But there was no movement among the white tents. Then they stole quietly
into the camp.

The tents of the Indian native regiments are large, oblong tents, with two
poles, holding thirty men each. They are manufactured at the government
prison at Jubbalpore, and are made of thick cotton canvas, lined with red
or blue cotton. In the daytime they open right along one side, the wall of
the tent being propped outward, with two slight poles, so as to form a
sort of veranda, and shade the inside of the tent while admitting the air.
At night-time, in the cool season, this flap is let down and the tent
closed. In front of the tents the muskets of the men inside are piled.

Into one of these tents Dick crawled, Ned watching outside. When Dick
first entered it was so dark that he could see nothing; but the moonlight
penetrated dimly through the double cotton, and he was soon able to
discover objects around. The ground was all occupied by sleeping figures,
each wrapped up from head to foot in his blanket, looking like so many
mummies. Their uniforms were folded, and placed between their heads and
the wall of the tent. Six of these, with the same number of caps, and six
ammunition pouches and belts, and a uniform cloak, taken carefully off one
of the sleepers, Dick collected and passed out through the door of the
tent to Ned. Not a sleeper stirred while he did so, and he crept quietly
out, with the first part of his task accomplished. Gathering the things
together, the boys made all speed back to a clump of trees half a mile in
the rear of the camp. Here Ned put on one of the uniforms and the cloak,
and they then started back again for the camp.

The sentries upon the prisoners' tent were changed at twelve o'clock, and
a few minutes later the sentry at the rear of the tent saw one of his
comrades come out of one of the large tents close to the end of his beat.