excited by these massacres. Had it been a simple mutiny among the
troops we should all be well content to leave the matter in the
hands of our soldiers; but it is a personal matter to everyone;
rich and poor are alike moved by a burning desire to take part in
the work of vengeance. I should doubt if the country has ever been
so stirred from its earliest history."

"Yes, I fancy we are all envying you, Mallett," one of the other
gentlemen said. "Partridge shooting is tame work in comparison with
that which is going on in India. It was lucky for you that that
first mutiny took place when it did, for had it been a week later
you would probably have been gazetted out before the news came."

"Yes, that was a piece of luck, certainly, Ashurst. I don't know
how I should be feeling if I had been out of it and the regiment on
the point of starting for India."

"I suppose you are likely to embark from Plymouth," said Sir John.

"I should think so, but there is no saying. I hardly fancy that we
should go through France, as some of the regiments have done; there
would be no very great gain of time, especially if we start as far
west as Plymouth. Besides, I have not heard of any transports being
sent round to Marseilles lately. Of course, in any case we shall
have to land at Alexandria and cross the desert to Suez. I should
fancy, now that the advantages of that route have been shown, that
troops in future will always be taken that way. You see, it is only
five weeks to India instead of five months. The situation is bad
enough as it is, but it would have been infinitely worse if no
reinforcements could have got out from England in less than five