and borne by four bearers, she was carried away, her sister being placed
on a horse closely guarded. As he turned to ride off the captain's eye
fell upon me. 'Ah! old traitor!' he said; 'I had forgotten you!' and he
drew a pistol and fired at me. I know no more; his men put fire to the
barn and granaries, and drove off our cattle and horses. When he had
ridden off my servants--who thought I was dead--by order of my sorrowing
wife carried me here. Happily, however, by the will of Brahma, the bullet,
instead of going through my skull, glanced off, and I was only stunned. I
had lost much blood, but I determined to set out as soon as I could walk
to bring you the news, and in the meantime have had a watch kept upon
Nahdoor."

Major Warrener and his sons thanked the old peasant and his family in the
warmest terms for what they had done, and the former pressed upon the
farmer a sum of money which would cover all the losses he had sustained.

"Your conduct," he said, "will be reported to the government, and you will
find when these troubles are over that England knows how to reward those
who proved faithful when so many were faithless. Now we will say adieu.
When the war is over the ladies you have so kindly treated will themselves
return to thank you."

In a few minutes the troop was in the saddle again, and directed its march
toward Nahdoor.

On the way Major Warrener questioned his guide as to the strength and
position of the fortress, which lay away from the main road, and had not
been visited by any of the troop--as the major had ascertained before
starting. The account was not reassuring. The guide reported that it stood
on a rock, which rose perpendicularly some eighty or a hundred feet from