"My dear," said her father, "I shall be on duty; so long as a vestige of
the regiment remains as a regiment, I shall be with it; if the whole
regiment breaks up and attacks us, those who do not fall at the first
volley will be justified in trying to save their lives. The colonel, the
adjutant, and myself are mounted officers, and two or three of the others
will have their dogcarts each day brought up to the messhouse, as they
often do. If there is a mutiny on parade, the unmounted officers will make
for them, and we who are mounted will as far as possible cover their
retreat. So it is arranged."

"But will the road be open to Meerut, uncle?" Rose asked after a pause,
for the danger seemed so strange and terrible that they felt stunned by
it.

"No, my dear; it certainly will not. There are three garrison towns
between us, and they also will probably be up. The only thing is to keep
to the road for the first ten or twelve miles, and then take to the woods,
and make your way on foot. I have spoken to Saba this morning. We can
trust her; she nursed you all, and has lived with me ever since as a sort
of pensioner till you came out. I have asked her to get two dresses of
Mussulman country women; in those only the eyes are visible, while the
Hindoo dress gives no concealment. I have also ordered her to get me two
dresses: one, such as a young Mussulman _zemindar_ wears; the other, as
his retainer. They are for you boys. Keep the bundles, when you get them,
in that closet in the dining-room, so as to be close at hand; and in case
of alarm, be sure and take them with you. Remember my instructions are
absolute. If by day, escape in the trap at the first alarm; if the trap is
not available, escape at once on foot. If you hear the enemy are close,
hide till nightfall in that thick clump of bushes in the corner of the