[Here was a pretty conspiracy!] "No, I saw him, but not alone; his
people were always with him."

"Hurrumzadeh! it is a pity; we waited but the sound of your jogree
(whistle), and straightway would have galloped up and seized upon
every man, woman, and child in the fort: however, there are but a
dozen men in the garrison, and they have not provision for two
days--they must yield; and then hurrah for the moon-faces!
Mashallah! I am told the soldiers who first get in are to have
their pick. How my old woman, Rotee Muckun, will be surprised when
I bring home a couple of Feringhee wives,--ha! ha!"

"Fool!" said I, "be still!--twelve men in the garrison there are
twelve hundred! Gahagan himself is as good as a thousand men; and
as for food, I saw with my own eyes five hundred bullocks grazing
in the courtyard as I entered." This WAS a bouncer, I confess; but
my object was to deceive Puneeree Muckun, and give him as high a
notion as possible of the capabilities of defence which the
besieged had.

"Pooch, pooch," murmured the men; "it is a wonder of a fortress:
we shall never be able to take it until our guns come up."

There was hope then! they had no battering-train. Ere this arrived
I trusted that Lord Lake would hear of our plight, and march down
to rescue us. Thus occupied in thought and conversation, we rode
on until the advanced sentinel challenged us, when old Puneeree
gave the word, and we passed on into the centre of Holkar's camp.

It was a strange--a stirring sight! The camp-fires were lighted;