he

er the spur of necessity, and after givi

wandering around the country

ners, two on guard at the crossroads, two at the guardroom door-six

e been short-handed otherwise. Number One! Stand guard between the clink and the guardroom door. Keep an eye on both. The remainder-form two-deep

time to keep out of earshot of the men and to speak to Juggut Khan in low tones. He learned, among other things, that Juggut Kh

u Rajputs loya

at I myself shall stay

oubt. There can only be o

here can only be one end. This night is not more bl

, you

you-or any other Englishman-is likely to believe. I be

, you st

y n

or a man of many words. I don't trust Indian

"We be two men, you and I! Why should

ends the way we want, and we're both ali

when you bandaged up a boy and gave him your own drinking-water an

man would have done the sam

ib, and you know it was not nothing! You know that from the heat and the exertion you were ill for more than a month

Why drag up a littl

might have no other

? And

boy whom you car