their real keynote, and that the threefold method that they vaunted was
quite useless without a stiffening of courage.

So brave men, who had more courtesy in each of their fingers than most
of the seniors had all put together, had to bow to a scandalous
condition that made England's rule a laughing-stock within a stone's
throw of the city limits. And they had to submit to the indecency of
seeing a new, inexperienced arrival picked for the task of commanding a
body of irregulars, for no other reason than because it was considered
wise to make an exhibition of him.

Cunningham became half policeman, half soldier, in charge of a small
special force of mounted men engaged for the purpose of patrol. He had
nothing to do with the selection of them; that business was attended
to perfunctorily by a man very high up in departmental service, who
considered Cunningham a nuisance. He was a gentleman who did not know
Mahommed Gunga; another thing he did not know was the comfortable feel
of work well done; so he was more than pleased when Mahommed Gunga
dropped in from nowhere in particular--paid him scandalously untrue
compliments without a blush or a smile and offered to produce the
required number of men at once.

Only fifty were required. Mahommed Gunga brought three hundred to
select from, and, when asked to do so in order to save time and
trouble, picked out the fifty best.

"There are your men!" said the Personage off-handedly, when they had
been sworn in in a group. "Be good enough to remember, Mr. Cunningham,
that you are now responsible for their behavior, and for the proper
night patrolling of the city limits."