and plans and whispered orders for the coming struggle had been passed around the countryside for months

rely bad, and though both best and worst were hidden away whenever possible, good horses were discoverable. Within an hour, Bill Brown; wit

thed him, and watched the signing of a s

wn sahib!" He leaned over and grasped the sergeant by the hand. "Take my advice, now. I know what is happening and what

direction of Bholat at a hand-gallop, guiding himself solely by the soldier's si

died away, "and I'm game to take my oath he wouldn't lie to me, I'd

was there, because they happened to know Brown too well to do otherwise. He would have snubbed any man who dared

s? What's that I heard him say about rebellion? They're a rum

English officers are killed-or so says Juggut Khan. He's riding on, to carry the news to General Bain

we going t

iness! I'm in

't you going to follow him? Are you going to stay here an

e on, now! Hurry! 'Tshun-eyes right-ri'-dress. Eyes-front. Ri'-

s without giving them any further opportu

s, without being challenged, that he show

he shouted

e was no

swallowed him, but the men could hear him move, and they heard him fall. They

ight here,

l broken order, and were standing huddled up together like a frightened flock of sheep, p

s it, S

hell's

, Taylor? You again? Swearing in the presence of death? Talking of hell, with your two c

t with violence. Brown rolled one body over, though, and then the cause of death became more obvious. A stream of bl

is hands in the road-dust to get the blood off them. "Pick 'em up. Carefully,

n there should have been. The lamp was still burning in the guardroom, for they could see it plainly as

oom. Brown let them take their dead comrades into the guardroom first, then set two fresh

ad imprisoned the fakir. He went by himse

to turn any body over. The sentry whom he had left to guard both cell and guardroom stood bolt upright, with his

in. "Take that poor chap down, and lay him in the guardroom beside the others. How? How shoul

and fingered gingerly around the spike, which must ha

s much, he might have done so. "I knew that a man who could maim h

ir, or of any one who might have helped him go-nothing but an emp

t, and closed

d to see England just once again-I would indeed. If I could only see her just once. If I'd a letter from her, or her picture. This is a rotten,

ken, so he only closed it, then s

ttered. "That's three weapons they've got, in any case.

y, and he saw that their faces were drawn and white. So were t

e? That'd do instead o' buryin' the dead ones, and it'd give us a ligh

nt that pani

straight back took on a curve that

i'-dress!

e spoke, and during that minute each man there reali

mmand, from now on. It's going to buck up. I'm going to put some ginger in it. There are three dead men here to be avenged, and I'm going to avenge 'em, or make you do it! And if any man imagines he's going to help himself by feeling afraid, let me assure

as grim

contradicted, that you're all brav

!" said a voi

l? W

had carried the lamp for him that

It is time

n! Why don'

fraid,

wh

e fakir said. You will be pegged out on an anthill, sahib,

ee them ki

, sa

was t

ay and hi

ny were

Punjabi skin-buy

ry well! Did he go

e did. I d

ind him, and we'll go in search of him, and I wouldn't like to be that Punjabi when I d