hear all about it."

Ned and Dick told the story--sometimes one taking it up, sometimes the
other. There were many questions from their auditors, and expressions of
warm approval of their conduct; and Captain Dunlop threatened under his
breath that if he ever had a chance he would not leave one cake of mud
upon another in the village where Kate was wounded. He and Captain Manners
proposed that they should go back, and afford what protection they could
to the girls. But Major Warrener at once negatived this idea.

"If they could come straight back with us, I should say yes," he said,
"for with us five we might hope to get them through safely; but even that
would be very risky, for the larger the party is, the more easily it
attracts attention, and the whole country is alive with rebels marching to
Delhi. But as Rose cannot be fit to travel for weeks, we have no choice in
the matter. They must remain where they are, and we can only hope and pray
for their safety. Our duty lies clearly at Meerut, where every man who can
sight a rifle will be wanted most urgently. Now let us be off to sleep;
the fire has burned low, and in another hour or two it will be daybreak;
however, there will be no reveille, and we can sleep on with lighter
hearts than we have had for some time."

"What figures you are in those uniforms!" Dick said, laughing, next
morning; "you can scarcely move in them, and they won't meet by eight or
nine inches. It does not seem to me that they are any disguise at all. Any
one could see in a moment that they were not made for you."

"They are wretchedly uncomfortable, Dick." his father said; "and, as you
say, any one could see they were not made for us. But they are useful. As
we go along, any one who saw us at a distance would take us for a